Freia Lockhart's Summer of Awful

by Aimee Said

How [not] to keep it together when your world falls apart.
Freia Lockhart has all the ingredients for an awesome summer:
-Great new friends
-A supremely kissable boyfriend
-Plans for New Year's Eve (which don't include her parents)
-No school

But when her mum reveals some devastating news, Freia's plans are crushed in an instant. Even though this summer is cooked, Freia hasn't given up hope for the new year.

Genres: Young Adult

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Joanna Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be a pleasant, light read. Summer holidays theme. It touched on serious issues but wasn't heavy. Some character development and an ending that tied everything up. It started with a list - I love lists - but this wasn't something that continued through the story. Australian.

[Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a mother due to cancer
Score: Six points out of ten.
I own this book. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

I remember seeing this novel in the library but it was too old or no one read it or both, so the library took it off the shelves and instead placed in its giveaway. I picked this one up alongside others, but I put it off for a while until I had to get it again after burning through other ones, and read it. When I finished Freia Lockhart's Summer of Awful, it was okay, and could've been better. It starts with the titular character, Freia who finished school not too long ago and now hopes she has an enjoyable holidays (I don't know if that's her final school year, or will she return, apply for a university or find a job?) Only a few pages in, a devastating event occurs when Freia discovers her mother has cancer (which is why she calls summer awful) but other than that, it doesn't seem that bad, especially after what happened in the narrative. Here's where the flaws surface: I couldn't connect or relate to the characters, even though Freia had to go through that hardship. The writing style didn't compel me enough, and I came across the fact that this book had a prequel, but no one has it anymore (I wonder why.) The situation ends well for Freia's mother when she received treatment, but it is still uncertain, as the illness might return. A celebration ends the story on a high note.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

{{storyline }}
cringe-worthy and way too stuffed with unfortunate events. I mean seriously, the bad things just keep rolling! I thoughts this would be fun to read but it's more like reading Romeo and Juliet or something.

{{ plot }}
She had to find a way to fix all those bad things, didn't she? There was too many sub plots that didn't even tie into each other at the end.

{{ characters }}
Why is Freia so annoying?? I think she actually is like a wombat - when something bad happens she just hides away and mopes until someone comes to fix it for her. No offence Freia, but you turned out to be kind of pathetic. You could at least TRY and be friends with Kate and Belinda!

{{ ending }}
It was okay - I'm not really the type of person who likes romantic "in that moment we were infinite" endings though.

{{ overall }}
2.5/5 stars
I would recommend the first Freia book but give this one a miss - bad storyline and really boring!

also - joey ramone hair and mick jagger lips? ew. dan's not even a quirky sarah dessen boy - by his description he actually sounds a little creepy.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't expect to spend more time with Freia and Dan, so was very glad that I could.

Not that this is only about them. Freia's friendships are tested, as are her perceptions of her family. Lots of drama and tension, making this a very engaging read for teenagers.

It is great to see a cancer story that offers a positive outlook (with people not dying I mean). Freia's family all need a big hug and it was pleasing to see them finding each other again. I was interested that Ziggy's story was left unresolved - I want to know more of what is going on in that boy's head really. Maybe a possibility down the track??

The best parts included the parakeet, Rocky and Grandma Thelma. These humorous additions balanced the sadder parts of the narrative beautifully.

Love the cover. Highly recommended.

[Lorraine Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember if I read the previous book about Freia, but it sounds vaguely familiar (in my defence, I read and review YA books all the time). Anyway, you can still enjoy this one without having read the first one. Freia is all set for a great summer - and then things go seriously bad. Her mother has to have an operation, her younger brother is being revolting, her friends seem to be regarding her strangely, and her boyfriend is telling lies. Oh, yes, then Grandma comes to stay - with her parakeet! Freia is a likeable heroine, and the author captures her voice very well. Readers will sympathise with her as she tackles the bad things life has dumped on her - some teen readers may even be going through similar problems. It's an easy and entertaining read for girls of about 13 to 15.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book through a goodreads giveaway*

I really enjoyed this book as I find Freia an easy character to relate to and I am now passing the book onto my sister. One other thing that I really enjoyed about the book was how genuine the emotions were, especially about what happened to her mum it felt as though it was actually happening. I thought it was very well written and I would definitely recommend it to others.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because the summary suggests that it will discuss a story of weight about a girl going through a challenging summer with family and boyfriend issues. Turns out, it's a book with not much of a solid plot and anti climatic. There's not enough drive to keep me reading beyond chapter two. But I forced myself to finish it anyway, perhaps I've outgrown teen stories but I think it's mostly cause the entire story is not solid enough.

[Hannah]

It was funny book