Twenty Boy Summer

Recently I've read some really good books. I mean really good, and the ones I've read are ones that everyone has said you simply MUST read when exploring the YA genre. Not the latest new release, or upcoming title or what-not, but the ones that if you don't read them, you'll always be missing a little piece of yourself and you will never even know it. This is one of those books.

I'm utterly amazed at Ms. Ockler's skill. Her writing is sharp, witty, and her capacity for capturing the raw and abrasive nature of grief, majestic. This story is no picnic. Despite it's flippant title and seemingly harmless storyline of two girls playing a silly summer game, the story hurts from beginning to end. That said, it's not one to depress the hell out show more of you as in reading it, you heal along with the story.

Anna has loved Matt, her "best-friend-that's-a-boy" for years. Since her tenth birthday, she has blown out the candles on her cake with the same wish every time and this time, it came true. Matt kissed her. The love and romance that followed was all anyone could ever wish for. It was perfect, save for the fact that they have been keeping their relationship a secret from Matt's sister Frankie, Anna's best friend, until the time is right to break it to her that the trio has split into something more. But before they can bring their relationship to light, Matt dies and in the aftermath that follows, Anna can't bring herself to add any more emotion to a devastated friend and her family. The story is her struggle with Matt's loss, in secret, with no one ever knowing that she has lost the love of her life and it's absolutely heart breaking.

“When someone you love dies, people ask you how you’re doing, but they don’t really want to know. They seek affirmation that you’re okay, that you appreciate their concern, that life goes on and so can they. Secretly they wonder when the statute of limitations on asking expires (it’s three months, by the way. Written or unwritten, that’s about all the time it takes for people to forget the one thing that you never will).” show less

Anna and her best friend Frankie are ready to embark on the Absolute Best Summer Ever (ABSE) - a twenty day long vacation in sunny California with Frankie's mom and dad. Convinced Anna's lack of experience in the boy department will finally be fixed in California, Frankie institutes the 20 boys in 20 days plan.Typical teenage summer love story right?Wrong. If Sarah Ockler had just left it there, you'd have a fun, light novel but let's just add another layer here, shall we? Anna and Frankie's lives have been forever marred by a horrible tragedy that has become the proverbial pink elephant in the room - one they don't speak about and try to forget ever happened - but which haunts their every day. Feeling like she should be there to show more support Frankie, Anna has despaired to watch Frankie basically fall apart for the past year all the while holding onto her own secrets and pain. Their summer, although in the guise of meeting boys and escaping the watchful of eye parents, is full of pain, love, loss, forgiveness and just depth.There are so many breathtaking moments in this book. Anna is a compelling narrator who brings such meaning to a understandably complex and heartbreaking story. Even with these elements of pain and loss, Anna's youth still shines through in her often hilarious interactions with Frankie. Take this scene between Anna and Frankie for instance:'"Frankie, are you serious?""Maybe." She half grins, the devil that sits on shoulders in all the old cartoons. The one that's way more cute than scary and therefore causes infinitely more destruction and chaos.'I mean, just listen to that voice. Ockler has done a fabulous job of creating such a exquisite narrator. Anna's descriptions of people and place - especially the ocean - constantly blew me away. The ocean becomes a living, breathing integral part of this book: it holds secrets, dreams, fear and pain and a never-ending supply of colored sea glass. I loved this book - it made me think of the brightness of each new summer and the inherent possibilities of youth. Such a wonderful story that I couldn't have enjoyed more. And the cover? Parfait.Don't move, Sarah Ocker. Right now, everything is perfect. show less

A Balk

Twenty Boy Summer
by Sarah Ockler
Pub. Date: June 2009
3 out of 5 stars
PG-13 – Sexual Content, Sexual References, Profanity, and Alcohol Abuse
Not Recommended

Matthew is dead. He is gone. Forever and ever. Yet, Anna can’t stop thinking about him and caring for him. How is she ever going to be able to “move on”?

Frankie, Anna’s close-as-sisters best friend, promises Anna an unforgettable trip to Zanzibar Bay. Of course, just hanging out at the beach isn’t enough for attention-seeking Frankie. She sets a goal for their twenty-day vacation; meet twenty different boys, one each day. As if bikinis weren’t enough to worry about! Could this crazy scheme finally help Anna live again? Or will it just destroy what memories she still show more has?

“I’m fine. Thanks for not asking.”

Twenty Boy Summer’s wrapper is elegant and impressive with its textbook grammar, flawless sentence flow, and smooth transitions between present and past events. But the contents of this package were blah, dry, and crumbly. Just because it is pretty on the outside, doesn’t mean it is on the inside.

None of the characters were positive role models. Anna treated Sam like a teddy bear. Something to take out and cuddle when you’re sad or scared, but also something you dump when you out grow it or don’t need it. He deserved better than that. Not only that, she also desecrates her past relationship with Matthew by making tainted choices.

This book had the potential for greatness, like Willow or North of Beautiful. It could have been an amazing book of healing, but instead it dirtied itself with a lack of morals and a main character that couldn’t “move on” until she was completely hallow inside.

Twenty Boy Summer was a balk.

Date Reviewed: May 14th, 009

For more book reviews and book information check out my blog at www.inthecurrent.blogspot.com show less

What is the statute of limitations on feeling guilt for cheating on a ghost?

This is Anna's biggest question, biggest secret, and complete guilt of her life. She lost the secret boy she loved - her best friend that was a boy (and also her best friend's older brother). They shared secret moments, and then - he was gone. Died suddenly from a heart condition.

Now it's up to Anna to hold her best friend together - but Matt, her love, never got the chance to share their secret with the best friend. And now Anna has to hold that secret in.

But you can't move on if you're still in the past - and a year later, Anna is struggling to not drown in the guilt of slowly moving on.

Although Frankie is a bit obnoxious about the whole "albatross" issue, show more she is a much needed 'project' for Anna as much as Anna is for her. For a while, I wondered how Anna could be her friend but you can see it at times in the way they will just reach out for each other that they are each other's anchor.

and I found the story breathtaking. show less

This book was okay, but I wouldn't say I loved it or would want to read it again. I can't say I particularly liked any of the characters, except Matt, and he died at the beginning of the book. Frankie was annoying, Anna was annoying in how she constantly worried about erasing Matt or "cheating on his ghost," and Red and Jayne just seemed too out of touch with their daughter. That being said, I did tear up a couple of times reading this, just because of the subject matter: parents losing a child, a sister losing her brother, a young girl losing her first love and everyone trying to cope in their own separate ways but nobody really asking how everyone else is doing. This being a book aimed at young adults, I can see a teenager reading show more this book and probably marking it as a favorite, with all of the talk of boys, beaches, clothing, make-up and young love. With THAT, the author does know how to appeal to her target audience. show less

I think I've read this book three, four, maybe five times now. But as I don't have it on my bookshelf, I can't be sure. But I have definitely read it more than once. It is that good. Anna's relationship with Matt was super romantic and sweet... it wasn't your classic 'forbidden' romance. It was more just their little secret. Although, I wondered at some points about why Matt was keeping it a secret from Frankie for so long... I get that he's a protective older brother, but seriously? Okay! So you like your little sister's best friend and she likes you! Just tell Frankie! She'll get over it! She is not THAT fragile! Well... here's the thing about Frankie. She was very one-dimensional in my opinion. Until the end, there was hardly show more anything going on in her head other than boys, boys and more BOYS!!! But then, there was the whole thing with the diary and I couldn't stand her and then I liked her again and... Anyways, I'm getting way off the tangent. I should talk about Sam. Oh, Sam. Every girl dreams of going to California and meeting someone like Sam. The boy who will sweep you off of your feet and let you forget all about your dead, secret boyfriend. (Alright, maybe that's not the case with every girl, but hey... it's Anna's story, right?) He's the guy that teaches you to surf, the one that you sneak out every night to go see, and eventually... gasp! Lose your 'V-card' to! Sounds like the most cliched summer-romance novel ever, right? In ways, yes it was. But it was also so much more. The emotions that you feel from Anna take over. I seriously thought I was vacationing in Zanzibar Bay at some points! (Don't I wish?) Towards the end was when I most needed a pillow to hug, or to curse silently at one of the characters (whom, I will not say). The author's writing flows amazingly, making you feel like you were part of the novel and I was left wanting so much more, even though the story ended very nicely.

I realize that this review may be a little vague, but that is solely because I want anyone who has not read this yet, and who thinks that they will enjoy it -even the tiniest bit- to find a copy and READ IT! I don't want to give away much, as it is such an excellent story when you don't know what is going to happen. (Says me, who's read it multiple times.) Okay, okay, it's an excellent read anytime you read it! Grab the tissue box... you'll be needing it! show less

I delayed reading this book for young adults because I thought from the title that it was a frivolous beach book that I would not like. On the contrary, it is a serious beach book, and I absolutely loved it. It's sad and sweet and fun, all mixed up together.

When Anna Reiley turned fifteen, her best friends and next-door neighbors, Frankie (short for Francesca) and Frankie's older brother Matt, helped her celebrate. After the party, Matt kissed her – a grownup kiss that showed he felt the same way as Anna had come to feel about him.

For the next month, they carried on a secret relationship. Anna always told Frankie everything, but Matt, ever the protective older brother, wanted to tell Frankie himself about Anna and him when his family show more went for their yearly trip to Zanzibar Bay in California. Horrifically, the day before they left, Matt’s heart stopped, and he died.

Since then, both families have struggled to deal with their own grief and with each other’s. Frankie has become wild, and Anna has turned inward: how could she ever get close to another boy and thereby “erase” Matt from her memory? She keeps a journal in which she writes letters to Matt – reminiscing, trying to keep him close, trying to keep her memories of Matt fresh and in that way keep him alive to her.

Frankie’s family invites Anna to go along with them to Zanzibar Bay the next year, hoping the trip will return their family to a sense of normalcy. Frankie dubs the coming vacation A.B.S.E. – Absolute Best Summer Ever, and vows to help Anna get rid of “A.A.” – Anna’s Albatross – i.e., her virginity. Frankie insists they take a challenge to meet at least twenty boys.

In the end, they meet only two that count – Sam and Jake. Anna thinks she feels love for Sam, but she worries about the sanctity of her memories of Matt. Nevertheless, at a party the two girls attend, Sam and Anna go off alone, and Anna resolves to throw off her “albatross” with Sam. Meanwhile Frankie discovers Anna’s journal in her backpack, and reads it. It is in this way that she first learns about Anna and Matt.

Evaluation: Ockler has an incredible talent for summoning up realistic thoughts and dialogue for teens, as well as for their parents. The emotional ups and downs of their grief and anger, expressed in myriad ways by the different characters, are a revelation of creative writing and psychological insight. Additionally, although Ockler’s prose isn’t fancy, she evokes the sensations of the beach and the ocean and the moonlight so well you will feel as if you have sand on your feet. The lessons they all learn at the beach are “something beautiful.”

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to age groups 15 and above. show less