Review: Sixteenth Summer

Sixteenth Summer

By Michelle Dalton

Publication date: May 3, 2011

My review:

Anna Patrick is not looking forward to another summer on Dune Island. She is tired of doing nothing but working in her family's ice cream shop and going to the same hang out spots with her friends. She is sure that there will be nothing special or different about this summer. That changes on the first night of the summer when she looks across the beach and sees Will Cooper for the first time. Will is different from her classmates and she feels an instant connection with him. As their friendship and mutual attraction develops into love though there is always the looming understanding that at the end of the summer, Will will return to New York. Anna has to decide if it is worth it to enjoy the happiest days of her life with Will or to end things now before it becomes harder to say goodbye.

Sixteenth Summer is a sweet romance that deals with first love and the pitfalls of relationships. It is saved from being overwhelmingly saccharine by Anna's struggles with Will's impending departure and the difficulties Anna's best friend Caroline faces in her own new relationship. I enjoyed getting to know Anna and Will and their families. The story did remind me a little of The Last Song (the film-I haven't read the Nicholas Sparks book yet) due to its setting and the scenes with the sea turtles.

I liked that Anna and Will were realistic about where their relationship was heading and that even while she was wrapped up in the joys of a new romance, Anna did not forget about her friends or family. She also did some growing up over the course of the book and her views towards the summer guests changed through her interactions with Will and his family. There are a lot of sweet moments and the descriptions of the beach and ice cream made me long for summer. This is not a deep book but it is a great beach read and a refreshingly clean romance. It is the kind of book that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Readalikes: A Field Guide For Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy, Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares