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Tale of Two Summers
08:06 p.m.
Saturday 07.29.06
You are in L-O-V-E. Notice how I have no hesitation spelling it. At all. Reason? That was just the wildest entry you've posted! Ever....You are so seeing the world through the eyes of L-O-V-E.
A ten-year best friendship is put to the test when Chuck and Hal spend their first summer apart falling for two questionable mates: a sexy Saudi songstress and a smokin' hot French punk. As Chuck heads off to summer theater camp and Hal stays in their hometown, learning how to drive, they keep in touch via blogging, reporting to each other about their suddenly separate lives and often ridiculous romantic entanglements. As both their relationships take some unexpected turns, Hal and Chuck struggle to come to terms with their growing differences while trying to keep their friendship alive.
Saturday 07.29.06
You are in L-O-V-E. Notice how I have no hesitation spelling it. At all. Reason? That was just the wildest entry you've posted! Ever....You are so seeing the world through the eyes of L-O-V-E.
A ten-year best friendship is put to the test when Chuck and Hal spend their first summer apart falling for two questionable mates: a sexy Saudi songstress and a smokin' hot French punk. As Chuck heads off to summer theater camp and Hal stays in their hometown, learning how to drive, they keep in touch via blogging, reporting to each other about their suddenly separate lives and often ridiculous romantic entanglements. As both their relationships take some unexpected turns, Hal and Chuck struggle to come to terms with their growing differences while trying to keep their friendship alive.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2006
12 people are currently reading
2524 people want to read
About the author
Brian Sloan
3 books7 followersI'm an author, screenwriter and filmmaker working in film, TV and digital for more than 25 years. I wrote two novels for Simon & Schuster; A REALLY NICE PROM MESS and TALE OF TWO SUMMERS. In 2005, Prom was the winner of the Violet Quill Award for Best LGBT Book Of The Year. In 2007, TALE was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. I've also written plays like WTC VIEW, which premiered at the NY Intl Fringe Festival in 2003, was revived off-Broadway in 2011, and published by DPS in 2012. I also directed a film adaptation starring Michael Urie (SHRINKING, UGLY BETTY) available available on Amazon and AppleTV.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 1, 2012
While I appreciate the Author's desire to write in a unique way, using the medium of "blogs", as well as putting a gay character in the spotlight, I was disappointed at how poorly put together this book was.
First of all, the entire premise seems strange. Blogs are archetypically used for an individual or group of individuals to communicate with the world, not for a pair of individuals to communicate privately with each other.
Second of all, as a teenage male, I do not associate at all with the writing. In a way it feels as if Brian Sloan has no idea what teenagers are thinking of at all. I'm almost offended by how sex-fixated he portrays the characters.
While I found this book novel in its concept, it left much to be desired in execution.
First of all, the entire premise seems strange. Blogs are archetypically used for an individual or group of individuals to communicate with the world, not for a pair of individuals to communicate privately with each other.
Second of all, as a teenage male, I do not associate at all with the writing. In a way it feels as if Brian Sloan has no idea what teenagers are thinking of at all. I'm almost offended by how sex-fixated he portrays the characters.
While I found this book novel in its concept, it left much to be desired in execution.
April 8, 2013
It still makes me laugh just remembering lines from this book. It brought me back good, bad, sexed, funny, sour, confusing memories of my own that now I am looking back at them in a new fresh light.
A different and an updated type of prose that refreshes the readers with fun and creative teen dialogue. Hilarious intertwined scenes that were so well described and filled with true sentiments of teen angst.
Mr. Sloan did a great and unique job with this coming of age novel. Even though some passages were some how overwhelming and exaggerated, while reading them, you must remember that those are coming from 16 years old teenagers' mind sets, which I have to give Mr. Sloan all the props for writing and recruiting such an incredible format of nowadays slang and recent internet "talk".
I can't wait to re-read this book just to come across new details and to laugh out loud at so many sarcastic point of views from the book's main characters.
A different and an updated type of prose that refreshes the readers with fun and creative teen dialogue. Hilarious intertwined scenes that were so well described and filled with true sentiments of teen angst.
Mr. Sloan did a great and unique job with this coming of age novel. Even though some passages were some how overwhelming and exaggerated, while reading them, you must remember that those are coming from 16 years old teenagers' mind sets, which I have to give Mr. Sloan all the props for writing and recruiting such an incredible format of nowadays slang and recent internet "talk".
I can't wait to re-read this book just to come across new details and to laugh out loud at so many sarcastic point of views from the book's main characters.
August 3, 2007
I have to adit I think I am madly in love with Brian Sloan. This is his second youth book and was so good I stayed up almost all night reading it. It's an odd yet awesome development in young adult lit to see characters who are smart and savy but still naive and interestingas his two boys in this book.
It seems at first to just be about a blog between two friend Hal and Chuck and how they keep in touch as they spend their first summer apart in ten years but soon turns into a story about first loves, artist passion, what friendship means and how you can take yourself and still be real.
I enjoyed this book as much as his previous book 'A Fine Prom Mess' as well as his first movie 'I Think I Do'. (thiat movie is one of my favorite movies of all time and is an amzingly well done indie with farce and friendship equally matched. Just greatness.
It seems at first to just be about a blog between two friend Hal and Chuck and how they keep in touch as they spend their first summer apart in ten years but soon turns into a story about first loves, artist passion, what friendship means and how you can take yourself and still be real.
I enjoyed this book as much as his previous book 'A Fine Prom Mess' as well as his first movie 'I Think I Do'. (thiat movie is one of my favorite movies of all time and is an amzingly well done indie with farce and friendship equally matched. Just greatness.
April 26, 2013
I really don't understand why so many people like this novel. The main characters were 15-year old boys blogging about their life experiences during their first summer apart.
Frankly, they complained A LOT about insignificant things like typing and relationship troubles. I am sure many of you who liked the book would not stand to hear teenagers talk about their unbelievable problems in real life. Most of you would just turn away and leave without looking back. Teens have the most pointless conversations ever and that's exactly what I encountered in this book.
There were some funny parts but that doesn't automatically make this book a must-read 4 or 5 star rated novel. The plot was sort of pointless, the dialogue was redundant, and the story line was most definitely a fantasy novel trying desperately to imitate real-life -- their friendship and their sex/drug moments are highly unlikely experiences for most teens across the U.S. Need I remind you they're only FIFTEEN!
I regret reading this book. It's a waste of time.
There are much better LGBTQ Young-Adult novels that have multidimensional characters that include believable plots and story lines and relatable problems. For example, Someday this Pain will be Useful to You by Cameron Peter, is a fantastic novel that I highly recommend. It's certainly 100 times better than this incongruent mess of a book.
June 3, 2017
Ugh...I was sort of excited for this one. Two best friends, spending the summer apart, each dealing with teenage drama and summer love...recording it all on a blog? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, instead of cute, witty blog posts, we get long, drawn-out entries with tons of boring and seemingly irrelevant information. I found myself wondering, quite often, if teenage boys would ever go into that kind of detail--best friends or not. There were some funny anecdotes and emotional moments, but slogging through everything else made them not nearly as enjoyable as they could have been.
Unfortunately, instead of cute, witty blog posts, we get long, drawn-out entries with tons of boring and seemingly irrelevant information. I found myself wondering, quite often, if teenage boys would ever go into that kind of detail--best friends or not. There were some funny anecdotes and emotional moments, but slogging through everything else made them not nearly as enjoyable as they could have been.
March 28, 2009
Brian Sloan’s novel could have been titled “Love the One You’re With.” It’s the summer of 2006 in suburban Washington DC. The form is epistolary (blog posts), the style is “teen speak,” and the content includes teen angst, sexual awakening, and the value of enduring friendships. This is a book that any adolescent (or young-at-heart adult) will be able to identify with in some way.
Hal (gay) and Chuck (straight) are two 15yos who’ve been best buds since elementary school. They’re spending their first summer vacation apart. Chuck’s playing the lead in a musical some miles away while Hal must stay home to take a Driver’s Ed course (piss-and-moan!). To stay in touch, they communicate daily and often hourly on Chuck’s Xanga blog about the new people, events, and influences in their lives. Much of their discourse is touching, and often amusing.
These are “good” boys, clever boys, each with his own distinct “voice.” They’re wise beyond their years (except about sex and relationships) and not overly potty-mouthed. They both have rather advanced vocabularies for 15. Sloan’s “teen speak” is authentic most of the time, and there are some wonderful teen-isms like:
• “Re the party, that’s a big black hole of suckdom”
• “Again, I’m sorry for harshing on you like that.”
On the other hand, I doubt whether even a precocious 15yo would say things like:
• “… rediscover your lifelong process of channeling your flinty temper into your acting…”
• “… later I got to meet Henri’s storied mother...”
• “… but not in the way you construed it.”
• “… I think she just says stuff like that when it fits her skewed worldview.”
Hal and Chuck often react to the each other’s blog posts with sarcasm and outright bitchiness, especially when one offers the other unsolicited advice. I found this kind of repartee to be somewhat tiresome after a while:
• “I have to say , that is the most pathetic story I’ve ever heard.”
• “Jeeeeezzzzzz – testy, testy. Give me a break and a half, okay?”
• “It’s really not cute to call me a romantic dope during the biggest emotional panic of my whole entire life!”
And both boys like to use parenthetical remarks, a device which I doubt kids this age would use so much:
• “(remember all those birthday parties we went to there?)”
• “(OK – I think I just mixed about five metaphors with that rant!)”
• “(OMG – I’m starting to sound like a parent too!)”
Some keywords for this book:
gay/straight friendship
losing one’s virginity
friends with benefits
drugs
Parkour
All in all, though, an interesting premise (the blog format) and a contemporary look into the lives, language, and attitudes of two 18yos – oh, I meant 15yos!
Hal (gay) and Chuck (straight) are two 15yos who’ve been best buds since elementary school. They’re spending their first summer vacation apart. Chuck’s playing the lead in a musical some miles away while Hal must stay home to take a Driver’s Ed course (piss-and-moan!). To stay in touch, they communicate daily and often hourly on Chuck’s Xanga blog about the new people, events, and influences in their lives. Much of their discourse is touching, and often amusing.
These are “good” boys, clever boys, each with his own distinct “voice.” They’re wise beyond their years (except about sex and relationships) and not overly potty-mouthed. They both have rather advanced vocabularies for 15. Sloan’s “teen speak” is authentic most of the time, and there are some wonderful teen-isms like:
• “Re the party, that’s a big black hole of suckdom”
• “Again, I’m sorry for harshing on you like that.”
On the other hand, I doubt whether even a precocious 15yo would say things like:
• “… rediscover your lifelong process of channeling your flinty temper into your acting…”
• “… later I got to meet Henri’s storied mother...”
• “… but not in the way you construed it.”
• “… I think she just says stuff like that when it fits her skewed worldview.”
Hal and Chuck often react to the each other’s blog posts with sarcasm and outright bitchiness, especially when one offers the other unsolicited advice. I found this kind of repartee to be somewhat tiresome after a while:
• “I have to say , that is the most pathetic story I’ve ever heard.”
• “Jeeeeezzzzzz – testy, testy. Give me a break and a half, okay?”
• “It’s really not cute to call me a romantic dope during the biggest emotional panic of my whole entire life!”
And both boys like to use parenthetical remarks, a device which I doubt kids this age would use so much:
• “(remember all those birthday parties we went to there?)”
• “(OK – I think I just mixed about five metaphors with that rant!)”
• “(OMG – I’m starting to sound like a parent too!)”
Some keywords for this book:
gay/straight friendship
losing one’s virginity
friends with benefits
drugs
Parkour
All in all, though, an interesting premise (the blog format) and a contemporary look into the lives, language, and attitudes of two 18yos – oh, I meant 15yos!
December 6, 2008
If I could give a 4.5 I would. My affection for the story sort of grew on me as opposed to love at first sight, but it did grow on me. And as a person who has friends far afield from where I live, it was a very relatable book. The overall message about friendship was nice as well. The blogging entries is a good concept but robs a lot of drama from the proceedings. Dramatic phone conversations between the friends are not part of the blog, and everything that is would be written in past tense. Not so exciting. But, what's there works so well that I can't fault it too much. The potential blog between Hal and Henri sounds like another book. Oddly, the laser focus on just two people makes you feel like you know them and consequently, I am really curious to find out if their love interests pan out, and what happens when Hal tells Val "the truth" (ha). As an older reader who actually teaches kids this age, it does bother me a little that the characters are sexually active, but then again, I have students with more than one child. Reality is reality. Good read.
May 20, 2015
I loved this book. Yes, it took me an extraordinary long time to read for a fairly short book-- I didn't want it to end. And sometimes, I just wanted it to sink in.
Hal is moody, newly out to his peers but not to his family. The first person he came out to is Chuck, his best friend since grade school, and clearly, also, Hal's first love. This epistolary tale is told in blog format as the boys learn how to apart for the first time in their friendship and also about love, sex, drugs, alcohol, driving, even career anxiety. It's funny, touching, then funny again.
Hal and Chuck are such great characters, I wanted them to be real, I want to know that, now, nine years later, that they are still friends.
When Chuck writes, "… I guess it's also the tolerance we have for our differences and the way we're equally amused by them that has probably kept our friendship tight all this time," who wouldn't want that? Because, as Hal says: "it's good to have at least some voice of reason (i.e. Chuck) in your life when your heart is certainly not gonna give it to you straight. So to speak."
Hal is moody, newly out to his peers but not to his family. The first person he came out to is Chuck, his best friend since grade school, and clearly, also, Hal's first love. This epistolary tale is told in blog format as the boys learn how to apart for the first time in their friendship and also about love, sex, drugs, alcohol, driving, even career anxiety. It's funny, touching, then funny again.
Hal and Chuck are such great characters, I wanted them to be real, I want to know that, now, nine years later, that they are still friends.
When Chuck writes, "… I guess it's also the tolerance we have for our differences and the way we're equally amused by them that has probably kept our friendship tight all this time," who wouldn't want that? Because, as Hal says: "it's good to have at least some voice of reason (i.e. Chuck) in your life when your heart is certainly not gonna give it to you straight. So to speak."
October 29, 2010
Two adolescents, gay Hal just 16 and straight Chuck 15, best friends for 10 years, use as blog as a way to keep in touch when they are parted for the 1st time for 6 weeks during a summer in the Maryland suburbs of DC in 2006.
On one level the book is about Hal's sexual coming of age with Henri, a more experienced French diplomat's son. And about Chuck's coming of age as an stage actor, his life's dream. By blogging about their sexual and mundane lives, they reveal the real meaning of the book: what it means to be best friends.
When I started the book, I did not think I would like the blog style. By 2010, I have gotten cynical of blogs, especially personal blogs. But it works. Sloan captured me and I had trouble putting the book down and get to sleep, so I would be awake at work. Recommended for adults and YA.
On one level the book is about Hal's sexual coming of age with Henri, a more experienced French diplomat's son. And about Chuck's coming of age as an stage actor, his life's dream. By blogging about their sexual and mundane lives, they reveal the real meaning of the book: what it means to be best friends.
When I started the book, I did not think I would like the blog style. By 2010, I have gotten cynical of blogs, especially personal blogs. But it works. Sloan captured me and I had trouble putting the book down and get to sleep, so I would be awake at work. Recommended for adults and YA.
December 8, 2012
Alright, so I'm not going to analyze this to pieces, because it was a quick fun silly read that I imagine a lot of people would rip to shreds... But seeing as bildungsromans written by 30-something's with hindsight are my favorites, this is up there.
High school best friends, Henry (Hal) and Chuck, spend the summer apart. Chuck is straight and away at a summer arts camp to study theater while Hal is gay and says home to take drivers ed during summer in the Washington D.C. area. They keep in touch by creating a blog where they post their daily shenanigans. I read this as if I felt it was a diary and "eavesdropping" on two coming of age boys as they experience with drugs, alcohol, sex, new friendships, and seemingly overbearing parental authority.
Fun and quick beach read for a December day in Chicago
High school best friends, Henry (Hal) and Chuck, spend the summer apart. Chuck is straight and away at a summer arts camp to study theater while Hal is gay and says home to take drivers ed during summer in the Washington D.C. area. They keep in touch by creating a blog where they post their daily shenanigans. I read this as if I felt it was a diary and "eavesdropping" on two coming of age boys as they experience with drugs, alcohol, sex, new friendships, and seemingly overbearing parental authority.
Fun and quick beach read for a December day in Chicago
June 29, 2011
A lot of fun to read. These two boys (ages 15 and 16) are friends. One is gay, one is straight. They go their separate ways for the summer (though in the same vicinity). They decide to write a private blog that only they can read as a way to stay in touch with each other. I think the author really captures the voice of guys their age. It's at times hilarious and other times you wonder if their friendship is at stake. They both find a love interest and write to each other about that. Overall it's an easy read and you're actually rooting for each one. A nice picture of what true friendship at that age is all about.
March 16, 2008
An E-pistolary novel?
Book in blog form is an ideal way to tell this story. Two young best friends, one straight, one gay, communicate over the summer and share their feelings and doubts and insights in a blog. While the folks that they meet and the romances are interesting the underlying supportive friendship is clear to see and probably the highlight of the story.
Overall an interesting and engrossing read.
Book in blog form is an ideal way to tell this story. Two young best friends, one straight, one gay, communicate over the summer and share their feelings and doubts and insights in a blog. While the folks that they meet and the romances are interesting the underlying supportive friendship is clear to see and probably the highlight of the story.
Overall an interesting and engrossing read.
August 1, 2022
This book has been on my radar since early high school days when there wasn’t much to choose from in queer lit or queer YA lit for that matter so I was thrilled to find it in the wild a few weeks ago.
It was fun read evoking real feelings of teenage summers, where it feels like nothing happens for a while and then everything happens at once and all of it is highly dramatic but not really a big deal once fall leaves start changing.
There was a gentle flip of stereotypes; Chuck is the sunny, straight (?) theater kid and Hal hides his big feelings behind grumpiness and cynicism. I loved how this book demonstrated how much these two really care about each other and tell each other what they need to hear versus what’s easy.
If there were more time and depth to this novel I’m imaging there were bigger simmering feelings Chuck and Chaz had for each other based on context clues, reading between the lines, and what they say and don’t say to each other. They discuss the person you love being the one you talk about most and their respective romantic prospects recognize this, while they recognize that it’s not quite right with the ones they are stumbling through puppy love with. That could have also been my wishful thinking and obsession with best friends to lovers pulling overtime too.
I also loved nostalgic references to Xanga, blogs, and malls expanding versus being shut down. I laughed out loud several times during Hal and Chuck’s banter and Hal’s description of driver’s Ed mishaps. It was also enduring and refreshing reading two characters being honest and vulnerable about how emotional and complex sex can be.
I saw myself in Hal when I feel surliest and most self important and when I slip into using non PC words as expletives. This was a cute summer read and I’m happy to have hung out with these two entertaining characters.
It was fun read evoking real feelings of teenage summers, where it feels like nothing happens for a while and then everything happens at once and all of it is highly dramatic but not really a big deal once fall leaves start changing.
There was a gentle flip of stereotypes; Chuck is the sunny, straight (?) theater kid and Hal hides his big feelings behind grumpiness and cynicism. I loved how this book demonstrated how much these two really care about each other and tell each other what they need to hear versus what’s easy.
If there were more time and depth to this novel I’m imaging there were bigger simmering feelings Chuck and Chaz had for each other based on context clues, reading between the lines, and what they say and don’t say to each other. They discuss the person you love being the one you talk about most and their respective romantic prospects recognize this, while they recognize that it’s not quite right with the ones they are stumbling through puppy love with. That could have also been my wishful thinking and obsession with best friends to lovers pulling overtime too.
I also loved nostalgic references to Xanga, blogs, and malls expanding versus being shut down. I laughed out loud several times during Hal and Chuck’s banter and Hal’s description of driver’s Ed mishaps. It was also enduring and refreshing reading two characters being honest and vulnerable about how emotional and complex sex can be.
I saw myself in Hal when I feel surliest and most self important and when I slip into using non PC words as expletives. This was a cute summer read and I’m happy to have hung out with these two entertaining characters.
June 19, 2025
A story of boyhood friendship and the weird navigation of new relationships. As a queer person growing up around this time (2006) I connected with a lot of the thoughts and emotional inner workings of the characters. Also the scene in the gay bar was so close to an actual experience I had I almost recoiled in horror.
The blog post thing is cute and I’m a sucker for fun ways of telling stories. I sorta wished there were higher stakes or something more “intense” would’ve happened to incite conflict but over all this wasn’t bad. It was wholesome, enjoyable, easy to read and i found myself engaged and excited for the petty teenage boy drama. I think people who grew up around the early to mid 2000s will enjoy this because we have personal life stories to help us connect with the material. Cute and dumb (but in a good way)
The blog post thing is cute and I’m a sucker for fun ways of telling stories. I sorta wished there were higher stakes or something more “intense” would’ve happened to incite conflict but over all this wasn’t bad. It was wholesome, enjoyable, easy to read and i found myself engaged and excited for the petty teenage boy drama. I think people who grew up around the early to mid 2000s will enjoy this because we have personal life stories to help us connect with the material. Cute and dumb (but in a good way)
April 6, 2018
There was a time when blogs were all the rage, and kids my age used it as a diary, public or not. This book is one of those blogs, printed and book bound, except that it’s fiction - and I love it. I will forever love it, and how young it makes me feel.
I lent my copy out to friends who needed a smile, and I’m delighted each time I got it back, a little worn, a little coffee stained.
I lent my copy out to friends who needed a smile, and I’m delighted each time I got it back, a little worn, a little coffee stained.
October 8, 2025
Unfortunately this book did not age well. the language used was a bit offensive and I couldn't tolerate it enough to finish the book. If these sorts of things don't bother you, this may be a good book. the concept is cute and I like the idea of expressing a true friendship between a gay and straight person.
August 6, 2018
It was good and very well written. I enjoyed the plot, especially in the beginning when Hal and Chuck are setting the scenes up with so much detail. The middle section just got on my nerves, for various reasons. The ending, though not what I originally expected, turned out to be a great plot twist.
September 17, 2017
2.5 stars.
October 30, 2009
Brian Sloan's A Tale of Two Summers chronicles the events of the summer, 2006, in the lives of two fifteen-year-old best friends, Hal and Chuck. Set in Wheaton, MD, and Washington, DC, the friends communicate with one another via an Internet blog. Chuck is a straight drama student who is attending summer theatre camp at the University of Maryland, and Chuck is his gay best friend who's stuck at home in Wheaton for the summer taking driver's training classes.
The blog that the friends share provides a venue for them to communicate their secrets, feelings, and fantasies with one another. Having been inseparable since kindergarten, the pair struggle to cope with the reality that they must spend six whole weeks in which they do not share close physical proximity.
The uniqueness and creativity of this work is noteworthy, and the masterful way in which the author uses his narrators' insights to fully flesh out the secondary characters of the story is nothing less than impressive. Often reviewers are critical of the first person narrative because of the limitations it poses upon character development, disallowing the author the opportunity to really get into the minds of any character beyond the protagonist. With the dual narrators, however, the story provided two perspectives to the reader.
I found the author's humor and sarcasm to be quite entertaining, and I ultimately grew to care about and deeply respect both of the boys depicted in this clever and memorable read. I was particularly moved by the raw honesty and genuineness of their abiding friendship. I loved that the boys were so dramatically different from one another yet also exactly alike in so many ways. They totally got each other, and it felt as if I totally got them as well.
Hal, the gay character, was especially endearing to me. I desperately wanted to shield him from the impending heartache I was certain he would experience from his first-ever summer romance. He seemed so sensitive and vulnerable, yet also so wise beyond his chronological years.
The manner in which Chuck was so nonchalant and unfazed by his best friend's sexual orientation was a wonderful twist to what could have been an all-too-predictable coming of age/coming-out story. Hal's sexual identity never seemed to be an issue, and because of this fact I cannot even say that the book was a coming out story at all.
There are two criticisms that I have concerning the story. Firstly, I found the first few chapters of the book to be extremely slow, so much so that I nearly wanted to abandon the read altogether. About midway into the book, though, I became so engrossed that I could barely put it down. My second word of criticism has to do with the vocabulary employed by these two fifteen-year-olds. I found it to be quite bluntly unbelievable. It was laced with impressive polysyllabic words which I would barely expect to hear from a forty-year-old, let alone a couple of kids. The author did also include a great deal of slang and modern teen jargon, but it seemed more of an attempt to offset the age-inappropriate dialogue of the central characters.
Over all, I loved the book. I grew to care about both characters immensely, and I congratulate the author on his originality and his amazing skill as a writer. For these reasons, I highly recommend A Tale of Two Summers for teens and adults alike.
The blog that the friends share provides a venue for them to communicate their secrets, feelings, and fantasies with one another. Having been inseparable since kindergarten, the pair struggle to cope with the reality that they must spend six whole weeks in which they do not share close physical proximity.
The uniqueness and creativity of this work is noteworthy, and the masterful way in which the author uses his narrators' insights to fully flesh out the secondary characters of the story is nothing less than impressive. Often reviewers are critical of the first person narrative because of the limitations it poses upon character development, disallowing the author the opportunity to really get into the minds of any character beyond the protagonist. With the dual narrators, however, the story provided two perspectives to the reader.
I found the author's humor and sarcasm to be quite entertaining, and I ultimately grew to care about and deeply respect both of the boys depicted in this clever and memorable read. I was particularly moved by the raw honesty and genuineness of their abiding friendship. I loved that the boys were so dramatically different from one another yet also exactly alike in so many ways. They totally got each other, and it felt as if I totally got them as well.
Hal, the gay character, was especially endearing to me. I desperately wanted to shield him from the impending heartache I was certain he would experience from his first-ever summer romance. He seemed so sensitive and vulnerable, yet also so wise beyond his chronological years.
The manner in which Chuck was so nonchalant and unfazed by his best friend's sexual orientation was a wonderful twist to what could have been an all-too-predictable coming of age/coming-out story. Hal's sexual identity never seemed to be an issue, and because of this fact I cannot even say that the book was a coming out story at all.
There are two criticisms that I have concerning the story. Firstly, I found the first few chapters of the book to be extremely slow, so much so that I nearly wanted to abandon the read altogether. About midway into the book, though, I became so engrossed that I could barely put it down. My second word of criticism has to do with the vocabulary employed by these two fifteen-year-olds. I found it to be quite bluntly unbelievable. It was laced with impressive polysyllabic words which I would barely expect to hear from a forty-year-old, let alone a couple of kids. The author did also include a great deal of slang and modern teen jargon, but it seemed more of an attempt to offset the age-inappropriate dialogue of the central characters.
Over all, I loved the book. I grew to care about both characters immensely, and I congratulate the author on his originality and his amazing skill as a writer. For these reasons, I highly recommend A Tale of Two Summers for teens and adults alike.
July 14, 2017
Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
My hardbound copy of this gem goes way back nine or ten years, from the sale rack of a local bookstore chain that didn’t know how precious this is. It opened the gates of reading fiction back to me, because at that time, I resigned myself to reading boring biographies, trying so hard to understand how people lived lives and maybe I’ll find some sort of direction with mine. Ugh. Problematic, I knowww.
Last month was Pride Month and I decided to reread this for the first time, wanting to relive the feels Hal and Chuck delivers and to see if I’ve grown as a reader after all those years.
I still love it.
I hated that Hal used terms like ‘retard’ and Chuck self-knowingly described something ‘gay’ in a derogatory way, but they’re teenagers, 15 or 16 year old Americans and that’s what the kids of ’06 did(?) Still, Brian Sloan, the author, isn’t 15 or 16 anymore so I’d gladly appreciate this minor edit for subsequent releases. (But a part of me think it will undermine the rawness if the words get filtered so idk, circular argument. Ugh)
Aside from this tiny brush to my sensitivities, Hal and Chuck are painfully average and I’d say that’s where the strength of this book lies. Told in a series of “blog entries” (let’s use that term loosely because I don’t know anyone who uses blogs the way they did in these times) between best friends spending Summer apart for the first time in years, they experience their coming of age moments in their own terms. Hal is the mopey gay kid who complains about everything but is actually just trying to hide his vulnerability from everyone, while Chuck is the straight man-diva whose great talent is only opposed by his lack of intimate relationship with girls.
The contrast in their personality has been reinforced beautifully in their own words and stories, and I loved that it didn’t revolve too much on sex and romance but it didn’t downplay them either. It presented them as real teenagers would (which might explain the harsher language). Still, consciously making Hal and Chuck average teenagers didn’t mean the story was less interesting. Hal’s sarcasm is grim but funny and Chuck’s cluelessness is adorable. Add in the side characters (Brett, MK and Chaz) and it’s a riot.
There are life lessons to be found here and because the narrative is presented by teenagers, it is non-preachy, easy to grasp and will be appreciated by teens especially those who are tired of the dystopian tales, high-fantasy shenanigans and whatnot. A word of caution because there are explicit themes of sex and drugs (like in life) and it might be more suitable for more mature readers.
5 of 5 Stars. I’m not taking back my rating from 10 years ago. It still deserves all the stars and I am grateful to the universe for making me find this. I highly recommend you read this too.
*This review also appears on my personal blog: bentchcreates.tumblr.com
My hardbound copy of this gem goes way back nine or ten years, from the sale rack of a local bookstore chain that didn’t know how precious this is. It opened the gates of reading fiction back to me, because at that time, I resigned myself to reading boring biographies, trying so hard to understand how people lived lives and maybe I’ll find some sort of direction with mine. Ugh. Problematic, I knowww.
Last month was Pride Month and I decided to reread this for the first time, wanting to relive the feels Hal and Chuck delivers and to see if I’ve grown as a reader after all those years.
I still love it.
I hated that Hal used terms like ‘retard’ and Chuck self-knowingly described something ‘gay’ in a derogatory way, but they’re teenagers, 15 or 16 year old Americans and that’s what the kids of ’06 did(?) Still, Brian Sloan, the author, isn’t 15 or 16 anymore so I’d gladly appreciate this minor edit for subsequent releases. (But a part of me think it will undermine the rawness if the words get filtered so idk, circular argument. Ugh)
Aside from this tiny brush to my sensitivities, Hal and Chuck are painfully average and I’d say that’s where the strength of this book lies. Told in a series of “blog entries” (let’s use that term loosely because I don’t know anyone who uses blogs the way they did in these times) between best friends spending Summer apart for the first time in years, they experience their coming of age moments in their own terms. Hal is the mopey gay kid who complains about everything but is actually just trying to hide his vulnerability from everyone, while Chuck is the straight man-diva whose great talent is only opposed by his lack of intimate relationship with girls.
The contrast in their personality has been reinforced beautifully in their own words and stories, and I loved that it didn’t revolve too much on sex and romance but it didn’t downplay them either. It presented them as real teenagers would (which might explain the harsher language). Still, consciously making Hal and Chuck average teenagers didn’t mean the story was less interesting. Hal’s sarcasm is grim but funny and Chuck’s cluelessness is adorable. Add in the side characters (Brett, MK and Chaz) and it’s a riot.
There are life lessons to be found here and because the narrative is presented by teenagers, it is non-preachy, easy to grasp and will be appreciated by teens especially those who are tired of the dystopian tales, high-fantasy shenanigans and whatnot. A word of caution because there are explicit themes of sex and drugs (like in life) and it might be more suitable for more mature readers.
5 of 5 Stars. I’m not taking back my rating from 10 years ago. It still deserves all the stars and I am grateful to the universe for making me find this. I highly recommend you read this too.
*This review also appears on my personal blog: bentchcreates.tumblr.com
August 18, 2019
This is the second book I've read by Brain Sloan and right off the bat there are tons of similarities to the first one. The stories aren't supposed to be related to each other, but they both take place in the metropolitan DC area and feature nearly identical protagonists. It took me a long time to warm up to the story, partly because it took so long for anything to happen, but mostly because of the tiresomely overused writing style he decides to employ, which is basically an internet correspondence between the two main characters. But there is no subtle relationship building going on here. Strangely, there is nothing these characters modestly omit from each other as TMI (to cite the internet speak that pervades some of the entries). The entries that these characters write seem like they would be more at home in their personal diaries, especially considering one of the character's disturbing fixation with reporting all of his hard-on's accumulated throughout the day, which is just a little weird to the point of not being a believable dialogue.
It would be easy to get the characters confused, as you are supposed to remember which character uses which font, but the author chooses to distinguish them by their sexuality. This is where most of my nitpickings occur. There are lots of stereotypes and genre tropes to be found here. I found the main protagonist highly annoying because his entries were more or less a constant barrage of proclaiming how gay he was, the problem here being that he didn't have much of a personality outside of that, so he ended up being somewhat of a lazy archetype.
As in Sloan's previous book, the real stars here are the secondary characters. I just wish he would give as much attention in characterizing the characters we are spending the most time with.
Additionally, the whole book is one long dialogue, so there are lots of irritating phrasing and terminology used by the author to really drive the point into your brain that yes, these teenagers are very clever and witty, for example dropping constant uses of the short-form of "regarding" instead of a simple "about" or something that a teenager would actually say.
With that out of the way, there were moments in the middle when I found myself enjoying the book and actually grinning as I was reading, because while much of it is forced, there is some humor and there is a cute romance that momentarily interested me in the plot.
I think that Mr. Sloan has the potential to put out quality young adult LGBT fiction comparable to David Levithan, he just needs to pace his books better, as the pacing was really very plodding in both books I read by him. I would also like to see better developed characters with less reliance on tropes. I'd be willing to give his next effort a try if the premise looked interesting enough.
It would be easy to get the characters confused, as you are supposed to remember which character uses which font, but the author chooses to distinguish them by their sexuality. This is where most of my nitpickings occur. There are lots of stereotypes and genre tropes to be found here. I found the main protagonist highly annoying because his entries were more or less a constant barrage of proclaiming how gay he was, the problem here being that he didn't have much of a personality outside of that, so he ended up being somewhat of a lazy archetype.
As in Sloan's previous book, the real stars here are the secondary characters. I just wish he would give as much attention in characterizing the characters we are spending the most time with.
Additionally, the whole book is one long dialogue, so there are lots of irritating phrasing and terminology used by the author to really drive the point into your brain that yes, these teenagers are very clever and witty, for example dropping constant uses of the short-form of "regarding" instead of a simple "about" or something that a teenager would actually say.
With that out of the way, there were moments in the middle when I found myself enjoying the book and actually grinning as I was reading, because while much of it is forced, there is some humor and there is a cute romance that momentarily interested me in the plot.
I think that Mr. Sloan has the potential to put out quality young adult LGBT fiction comparable to David Levithan, he just needs to pace his books better, as the pacing was really very plodding in both books I read by him. I would also like to see better developed characters with less reliance on tropes. I'd be willing to give his next effort a try if the premise looked interesting enough.
November 7, 2014
I was incredibly disappointed in this book.
First of all, I suppose I should mention that I was hoping for more references to A Tale of Two Cities, considering the name of this book. I only found one, and that was probably me just looking at it too closely. (I can't find it now, but it was about not knowing whether something was the "best" or the "worst.") Actually, I was kind of hoping that this book was a modern retelling of A Tale of Two Cities (which would have been incredibly impressive since I feel like it would be really hard to pull off.)
Instead of following in the footsteps of A Tale of Two Cities, one of my favorite books, this book quickly became one of my least favorites. The characters' voices seemed very unrealistic. I've spent plenty of time around teenage boys, and none of them talks, writes, or acts like Hal and Chuck. For example, one of the things the author was constantly writing was sentences like "I convince Henri to take a break, as I'm turning a bit prunish." I don't think any teen would ever use "as" in that sentence--it would more realistic of it was replaced with "since" or "because." I could overlook it if it happened once or twice, but sentences structured like that were constantly in the book. This is yet another case of an author trying too hard to think like a teen thinks, and completely missing it. This unrealistic voice caused me to be unable to care about the main characters at all.
I also quickly grew tired of the overuse of exclamation points and emoticons. I guess I can't really get mad about the emoticons, because it was supposed to be written in an "internet format," but exclamation points just really get on my nerves.
Oh, and I hate when books expect you to remember which character's point of view it is based on the font. I'm a reader, not a font analyzer. Put the name of the character who's speaking on the top of every page, please.
Also, I always like to read that little summary they put on the page with all the copyright information, and this one started with "Even though Hal is gay and Chuck is straight, the two fifteen-year-olds are best friends..." Which I kind of feel like it implies that it's unusual for gay people and straight people to be friends. I don't know who writes that summary of the book, though, so I won't automatically blame it on the author.
So, if you were like me and picked up this book because you adore A Tale of Two Cities and were excited because of the title, don't waste your time reading this book when you could just go reread A Tale of Two Cities.
First of all, I suppose I should mention that I was hoping for more references to A Tale of Two Cities, considering the name of this book. I only found one, and that was probably me just looking at it too closely. (I can't find it now, but it was about not knowing whether something was the "best" or the "worst.") Actually, I was kind of hoping that this book was a modern retelling of A Tale of Two Cities (which would have been incredibly impressive since I feel like it would be really hard to pull off.)
Instead of following in the footsteps of A Tale of Two Cities, one of my favorite books, this book quickly became one of my least favorites. The characters' voices seemed very unrealistic. I've spent plenty of time around teenage boys, and none of them talks, writes, or acts like Hal and Chuck. For example, one of the things the author was constantly writing was sentences like "I convince Henri to take a break, as I'm turning a bit prunish." I don't think any teen would ever use "as" in that sentence--it would more realistic of it was replaced with "since" or "because." I could overlook it if it happened once or twice, but sentences structured like that were constantly in the book. This is yet another case of an author trying too hard to think like a teen thinks, and completely missing it. This unrealistic voice caused me to be unable to care about the main characters at all.
I also quickly grew tired of the overuse of exclamation points and emoticons. I guess I can't really get mad about the emoticons, because it was supposed to be written in an "internet format," but exclamation points just really get on my nerves.
Oh, and I hate when books expect you to remember which character's point of view it is based on the font. I'm a reader, not a font analyzer. Put the name of the character who's speaking on the top of every page, please.
Also, I always like to read that little summary they put on the page with all the copyright information, and this one started with "Even though Hal is gay and Chuck is straight, the two fifteen-year-olds are best friends..." Which I kind of feel like it implies that it's unusual for gay people and straight people to be friends. I don't know who writes that summary of the book, though, so I won't automatically blame it on the author.
So, if you were like me and picked up this book because you adore A Tale of Two Cities and were excited because of the title, don't waste your time reading this book when you could just go reread A Tale of Two Cities.
August 9, 2015
I very nearly put this one down shortly after I picked it up. It is written in the form of blog entries from two best friends separated for the first time over one summer. After a few blog entries, I found that I was not finding these two characters endearing. I found the gay character, Hal, woefully unlikable and the straight character, Chuck, as unconvincing. And, I found the banter between the two teens with all it's lingo and text abbreviations rather off, not quite authentic and even a little annoying. But, I've had the book in a pile of "to-reads" for such a long time, that I wanted to give it more of a chance. In due course, I found I wanted to know what would happen next in the two friends' lives. I couldn't read Hal's entry without getting Chuck's response. As I continued, Hal became more likable and Chuck more realistic. The portrayal of a sincere and tender gay-straight friendship between male teenagers is the author's major innovation and contribution to young adult literature. He also played with stereotypes by making the straight character the theatre buff and actor rather than the other way around. A Tale of Two Summers has drama; it has sex; and it has growing pains and angst. The story includes all these plot elements plus secondary characters with varied success. And, there is also something that the author accomplished rather successfully. Through the format of the novel, specifically the blog, and the thoughts of the two characters, especially Hal in his final entry, he encourages young people to express their thoughts, their hopes, their angst through journaling and communicating in the written form as a coping mechanism. I was impressed by that. Weaknesses aside, it was a perfect summer read, and I think there are teens who would love it and gain from it.
May 19, 2011
So this is a story about two 15 year old guys. They have never spent a Summer apart, since they have been best friends, for the last 10 years.. Now, they have to, and have decided on, writing a blog where they tell each other what they are doing..
Its Hal, the gay kid, who has to spend his summer at home, trying to get his drivers license, and Chuck, the straight kid who is going away for band camp.. Or a version of it, at least.. ;)
This is written through blog entries, so we get POV's from both..
I've always liked these types of books, where its written in letter form, or blog, diary, whatever.. And I liked this too.. Its very Young Adult even though Hal talks about his sexual encounter with the hot French dude, Henri, who turns out to be a druggie, though..
Chuck has a crazy summer too, and this is a story about two best friends having a crazy summer apart, while trying to keep their best friend updated, and trying to not lose that friendship, when they dont see eye to eye on some things..
The best part about this, was most definitely Hal.. Very funny! Chuck? Hmm.. He was kinda Blah, even though I liked him when he finally told Hal off.. 'Cause yeah, he definitely deserved that..
But hey... A summer full of firsts can be exciting and scary, and we all need a best friend to bitch to, once in a while, ey?
Its Hal, the gay kid, who has to spend his summer at home, trying to get his drivers license, and Chuck, the straight kid who is going away for band camp.. Or a version of it, at least.. ;)
This is written through blog entries, so we get POV's from both..
I've always liked these types of books, where its written in letter form, or blog, diary, whatever.. And I liked this too.. Its very Young Adult even though Hal talks about his sexual encounter with the hot French dude, Henri, who turns out to be a druggie, though..
Chuck has a crazy summer too, and this is a story about two best friends having a crazy summer apart, while trying to keep their best friend updated, and trying to not lose that friendship, when they dont see eye to eye on some things..
The best part about this, was most definitely Hal.. Very funny! Chuck? Hmm.. He was kinda Blah, even though I liked him when he finally told Hal off.. 'Cause yeah, he definitely deserved that..
But hey... A summer full of firsts can be exciting and scary, and we all need a best friend to bitch to, once in a while, ey?
June 1, 2015
I have been wanting to read this for a while, even though I felt a bit lukewarm towards Brian Sloan's other book 'A Really Nice Prom Mess', and as I don't read a lot of YA books it can sometimes take a while to get into it. Although this was the case again I did enjoy it more, and it has a very good ending.
The story is told in blog entries one summer whilst best friends Hal and Chuck, both 15, are separated but want to stay in contact each day. Hal is studying at his high school to get his driving permit, while Chuck is at a summer drama school. Although they miss each other's company, they begin to settle into their own routines, and meet new people. Romance begins to blossom for both in the shape of Henri, a French boy who literally falls into Hal's lap, and Ghaliyah, originally from Saudi Arabia, but now living in Washington DC, and destined to become Chuck's leading lady in the musical they are going to be performing in at the end of the summer.
There is needless to say lots of teenage angst, yearning and obsession with sex, but the story moves along at a good pace, is quite racy in places, and ultimately has some good pointers for gay and straight teens (and adults!) about love, friendship, moving on and expectations.
The story is told in blog entries one summer whilst best friends Hal and Chuck, both 15, are separated but want to stay in contact each day. Hal is studying at his high school to get his driving permit, while Chuck is at a summer drama school. Although they miss each other's company, they begin to settle into their own routines, and meet new people. Romance begins to blossom for both in the shape of Henri, a French boy who literally falls into Hal's lap, and Ghaliyah, originally from Saudi Arabia, but now living in Washington DC, and destined to become Chuck's leading lady in the musical they are going to be performing in at the end of the summer.
There is needless to say lots of teenage angst, yearning and obsession with sex, but the story moves along at a good pace, is quite racy in places, and ultimately has some good pointers for gay and straight teens (and adults!) about love, friendship, moving on and expectations.
December 28, 2010
I literally just finished this book and loved the way it played out to its whimsical conslusion. Two best friends, one straight, one gay, keep in touch over summer via a blog. Both teens are discovering the pitfalls of love/lust and sharing their tales while trying to make sense of their adventures.
For anyone who loves YA fiction, this is a book to fall in love with.
Now a little bit about my personal reaction to it. This was the first YA book I've read and I had mixed reations to it, which has more to do about me than it does about this gorgeous novel. In short, it's not aimed at my age group so my reaction was a little 'going along for the ride' rather than 'can't put it down'. (I have the same reaction to the TV show Glee. Well written, well constructed but easy to lose interest in as I'm not a teen). The 'ride' turned into full interest once the first sex scene happened. For someone my age, that's when it became a true nostalgic adventure.
So again, if you love YA fiction, this is worth the visit. My four star rating is what I would have given it if I was a lot younger. It would definately have been a favourite.
For anyone who loves YA fiction, this is a book to fall in love with.
Now a little bit about my personal reaction to it. This was the first YA book I've read and I had mixed reations to it, which has more to do about me than it does about this gorgeous novel. In short, it's not aimed at my age group so my reaction was a little 'going along for the ride' rather than 'can't put it down'. (I have the same reaction to the TV show Glee. Well written, well constructed but easy to lose interest in as I'm not a teen). The 'ride' turned into full interest once the first sex scene happened. For someone my age, that's when it became a true nostalgic adventure.
So again, if you love YA fiction, this is worth the visit. My four star rating is what I would have given it if I was a lot younger. It would definately have been a favourite.
November 11, 2008
This book is a collection of blog entries made by Chuck and Hal, as they are spending their summer apart for the first time since they became friends. They are 15 years old, Chuck is at drama camp and Hal is homosexual. The blog is supposed to help them stay in touch and keep up with each other's lives during the summer. Hal meets a new boy and develops a relationship - which does lead to sex, while Hal does not have quite as much luck. One thing that bothered me was that I know several homosexual boys this age, and they do not have friends as understanding as Chuck is for Hal. Boys do not reach this level of maturity and comfort with homosexuality until college age, definitely not at 15 years old.
September 28, 2007
Best friends Chuck and Hal separate for the summer. Chuck goes to drama camp and Hal remains in their hometown. They keep in touch with one another via daily blog entries and the reader follows their often hilarious romantic entanglements. This is not for the faint of heart, as sex is talked about all the time and often explicitly described, and Hal just came out and is exploring his first homosexual relationship. Though at times this was slow-moving, I think because the blog entries were so detailed, I found it very realistic. The two protagonists sounded like real teenage boys and their romances turned out about the way they would have in real life.
December 4, 2010
I enjoyed reading this novel. It is a clever, contemporary reworking of the epistolary novel. The writing is lively and modern and extremely entertaining. I couldn't put the book down and I did not want it to end. It's also very funny - and sexy. I liked that the young gay character had conflicts but he was basically a somewhat typical, but very articulate, kid who had general growing-up issues. My one problem with the novel was that the two main characters seemed too sophisticated and worldly for their age, especially Hal. They sounded much older, maybe around 18. However, I loved both Hal and Chuck and the conversational, breezy writing style of the book. BTW, I really recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2010
I like the idea of this books as well as the characters and the situations, though I am not sure if 16 year olds would actually write the way these two do to each other via a summer blog. Losses a bit of realism to me on that front.
I did enjoy the book. I was surprised at the amount of "sex" that occurred and was talked about frankly - which is refreshing as I always say how annoyed I get with rays of sunshine beaming from bodies in place of orgasms. Kudos to Brian Sloan for being real. In that respect.
I did enjoy the book. I was surprised at the amount of "sex" that occurred and was talked about frankly - which is refreshing as I always say how annoyed I get with rays of sunshine beaming from bodies in place of orgasms. Kudos to Brian Sloan for being real. In that respect.
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