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Un Verano Para Olvidarte
Con el otoño cada vez más cerca, Caroline necesita tomar una decisión que inevitablemente romperá el corazón de alguien, pero ¿de quién? El plan es el siguiente: cuando Caroline cumpla diecisiete años, ella y su novio Jake huirán de su pequeño pueblo para nunca regresar. Desde que se conocieron, Caroline siente que las paredes de su cuarto la asfixian y escapar con el amor de su vida le parece la mejor idea del planeta. Un par de meses antes de la fuga, Caroline consigue un trabajo de verano en la tienda de regalos del acuario local, donde pasa horas fantaseando sobre su nueva vida. Todo está planeado a la perfección, hasta que conoce a Georgia, una guía del campamento del acuario que cambiará su vida. Entre almuerzos con pizza, viajes a parques de diversiones y pláticas nocturnas, Georgia le muestra a Caroline que no todo gira alrededor de Jake. Mientras la relación de Georgia y Caroline se vuelve más fuerte, los planes de Caroline para irse se vuelven confusos, y eso tiene a Jake de un humor terrible que amenaza su relación y su futuro.
324 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2019
36 people are currently reading
758 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Van Name
3 books54 followersSarah Van Name grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and now lives and works in Durham with her family and dog. She is the author of three young adult novels: These Bodies Between Us (2024), Any Place But Here (2021), and The Goodbye Summer (2019). You can find her on Instagram @sarahvanname.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 11, 2019
Look me in the eyes and tell me that summary doesn't sound gay. Oh right you can't because I'm not wrong. The entire book is literally just about a girl picking her love for another girl over her boyfriend but we're just going to pretend it isn't romantic (I know platonic love exists, don't @ me but it could have been epic). Just gals being pals.
The Goodbye Summer is about a girl named Caroline who after her summer of working at her local aquarium, is going to run away with her boyfriend before her senior year. They've had this plan to travel and start their lives early and they just need to save money before going. But at the aquarium, Caroline meets Georgia and they quickly become friends. Soon she's spending every day and bonding with her and it turns out that leaving isn't the easiest choice.
Okay I'm just super salty because this is the second time my dumbass got played thinking I would get f/f but then just getting a friendship story. There isn't anything wrong with friendship and I do love that, it's just so much easier to find that instead of a cute f/f romance is all. Caroline and Georgia were so cute and everything in this book was just the perfect setup for romance between them and I'm just so sad at what could have been.
A lot of this book made me uncomfortable. Caroline's boyfriend Jake is CREEPY AS HELL. Jake is a creepy manbaby who already graduated school and yet he has Caroline convinced to drop out and run away with him to what turns out to be some random ass farm with his father. ??? Caroline is just so braindead and is totally cool with dropping out of high school just for her boyfriend too, wat?
The creeper literally convinced her that all her friends from school were shallow and lame so she cuts contact and doesn't have any other friends. He has her believing that they don't need ANYONE else in the world, just each other. Separating her from her parents and taking her from her life, really doing everything he can. Gross.
Their idea was so stupid and Caroline didn't even seem like she liked him while at the same time having no thoughts of her own around him?? Yes, their dumb illogical plan is obviously challenged by Georgia and the catalyst to Caroline making up her mind about leaving but I still didn't like reading a single scene with that nasty dude and it wasn't fun for me.
I swear sometimes this book felt like a Lifetime movie about the dangers of falling for the wrong boy to scare adults... just saying. Just not the book for me and a huge missed opportunity to be a cute summer read.
The Goodbye Summer is about a girl named Caroline who after her summer of working at her local aquarium, is going to run away with her boyfriend before her senior year. They've had this plan to travel and start their lives early and they just need to save money before going. But at the aquarium, Caroline meets Georgia and they quickly become friends. Soon she's spending every day and bonding with her and it turns out that leaving isn't the easiest choice.
Okay I'm just super salty because this is the second time my dumbass got played thinking I would get f/f but then just getting a friendship story. There isn't anything wrong with friendship and I do love that, it's just so much easier to find that instead of a cute f/f romance is all. Caroline and Georgia were so cute and everything in this book was just the perfect setup for romance between them and I'm just so sad at what could have been.
A lot of this book made me uncomfortable. Caroline's boyfriend Jake is CREEPY AS HELL. Jake is a creepy manbaby who already graduated school and yet he has Caroline convinced to drop out and run away with him to what turns out to be some random ass farm with his father. ??? Caroline is just so braindead and is totally cool with dropping out of high school just for her boyfriend too, wat?
The creeper literally convinced her that all her friends from school were shallow and lame so she cuts contact and doesn't have any other friends. He has her believing that they don't need ANYONE else in the world, just each other. Separating her from her parents and taking her from her life, really doing everything he can. Gross.
Their idea was so stupid and Caroline didn't even seem like she liked him while at the same time having no thoughts of her own around him?? Yes, their dumb illogical plan is obviously challenged by Georgia and the catalyst to Caroline making up her mind about leaving but I still didn't like reading a single scene with that nasty dude and it wasn't fun for me.
I swear sometimes this book felt like a Lifetime movie about the dangers of falling for the wrong boy to scare adults... just saying. Just not the book for me and a huge missed opportunity to be a cute summer read.
May 9, 2019
I'm usually an easy audience for a book. I cry easily, I get crushes on the characters, and I find myself swept away in the story, but most of all, I'm a fast reader. If a book is even moderately enjoyable, chances are that I liked it too. But it's not often that a book makes me slow down enough to devour every single word, holding them in my heart and returning to them day after day. The Goodbye Summer is one of those books.
In the interest of being totally transparent, I borrowed an ARC from the author, who happens to be a dear, dear friend. I know that will give some folks pause when reading this review, and that's fine. Take it with a grain of salt. Ignore me entirely. But whatever you do, don't pass on your chance to fall into this beautiful story.
The Goodbye Summer captures the spirit of my childhood in a way that I didn't really think was possible. Like our protagonist Caroline, I spent my high school years dating a (perhaps kind of terrible!) older guy. The all-consuming nature of that first love, especially when it's a love with someone who wasn't your friends' or your parents' first choice, burns through these pages. It felt, at times, too close to home to read about Caroline's simultaneous self-doubt and unwavering confidence in her own decisions. As she found her way through the summer, I was transported back to the same contradictions I always grappled with: growing up, falling in love, discovering yourself, screwing up, and yet still moving forward. This book captures the kind of nostalgia that is rooted in reality - not only remembering the rosy versions we tell ourselves, but also the gritty, confusing, and bittersweet moments that shape us into who we are.
I adored this book, and I know you will too.
In the interest of being totally transparent, I borrowed an ARC from the author, who happens to be a dear, dear friend. I know that will give some folks pause when reading this review, and that's fine. Take it with a grain of salt. Ignore me entirely. But whatever you do, don't pass on your chance to fall into this beautiful story.
The Goodbye Summer captures the spirit of my childhood in a way that I didn't really think was possible. Like our protagonist Caroline, I spent my high school years dating a (perhaps kind of terrible!) older guy. The all-consuming nature of that first love, especially when it's a love with someone who wasn't your friends' or your parents' first choice, burns through these pages. It felt, at times, too close to home to read about Caroline's simultaneous self-doubt and unwavering confidence in her own decisions. As she found her way through the summer, I was transported back to the same contradictions I always grappled with: growing up, falling in love, discovering yourself, screwing up, and yet still moving forward. This book captures the kind of nostalgia that is rooted in reality - not only remembering the rosy versions we tell ourselves, but also the gritty, confusing, and bittersweet moments that shape us into who we are.
I adored this book, and I know you will too.
July 20, 2021
Cuando recibí este libro y leí la parte de atrás creí que era un libro lesbiano, porque la parte de atrás en cortas palabras te dice que es la historia de Caroline que se quiere escapar al final del verano con su novio Jake para vivir juntos, en el verano conoce a Georgia, con la que a través del verano cada día su relacion se hace mas fuerte.
Y siento que si hubiera sido así, me hubiera gustado un pelín mas. Ahora diré porque a MI no me gusto. Primero que nada no conecte con ningún personaje, había muchas escenas o acciones que me daban cringe y simplemente este libro no fue para mi. Seguimos con la relacion de Caroline con Jake, cuando se conocieron caroline tenia 15 (en la actualidad va a cumplir los 17) y Jake tenia 18 (creo que en la actualidad ya tenia los 20). Era su primera relacion seria y por lo tanto estaba toxica. Jake era un manipulador, nomas pensaba en el y quería atar a Caroline con el sin pensar dos veces en que ella tenia todavía un futuro por delante, tenia que graduarse, estudiar, tener metas en la vida. Caroline era la que daba todo en la relacion, sacrificaba cosas, se dejaba mangonear, se quedo sin amigas por el, entre otras cosas. De ahí tenemos a Georgia, que era el único personaje que me caía bien y si hubieran profundizado mas en su historia hubiera sido mejor.
El libro lo lees en 3 horas eso si, esta muy fácil de leer si quieren pasar un ratito, pero para mi ha sido de mis lectura que casi no me han gustado en lo que va del año.
Y siento que si hubiera sido así, me hubiera gustado un pelín mas. Ahora diré porque a MI no me gusto. Primero que nada no conecte con ningún personaje, había muchas escenas o acciones que me daban cringe y simplemente este libro no fue para mi. Seguimos con la relacion de Caroline con Jake, cuando se conocieron caroline tenia 15 (en la actualidad va a cumplir los 17) y Jake tenia 18 (creo que en la actualidad ya tenia los 20). Era su primera relacion seria y por lo tanto estaba toxica. Jake era un manipulador, nomas pensaba en el y quería atar a Caroline con el sin pensar dos veces en que ella tenia todavía un futuro por delante, tenia que graduarse, estudiar, tener metas en la vida. Caroline era la que daba todo en la relacion, sacrificaba cosas, se dejaba mangonear, se quedo sin amigas por el, entre otras cosas. De ahí tenemos a Georgia, que era el único personaje que me caía bien y si hubieran profundizado mas en su historia hubiera sido mejor.
El libro lo lees en 3 horas eso si, esta muy fácil de leer si quieren pasar un ratito, pero para mi ha sido de mis lectura que casi no me han gustado en lo que va del año.
January 20, 2019
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It’s the summer before senior year and 16-year-old Caroline has some big decisions to make. Her nineteen-year-old boyfriend, a grocery bagger at the local market, has plans of running off into the sunset at the end of the summer. Her parents, oblivious to this ridiculous plan, would obviously prefer she finish school and go to college in a year. And her brand-new work friend, overachiever and perpetually peppy Georgia, would just like Caroline to slow her roll. Caroline has some decisions to make and, for a few of those choices, she’s running out of time.
Y’all, I did not love this book and I can tell you a few reasons why.
First of all, there are some very questionable statutory/consent issues with a fifteen-year-old dating an eighteen-year-old (and for the majority of the book, they’re both a year older, but still). I know that in many states, that’s technically ok, but it still made me really uncomfortable for so much of the book.
The eighteen-year-old in question is also a major deadbeat with no aspirations and a serious case of Peter Pan syndrome. He just wasn’t likable. Because the protagonist was likable, this made her dude of choice that much more infuriating because I just wanted to scream “Why are you with him? I don’t even get it!” for the bulk of the story. He’s immature, despite being several years older than she is. He’s also jealous, petty, and kind of manipulative. And, again, not even age-related, there are some pretty hardline consent issues happening.
Maybe it’s just my line of work but there are so many red flags waving in the wind, I could barely see the story.
And, kind of a bit further down the list, there is the discomfort of priorities. Mr. Peter Pan runs this nonstop campaign for Caroline to ditch college and live on a farm. Which is fine, but there’s also a lot of manipulation in it. I know not everyone goes to college. Not everyone can, nor does everyone have the desire to. Again, it’s the older, directionless person pressuring the younger, conflicted person that working in a coffee shop and living with said boyfriend’s dad is a perfectly good alternative to even finishing high school.
I also know that many people would look at the story and say “Oh, sixteen-year-olds are confused and they don’t know what they want.” Listen. I was sixteen, once, and I didn’t once dream of running off with an eighteen-year-old grocery bagger, thinking that we would live happily ever after. There was just a lot of suspension of disbelief necessary to really make the story work.
That said, there are some redeeming moments in the book and while I didn’t love it, I also didn’t hate it. I think that if I’d maybe had some different experiences as a teenager, this entire plot would have felt nostalgic, rather than creepy. You’ll have to make the decision for yourself when the book comes out, this May.
It’s the summer before senior year and 16-year-old Caroline has some big decisions to make. Her nineteen-year-old boyfriend, a grocery bagger at the local market, has plans of running off into the sunset at the end of the summer. Her parents, oblivious to this ridiculous plan, would obviously prefer she finish school and go to college in a year. And her brand-new work friend, overachiever and perpetually peppy Georgia, would just like Caroline to slow her roll. Caroline has some decisions to make and, for a few of those choices, she’s running out of time.
Y’all, I did not love this book and I can tell you a few reasons why.
First of all, there are some very questionable statutory/consent issues with a fifteen-year-old dating an eighteen-year-old (and for the majority of the book, they’re both a year older, but still). I know that in many states, that’s technically ok, but it still made me really uncomfortable for so much of the book.
The eighteen-year-old in question is also a major deadbeat with no aspirations and a serious case of Peter Pan syndrome. He just wasn’t likable. Because the protagonist was likable, this made her dude of choice that much more infuriating because I just wanted to scream “Why are you with him? I don’t even get it!” for the bulk of the story. He’s immature, despite being several years older than she is. He’s also jealous, petty, and kind of manipulative. And, again, not even age-related, there are some pretty hardline consent issues happening.
Maybe it’s just my line of work but there are so many red flags waving in the wind, I could barely see the story.
And, kind of a bit further down the list, there is the discomfort of priorities. Mr. Peter Pan runs this nonstop campaign for Caroline to ditch college and live on a farm. Which is fine, but there’s also a lot of manipulation in it. I know not everyone goes to college. Not everyone can, nor does everyone have the desire to. Again, it’s the older, directionless person pressuring the younger, conflicted person that working in a coffee shop and living with said boyfriend’s dad is a perfectly good alternative to even finishing high school.
I also know that many people would look at the story and say “Oh, sixteen-year-olds are confused and they don’t know what they want.” Listen. I was sixteen, once, and I didn’t once dream of running off with an eighteen-year-old grocery bagger, thinking that we would live happily ever after. There was just a lot of suspension of disbelief necessary to really make the story work.
That said, there are some redeeming moments in the book and while I didn’t love it, I also didn’t hate it. I think that if I’d maybe had some different experiences as a teenager, this entire plot would have felt nostalgic, rather than creepy. You’ll have to make the decision for yourself when the book comes out, this May.
May 13, 2020
Una historia sobre el verano, las tardes de pizza con los amigos, la importancia de tu mejor amiga y el futuro aterrador después de que termina la preparatoria. De verdad añoré un poco esta sensación de verano entre el último año de prepa y la universidad, donde tenemos tantas dudas y, al mismo tiempo, tanta emoción por lo que viene.
Además, este libro toca un tema importante: las relaciones de pareja tóxicas. A quien me esté leyendo aquí va un consejo de hermana mayor que lee Young Adult: EL AMOR NO TIENE POR QUÉ DOLER, no quiere decir que sea fácil, pero si lastima no es ahí.
Este libro es muy bonito, se los recomiendo mucho. Además, leer YA en esta cuarentena me ha salvado de muchas cosas.
Además, este libro toca un tema importante: las relaciones de pareja tóxicas. A quien me esté leyendo aquí va un consejo de hermana mayor que lee Young Adult: EL AMOR NO TIENE POR QUÉ DOLER, no quiere decir que sea fácil, pero si lastima no es ahí.
Este libro es muy bonito, se los recomiendo mucho. Además, leer YA en esta cuarentena me ha salvado de muchas cosas.
September 1, 2023
2⭐️
This books was flat
This books was flat
April 29, 2019
I didn’t identify with any of the characters’ high school experiences, but Sarah so beautifully wrote the teenage experience and its universal angst without being kitschy and overwrought that I still understood and connected with Caroline and Georgia. I was surprised by where Sarah ended the book, but I trusted Caroline and Georgia so fully by the end of it that I knew - the kids are alright, ya know? We don’t know what happens next in their story, but we know they’ll thrive at whatever it is.
August 31, 2020
Hello, hi, how are you?
It's going to be a long week! I have a to-do list a mile long and it feels like it is constantly growing. Last week I also had a pretty long to-do list but I got to listen to an audiobook while I was doing most of my list. I love being able to listen to an audiobook when I am not necessarily able to read a physical book because it allows me to still read something but also complete all the tasks on my to-do list. So I decided to look through my audiobook apps on my phone and see what I might be interested in listening too. After looking through Libby and the books I already have on Audible I decided to jump over to Hoopla to look around. I read a lot on Hoopla (if you have Hoopla through your library definitely check out this app it is amazing), and I still had three borrows left for August so I settled on the Goodbye Summer! A book that has been on my favorites list (kind of like a need to read list for me) on Hoopla for several months now. I kind of thought this book was the perfect pick for this time of year, it's literally the end of summer right now and everything is starting to change for me, so I thought it would be interesting to hear about someone else's end of summer tale.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Caroline is looking forward to the end of the summer. She and her long time boyfriend Jake are planning to run away and start a new life. They are going to get new jobs, work hard, eventually get a home, and even start a family someday. However, for this summer before their big move (that no one but the couple knows about) Caroline is going to work at the aquarium in the gift shop. It's an easy job most days and Caroline can continue to think about her upcoming future with Jake. Until one day when Caroline starts to make friends with some of the camp counselors who work at the aquarium summer camp. She goes on to become best friends with Georgia. As the summer goes on and their friendship develops Caroline starts to wonder if she should run away with Jake or if she should stay for her senior year and maybe even go to college someday? There have been many places that Jake and Caroline have talked about going but as the summer goes on Jake wants to move to rural Kentucky with Caroline to live with his father (someone he has not lived with or spent time with since he was very little). But will Caroline be okay with this? With actually leaving everything at the end of the summer? Without telling her parents or anyone her plans? Not finishing high school or going to college? Giving up her new best friend Georgia?
I love the end of summer and the start of fall/winter. Fall and winter are my two favorite seasons. Reading a book that deals with the end of summer and making choices about how to proceed with a new year was not only fun but also interesting. I always feel like the year starts with the fall (mostly due to my job and being in graduate classes right now) and I love thinking of all the new opportunities a year could hold. Caroline's end of summer holds so many different choices. She goes into the summer thinking that she is for sure leaving with Jake, not finishing her last year of school, and definitely not going to college. I am not going to say what Caroline's exact choices were but over the summer she takes a lot of time to think about these, to evaluate her relationship not only with Jake but also with her parents and her new best friend Georgia. She takes the time to evaluate what she might want her life to look like in the future. I ended up really loving the choices Caroline made for herself and her future. Which made me think about the new season in my own life and the year ahead, I am so excited to see where things will go this year and what choices might be ahead.
Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
**Thank you so much to the publisher for the Netgalley ARC
It's going to be a long week! I have a to-do list a mile long and it feels like it is constantly growing. Last week I also had a pretty long to-do list but I got to listen to an audiobook while I was doing most of my list. I love being able to listen to an audiobook when I am not necessarily able to read a physical book because it allows me to still read something but also complete all the tasks on my to-do list. So I decided to look through my audiobook apps on my phone and see what I might be interested in listening too. After looking through Libby and the books I already have on Audible I decided to jump over to Hoopla to look around. I read a lot on Hoopla (if you have Hoopla through your library definitely check out this app it is amazing), and I still had three borrows left for August so I settled on the Goodbye Summer! A book that has been on my favorites list (kind of like a need to read list for me) on Hoopla for several months now. I kind of thought this book was the perfect pick for this time of year, it's literally the end of summer right now and everything is starting to change for me, so I thought it would be interesting to hear about someone else's end of summer tale.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Caroline is looking forward to the end of the summer. She and her long time boyfriend Jake are planning to run away and start a new life. They are going to get new jobs, work hard, eventually get a home, and even start a family someday. However, for this summer before their big move (that no one but the couple knows about) Caroline is going to work at the aquarium in the gift shop. It's an easy job most days and Caroline can continue to think about her upcoming future with Jake. Until one day when Caroline starts to make friends with some of the camp counselors who work at the aquarium summer camp. She goes on to become best friends with Georgia. As the summer goes on and their friendship develops Caroline starts to wonder if she should run away with Jake or if she should stay for her senior year and maybe even go to college someday? There have been many places that Jake and Caroline have talked about going but as the summer goes on Jake wants to move to rural Kentucky with Caroline to live with his father (someone he has not lived with or spent time with since he was very little). But will Caroline be okay with this? With actually leaving everything at the end of the summer? Without telling her parents or anyone her plans? Not finishing high school or going to college? Giving up her new best friend Georgia?
I love the end of summer and the start of fall/winter. Fall and winter are my two favorite seasons. Reading a book that deals with the end of summer and making choices about how to proceed with a new year was not only fun but also interesting. I always feel like the year starts with the fall (mostly due to my job and being in graduate classes right now) and I love thinking of all the new opportunities a year could hold. Caroline's end of summer holds so many different choices. She goes into the summer thinking that she is for sure leaving with Jake, not finishing her last year of school, and definitely not going to college. I am not going to say what Caroline's exact choices were but over the summer she takes a lot of time to think about these, to evaluate her relationship not only with Jake but also with her parents and her new best friend Georgia. She takes the time to evaluate what she might want her life to look like in the future. I ended up really loving the choices Caroline made for herself and her future. Which made me think about the new season in my own life and the year ahead, I am so excited to see where things will go this year and what choices might be ahead.
Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
**Thank you so much to the publisher for the Netgalley ARC
March 14, 2019
If this one isn’t on your radar yet, it needs to be. I’m such a sucker for a book set during summer break where the main character works in a gift shop. Normally, these types of books are airy, free, and fun, and that’s what I was expecting from The Goodbye Summer, but it isn’t completely what I got. This novel resonated with me so deeply, in a completely unexpected way, and I’m so thankful it caught me off guard.
Caroline was exactly the type of flawed main character I long for. So much of my high school self was reflected back at me within these pages. As an adult, I yearned to pull her aside so I could help her find the self-worth she lacked, but my younger self understood the decisions she was making, the emotions she was feeling, and I knew that she needed to work through them herself. And she did. The development I saw Caroline go through was amazing. The reader is able to see her learn and grow, discover who she is and what’s important to her, and most importantly watch as she does realize that she is worth so much more than the life she originally planned for herself.
This is a very character driven book, which for me doesn’t always work, but Sarah Van Name did an incredible job with it. The relationships between every character were different and special in their own ways. Each person truly felt unique. Caroline found an unconventional adult to look up to in Jenny, which was nice. It seems like most of the role models characters find for themselves are the perfect adult, and in the real world those just do not exist. Jenny felt like a boss that teens would actually have, and I loved watching the relationship between them grow just a little. Georgia was especially an absolutely special character. The life that is contained within her was amazing, and Caroline and Georgia’s friendship felt so much like the bond my high school best friend and I had. There were points when I was hoping those two would end up together, but at the end I was so thankful that is not where the author took it. Please don’t get me wrong, I definitely feel like we need more f/f representation in young adult books, but there’s also a need for strong platonic relationships between two girls that actually care about each other and aren’t about to throw the other under a bus at a moment’s notice just to get ahead.
I haven’t seen any buzz about this book, and I truly hope that changes as we get closer to the release. It’s such a beautiful story that I feel is so important. It’s the book my high school self needed, and I have a feeling it’s a book a lot of current teens need. The Goodbye Summer deals with important topics and difficult feelings while showing the reader the importance of friendship and that doing what is best for you in the long run is always the right decision.
A digital ARC was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Caroline was exactly the type of flawed main character I long for. So much of my high school self was reflected back at me within these pages. As an adult, I yearned to pull her aside so I could help her find the self-worth she lacked, but my younger self understood the decisions she was making, the emotions she was feeling, and I knew that she needed to work through them herself. And she did. The development I saw Caroline go through was amazing. The reader is able to see her learn and grow, discover who she is and what’s important to her, and most importantly watch as she does realize that she is worth so much more than the life she originally planned for herself.
This is a very character driven book, which for me doesn’t always work, but Sarah Van Name did an incredible job with it. The relationships between every character were different and special in their own ways. Each person truly felt unique. Caroline found an unconventional adult to look up to in Jenny, which was nice. It seems like most of the role models characters find for themselves are the perfect adult, and in the real world those just do not exist. Jenny felt like a boss that teens would actually have, and I loved watching the relationship between them grow just a little. Georgia was especially an absolutely special character. The life that is contained within her was amazing, and Caroline and Georgia’s friendship felt so much like the bond my high school best friend and I had. There were points when I was hoping those two would end up together, but at the end I was so thankful that is not where the author took it. Please don’t get me wrong, I definitely feel like we need more f/f representation in young adult books, but there’s also a need for strong platonic relationships between two girls that actually care about each other and aren’t about to throw the other under a bus at a moment’s notice just to get ahead.
I haven’t seen any buzz about this book, and I truly hope that changes as we get closer to the release. It’s such a beautiful story that I feel is so important. It’s the book my high school self needed, and I have a feeling it’s a book a lot of current teens need. The Goodbye Summer deals with important topics and difficult feelings while showing the reader the importance of friendship and that doing what is best for you in the long run is always the right decision.
A digital ARC was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2019
Thank you Netgalley for sending me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Caroline is spending the summer before senior year working in the gift shop of the aquatic centre. But she has a secret; she is planning to run away with her boyfriend and the job is her way of saving up. But then she meets Georgia, one of the counsellers, one day and the two become friends. The story takes place over the course of whole summer, while the two girls weave themselves into each others lives and becomes best friends.
Caroline is very unlikeable for the first quarter of the book. She is stuck in this toxic relationship, which I didn't want to call out on at first, and she is this miserable, whining, selfish sixteen year old. But the story picks up when she and Georgia become friends and slowly there is this whole new side to her and I really like that Caroline. She has these ambitions and all the places she wants to go but is putting everything aside for her boyfriend, who convinces her that finishing high school is not important and she should leave her family and go live in a farm instead, working in a coffee shop or hardware store. First of all, many people skip out of on college and that's most definitely okay but it should be her decision, not his. As the story progresses, as an observer the whole relationship was so maddening. There were also matters of consent, which made the whole thing more horrifying. It was unhealthy and they were so codependent on each other; I wanted Georgia to smack some sense into her. I guess that's why I really liked the ending because it got so much better and healthier.
I loved the friendship between the two girls. It was so beautiful to see the friendship grow in the story and Georgia was an amazing character. I missed reading a book about pure friendship that was also beautifully portrayed. Caroline had great character development too. All the side characters were also highly likeable and always had something to contribute. The only problem I had was with Jake, the boyfriend, who is a deadbeat loser. He is also really manipulative and annoyed me throughout the whole book.
Cutting off 2 stars for the annoying guy. But I see myself recommending this to others because of the friendship.
Caroline is spending the summer before senior year working in the gift shop of the aquatic centre. But she has a secret; she is planning to run away with her boyfriend and the job is her way of saving up. But then she meets Georgia, one of the counsellers, one day and the two become friends. The story takes place over the course of whole summer, while the two girls weave themselves into each others lives and becomes best friends.
Caroline is very unlikeable for the first quarter of the book. She is stuck in this toxic relationship, which I didn't want to call out on at first, and she is this miserable, whining, selfish sixteen year old. But the story picks up when she and Georgia become friends and slowly there is this whole new side to her and I really like that Caroline. She has these ambitions and all the places she wants to go but is putting everything aside for her boyfriend, who convinces her that finishing high school is not important and she should leave her family and go live in a farm instead, working in a coffee shop or hardware store. First of all, many people skip out of on college and that's most definitely okay but it should be her decision, not his. As the story progresses, as an observer the whole relationship was so maddening. There were also matters of consent, which made the whole thing more horrifying. It was unhealthy and they were so codependent on each other; I wanted Georgia to smack some sense into her. I guess that's why I really liked the ending because it got so much better and healthier.
I loved the friendship between the two girls. It was so beautiful to see the friendship grow in the story and Georgia was an amazing character. I missed reading a book about pure friendship that was also beautifully portrayed. Caroline had great character development too. All the side characters were also highly likeable and always had something to contribute. The only problem I had was with Jake, the boyfriend, who is a deadbeat loser. He is also really manipulative and annoyed me throughout the whole book.
Cutting off 2 stars for the annoying guy. But I see myself recommending this to others because of the friendship.
January 29, 2019
Quick easy read. Cute story about Caroline, a high school junior, who has an older boyfriend she is planning to run away with at the end of the summer. She gets a job at the local aquarium and befriends one of the summer camp counselors, Georgia. They become really good friends really quickly which is nice for Caroline because she doesn't really have any close girlfriends. As she and Georgia become closer, Caroline begins to reevaluate her plan of running away with Jake. He, all the sudden, wants to go live with his Dad in Kentucky on a farm and she is not that crazy about this new plan. The story is nice highlighting the girls friendship and Caroline realizing what is best for her as opposed to what her boyfriend thinks is best for them. Nice story which I read pretty quickly. Kind of predictable though. Thanks to NG for the ARC!!
February 26, 2019
"The Goodbye Summer"
Written by Sarah Van Name
Review written by Diana Iozzia
"The Goodbye Summer" is a fun young adult romance that takes on many different aspects but fails to fully address its most important topics. As this book's demographic is female teenagers, we should consider how female teenagers could read this.
Our main character is Caroline, who is spending her time working at a local aquarium's gift shop, trying to save money for the fall. She's in a relationship with boring and slightly abusive Jake, who plans to convince her to drop of out high school and work on his father's farm in a different state. I did not like him from the start, but his personality gets worse throughout the book. Caroline befriends a group of counselors who work at the aquarium's summer camp. She becomes closest with Georgia, who is from a wealthy family but feels neglected by them.
Georgia and Caroline strike up one of those unbelievable teen friendships, and it's lovely. In the back of my mind the whole time reading, I just kept thinking, "wouldn't it be nice if they turned out to be gay or bisexual?" I felt this book would have been a really nice entry for young girls wanting to read about LGBT, but I was disappointed. Now, there was not any inclination that this book would turn out that way, but I felt the characters had a really cute friendship and hoped they would date.
The other characters are stationary but fun to read about nonetheless. This is a great summer read, but I'm glad that it touches on neglect, manipulation, and more importantly consent. There is a very uncomfortable scene in which Caroline does not want to have sex with Jake in any circumstance. She does not say no, so he continues. She does not say yes. She does not say that he raped her. However, I think this should have been a more important note to touch upon, rather than brush it off as 'bad sex' as Caroline referenced.
In conclusion, I did enjoy the book, but I beg those who read it to realize that the serious topics addressed should have been explained better, rather than the thousandth reference of the girls eating gooey pizza.
Written by Sarah Van Name
Review written by Diana Iozzia
"The Goodbye Summer" is a fun young adult romance that takes on many different aspects but fails to fully address its most important topics. As this book's demographic is female teenagers, we should consider how female teenagers could read this.
Our main character is Caroline, who is spending her time working at a local aquarium's gift shop, trying to save money for the fall. She's in a relationship with boring and slightly abusive Jake, who plans to convince her to drop of out high school and work on his father's farm in a different state. I did not like him from the start, but his personality gets worse throughout the book. Caroline befriends a group of counselors who work at the aquarium's summer camp. She becomes closest with Georgia, who is from a wealthy family but feels neglected by them.
Georgia and Caroline strike up one of those unbelievable teen friendships, and it's lovely. In the back of my mind the whole time reading, I just kept thinking, "wouldn't it be nice if they turned out to be gay or bisexual?" I felt this book would have been a really nice entry for young girls wanting to read about LGBT, but I was disappointed. Now, there was not any inclination that this book would turn out that way, but I felt the characters had a really cute friendship and hoped they would date.
The other characters are stationary but fun to read about nonetheless. This is a great summer read, but I'm glad that it touches on neglect, manipulation, and more importantly consent. There is a very uncomfortable scene in which Caroline does not want to have sex with Jake in any circumstance. She does not say no, so he continues. She does not say yes. She does not say that he raped her. However, I think this should have been a more important note to touch upon, rather than brush it off as 'bad sex' as Caroline referenced.
In conclusion, I did enjoy the book, but I beg those who read it to realize that the serious topics addressed should have been explained better, rather than the thousandth reference of the girls eating gooey pizza.
July 29, 2019
In the interest of full disclosure, the author is one of my daughter's very best friends. For those who are mildly curious about a mother-daughter perspective on this story, look for Chloe's review.
It's interesting to me how that connection colored my reading of this book. I believe we bring ourselves to everything we read, and so as I began the book, I'll admit I was slightly distracted by wondering how much of Sarah's history was on the page, and then of course, how much of my own daughter's experiences were similar. But maybe that's the mark of good fiction? Caroline's experiences, emotions, actions, were real to me. They made sense. She became a fully fleshed out character that I wanted to alternately hang out with and ground for the rest of the summer. I did identify and connect with Caroline's parents. It was hard not to, as a mom who has raised 3 kids and seen them through tumultuous relationships, good and bad choices, summer love, and friendships that came and went.
Ultimately Sarah's beautiful writing drew me in and brought me back to a place of being able to remember being young and trying so hard to do the right thing but being pulled by such intense longing to connect. I loved the slow, deliberate pace of the novel. It felt exactly right for that kind of summer that seems like it will stretch out forever but keeps picking up speed.
I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but this was a treasure. I would also venture to say, like much quality YA, it would appeal to a wider audience. A perfect summer read, languid and lovely, but with an undercurrent of urgency that kept me turning pages. Sarah is a terrific writer, and I hope we'll see something else from her soon. I'm excited to see what she has for us next!
It's interesting to me how that connection colored my reading of this book. I believe we bring ourselves to everything we read, and so as I began the book, I'll admit I was slightly distracted by wondering how much of Sarah's history was on the page, and then of course, how much of my own daughter's experiences were similar. But maybe that's the mark of good fiction? Caroline's experiences, emotions, actions, were real to me. They made sense. She became a fully fleshed out character that I wanted to alternately hang out with and ground for the rest of the summer. I did identify and connect with Caroline's parents. It was hard not to, as a mom who has raised 3 kids and seen them through tumultuous relationships, good and bad choices, summer love, and friendships that came and went.
Ultimately Sarah's beautiful writing drew me in and brought me back to a place of being able to remember being young and trying so hard to do the right thing but being pulled by such intense longing to connect. I loved the slow, deliberate pace of the novel. It felt exactly right for that kind of summer that seems like it will stretch out forever but keeps picking up speed.
I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but this was a treasure. I would also venture to say, like much quality YA, it would appeal to a wider audience. A perfect summer read, languid and lovely, but with an undercurrent of urgency that kept me turning pages. Sarah is a terrific writer, and I hope we'll see something else from her soon. I'm excited to see what she has for us next!
September 15, 2019
The cover on this book is what sucked me in. The back of the book gave me faith in the contents of the book. The contents of the book... just let me down!
As I started to read this book, all I could think of was how flat Caroline’s character was. In a lot of ways, I felt like this book was a YA version of “Conversations with Friends” by Sally Rooney. The main character was just flat. The events that are depicted in this book are flat. It was all very blah.
Not only was Caroline flat but I found myself constantly getting annoyed with her over Jake. She was dumb enough to want to do something so foolish and selfish. Nowhere in this story did either Jake or Caroline think of the repercussions that a minor running off with an adult would have.
The positive change that Caroline needed didn’t happen until the last chapter. Which was rather frustrating.
The book did pull me in though. I wanted to find out what would happen at the end- I’ll tack on an extra 0.5 in my rating. For that, I give this book 3 stars out of 5.
As I started to read this book, all I could think of was how flat Caroline’s character was. In a lot of ways, I felt like this book was a YA version of “Conversations with Friends” by Sally Rooney. The main character was just flat. The events that are depicted in this book are flat. It was all very blah.
Not only was Caroline flat but I found myself constantly getting annoyed with her over Jake. She was dumb enough to want to do something so foolish and selfish. Nowhere in this story did either Jake or Caroline think of the repercussions that a minor running off with an adult would have.
The positive change that Caroline needed didn’t happen until the last chapter. Which was rather frustrating.
The book did pull me in though. I wanted to find out what would happen at the end- I’ll tack on an extra 0.5 in my rating. For that, I give this book 3 stars out of 5.
May 29, 2019
Initial Thoughts: This was...really bad. It's illogical. The characters have no clear motivations. It's really a mystery to me why the protagonist wants to leave before her senior year of high school to "travel" with her boyfriend, and how she thinks she's going to do it while unemployed. There's not real chemistry between them either, just lots of awkward sex scenes. Overall, the book is really just the girl dwelling and dwelling and dwelling on leaving to be a high school drop out, and yet her reasons and thought process are extremely unclear, and the book has to insert a character who didn't go to college and regrets it every few chapters to teach the protagonist a lesson about why this might be a stupid idea. This feels like a bad PSA to tell kids not to drop out of high school rather than an engaging story about complex characters.
October 11, 2018
Caroline is spending the summer working at a semi run down aquarium in hopes to pad her savings account; she and her boyfriend, Jake, are going to leave at the end of summer and she can use every penny she can earn. While working she is introduced to Georgia, someone who Caroline is instantly at ease with. As their friendship grows and strengthens Caroline begins to wonder if her plan to runaway with Jake is really what she wants or just the next thing to do.
This book is something I wished I had read when I was finishing high school but before I entered college. I found myself remembering that time of life a lot while reading this book...nostalgia is pretty powerful I suppose.
Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC!
This book is something I wished I had read when I was finishing high school but before I entered college. I found myself remembering that time of life a lot while reading this book...nostalgia is pretty powerful I suppose.
Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC!
Want to read
October 25, 2018I am slightly biased because I know Sarah and once we got drunk in a hotel room together. I’m so excited for her book!
April 30, 2019
I felt more connected to Georgia than Caroline. Georgia seemed more realistic for the age while Caroline planning to run away with her 18 yr old boyfriend to go live wherever was a bit creepy. Other than Georgia why did Caroline have no friends? And then some pop in at the end of the book? Why was Jake dating a girl so much younger than he was? Overall the book really didn't work for me.
April 22, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher Sourcebooks Fire for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will be posting this review on my blog in the coming week. This book is set for publication on 01 May 2019!
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!*
I think this is the first YA novel I've read where I can say that I finally understand people who say they no longer read YA because it's just not targeted at them. I personally think, read whatever you like if it makes you happy. However, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more had I read it when I was in middle/high school. I didn't hate it, but it's certainly not my favorite YA and I think a big part of that has to do mostly with the MC (Caroline) and the way it is written.
Although it's pretty short, the pace is fairly slow and I felt at times a little emotionless. As I was reading, everything felt a little stagnant and sleepy, much like the small town this is set in. I honestly think, with the way this is written, it would be much better suited as a TV show; especially with all the moments staring out the window or sitting quietly (and awkwardly) in a car. These scenes added to the small town vibe of the story and to the summer boredom felt by the teens, but made the pace slightly drag.
Van Name does well highlighting the vulnerability and susceptibility of a young woman in Caroline's character. Caroline is so consumed by Jake -- everything has to revolve around Jake -- that she doesn't have an identity without him. She doesn't have hobbies or friends, that is until Georgia and the other JAC counsellors came along. She never realized how controlling and possessive Jake was the whole time they were together, and at the end, she was still surprised how people collectively didn't like him. Van Name also shows the value of hard work and having ambition without being preachy. Georgia's character was so driven and had so much ambition and was such a positive influence in Caroline's life. Despite some things that I found odd between the two (mentioned below), I thought that their friendship was very positive, supporting and quite pure--they simply accepted each other as is.
What disappointed me a bit though was that although Caroline finally realized her relationship with Jake wouldn't work, I felt that essentially one relationship replaced another, in the form of her friendship with Georgia. I wish that Caroline found more strength in herself, and while the ending left on a more positive note, there was still an air of melancholy around it.
One thing I wasn't really sure of was how in certain scenes, the author described Georgia from Caroline's POV in a way that bordered on romantic/sexual. I wasn't sure if she was trying to insinuate that there would be something more or not. Some of their interactions I also see more between partners in a romantic relationship; such as when Caroline left her hand on Georgia's knee as she was driving (this too so shortly after knowing each other). I know it was a neutral situation, but I read these type of scenes so much in non-platonic situations, that it was weird to see it between these two friends. I'm also pretty sure I've never put my hand on my BFFs knee/leg and left it there for any reason, so on a completely personal level, I guess I found this odd... 🤷🏻♀️
Overall a fairly quick read that I'm sure many young adults will be able to relate to and enjoy!
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!*
I think this is the first YA novel I've read where I can say that I finally understand people who say they no longer read YA because it's just not targeted at them. I personally think, read whatever you like if it makes you happy. However, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more had I read it when I was in middle/high school. I didn't hate it, but it's certainly not my favorite YA and I think a big part of that has to do mostly with the MC (Caroline) and the way it is written.
Although it's pretty short, the pace is fairly slow and I felt at times a little emotionless. As I was reading, everything felt a little stagnant and sleepy, much like the small town this is set in. I honestly think, with the way this is written, it would be much better suited as a TV show; especially with all the moments staring out the window or sitting quietly (and awkwardly) in a car. These scenes added to the small town vibe of the story and to the summer boredom felt by the teens, but made the pace slightly drag.
Van Name does well highlighting the vulnerability and susceptibility of a young woman in Caroline's character. Caroline is so consumed by Jake -- everything has to revolve around Jake -- that she doesn't have an identity without him. She doesn't have hobbies or friends, that is until Georgia and the other JAC counsellors came along. She never realized how controlling and possessive Jake was the whole time they were together, and at the end, she was still surprised how people collectively didn't like him. Van Name also shows the value of hard work and having ambition without being preachy. Georgia's character was so driven and had so much ambition and was such a positive influence in Caroline's life. Despite some things that I found odd between the two (mentioned below), I thought that their friendship was very positive, supporting and quite pure--they simply accepted each other as is.
What disappointed me a bit though was that although Caroline finally realized her relationship with Jake wouldn't work, I felt that essentially one relationship replaced another, in the form of her friendship with Georgia. I wish that Caroline found more strength in herself, and while the ending left on a more positive note, there was still an air of melancholy around it.
One thing I wasn't really sure of was how in certain scenes, the author described Georgia from Caroline's POV in a way that bordered on romantic/sexual. I wasn't sure if she was trying to insinuate that there would be something more or not. Some of their interactions I also see more between partners in a romantic relationship; such as when Caroline left her hand on Georgia's knee as she was driving (this too so shortly after knowing each other). I know it was a neutral situation, but I read these type of scenes so much in non-platonic situations, that it was weird to see it between these two friends. I'm also pretty sure I've never put my hand on my BFFs knee/leg and left it there for any reason, so on a completely personal level, I guess I found this odd... 🤷🏻♀️
Overall a fairly quick read that I'm sure many young adults will be able to relate to and enjoy!
July 21, 2019
File this one under that kind of YA that is a little Too Real in the high school memories it brings up. That feeling of being done with dependence on your family and childish things but not knowing yet what the alternative really looks like. Having an objectively pretty good life but wanting to get the heck out of it as fast as you can. And the older boys...thankfully no one like Jake happened to me, but I remember a few of them who hung around after high school on the fringes of some friend groups, and that feeling of wanting them to think you're cool because you haven't realized that their still hanging around high school kids says more about them than about how mature and cool you are. And all of these messy feelings wrapped up in unbearable humidity.
May 9, 2019
Caroline is dating older guy Jake and plans to move away with him after the summer.
However, Jake's cousin Toby gets her a job in the local aquarium gift shop to earn cash to save to afford to move and live off but while working at the aquarium she meets Georgia, they become good friends and soon she starts having fun with her and making some good friends and get to be just a normal teen before senior year and having to knuckle down to decide her future.
When Jake's dad offers them to stay with him, Caroline isn't happy and doesn't want to settle but see the world or not leave her home at all...
All through the novel, she struggles with her feelings to the point of making herself be ill with worry about the future while Jake is an over powering and dominating character who's persistent and pushy bordering abusive in his actions. Growing up is hard enough without growing up too soon and this book shows that clearly.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
However, Jake's cousin Toby gets her a job in the local aquarium gift shop to earn cash to save to afford to move and live off but while working at the aquarium she meets Georgia, they become good friends and soon she starts having fun with her and making some good friends and get to be just a normal teen before senior year and having to knuckle down to decide her future.
When Jake's dad offers them to stay with him, Caroline isn't happy and doesn't want to settle but see the world or not leave her home at all...
All through the novel, she struggles with her feelings to the point of making herself be ill with worry about the future while Jake is an over powering and dominating character who's persistent and pushy bordering abusive in his actions. Growing up is hard enough without growing up too soon and this book shows that clearly.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
April 8, 2019
A great early summer read. While some of this story was slow I was very intrigued and really wanted to know Caroline's decision to stay or go I was so glad of her decision. No spoilers....
"Caroline can't wait for summer to end so that she and her older boyfriend, Jake, can run away together. She decides to spend her last summer at home saving money working at the local aquarium gift shop--and spending all the rest of her time hanging with Jake.
Then she meets Georgia, a counselor at the aquarium camp. Georgia weaves her way into Caroline's life and suddenly the summer feels a lot less lonely.
The stronger Georgia and Caroline's bond grows, the more uneasy Caroline becomes about her plans to leave. When summer comes to a close, she will have to say goodbye to someone... but who is she willing to lose?"
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Caroline can't wait for summer to end so that she and her older boyfriend, Jake, can run away together. She decides to spend her last summer at home saving money working at the local aquarium gift shop--and spending all the rest of her time hanging with Jake.
Then she meets Georgia, a counselor at the aquarium camp. Georgia weaves her way into Caroline's life and suddenly the summer feels a lot less lonely.
The stronger Georgia and Caroline's bond grows, the more uneasy Caroline becomes about her plans to leave. When summer comes to a close, she will have to say goodbye to someone... but who is she willing to lose?"
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2019
3.25/5
- this was a really interesting read
- the two central ideas explored here are: the ill fated girl who prioritizes her boyfriend over her friends; and parental pressures
- Usually in ya cont. we see a clear dichotomy of obviously bad relationships or obviously good relationships and never somewhere in between
- So what about those relationships? Yes the couple may be happy but their also overly dependent and isolated
- And parental pressures; tough love bordering on bullying and how that affects mental health
- To me it’s interesting to read about a blossoming platonic friendship and these two (imo) uncommon themes explored
- BUT it’s a little ... mundane .. not much a plot, just slowly crawling through Caroline’s life as she plans to move with her boyfriend after high school while making a new friends, who all have made different paths after high school
- this was a really interesting read
- the two central ideas explored here are: the ill fated girl who prioritizes her boyfriend over her friends; and parental pressures
- Usually in ya cont. we see a clear dichotomy of obviously bad relationships or obviously good relationships and never somewhere in between
- So what about those relationships? Yes the couple may be happy but their also overly dependent and isolated
- And parental pressures; tough love bordering on bullying and how that affects mental health
- To me it’s interesting to read about a blossoming platonic friendship and these two (imo) uncommon themes explored
- BUT it’s a little ... mundane .. not much a plot, just slowly crawling through Caroline’s life as she plans to move with her boyfriend after high school while making a new friends, who all have made different paths after high school
August 6, 2021
this was a fun read! the plot of this story mostly took place at an aquarium and that was fun considering i plan to take my 2.5 year old son to the aquarium before the summer is over! ive always loved going to the aquarium and i hope my son will too, so that’s part of why this book was so fun to me. i stumbled across this book on libby and just knew i had to read it.
as i finished this book, and read the script about the author i was surprised to see she is from the state i live in, and still currently resides in said state, only a few cities away from me, and she also attended the university my sister is currently enrolled in! so that’s cool information to me, and i’m happy to have supported a fellow North Carolinian by reading her book!
as i finished this book, and read the script about the author i was surprised to see she is from the state i live in, and still currently resides in said state, only a few cities away from me, and she also attended the university my sister is currently enrolled in! so that’s cool information to me, and i’m happy to have supported a fellow North Carolinian by reading her book!
July 19, 2022
Not going to lie, this ending was anti-climactic. I was happy she ended up not going with Jake, but I just thought that the ending was kind of stupid. I like that they show the readers her life after September, but they probably could’ve ended the book at the swings scene in the amusement park with Georgia. If that was how the book ended, I would’ve liked it more because it would have been more meaningful. Overall, this was an okay book, not amazing but not horrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2019
This book was just ok for me. I found the characters flat and Caroline ‘s boyfriend, Jake, is such a jerk. I was frustrated that Caroline couldn’t see it, but she was 16, so it’s a realistic portrait.
June 24, 2019
I thought this would be f/f and it wasn't.
July 2, 2019
(Disclosure: the author is a friend.) This book is so beautifully written and heartfelt and I just wanted to give Caroline and Georgia and even Matt and Toby gigantic hugs (and none for Jake, bye). I'm 36, so not at all in the target age range, but this book brought me back to that late-high-school feeling of wanting more, but not being sure what that "more" is or how to get it. I didn't have the same high school experiences as Caroline, so I didn't identify with her in that exact way, but the emotions were so real and so perfect. This isn't a heavy book at all or one with a Message, but it touches on some very real feelings and situations and does it all beautifully.
May 26, 2019
3 stars. The Goodbye Summer is book about a toxic relationship, a great friendship, and the bitter sweetness of summer.
This is one of those books that gets that fleeting freedom and heavy weight of summer equally right. The atmosphere of the book alternates between the weight of sixteen year old Caroline’s decision to run away with her older boyfriend Jake at the end of the summer (without finishing high school), leaving her slightly oppressive parents behind; and the lightness of Caroline finding her first best friend Georgia - a soulmate who makes life at her aquarium gift shop job easier. The best part of this book is how smoothly it transitions between those two worlds, and how realistic it feels for the fairly immature Caroline to be swept away by how sexy and happy Jake makes her feel at first, and then by how honest and real her friendship with Georgia is.
The problem with this book, for me, was that it was not a fun summer read. It was really, really hard for me to watch a toxic relationship develop and continue, and how much of Caroline got swallowed by Jake and his manipulative nature. I think it’s important for books to show how easily a man can take advantage of a young girl, but I also think that the book let Jake off the hook too easily.
Did I think The Goodbye Summer was well-written? Yes. I thought there were moments when the writing was lyrical and gorgeous, and that’s what saved the book for me. The characters were decent, but I didn’t fall in love with them. Overall, this is a decent summer library book if you’re looking for something a bit weighty. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but if you’re interested in darker, older YA that deals with toxic relationships, this might be for you.
This is one of those books that gets that fleeting freedom and heavy weight of summer equally right. The atmosphere of the book alternates between the weight of sixteen year old Caroline’s decision to run away with her older boyfriend Jake at the end of the summer (without finishing high school), leaving her slightly oppressive parents behind; and the lightness of Caroline finding her first best friend Georgia - a soulmate who makes life at her aquarium gift shop job easier. The best part of this book is how smoothly it transitions between those two worlds, and how realistic it feels for the fairly immature Caroline to be swept away by how sexy and happy Jake makes her feel at first, and then by how honest and real her friendship with Georgia is.
The problem with this book, for me, was that it was not a fun summer read. It was really, really hard for me to watch a toxic relationship develop and continue, and how much of Caroline got swallowed by Jake and his manipulative nature. I think it’s important for books to show how easily a man can take advantage of a young girl, but I also think that the book let Jake off the hook too easily.
Did I think The Goodbye Summer was well-written? Yes. I thought there were moments when the writing was lyrical and gorgeous, and that’s what saved the book for me. The characters were decent, but I didn’t fall in love with them. Overall, this is a decent summer library book if you’re looking for something a bit weighty. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but if you’re interested in darker, older YA that deals with toxic relationships, this might be for you.
March 22, 2024
Hola lectores 🥰
Hoy les dejo reseña de "UN VERANO PARA OLVIDARTE " DE SARAH VAN NAME(2021)
🩵SINOPSIS:
Con el otoño cada vez más cerca, Caroline necesita tomar una decisión que inevitablemente romperá el corazón de alguien, pero ¿de quién?
El plan es el siguiente: cuando Caroline cumpla diecisiete años, ella y su novio Jake huirán de su pequeño pueblo para nunca regresar.
🩵UN VERANO PARA OLVIDARTE nos narra la vida de Caroline, una adolescente que tiene un plan para cuando finalice el verano, aunque la idea de irse junto a su novio le emociona, aún tiene sus dudas sobre si realmente es lo que quiere para su futuro.
🩵Esta es una historia ligera de verano, reflexiva y entretenida, una obra cálida e íntima sobre el significado de la honestidad con uno mismo, la importancia de contar con amigas sinceras y los momentos que ponen a prueba nuestra capacidad de tomar las mejores decisiones para el futuro.
🩵Una historia bastante buena. Fue una lectura muy ligera, bastante rápida de leer y entretenida. Puede gustar a muchos lectores y además tener esta bonita portada.
🩵Esta es una historia que toca diferentes temas entre ellos la importancia de poner los sueños propios antes que los de otra persona. Para ser una historia juvenil con una protagonista tan joven me parece importante que se reflexione sobre los romances tóxicos y los errores que se pueden cometer por miedo de perder su primer amor.
🩵En general es una historia que se me hizo corta, con 324 páginas y capítulos cortos.
Una historia acerca del poder de las chicas para decidir por sí mismas, lo que debes exigir de una relación afectiva y los compromisos que adquieres mientras creces y te vas conociendo a ti misma.
#unveranoparaolvidarte #sarahvanname #novelajuvenil #novelaromance #crecimientopersonal #marzo #2024 #bookslovers #bookstagramm
Hoy les dejo reseña de "UN VERANO PARA OLVIDARTE " DE SARAH VAN NAME(2021)
🩵SINOPSIS:
Con el otoño cada vez más cerca, Caroline necesita tomar una decisión que inevitablemente romperá el corazón de alguien, pero ¿de quién?
El plan es el siguiente: cuando Caroline cumpla diecisiete años, ella y su novio Jake huirán de su pequeño pueblo para nunca regresar.
🩵UN VERANO PARA OLVIDARTE nos narra la vida de Caroline, una adolescente que tiene un plan para cuando finalice el verano, aunque la idea de irse junto a su novio le emociona, aún tiene sus dudas sobre si realmente es lo que quiere para su futuro.
🩵Esta es una historia ligera de verano, reflexiva y entretenida, una obra cálida e íntima sobre el significado de la honestidad con uno mismo, la importancia de contar con amigas sinceras y los momentos que ponen a prueba nuestra capacidad de tomar las mejores decisiones para el futuro.
🩵Una historia bastante buena. Fue una lectura muy ligera, bastante rápida de leer y entretenida. Puede gustar a muchos lectores y además tener esta bonita portada.
🩵Esta es una historia que toca diferentes temas entre ellos la importancia de poner los sueños propios antes que los de otra persona. Para ser una historia juvenil con una protagonista tan joven me parece importante que se reflexione sobre los romances tóxicos y los errores que se pueden cometer por miedo de perder su primer amor.
🩵En general es una historia que se me hizo corta, con 324 páginas y capítulos cortos.
Una historia acerca del poder de las chicas para decidir por sí mismas, lo que debes exigir de una relación afectiva y los compromisos que adquieres mientras creces y te vas conociendo a ti misma.
#unveranoparaolvidarte #sarahvanname #novelajuvenil #novelaromance #crecimientopersonal #marzo #2024 #bookslovers #bookstagramm
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