Book 70 - Apparently I Am Not a Teenager

Title: That Summer Author: Sarah Dessen Genre: YA Fiction

Soooo this book is much, much too young for me, and not in the YA sort of way. The protagonist, Haven, is 15 and in that stage of leaving childhood and entering the mysterious land of Teenagerdom. She doesn't quite like boys nor is she rebellious, really - unlike her best friend - and her sister, whose wedding bookends the story, is a creature made up of the unknowns that populate the ages of 16 to 20 in western culture.

I've had a deep love of Sarah Dessen since I was around Haven's age, but I doubt that even my younger self would have enjoyed this story. The main boy in the book isn't a love interest, but a catalyst that represents the dissonance of Haven's child and teen worlds. This character, an ex of Haven's sister who Haven believes made her sister a better and more genuine person, is the male version of a that pixie dream fairy trope in indie films. He's whimsical and clearly cute, popping up around town doing what seems like every job available and spouting just as many cliches.

I spend so much time on this guy because Haven herself, sadly, is meek and boring. The crisis, which is a fairly common plot construction in Dessen's books, mainly revolves around a realization about her sister's life, and the acceptance of her height. Meh. I'd rather hear her sister's story!

Rating: 👞 👞 /5