Swept Away

Sixteenth Summer #3

by Michelle Dalton

Beachfront love blossoms in this sweet, sun-drenched romance between a townie and a tourist who turns her summer plans upside down, perfect for fans of Better Than the Movies and Today Tonight Tomorrow —now with a beautiful new look!

Mandy Sullivan isn’t exactly looking forward to the summer months as tourists invade her seaside hometown on the coast of Maine. Her best friend, Cynthia, has abandoned her for camp and her older brother just announced he’ll be staying at college taking classes for the summer, leaving Mandy with nothing to do and no one to hang out with. Hoping to keep herself busy, Mandy takes a volunteer job at the Rocky Pointe Lighthouse.

On her very first day, Oliver Farmingham asks for a private tour. A new—and incredibly cute—face in Rocky Pointe, Oliver seems more interested in Mandy than the lighthouse and its history. Without her best friend at her side, Mandy is scrambling to act the right way and say the right things when Oliver is around. Cynthia—not Mandy—has always been the confident, flirtatious girl that everyone wanted to be around.

As Mandy and Oliver spend more time together exploring the coast, biking through the woods, and attending the local summer festivals, their budding friendship becomes much more. But with Mandy’s insecurities creeping to the surface, can she open her heart to someone who will only be in town for three months?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Summer, Romantic, Young Adult Romance, Chick Lit

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2015

Reviews

[Jasprit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love diving into my Summer reads just before the Summer is with us, I am very much a mood reader, so definitely need my Summery type of reads to get me in the mood for Summer and Dalton’s Swept Away very much did that.

Mandy isn’t expecting much from this Summer, she’s stuck helping out her mum at Candy Cane, her best friend Cynthia is off away at musical-theatre camp and her brother doesn’t even come home this Summer, so Mandy’s just expecting to wallow her Summer away. But she doesn’t expect cute boy Oliver to turn up and actually show an interest in her, maybe this Summer will turn out to be one that she won’t forget. I didn’t realise just how quick Mandy was to judge or be easily swayed until Oliver made an appearance in Mandy’s life. Mandy was one of those girls, who sort of overlooked where she lived, she thought of it mostly as dull or boring (but this also could have been because, this was exactly her best friend Cynthia’s opinion too) But Oliver came along and actually made Mandy want to make the most out of her Summer and actually experience some of the beauty around her. Oliver did come across as a bit dorky at first, he was particular about everything and wanted things done a certain way, these tendencies certainly made more of an appearance during the boat parade. But despite this Oliver was the sweetest guy, he just wanted Mandy to be herself and enjoy the time he had left with her. I was hoping that Mandy would find some guy to spend the Summer break with and I’m glad that guy was Oliver, he made her days fly by without Mandy even realising it and actually made her want to appreciate and experience things that she wouldn’t have considered. I’m glad that Oliver made Mandy come out of her shell a bit more and not always listen to the ideas that her best friend had instilled upon her. I had the feeling that things would resort back to the way they way when Cynthia returned, but I’m glad that despite some minor bumps along the way, Oliver and Mandy’s relationship grew stronger.

Swept Away was the perfect book to pick up in preparation for the Summer, it was a light hearted fun read about letting yourself go and just making the most of things. It definitely made me want to get away to the beach and just experience the sort of blissful sweet Summer that Dalton created in this book.

This review can be found on: The Readers Den

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, summer romance. Love squeezed into two months with a clock counting down, down, down to the end of August. So heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once! But that’s one of the many reasons why I love it so. You have to love and feel it ALL right now—right then. Before it’s too late! Make every moment, look, and kiss count. The intensity is addictive. Summer romances are one of my many reading weaknesses. And Michelle Dalton knows how to write ‘em!

“The moon’s reflection quivers with each rise and fall of the peaceful wavelets, and the little white twinkle lights strung on every pillar and post sparkle in the sea’s mirror. It looks like fireflies learning to swim.”

Ms. Dalton has a beautiful way of highlighting and capturing summer. From the little details to the heart of the matter! And she spins another beauty to remember in Swept Away. Sun, sand, water, and blueberries galore! Mandy and Oliver (aka a “serving of yummy cuteness”) are adorably geeky. They didn’t throw too many sparks, but still super cute. Their summer comes to life in stories, history, Paper Mache, and more in a small Maine town. A town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Or do they? Mandy learns a lot about her town and herself by the end of the summer.

A fun, quick, summer read. A book filled with romance and messages. It’s so easy to get swept up and away in love, but we somehow have to hold on to who we are at the same time. Don’t be afraid to be true to yourself while you’re falling head over heels in love.

Check out Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton as well. It’s one of my favorite summer reads!

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and fluffy and fun. I will always love books like this one. That you know will be adorable and make you happy when reading it. Plus the cover I thought it very fitting.

[nat!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

im so conflicted about this one tbh.. it was good but it was also lacking a lot i feel.

one thing that i absolutely loved is the setting! a small town will always get me and i loved how this one felt so nostalgic and it made me so excited for things like fourth of july! i just love a good american summer tbh and this made me so excited for it! i also really liked some of the side characters like freaky (but his name was very weird i didnt love the nickname), and how they thought he was scary but he actually became one of the best characters.

i did not like how immature some of mandy and olivers fights were. i feel like they did not know how to communicate enough and would fight over the most childish things sometimes. i also think that a lot of their arguments were brushed over and they were fine again in 5 seconds, and the same thing would happen with mandy and cynthia.

overall this was pretty cute and a good start to summer book, but i wouldnt read it again or anything!

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

|3 Stars|Ages 12+|297 Pages|YA/Romcom|

"Then the unthinkable happens.
Blue eyes...suddenly meet mine.
And I can't do anything but look back."

I was swept away in a romcom bliss, then this ended and shipped right back because now I need another romcom pick me up.

To be perfectly honest with y'all, the only reason I picked this up was because I thought the cover was pretty and I have been in dire need of a good contemperary read. So when I saw this on the "new YA" shelf at my local library I thought, why not? Again, to be honest, I thought I was going to hate it because while I did think the cover was kinda cute, I was also totally judging the cover 'cause I almost always hate books that look like this 😅

However, I cast aside my judgements and was pleasently surprise! It helped fufill my romcom fling and wile making me question if what I've been considering to be my own personal summer fling can actually be called that. (We love it when books make us question our own lives like that) Sticking to my theme of honesty, I'm going to be brutally honest. While it was cute, and was the perfect pick-me-up, there was nothing memorable about it. I had to sit here and think for a solid minute before I could remember the main character's name, and even longer to remember everyone elses, because it didn't leave any sort of impression on me other than; the main couple didn't seem like they should've been a couple.


"I loved him."

The chemistry was lacking, and for most of the book they didn't know each other that well, EVEN WHILE THEY WERE A COUPLE! Where is my communication?! When they finally figured out how to share likes and dislikes with each other, my homies went off and were getting into arguments about literally anything.

And I mean anything-they fought about the FMC not actually liking lobster rolls when the MMC thought she had 💀😭 I understand that he was upset that she wasn't being honest about her likes and dislikes, but come on y'all. Not talking to each other for quite a few hours (boarder line 1 day) over a lobster roll seems excessive to me. Maybe it's cause I've never been in a relationship, but that's just my opinion.

"Let's call it Candy Cane junior."

When they weren't arguing about shrimp rolls or her allergies (don't ask) or anything else, they had some cute moments! Like in the lighthouse while watching fireworks, that was super cute. Outside of the romance, there wasn't much of a plot, there was a random subplot thrown in at the end, but it wasn't wrapped up very well. A couple other major plot threads from the beginning (FMC and her mom's poor relationship cause the FMC feels like she's a failure to her mum #tramadump) weren't wrapped up well either, or in some cases weren't wrapped up at all.

But, despite all that, I did enjoy it, I swear! It was very cliche, but it honestly worked so, oh well!

"We didn't think of the end."

[Mia 50’s girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Juvenile. Predictable ending. Didn’t care about any of the characters.

[Danni Whitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute summer read. I liked it.

[Hannah Schneider]

Personal Response: I really liked this book just like all of the other books this author writes. It was another well-written summer romance book, I could not put it down. It was not like her other ones in this series, this one had more realistic events happen in this book, while the first two were more of events that were not realistic. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would for sure read it again.

Plot Summary: A Sixteenth Summer- Swept Away takes place in a small coastal town called Rocky Point in Maine. It is told from the point of view of a sixteen-year-old girl named Mandy who ends up meeting a boy from California named Oliver. Mandy was very shy to talk to him at first and it was very awkward during their first meeting. Oliver would go to the lighthouse where Mandy works every day, she thought that he was going there to be by her at first but she finds out she wanted to make a replica of it. Later, Oliver asked Mandy to help him make, which led them to hang out every day until it was done. While they were working on the lighthouse, they found out it would be closing down due to not having enough money to keep it open, Mandy did not like this at all and worked to save it. Mandy would let Oliver choose what they were going to do every day, even though she hated almost everything he picked out. That led them to get into a huge fight since Mandy was not being herself. They, of course, worked it out and hang out the rest of the summer until he had to go home. Mandy and Oliver, of course, saved the lighthouse, now it can stay open due to their hard work to save it.

Characterization: At the beginning of the book, Mandy was very shy and would not speak up she did not like something or had a different view of it. Thanks to Oliver she opened up more and was more social with people besides her best friend and her family. Also, she acted more of herself instead of acting like her friends or always doing what someone else wanted. She would put her input into conversations more and would speak up if she did not like what that person wanted to do.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to high school girls because it is a romance book so guys will not be as into it as girls would be. I also would recommend this book to high school students because it is a higher reading level for middle school students I do not think they would be able to follow the book easily.

[Julia Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought the author did a great job of developing the characters throughout the book. I liked that the author included suspense and created major problems for the characters. I wish there would have been more at the end of the book about whether or not Oliver came back to Rocky Point. I also liked that the reader was able to feel some of the emotions that the characters were feeling. Unfortunately, I was able to predict one of the major events that happened towards the end of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will most likely read the rest of the series.

Plot: At the beginning of the book, Mandy was not looking forward to her summer in Rocky Point. She was a year-round, as they called it, or a person who lived in Rocky Point all year long. In past summers, Mandy typically had her best friend, Cynthia, with her. That summer, Cynthia went out of town for an acting camp. That left Mandy without her best friend and with a summer job at the lighthouse. The lighthouse had always been her mother’s pride and joy, but Mandy didn’t care for it. One day, she stumbled upon a boy in the lighthouse. His name was Oliver, and he seemed to take interest in the lighthouse. Mandy soon realized that Oliver was the grandson of an old man who scared almost everyone in town. For this reason, he acquired the nickname ¨Freaky¨. When the annual boat contest arrived, Oliver asked if Mandy wanted to help him build an exact replica of the lighthouse. Of course, Mandy said yes. Her mother was very uneasy about allowing her daughter to go to Freaky´s house to assist Oliver in the building of the lighthouse. They spent every single day together for weeks working on the lighthouse. When summer began to wind down, Mandy and Oliver ran into a major problem that they knew must be solved.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to girls ages 13-18. The main character is a girl, so females would be able to relate more to the story.
The book included some romance, which also gears it towards girls. There was some content that the reader would have to be mature enough to handle.

Characterization: John Framingham was the grandfather of Oliver. John was more commonly known as “Freaky”. He was a very reserved man who kept to himself. He rarely spoke to anyone, but if he did, he came off as short and angered. Almost everyone in Rocky Point was scared of him. At first, John was very introverted and didn’t really acknowledge Mandy. As he began to spend more time with Mandy, he opened up to her. She soon realized that Freaky wasn’t actually that freaky. Once he became more comfortable around her, he surprised her with some of his many hidden talents. Not many people would have pictured him as the impressive chef or artist that he was. Towards the end of the book, John came out as the artist of one of the most famous paintings known to Rocky Point. He changed because of Mandy, and the townspeople began to see the true side of him.

[Serah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to just complete this trilogy and it was just oh-kay. It was uncomfortable reading about an MC who fakes her interests, personality etc. Glad she changed at the end. Besides that, my favorite relationship would be with Freaky and the MC. The male lead was pretty meh.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) This was such a great book! I wish I had read it during the summer because it made me miss/think of summer! Some unimportant parts of the book seemed to drag on but the best parts of the book made up for it! Even though this book is part of a series, you don't need to read the series in order. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although they may be cliche, I absolutely love summer romance books that take place in a summer town. There's just something about having all day to have fun, fall in love, and live life that I love in the fluffy romances. Sometimes, though, the stories really are a bit cliche and not as awesome as I hope…

With her best friend leaving for drama camp and her mom forcing her to work at the local lighthouse, Mandy Sullivan isn't too excited for summer. Until she meets the cute new tourist in town named Oliver, that is. Soon, Mandy finds herself running into Oliver everywhere, who starts showing more interest in Mandy the more time they spend together. As Mandy and Oliver start to fall for each other, she soon realizes how quickly summer will be over and Oliver will be leaving. Can she let herself fall for someone who she knows won't stick around?

Keeping in mind that this is YA and will sound a bit juvenile when it comes to Mandy's instant crush on Oliver, I actually liked their relationship. There were ups and downs that were actually realistic instead of having everything work out for them as soon as they decide to fall for each other. There are moments when they're annoyed with one another and their relationship is put to the test, which is something missing in a lot of YA romances. I also liked how Mandy was forced to realize things about herself when her best friend Cynthia was gone and she got to be her own person for once.

On to the things I wasn't so fond of in this book. First? The insta-love. I don't know, I feel like Oliver and Mandy fell for each other a little too quickly and Mandy didn't really have to work to get Oliver to like her. He just conveniently showed up everywhere she was. Also, the storyline was entertaining, but very predictable. I knew what would happen with Oliver's uncle and what his secret was right when certain details were revealed. Also, there were a lot of events that went on that I felt like this was more episodic than an actually novel. I wish there was more originality and surprise than we got.

I really did enjoy the story and the cute, fluffy romance of this story, I just wish it weren't so predictable or quick on the attraction. If you are looking for a light, fun YA romance for the summer, you definitely should check out Swept Away. If you're looking for something more, though, then I'd skip this one.

[Amphitrite · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: The cover of this book gave off a wonderful, summertime romance feel and the story fell into that feeling. The romance between Mandy and Oliver started off and stayed pretty cute throughout the story as they grew to know each other. I also liked that how that even though Mandy's best friend, Cynthia, was gone for the summer that Mandy still had friends that she could spend time with. Oliver's grandfather, John, turned out to be quite different from what I was expecting when he was first introduced into the story, and I ended up really liking his character and the role he played.

What I didn't like: Other than the cliche bits (because this is romance and those were expected so they didn't completely bother me even all that much) there really wasn't anything that even bothered me about this story.

Overall Review: This story was cute and fun, and I really liked the story. Oliver and Mandy were cute together and they had an adventurous sort of story that drew me in and kept me entertained. The light romance moved quick, but at a pace that was enjoyable for this story and worked well in the story.

Recommend?: If you're looking for a light summer romance this story is really great for that!

[Farah Hanani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay! Summer reads! I'm always game for summer books.

This is such a festive summer books with lots to do! I wish my place is as festive as this. I love reading about the adventures Mandy and Oliver went on. Also, I love how they aren't a couple that's lovey dovey all the time. Not that they have issues. Like, couples fights too even when they like each other and I like how they work around each other through fights.

I like how relate-able the issues is. As easy as it may sound, it's not that easy to stand your ground and be opinionated. At least once in your life, you'd adjust yourself to someone because you're afraid of what they'd think of you. I know that happened to me. And it still happens from time to time.

Swept Away was such a cute and fun read. Looking for a light summer romance? Here it is!

[ivana · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I’m honest, I skipped most of this book; it was more of a speed read.
This was your stereotypical small-town girl who meets a city boy over the summer and falls in love kind of tale. Usually, I am content with predictability if the character's romance is worth rooting for, but I was incredibly detached from Mandy; I definitely liked Oliver a bit more.
Anyways, I gave it two stars cause it was meh.

Edited: After many months of thinking, I feel confident in changing this to a one-star rating. It just wasn't for me.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book didn't really capture my attention and the romantic relationship wasn't really exciting

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Mandy Sullivan enjoys her life in Rocky Point, Maine, where she lives with her mother, who works in the library in the town, and her older brother Justin. Her father passed away when she was young. She has a best friend, Cynthia, who is going to spend the summer at theater camp, but all is not lost; regular summer visitors Patti and Joanna are just as fun to hang out with at the variety of summer celebrations that the town has. Cynthia is the Lupine Queen, and at the flea market that takes place during the Lupine Festival, Mandy sees a very cute boy hanging out with local recluse, "Freaky" Farmingham. Their eyes meet, and Mandy is instantly smitten. She's not even sure how long the boy will be around, but when he comes to the lighthouse where Mandy's mother is making her volunteer, he strikes up a conversation with her. Oliver's very interested in history, so comes to visit Mandy most days. He finally asks her if she would like to work on a project with him. The two meet at his grandfather's house and make a scale model of the lighthouse, known locally as the Candy Cane. Mandy doesn't want to tell her mother that she's spending time at the Farmingham's, but Rocky Point is a small town, so she finds out. Of course, "Freaky" is anything but, and is a good cook and generally welcoming to Mandy. Oliver and Mandy hang out, go to local sites, and finally share a sweet kiss. They spend a lot of time together, although they do have one squabble about what activities they should do. Mandy is unfairly mad, and apologizes, and the two decide that they need to be honest with each other. The Candy Cane is is need of funding, and since it is now a place dear to both of their hearts, both Mandy and Oliver throw themselves into working to find funding. When Cynthia comes home from camp, Mandy hopes that she and Oliver will get along, but they seem to hate each other. When Mandy finds out a secret about a local painter who created the iconic painting of the lighthouse, she hopes that this will lead to a way to fund the lighthouse. It's clear that when summer is over, Oliver will return with his mother to California. Mandy and Oliver spend their days trying to enjoy every moment, and share a sweet goodbye.

Dalton has several titles that explore the experience of having a summer romance, usually in a picturesque seaside town. I love that the problems the couples have are small but realistic, and easily dealt with. This gives just a little bit of realistic tension to the story to keep it from being too sugary sweet. Oliver and Mandy share an interest in the lighthouse, but it was interesting to see how Mandy would say that she liked certain things just because Oliver liked them. This is continued with her friendship with Cynthia as well. Many girls feel like they can't share their opinions, so it's good to have this topic addressed in a book.

The activities in Rocky Point really make this book intriguing; I've never been able to spend the summer at the sea side, but through Mandy's eyes I got to have beach picnics, participate in a boat parade, and have kisses under the stars. This is a gentle but swoonworthy look at a first romance, and is very true to life, with parents getting involved and best friends not being enthused about the new b boyfriend.

If you like Nelson's WISH romances, this is the book to pop into your beach tote along with Stewart's How to Break a Heart, Richardson's Pizza My Heart, Florence's Sweet and Sour, or Bardenwerper's Salted Caramel Dreams. This gets bonus points for Oliver's note at the end that reads "This summer was real. Not a story. Keep it forever in the archive."

[Erika Maki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this story much at all when compared to Michelle Dalton's other books. The story follows Mandy Sullivan who lives in Rocky Point working at a historic lighthouse. She meets Oliver Framingham at the beginning of the summer and falls in love with him. Mandy is a girl who comes across as confident. Oliver is a shy and nerdy type of guy. The two are complete opposites, but for some reason they really like each other. Oliver is actually the grandson of the town resident that everyone considers strange. The town steers clear of him, though he's the subject of numerous rumours.

I didn't like how the relationship was depicted in this book. It seems like Mandy falls in love with Oliver the minute she meets him. There was no development to the relationship at all. He just always seems to show up wherever she is at the moment. Mandy's best friend Cynthia actually leaves for the summer to attend an acting workshop. This leaves Mandy a lot of time to spend with Oliver and the two decide to build a float together for a parade in town.

There are some people that Mandy includes to help with the float since Many and Oliver are having difficulty finishing it on their own, but Mandy doesn't really have friendships with them. They are surface level. When Cynthia returns to town near the end of the summer, she's not supportive of Mandy's relationship at all. She doesn't like Oliver that much. I didn't really Cynthia as a character. She's supposed to be the main character's best friend, but she can be kind of mean sometimes. She's too bossy and doesn't really let Mandy make her choices when she's around. I was actually a little shocked that Mandy would consider her a best friend since she can never be completely herself around her. Their issues are resolved by the end of the story, but I still have a sour taste in my mouth regarding Cynthia.

The only part of the story that was somewhat interesting, was the mystery surrounding Oliver's grandfather. I liked when some of his background was revealed. You get to understand why he's such a recluse. Other than that, the story was boring. It didn't hold my attention and pales in comparison to the author's other summer romance stories that are a little more developed. This is just my opinion, of course. I hope I enjoy Fifteenth Summer more than I did this one.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a summer meeting of a girl and a boy. I enjoyed reading this book but i didn't like how it ended. I wish it ended differently in my opinion. In the way the author ended it, it was good enough because there was no better way for the author to end it in the way the author wanted it to end. This might not make sense if you have not read the book yet. Besides the ending, overall it was a good book.

[Danielle Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

In theory, I should've absolutely loved this book. It's everything I look for in a book. It's a cute summer romance book. However, for some reason, I just didn't love it. At first, it reminded me a lot of Pulled Under by Michelle Dalton. As the book went on I found myself quite bored at some points. The book wasn't all negative though. I absolutely loved Freaky, he was my favorite character in the whole story.

[Brianna McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very well detailed. Everybody was "stereotyping" who "Freaky" was. In reality he was just a man that nobody knew much about. There are many people today, in real life, that are misjudged, just like he was. Mandy was a very hard-working girl, with a job, that was very persistent in what she was doing.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a while ago (like at least a year ago) and i actually remember bits and pieces of it, which i find impressive since in another book by Michelle Dalton i only vaguely remember one scene where they were with kids in the ocean. I'm giving it 3 stars now since it wasn't very forgettable and i do remember enjoying it!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the first one then you will probably like this one. I might read it again. It's about a girl who lives in Maine and then meets a boy who is only there for the summer and they only have the summer to spend together.

[Megan Nason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. More times than others. I found that this book was hard to get into but when I got into it, the book was pleasantly enjoyable. I would recommend to girls that like teen realistic fiction but would not recommend to the girls who get bored with books easily.

[Erin Mullenex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book. I feel like it was a lot about their relationship and ended more on account of the lighthouse. It’s kind of a similar theme with Pulled under where Izzy saves surf sisters. I wish we got more of a resolve for Oliver and Mandy but it was still good!

[Leah R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a short story I feel like you will go into it kind of knowing what will happen in the end but I think that’s what gives it lighthearted vibe definitely kept me interested the whole time.

[Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet great romance book for tweens a little slow at the Start super cute book it was a good love story with drama friends and more I wish at the end she went with him back to California but other than that the book was a super cute live story pg

[Anna Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at a steady pace since it's the last one I read in the Sixteenth Summer series. It's those cute summer reads about romance and the amazing life of a sixteenth year old. What I'll give to go to a beach like those girls and just meet cute boys.

[Ghawig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick summer read.

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda dont like Mandy at the start but she grew on me each time I turn a page. Great summer read. or even if it aint summer 😁