Erica George

Well I think this needed a more critical editor.

Captain Churchill is, most of the time, a totally despicable person. The current day town worships this mysterious historical figure that they know virtually nothing about and I have no idea why. None of that story line made any sense to me. Why did Leta fall in love with him? He was a real jerk to her yet she was still obsessed with him. She even knew she was in love with a figment of her imagination yet she yearned for the bits of love he show more threw at her feet every now and then.

The shame is that the rest of the characters and story lines were good. I really liked the idea of two female poets across time looking to have their work appreciated. I thought the modern day relationships were more believable and quite cute at times, with some great friendship dynamics in there too. I don't recommend this for animal lovers as there are a couple of descriptions of whale hunting that are quite upsetting. Leta finds the whale hunting abhorrent yet she falls in love with the man behind the slaughters because you know, he's so damned desirable in his aloof, cruel and cold manner... show less

The Edge of Summer was a light contemporary romance novel about two teenagers learning what matters most to them.

The book follows a 17-year old high school student, Cor, as she struggles with both guilt and grief following the death of her estranged best friend Ella. When Cor decides to do a marine biology internship during her summer in Cape Cod, she meets a charming lifeguard named Maddix who quickly sweeps her off her feet. Soon she finds herself forced to choose between her newfound show more romance and honoring all the promises she made to Ella in the past.

Seeing as it is currently summer, now is the perfect time for this book to be released. It’s a quick read that manages to be a feel-good story while also dealing with themes of loss and grief. Both Cor and Maddix are going through a lot of emotional turmoil of who they want to be vs who their loved ones expect them to be. It’s a very relatable issue and I have no doubt that it will speak to the book’s target audience.

Throughout the novel, there’s this repeated theme of Cor seeing and hearing Ella speak to her. This is something I see in basically any book about grief and it’s gotten to the point where I’m wondering if this is an actual common phenomenon in humans after experiencing loss, or if it’s simply a writing tool that authors have continuing using to help push their stories along. I can’t tell how I feel about it yet.

My only real complaint about Summer’s Edge is that I didn’t think Cor went through enough character development. There are several scenes from the past that reveal her as previously being selfish, sensitive, and afraid to stand up for herself and others. I thought the point of these was to show how much she’s grown by the end of the novel, but when I finished the book, I still felt like she was all of these things, just slightly less so. She is, however, only 18 years old. She has a lot of time to figure herself out.

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Crossposted on my blog.

For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.

Thank you TBR Beyond Tours and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary book in exchange for an honest review. show less

In a Nutshell: Loved the whales. Liked the location and summery feel. Hated the main character. ONLY FOR OLDER YA READERS.

Story Synopsis:

Coriander, fondly called ‘Cor’, who is almost eighteen, is spending her summer at Cape Cod, working with the local marine institute to save whales from entanglement. She is also coping with the death of her best friend Ella and still sees her at key moments. Life at Cape Cod is going as expected, but the entry of local guy Mannix shatters Cor’s

show more

resolve of not dating anyone during the summer. The story focusses mostly on Cor and her rapport with the others around her, especially the budding relationship with Mannix, and partly on the whale initiatives
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Cor.

Where the book worked for me: show less

In a Nutshell: Loved the whales. Liked the location and summery feel. Hated the main character. ONLY FOR OLDER YA READERS.

Story Synopsis:

Coriander, fondly called ‘Cor’, who is almost eighteen, is spending her summer at Cape Cod, working with the local marine institute to save whales from entanglement. She is also coping with the death of her best friend Ella and still sees her at key moments. Life at Cape Cod is going as expected, but the entry of local guy Mannix shatters Cor’s

show more

resolve of not dating anyone during the summer. The story focusses mostly on Cor and her rapport with the others around her, especially the budding relationship with Mannix, and partly on the whale initiatives
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Cor.

Where the book worked for me: show less