Author: Jolene Perry
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen
Release: Mar 1st 2014
Source: Netgalley
Pages: 256 (ebook)
All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?
I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed reading The Summer I Found You, even though my analytical left brain is yelling furiously at my silly emotional right brain the whole time. It is so contradictory that I find myself bewildered about how I can possibly like it when I see its problems as plain as day. Nevertheless, it is, without a doubt, one of the more delightful reading experiences I have undergone lately and I appreciate this lightening of mood if just for its entertainment value.
The Summer I Found You is (obviously) a love story, but the MCs here are not your usual high school drama queens. That is not to say that it doesn't have its fair share of cheesiness and cliches within, but it also comes with a refreshing set of characters - a teenage girl with Type I diabetes and a young disabled veteran struggling to adjust to a normal life. Neither of them is at his or her best, with Kate in denial and sometimes utterly ignorant to her serious medical condition, and Aidan, who has lost his right arm along with his hopes and future. Perhaps it is precisely their own misfortune that has them tied together - a shared frustration that roots deep in both of their minds and an understanding that no one else can reciprocate.
The story is told in dual narratives that perfectly emphasizes both Kate's and Aidan's inner thoughts. Personally I love being in Aidan's head a lot more since he is dealing with problems that are much more interesting than Kate's. However, with only 256 pages and a romance in need of development, Jolene Perry had barely any time to fully explore their struggles and conflicts brought on due to their situations. While Kate's and Aidan's issues are dealt with and resolved to some extent in the book, it is slightly oversimplified and too neat to be realistic, but I liked witnessing their growths nonetheless.
The romance is the highlight of this book for me, which I guess isn't that surprising considering this is, in fact, a contemporary romance. Despite some of my friends didn't feel the chemistry between Kate and Aidan at all, the attraction came to me naturally, though I agree their romantic tension is more on the physical level rather than emotional. Bottom line, this isn't exactly the kind of books which you would come back for, but you will for sure have a good time while you are reading it.
The Summer I Found You is (obviously) a love story, but the MCs here are not your usual high school drama queens. That is not to say that it doesn't have its fair share of cheesiness and cliches within, but it also comes with a refreshing set of characters - a teenage girl with Type I diabetes and a young disabled veteran struggling to adjust to a normal life. Neither of them is at his or her best, with Kate in denial and sometimes utterly ignorant to her serious medical condition, and Aidan, who has lost his right arm along with his hopes and future. Perhaps it is precisely their own misfortune that has them tied together - a shared frustration that roots deep in both of their minds and an understanding that no one else can reciprocate.
The story is told in dual narratives that perfectly emphasizes both Kate's and Aidan's inner thoughts. Personally I love being in Aidan's head a lot more since he is dealing with problems that are much more interesting than Kate's. However, with only 256 pages and a romance in need of development, Jolene Perry had barely any time to fully explore their struggles and conflicts brought on due to their situations. While Kate's and Aidan's issues are dealt with and resolved to some extent in the book, it is slightly oversimplified and too neat to be realistic, but I liked witnessing their growths nonetheless.
The romance is the highlight of this book for me, which I guess isn't that surprising considering this is, in fact, a contemporary romance. Despite some of my friends didn't feel the chemistry between Kate and Aidan at all, the attraction came to me naturally, though I agree their romantic tension is more on the physical level rather than emotional. Bottom line, this isn't exactly the kind of books which you would come back for, but you will for sure have a good time while you are reading it.
My Rating: ★★★ (3 stars)
(A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
I've heard fairly mixed things about this one. It's pretty cool that they aren't your average drama queens (gosh knows, I'm a bit tired of them), buuut I've heard Kate was pretty stupid about her diabetes medication and it didn't send such a good message?? Not sure. I'm tempted to read it, but probably not tempted enough. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo... kind of. Like I mentioned, she is sort of in denial and doesn't take her condition as serious as she should be. She tries her best to avoid dealing with it - which is not very responsible of course, but I somewhat understand. It is definitely hard to accept that you are now stuck with counting carbs, giving shots, etc FOREVER, and as a teenager she chooses to ignore it and pretend to still be normal. She does turn around in the end though, so I would say the message is fairly good - accepting and embracing yourself and take responsibility.
DeleteI've heard so-so things about this one, but I'm glad you managed to like it despite its problems. I totally understand this situation - sometimes I notice all sorts of things in a book that should make me hate it, but I'm too drawn into the story to stop reading. I always like it when books have refreshing characters with less-common problems, so maybe I'll end up checking this novel out. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's probably not for everyone, but I hope you would be able to enjoy it too. There isn't anything particularly awe-inspiring about the plot, but I like how the story progressed. The only pity is that it's a little short, so a lot of things are simplified for that reason.
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