A senior in high school, Claudine, is caught off guard before her graduation when her parents announce that they are separating. The road trip she has planned with her best friend is cancelled, and her mom is whisking her off to a small island off of Georgia where they will spend the summer without their dad. The island holds her family’s history, and also, a very cute boy. Over the summer, Claudine has to find who she is without her family. She no longer wants to exist in this weird in-between in her mind; she wants to be brave and live her life to the fullest, all while conquering her family issues and experiencing her first love.
I would absolutely recommend this book to teenagers who are old enough to read about mature topics. I really resonated with Claudine and how she hasn’t figured out her place in the world, and I’m sure many other teenagers can relate too. Claudine is a three dimensional character who’s complexities are perfectly described-Jennifer Niven brought her to life. This book approaches parent-child relationships in such a realistic way-the depths of the relationship with her father are apparent. It perfectly articulates how it feels to be disappointed in a parent and to want to distance yourself from them because of strife and anger. The romance is also very adorable, you will fall in love! I also really like the way this book addresses consent-it’s so important for these conversations to be in young-adult books! Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you like romance books that also examine the main character’s development and life beyond the relationship (although the boyfriend is pretty sweet!).
By Serena
