The Summer of Letting Go

This book is aimed at the teen market, and the love story component certainly suits that market. But 'The Summer of Letting Go' is such a touching and beautiful story it should be read by everyone. There is a Charlie St. Cloud feel to the story as Franky Schnell tries to deal with the death of her brother, but it differs in the quest to discover the link between Simon and her new charge Frankie Sky. Is Frankie Sky Simon reincarnated, are all the links truly coincidences? These questions and many others around Simon's tragic drowning are woven beautifully around daily life and interesting relationships between the characters. I really enjoyed this book. I was given a copy of this book to read and give my honest opinion.

A child’s guilt can be overwhelming and so it is with fifteen year old Francesca (Frankie) Schnell. SummerOfLettingGoFour years ago, while at the beach with her parents, her four year old brother, Simon, drowned. She and Simon were building a sand castle. She went to the beach blanket where her parents were sleeping, looking for food. When she turned around her brother was at the water’s edge, then he was caught by a wave. Frankie was stunned into inaction. Her father, hearing her scream, runs into the water but Simon couldn’t be saved. Frankie hasn’t swam since.

It is four years later. Frankie’s guilt is still in full force. She thinks her mother, who ignores her and spends most of her time at a foundation created in Simon’s show more memory, blames her and hates her. She’s jealous of her girlfriend, Lisette, who is gorgeous and has the boyfriend that Frankie yearns for.

Having snuck into the local country club pool (for reasons I won’t tell you), she sees a four year old boy dive into the deep end of the pool and look like he’s going to drown. She is paralyzed into inaction and Peter, the lifeguard, jumps in. As the boy’s mother drags him away, they almost bump into Frankie and the little boy asks “Who she?” Frankie introduces herself. It seems that his name in Frankie as well.

The next day, Francesca is called into the office of the pool’s owner. Afraid she’s going to be arrested for sneaking into the pool, she’s relieved when she finds out Frankie’s mother wants her to be a mother’s helper and help with Frankie during the summer.

All of this would generate a so-so book, but there’s more that pulled me into this book, The Summer of Letting Go. Little Frankie is the same age as Simon was when he drowned. Frankie looks like Simon, likes frogs just like Simon and has that same fearlessness. There’s more that I won’t tell you about.

Polisner explores the possibility of reincarnation/transmigration. Is it possible that Simon’s soul migrated into little Frankie? An interesting possibility. She also explores how people cope with pain. Each person in the Schnell household has dealt dramatically differently with Simon’s death. And finally, Polisner deals with a young girl’s self image and self doubt. Is Frankie pretty, especially compared to Lisette? Would any boy like her, especially the one she likes…who happens to be Lisette’s boyfriend?

The characters are all clear cut. They each have distinct personalities. I think it’s hard sometimes to create a four year old character, but little Frankie is cute, exasperating, funny, sad, just like a four year old and his sidekick dog, Potato, is just as cute.

There is a lot to think about in The Summer of Letting Go but Polisner does a fine job of putting all together in a cohesive, interesting, fun read. More that just a beach read, this book will make you think….which is what a good book should do. So, don’t let this summer go by without reading The Summer of Letting Go. show less

This is a really great, character-driven YA story that deals with forgiveness, healing and the question, what happens to the soul after our bodies no longer exist?

15-year old Francesca (Frankie) Schnell’s 4 year-old little brother, Simon drowned. Frankie has lived the last four years of her life in the shadows of his death, in grief and with remorse. With summer here once more, she avoids the beach where he was last seen alive. Her mother has withdrawn, forgotten that Frankie exists. Her dad is secretive, and Frankie suspects he is having an affair with the neighbor.

Frankie is crushing on her best friend’s boyfriend, Bradley. She has never kissed a boy, and thinks she never will. Plagued by the oppressive weight of her brother’s show more death, she feels undeserving of any good things.

Enter exuberant and sweet, 4-year old Frankie Sky who forces Frankie to take notice of him with his daredevil stunts. To keep young Frankie safe, she accepts the position of mother’s helper for the little guy and quickly finds herself taken with him. The more time she spends with him, though, the more Frankie Sky reminds her of her deceased brother, Simon. Not only do her brother and Frankie Sky look alike, but also they are the same age, and the particulars about the boys’ birth and death are inexplicable. Believing these facts cannot be mere coincidences and that there is an unearthly, spiritual connection between the two boys, Frankie sets out to understand the intangible message she is sure Simon is sending her.

But Simon died while on her watch. Taking care of busy Frankie Sky will make her face her greatest fears — can she keep him safe? Can she get it right this time?

I loved the essence of this book. It was an easy read and hit all the marks of a solid story. Highly recommend! show less

I think this book is just what I needed for this time in my life which pushed me to give it an extra quarter of a star which brought up my rating to a 3.5 or 3.75 star.

This summertime contemporary had just the right blend of 'serious issue to deal with' balanced with 'cutesy love/coming of age story'. And yes, says the girl who typically doesn't like to read anything romance related. I think this was because even though, yes there was a love story, the love story played such a minor part in this story that it didn't bother me so much. The romance was definitely a little corny with some weird one liners and a sudden make-out fest while the girl is supposed to be babysitting, but it was definitely what she needed in that moment. And yes, show more the little 4 year old boy, Frankie Sky, had some horribly structured sentences throughout the book which did not feel at all representative of how 4 year-olds speak, but I still found his character endearing. There were a few loose ends that were not wrapped up sufficiently like I would have liked in a novel whose main target group is 13-15 year-olds, but I thought this was a great representation of how broken families can become after horrific events and how things are not always as they seem.

Overall, this was a cute read which was definitely what I needed at this hectic and stressful time of my life. I will probably not keep the physical copy I have since it didn't quite his that 4 star range, but it was nonetheless cute. show less

4.5 Stars
A YA coming-of-age story about grief, moving on, and life's beautiful surprises. This book is well-written and the water is a character in itself. The characters are realistic and even though this novel is set during contemporary times, the story is timeless (at times, I imagined it taking place in earlier decades). A really touching book.

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I wanted to read the Summer of Letting Go because it sounded like quite the emotional journey and the tough issue of feeling responsible for your little brother's death had to be something that wasn't easy to overcome. I also was curious where the story would go as to the little boy in this world structure he was really incarnated, or she just placed her grief glasses on in regards to the little Frankie.
At first it appears that it is just an easy breezy beach story with Francesca being a third wheel to her best friend Lisette and the new boyfriend Bradley, who Francesca is also crushing on. Talk about drama. I wasn't sure if I could deal with that storyline, but I still stuck with it because I wanted to see how her healing process was show more going to go.
It took a bit for me to connect with Francesca like I wanted to. Her emotions seemed closed off, that she talked about the events and her feelings and it should have had an impact on me, but it didn't for a while. But again, I stuck with it because I wanted to see her relationship with little Frankie who reminds her of Simon, her deceased brother.
The idea that her brother was somehow in Frankie Sky was an interesting premise as Simon died on the same day Frankie was born. They act and look in similar ways and there is the love of the frogs. I think that her resolution was what most kept me invested in the story as well Frankie Sky's personality and precociousness.
The cheating and lying and mistrust between her and Lisette, her and her family and her dad's possible affair all kept the story moving and drama filled. The best friend relationship though is sacred to me and while I know that things like this happen in the real world I know it is a hot topic and some of my readers can't stand to read about it.
I think that the ending felt a bit rushed and wrapped up a little too neatly for all of the mess that was Francesca's life, but I suppose that some readers will write off as fitting for the story.
I do think that I saw a lot of growth in Francesca, and her ability to learn to heal and decide the kind of life she wants to live and most importantly to stop blaming herself is really what made this story and was the most memorable looking back.

Bottom Line: Emotional but somewhat flawed story of a girl's healing and the little boy who ushers it into her life. show less

Summary: Francesca Schnell is a teenage girl who is starting summer but....she is overcome many challenges she has to face. Four years ago her little brother devistatingly drowned in the ocean and nothing has been the same since that day. Thinking her father may be having an affair with her own neighbor, being in love with her best friends boyfriend, and possibly considering if a little boy named Frankie Sky may be her brothers reincarnation, Francesca is overwhelmed this summer. Will she ever solve the mystery with these three problems or will she stay in misery not knowing ever about anything anymore?
Opinion: I think the book can be relatable for a lot of teenagers who have similar problems like this. If you love reading these kind of show more books like I do, you will get so easily, emotionally attached to these charecters. This book may be sad but it's also funny in a kind of a way because it's so relatable that anyone can relate at least a little bit. I would definitely reccomend to anyone to read this book. show less