Redefining Summer

by Sherri Renee

I thought my awkward, but funny, best friend Caden would be my first kiss and possibly my first boyfriend. I thought a lot of things about Caden, but I never thought he’d desert me when I become the brunt of a fat joke that goes viral.

Issac Black is everything Caden is not. He’s gorgeous, and muscular, and he’s a dancer. There’s no way a guy like him would ever like a girl like me. Unless he’s setting me up for another prank.

Turns out Issac and I have more in common than I realized, but just as I accept he might honestly be interested in me, my tormenters strike again. And let’s just say I don’t handle it very well.

Will standing up for myself cause me to lose the guy of my dreams or will it somehow help me to find myself?

Genres: Young Adult

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2019

Reviews

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Piggie”

-‘“You okay?” She gives me a pitying look that I hate, but I know it’s only because she’s worried about me. “Not yet,” I tell her truthfully. “But I will be.’-

This story is very realistic and I found it refreshing that the ‘best friends to more’ had a different spin altogether this time and that the story went in an entirely different direction than what one expects from the usual trope. I say, ‘thumbs up’ and cheers for being original!
Unlike what some other reviewers said, I actually really liked the characters because they were so believable and could very likely be modelled on real people. Yes, some were absolute jerks and bullies and I can’t say I liked them in the least, but I liked that they were believable.

-‘I’m not ready to get all deep and say Chloe’s cruel joke was the best thing to ever happen to me. There’s no question that it’s changing my life, though, and other than the bone-crushing humiliation, I think there’s a real possibility it’s changing it for the better.’-

There are some good messages for teens here too. Bullying, resilience, self-esteem, friendship, ... and so many others, are all themes that all teens experience at some point in their lives. I think it’s a great new book for that age group/audience.

[Jamie Lee Zonneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redefining Summer was my first book by Sherri Renee. The story was good. I liked it. I give it 3,5 stars.

[Lindsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story but I am leaning towards a 3.5 stars. I noticed some of the writing seemed a little repetitive. A few lines were used more than once or the author would pretty much say the same thing but in a different way.
I liked Caden in the beginning but definitely did not like his character towards the end. I feel like he had the opposite of character development and just kept getting worse as the story went on especially with how he talked to Summer.
I liked Mia and Summer though. I loved the chemistry between them and how Mia would always pump up Summer and try to make her feel better. I was glad Mia was honest with Summer about Caden and made her start to see him in a different light.
Summer irritated me a little though with how she was thinking and over analyzing things. Most people do that but it just seemed like she did it over and over again. I was glad when Issac finally decided to talk to her and make a move. It seemed like he was trying to move a little fast but I’m glad he saw her for who she was instead of how Caden saw her. I also liked Issac and how different he seemed from most guys but I wasn’t sure how I felt about how he took what Summer did at the end. I felt that he overreacted just a little and didn’t let Summer talk to him and explain things. Time was a little weird in this story also because it seemed to move faster than I thought and things seemed to go by but it had only been like three days that Issac didn’t talk to Summer.
Overall I enjoyed this story and its message but a few things bothered me about the writing and how some of the people acted.

[Demi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This story focuses on a 15 year old girl named Summer. She’s faced ridicule on a daily basis because of her weight. After a horrifying video about her is posted on social media, she decides to make a change in her life.

I want to start by saying, that the reason I gave it a 3/5 ⭐️ wasn’t because it wasn’t a good book, it was more about the fact that I wasn’t the right demographic for this book - it’s for a younger audience.

It was more on the simple side of writing, very easy to read, and with little description to add volume to it. It was an interesting read, although it did still slightly annoy me in some cases. I’ve been out of high school long enough, that I can’t say I relate to these characters, which may be my reason for getting annoyed.

It tackles the harsh reality of bullying, and the effects it can have on people. It has some great character development, that you’re eased into, and you can feel like you’re on the journey with Summer.

Some of the characters I found extremely childish -those who were adults, and should have acted as adults, but didn’t - and I think those characters were what annoyed me the most about this book.

All in all, I think this was an interesting read, and would be a great book for high school aged readers.

[Angelina Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the way this book handled bullying and the consequences that could come from it, but sometimes the characters seemed to react a bit odd to things (like doing the absolute opposite of what any rational person might decide to do to fix a problem). I did however, love the character of Isaac - just a very sweet, respectable boy. Caden, on the other hand, was pretty much terrible in every way. For these pros and cons, I rate this book 3 stars but I applaud the author for tackling hard but prevalent topics that should be talked about more.

[Genni Piatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pretty good read. I'm glad that Summer comes into her own as the book goes on. It was filled with cliches but was still fun to read. Isaac, Mia, and Lexi were fun to get to know and I would totally read a book if it focused on Chrissy. Caleb pisses you off early in the book and his relationship with Summer is a perfect example that you're better off without toxic people in your life, even if they're your best friend. All it takes is a stressful situation for someone's true colors to show.

[Jadyen (jayjaysbooknook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I found this book to be a quick read and liked that it tackled some hard topics. I did find certain parts irritating but not enough to sway me to stop reading.

I enjoyed the characters and overall storyline and would read more from this author in the future!

[Emilie Hrabak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet coming of age story that talked about current major high school issues like cyber bullying and had some great characters.

Some of the writing was a bit juvenile and repetitive, but overall it was a really fun read!