This novel is exactly the kind of book I want to read, but my sister never picks up. Romance, friendship, coming of age...however you want to categorize this book, its my kind of book. I used to devour the teen romance novels my sister picked up in the mid to late 90's, Lurlene McDaniel, "Teen Romance Stories" series, Cameron Dokey...I read them all and was always ready for more. In a lot of ways The Summer of Skinny Dipping reminds me of those novels. Except where those were pretty thin on character development, plot development or originality Skinny Dipping excels.

At first Mia seemed very melodramatic to me, but then that's being a teenager right? Stereotypical or otherwise, all those hormones make everything seem that much more important. So her misery over losing her ex was understandable. I've definitely been there before. I liked that she didn't take what her cousins said about Simon on face value, that she didn't judge him simply because of what he did over his last girlfriend's infidelity (which, by the way, completely understandable why he was upset).

Simon reminded me of a friend I have. Also very artsy, also prone to quick flares of temperament. How he and Mia developed their relationship was sweet and I felt the emotional connection between them fiercely. Howells grasp of teen emotions--the push and pull of them, one extreme to the next, the certainty that what you are feeling right now is all that matters--was deft. From Mia's off the wall friend Evie, to her cousin Corinne's changed attitude and Simon's personal pain--I believed in them fully.

I know I'm not alone in this sentiment, but I was unhappy with how the ending turned out. Not in how it was written, but that it went in that direction is perhaps better. This would make a perfect summer book to read with friends or at the beach or even while sitting in a car or plane waiting for your vacation to start. It almost perfectly encapsulates what is so perfect about summer--and also the pain when it ends.


reviewed by: Tegan
Cleaned, formatted and Spellchecked by: Lexie ( )

"The rest of the girls out here are just shooting stars,"Simon whispered into my ear. "They're on a crash course to nowhere. But you, my lady friend, you're a black hole. You've sucked me in, and now there's no escape..."

Okay, so i was told that this one's gonna be a real heartbreaking read but i didn't expext to fall for it.
The Summer of Skinny Dipping was a sweet, heart-wrenching book, that will keep you hooked once you get to the romance between Mia our 16 years old insecure, witty, smart and realist protagonist and Simon the boy next door she gets the chance to meet on a party organized by her cousins.
What i liked most about their relationship - beside the late in the night swims- is the fact that it wasn't love-at-first-sight, it was slowly builed up, taking time to know each other. And the book wasn't entirely dedicated to the romance, it was about teenagers' issues, how your body change, the fear that you won't fit in anywhere unless you think, speak and behave the same way that people do.

I think that i'm not being all coherent here, so i'll just report writing this review another time! ( )

While spending the summer in the Hamptons, sixteen-year-old Mia is disappointed that her cousin Corinne has grown so distant, but when she meets the irresistible and adventures boy next door, everything changes for the better.

This book was good, but it was more than just a summer read. It was sad, but the book was good. ( )

Ah, Mia. Perhaps teen readers would better appreciate her conflicted attitudes towards her cousins. Adult readers will see everything she does wrong and cringe at her inability to stick with her convictions yet applaud her for at least recognizing her own hypocrisy. Teen readers may not be so quick to judge because they are currently working through some of the same identity issues as Mia. Adult readers have been there and done all that and already know the best path through this tricky minefield before adulthood. Still, it is always refreshing to reflect on this time period in one’s life, and Mia’s personal journey is better than most.

What is a young adult coming-of-age story without a tragedy? In this, The Summer of Skinny Dipping proves to be no exception. While the tragedy is not a surprise – savvy readers will see its possibility from the moment of introduction – It does not lose its effectiveness. It is upsetting and unfair and everything that life is but we wish it was not. Mia’s handling of the tragedy is a tad melodramatic but intense and realistic given that all teenagers have a flair for the dramatic. The fact that it helps bring the story to a close is also important because it is follows the formula established by so many YA authors prior to Ms. Howell.

The Summer of Skinny Dipping is the stereotypical coming-of-age story filled with young love, angst-ridden self-reflection, quirky neighbors, mean girls, and growing independence. It even has the clichéd ending because such stories can never end happily. This means that there are very few surprises, and the story itself is very formulaic. The funny thing about formulas, however, is that they usually work, and The Summer of Skinny Dipping is no exception to this. Mia’s struggles as the proverbial fish out of water are insightful, while her burgeoning relationship with the boy next door is appropriately charming. The Summer of Skinny Dipping is as advertised – flirty and fun with very little in the way of surprises.