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Students Across the Seven Seas
Swede Dreams
Swede escape! Calista Swanson has begun her study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden, and she couldn’t be happier! There’s finally some distance between her and the constant piano-playing of her annoying sister Suzanne. Calista and Suzanne are twins, but the only thing they have in common is their birth date. Suzanne is a focused and gifted pianist, but a social dud. Calista isn’t at all focused, but she always has her friends, and a boyfriend, by her side. And that goes for her time in Sweden, as well. Jonas, who’d been an exchange student at her high school in Wisconsin, lives in Stockholm. He’s the main reason Calista is studying in Sweden, and she knows he’ll be in tow as she explores everything Sweden has to offer, from visiting Swedish castles to learning more about the Viking era, to sampling treats from a smörgåsbord, to strolling the cobblestone streets of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan. Calista loves Sweden from the moment she arrives, but . . . why hasn’t Jonas called?
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Eva Apelqvist
12 books13 followersEva Apelqvist grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. She came to the United States as an exchange student her senior year in high school, and met her future husband three days before going home to Sweden. Eva loves the English language and its many possibilities. She enjoys seeing new places, eating new things, trying new sports and meeting new people. She lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband, their two children, and their dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 5, 2022
Better than I expected, with much of the focus being on Swedish history, language, and culture, and less so on Calista's sister and boyfriend, as I had assumed from the book summary. I learned about lesser known customs and celebrations, and also about sights around Stockholm and even a unique landmark in nearby Uppsala known as Näckens polska (The Reel of the Neck), a sculpture and fountain by Bror Hjorth.
I was pleasantly surprised by this young adult read; it's a delightful journey of youthful self-discovery and a really nice look at Swedish traditions and culture. I would recommend this to any young person who will be studying in Sweden as a foreign exchange student or even anyone just interested in learning more about other cultures and countries.
I was pleasantly surprised by this young adult read; it's a delightful journey of youthful self-discovery and a really nice look at Swedish traditions and culture. I would recommend this to any young person who will be studying in Sweden as a foreign exchange student or even anyone just interested in learning more about other cultures and countries.
January 12, 2020
It was really interesting to learn about life in Sweden. The author did an excellent job with that. I want to have a julgransplundring (say goodbye to Christmas) party! There wasn’t much drama in this one either and the romance was really sweet. Overall a sweet read.
January 15, 2019
I checked this out from the library last winter, but I didn't get around to reading it then. It would have been the first book I read in this series. Now it's the fourth I've read.
Out of the gate, Calista came out with some rude, mean-spirited comments towards her sister, and I thought I wouldn't like her at all. She made one towards the end of the book, too. Thankfully, besides these few comments she made, she ended up being likable.
'Her thick, wavy, shoulder-length hair and bangs emphasized her high cheekbones and her large brown eyes. Suzanne's stiff bun looked drab in comparison.'
'Suzanne didn't have a boyfriend. She might be good at everything else, but she didn't attract cute, athletic guys the way Calista did.'
"Part of me enjoyed the fact that Suzanne could never land such a hot guy."
Those comments were incredibly snarky, which didn't jive with Calista's personality towards everyone else. She was nice and polite, so those comments didn't fit in with the rest of her. I didn't like the relationship between the twin sisters, because I'm a twin, and I don't feel competitive or anything like they did. I've always been really close to my twin, so I didn't like this portrayal in here.
Calista said it was as if learning new languages opened up a new world. Different ways of saying things came with a whole new way of thinking, new music, new literature, new ways to look at life, new everything. I had never thought about languages like that. It's very romantic and deep.
There's a requisite goth girl, in every book I've read. This was no exception. I was surprised she never talked to or ended up being friends with Moa, though.
Calista said Hakan looks like Prince Carl Philip and I immediately looked him up, to find he is indeed good-looking. haha. Although it was a cop out to write your Swedish romantic interest to look like the Swedish prince. I mean, what are the chances? It's like writing a book set in England about someone who happens to look like Prince Harry or William.
I hated how long it took for her to write an email to her sister. It was annoying how she kept putting it off.
Mattias was an unnecessary character. He didn't even need to be in here. I think he only served to show that she dated guys other people liked.
Calista dates guys that people set her up with or that her dad would like, because they're athletes. I thought he was only into watching sports and was more of a nerd, based on a joke her mom said, & the fact that he's a potter. So that just doesn't add up to me. Is he an athlete or does he just like watching sports? And if the latter, then why does he care so much about her bfs that are athletes?
I loved her project on the Vikings. That's exactly what I would have done. I also liked how interested she was in history and how she wondered who the Native American tribes were during the Viking times and what their cultures were like.
In one email her sister Suzanne thought of Mike, the guy she went on a date with, as a friend, and the next she was 'totally, recklessly, insanely in love' with him. I feel like she had to start dating and not get accepted by Julliard before Cal would accept her. If she hadn't, I think Cal would still be jealous of her.
I felt like her feelings towards her sister changed too quickly. She goes from being annoyed with her and wanting to be away from her to suddenly realizing she misses her, without ever expressing it to us. She told her she missed her on the phone and only after saying it does she realize it's true.
Then she quickly realizes she only dates because people set her up or she wanted to please her dad.
I was so glad there wasn't any school and bad boy drama in here. The Mattias thing was really weak but I'm just glad it didn't go any further. And unlike the others I've read where they just ignore her schoolwork to party and date, so that was really appreciated.
The teen slang was a little much at times. Love to lv and kisses to ksss.
I hated that the past boyfriends ruined her so that she couldn't even tell if she liked Hakan herself or was only doing it because Lena would like them together. It was incredibly stupid because she knew Hakan first, before Lena even met him. Lena doesn't even really know him, and has only been around him a couple times. She says Lena suggested they see him at the game store, but how did Lena even know he worked there? She was getting a game for her cousin. It was totally coincidental. Calista even wondered if Lena somehow knew he worked there, but that she couldn't. It's just an asinine thing to say, and how do you not know if you like someone?
Just because Lena liked Hakan doesn't mean you'd be going out with him just to please her. Don't you want your friends to like your bfs? That's not a bad thing.
I was so mad when Hakan called to ask her out and she turns him down; their romance was dragged out enough as it was. But thankfully she called him back right after.
Calista said she deferred to other people, not just about boys, but about a lot of things. She let people decide for her so she didn't have to. What things exactly? You can't just say that, and not give examples.
I loved the rune that said 'Here lies Bjorn. Slain in the east. The stone was raised by Torulf, his brother.' It sounded like something from LOTR or The Hobbit.
Idk why the page numbers are always so off. There's only 202 pages, not 224.
The romance was underdeveloped. Just when they started hanging out the book was over. It was really disappointing.
I don't like how inconclusive the endings are and that you know they won't end up together.
There's always character growth in these though; she learns to live for herself, and not for others, and that she's stronger than she thinks she is. She also completes her goal of learning Swedish and also learns that Sweden is more than the language.
These books are a little low on plot, with not much happening. Just sight seeing and school.
I think I like this one the most out of the ones I've read, because it had the least drama. And that was very much appreciated. I think the drama brings the books down. Besides a little drama with Jonas, her bf, which ended up being her ex bf, and a little with her sister, there was no other drama in here.
What I liked most about this was learning about Sweden. The sightseeing and all the info on the country was really interesting to me.
This was pretty good, and the first one I've been tempted to give over 2 stars to, so I just bumped it up another star so I'd remember that this stood out. It's really 2.5 stars though. The lack of real romance brought it down.
I was beyond shocked that Eva Apelqvist grew up in Sweden and instead of like her character, she was an exchange student in America. She met her husband 3 days before she left. And now she lives in Wisconsin. Which makes me wonder all the more why this book didn't have an HEA. Clearly you can meet your future spouse through a study abroad, so why not have Calista end up with Hakan? You wonder why there's even romance in these books at all if they don't end up together.
Information on Sweden:
Most Swedes take their shoes off inside.
They eat boiled potatoes with lunch and supper almost every day.
They say "gott slut" on New Years which means happy ending.
Guys over 18 have to do military service in Sweden.
I love the New Years tradition of melting tin and reading how the new year will go by the shape it makes.
Swedish and English are both Germanic languages, so that's why they're similar.
Vikings used memorial stones in runes, the old Viking letters, for their dead. The stones were often more than a thousand years old, and were still around in Sweden.
Julgransplundring is when you say bye to Christmas. It means plundering the Christmas tree, where you strip it down and throw it out in the yard. Swedes celebrate Christmas forever, until there's something else to celebrate.
Viking-era women had strong positions in society when the men were out traveling the world. Women could own and inherit land, get a divorce, and even fight battles. But only 1 in 10 rune stones were raised for or by a woman. They were instrumental in bringing Christianity to the Nordic countries, but when Christianity became the dominant religion, women lost a ton of status.
Swedes weren't all blond and blue-eyed, and they weren't that shy, unless you met them on the train, in which case you should not smile or talk to anyone. But if in someone's home or class with them,!swedes were as talkative and friendly as Americans.
I loved the museum exhibit with the black cave and the phosphorescent blue runes. I could just picture it in my head.
On January 13th, they take swings at a gingerbread house with a hammer.
Vikings carved runes into all kinds of things, like combs and wood. One artifact was an amulet with a spell carved into it, someone trying to protect themselves from their enemies.
It turns it there never was a people called Vikings. Historians made up the term to describe the different people who lived during that time people.
Marie Bebadelsedag is Annunciation Day, which, because of a mispronunciation of the name, ended up being a day they eat waffles.
It was expensive to hire someone to carve runes for you, so the memorial rune was most likely for someone wealthy.
The anteroom in the old church was where people would hang their weapons.
Tussilago are the first wildflowers to grow in the spring and kids pick them.
Valborg is a celebration to welcome spring, with bonfires, singing songs, eating, drinking and partying.
In pre-Christian says, people would let their animals out to pasture on the first day of May. They wanted to make sure the woods and fields were safe for their animals, so they lit huge bonfires the night before to scare away predators or witches.
Uppsala is a Viking haven, with burial mounds there.
Falu Rodfarg means red paint from Falun, and is actually a national paint. They have a mine with red pigment in its bedrock. It's been mined and used since the 16th century. At first it was a sign of status and money, with only wealthy people having red houses. Then it became popular and by the 19th century, farmers were using it for their farmhouses and barns.
The Neck is a mythological figure of a naked man with long hair, playing an instrument, usually the violin, in a river, luring people into the water. Like a male siren.
The Viking-age men were burned during burial so that the force of he fire would take them to Valhalla, the home of their gods, Thor and Odin. Like the Egyptians, the Viking-age upper class were concerned about bringing their material goods with them to their new home, and were buried with their riches.
Flowers from the elder tree are believed to be connected to the Nordic goddess Freya.
Drinking songs are tradition in Sweden.
They have Forsranningen, the Run of the Rapids, where people make homemade floats and go down the river.
She thought Swedish people were homogeneous, all looking similar. She realized they aren't categorized so easily. There's no way to lump them together.
Most people from the Viking era weren't seafaring pirates, but peaceful farmers and artisans.
Out of the gate, Calista came out with some rude, mean-spirited comments towards her sister, and I thought I wouldn't like her at all. She made one towards the end of the book, too. Thankfully, besides these few comments she made, she ended up being likable.
'Her thick, wavy, shoulder-length hair and bangs emphasized her high cheekbones and her large brown eyes. Suzanne's stiff bun looked drab in comparison.'
'Suzanne didn't have a boyfriend. She might be good at everything else, but she didn't attract cute, athletic guys the way Calista did.'
"Part of me enjoyed the fact that Suzanne could never land such a hot guy."
Those comments were incredibly snarky, which didn't jive with Calista's personality towards everyone else. She was nice and polite, so those comments didn't fit in with the rest of her. I didn't like the relationship between the twin sisters, because I'm a twin, and I don't feel competitive or anything like they did. I've always been really close to my twin, so I didn't like this portrayal in here.
Calista said it was as if learning new languages opened up a new world. Different ways of saying things came with a whole new way of thinking, new music, new literature, new ways to look at life, new everything. I had never thought about languages like that. It's very romantic and deep.
There's a requisite goth girl, in every book I've read. This was no exception. I was surprised she never talked to or ended up being friends with Moa, though.
Calista said Hakan looks like Prince Carl Philip and I immediately looked him up, to find he is indeed good-looking. haha. Although it was a cop out to write your Swedish romantic interest to look like the Swedish prince. I mean, what are the chances? It's like writing a book set in England about someone who happens to look like Prince Harry or William.
I hated how long it took for her to write an email to her sister. It was annoying how she kept putting it off.
Mattias was an unnecessary character. He didn't even need to be in here. I think he only served to show that she dated guys other people liked.
Calista dates guys that people set her up with or that her dad would like, because they're athletes. I thought he was only into watching sports and was more of a nerd, based on a joke her mom said, & the fact that he's a potter. So that just doesn't add up to me. Is he an athlete or does he just like watching sports? And if the latter, then why does he care so much about her bfs that are athletes?
I loved her project on the Vikings. That's exactly what I would have done. I also liked how interested she was in history and how she wondered who the Native American tribes were during the Viking times and what their cultures were like.
In one email her sister Suzanne thought of Mike, the guy she went on a date with, as a friend, and the next she was 'totally, recklessly, insanely in love' with him. I feel like she had to start dating and not get accepted by Julliard before Cal would accept her. If she hadn't, I think Cal would still be jealous of her.
I felt like her feelings towards her sister changed too quickly. She goes from being annoyed with her and wanting to be away from her to suddenly realizing she misses her, without ever expressing it to us. She told her she missed her on the phone and only after saying it does she realize it's true.
Then she quickly realizes she only dates because people set her up or she wanted to please her dad.
I was so glad there wasn't any school and bad boy drama in here. The Mattias thing was really weak but I'm just glad it didn't go any further. And unlike the others I've read where they just ignore her schoolwork to party and date, so that was really appreciated.
The teen slang was a little much at times. Love to lv and kisses to ksss.
I hated that the past boyfriends ruined her so that she couldn't even tell if she liked Hakan herself or was only doing it because Lena would like them together. It was incredibly stupid because she knew Hakan first, before Lena even met him. Lena doesn't even really know him, and has only been around him a couple times. She says Lena suggested they see him at the game store, but how did Lena even know he worked there? She was getting a game for her cousin. It was totally coincidental. Calista even wondered if Lena somehow knew he worked there, but that she couldn't. It's just an asinine thing to say, and how do you not know if you like someone?
Just because Lena liked Hakan doesn't mean you'd be going out with him just to please her. Don't you want your friends to like your bfs? That's not a bad thing.
I was so mad when Hakan called to ask her out and she turns him down; their romance was dragged out enough as it was. But thankfully she called him back right after.
Calista said she deferred to other people, not just about boys, but about a lot of things. She let people decide for her so she didn't have to. What things exactly? You can't just say that, and not give examples.
I loved the rune that said 'Here lies Bjorn. Slain in the east. The stone was raised by Torulf, his brother.' It sounded like something from LOTR or The Hobbit.
Idk why the page numbers are always so off. There's only 202 pages, not 224.
The romance was underdeveloped. Just when they started hanging out the book was over. It was really disappointing.
I don't like how inconclusive the endings are and that you know they won't end up together.
There's always character growth in these though; she learns to live for herself, and not for others, and that she's stronger than she thinks she is. She also completes her goal of learning Swedish and also learns that Sweden is more than the language.
These books are a little low on plot, with not much happening. Just sight seeing and school.
I think I like this one the most out of the ones I've read, because it had the least drama. And that was very much appreciated. I think the drama brings the books down. Besides a little drama with Jonas, her bf, which ended up being her ex bf, and a little with her sister, there was no other drama in here.
What I liked most about this was learning about Sweden. The sightseeing and all the info on the country was really interesting to me.
This was pretty good, and the first one I've been tempted to give over 2 stars to, so I just bumped it up another star so I'd remember that this stood out. It's really 2.5 stars though. The lack of real romance brought it down.
I was beyond shocked that Eva Apelqvist grew up in Sweden and instead of like her character, she was an exchange student in America. She met her husband 3 days before she left. And now she lives in Wisconsin. Which makes me wonder all the more why this book didn't have an HEA. Clearly you can meet your future spouse through a study abroad, so why not have Calista end up with Hakan? You wonder why there's even romance in these books at all if they don't end up together.
Information on Sweden:
Most Swedes take their shoes off inside.
They eat boiled potatoes with lunch and supper almost every day.
They say "gott slut" on New Years which means happy ending.
Guys over 18 have to do military service in Sweden.
I love the New Years tradition of melting tin and reading how the new year will go by the shape it makes.
Swedish and English are both Germanic languages, so that's why they're similar.
Vikings used memorial stones in runes, the old Viking letters, for their dead. The stones were often more than a thousand years old, and were still around in Sweden.
Julgransplundring is when you say bye to Christmas. It means plundering the Christmas tree, where you strip it down and throw it out in the yard. Swedes celebrate Christmas forever, until there's something else to celebrate.
Viking-era women had strong positions in society when the men were out traveling the world. Women could own and inherit land, get a divorce, and even fight battles. But only 1 in 10 rune stones were raised for or by a woman. They were instrumental in bringing Christianity to the Nordic countries, but when Christianity became the dominant religion, women lost a ton of status.
Swedes weren't all blond and blue-eyed, and they weren't that shy, unless you met them on the train, in which case you should not smile or talk to anyone. But if in someone's home or class with them,!swedes were as talkative and friendly as Americans.
I loved the museum exhibit with the black cave and the phosphorescent blue runes. I could just picture it in my head.
On January 13th, they take swings at a gingerbread house with a hammer.
Vikings carved runes into all kinds of things, like combs and wood. One artifact was an amulet with a spell carved into it, someone trying to protect themselves from their enemies.
It turns it there never was a people called Vikings. Historians made up the term to describe the different people who lived during that time people.
Marie Bebadelsedag is Annunciation Day, which, because of a mispronunciation of the name, ended up being a day they eat waffles.
It was expensive to hire someone to carve runes for you, so the memorial rune was most likely for someone wealthy.
The anteroom in the old church was where people would hang their weapons.
Tussilago are the first wildflowers to grow in the spring and kids pick them.
Valborg is a celebration to welcome spring, with bonfires, singing songs, eating, drinking and partying.
In pre-Christian says, people would let their animals out to pasture on the first day of May. They wanted to make sure the woods and fields were safe for their animals, so they lit huge bonfires the night before to scare away predators or witches.
Uppsala is a Viking haven, with burial mounds there.
Falu Rodfarg means red paint from Falun, and is actually a national paint. They have a mine with red pigment in its bedrock. It's been mined and used since the 16th century. At first it was a sign of status and money, with only wealthy people having red houses. Then it became popular and by the 19th century, farmers were using it for their farmhouses and barns.
The Neck is a mythological figure of a naked man with long hair, playing an instrument, usually the violin, in a river, luring people into the water. Like a male siren.
The Viking-age men were burned during burial so that the force of he fire would take them to Valhalla, the home of their gods, Thor and Odin. Like the Egyptians, the Viking-age upper class were concerned about bringing their material goods with them to their new home, and were buried with their riches.
Flowers from the elder tree are believed to be connected to the Nordic goddess Freya.
Drinking songs are tradition in Sweden.
They have Forsranningen, the Run of the Rapids, where people make homemade floats and go down the river.
She thought Swedish people were homogeneous, all looking similar. She realized they aren't categorized so easily. There's no way to lump them together.
Most people from the Viking era weren't seafaring pirates, but peaceful farmers and artisans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2012
I feel as if this S.A.S.S book was more informative about its country more so than the other books in the series. After reading this book, I feel the urge to visit Sweden one day. It was chock-full of history, especially viking history, culture, and language. I could relate to Calista's excitement when she saw the museum exhibits, gardens, and other tourist attractions. I sympathized with her over her heartache, doubt, and confusion. My eyes felt a little teary at the end of the book when she had to say bye to her host family and her friends. This is definitely one of the better books in the S.A.S.S. series!
December 4, 2014
Apelqvist gave Sweden an intoxicating quality that made me envious of the main character's study abroad there. I have never had the desire to go to Sweden until reading this book. Even though there were not tons of descriptions of museums and such there, the ones that did exist within the book were very well-written and very interesting. I immediately told my husband that I want to visit Sweden. After reading another of the series, When Irish Guys are Smiling by Suzanne Supplee, I said I wanted to visit Ireland too. A great read!
April 8, 2019
Swede dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?
This series seems silly, but is pretty educational about some aspects of travel and culture. I've liked this one the best yet.
This series seems silly, but is pretty educational about some aspects of travel and culture. I've liked this one the best yet.
April 11, 2018
Thanks to having a hot Swedish exchange student as a boyfriend, Minneapolis native Calista has signed up for an exchange program that will take her to Sweden for a semester so they can be together. It will also be good to get away from her annoyingly accomplished twin sister, who seems to have all the talents Calista does not. When Calista arrives, she starts learning about Sweden and is eager for every opportunity for sightseeing and meeting people and learning about Swedish customs. Unfortunately, her hot Swedish boyfriend dumps her by phone right away, but that just means more time for new friends and customs and food. Plus there's that hot guy Hakken (sp?) who's really nice even if his girlfriend isn't (but is she really his girlfriend?). Being away from her sister also gives Calista time to figure out who she is on her own, and to wonder why she and her twin drifted apart in the first place--and is it fixable?
I've read a couple of these books, and they are reliably light reads that are essentially travelogues with a bit of plot worked in. Reading this, you'll learn lots about Sweden and its culture, and amass a list of places to visit. Calista's relationships are mostly warm and her problems easily solved. If you're looking for a light read with lots of great setting details, this is a good series to fill your need.
I've read a couple of these books, and they are reliably light reads that are essentially travelogues with a bit of plot worked in. Reading this, you'll learn lots about Sweden and its culture, and amass a list of places to visit. Calista's relationships are mostly warm and her problems easily solved. If you're looking for a light read with lots of great setting details, this is a good series to fill your need.
August 18, 2022
Calista is going to study abroad in Sweden for a semester. She met an exchange student from Sweden and that sparked her interest in going. She's looking forward to meeting up with him, leaving her annoying twin sister for a while and learning about a new culture. The boyfriend thing has issues but Calista meets some wonderful new friends, loves her host family and is diving into the Swedish culture big time. I liked the information given about Sweden's history, the Vikings and rune stones through Calista working on a big school project. We get to learn along with her. Very interesting and informative inside a nice story. Calista gets involved and participates in as many Swedish events, traditions and immerses herself in Sweden everything as much as possible. It feels like we're traveling with her as the adventures are so detailed. I enjoyed the journey.
May 13, 2022
one of my all time favs, i try and reread it whenever possible. i read it first many years ago but it was such a good romance i still think about it to this day. these book series are amazing and i would recommend to may!
February 29, 2020
If you can tolerate the kissy-poo love longings from start...great cultural travelogue read about Swedan.
December 12, 2020
*** 2.5 ***
February 11, 2024
Did not finish, mentioned tarot cards in a passing comment. Also I found the plot between her and her boyfriend very obvious and dull.
November 14, 2023
Fun YA story. This one takes place in Sweden. I've read 6 or so of the S.A.S.S. series books and I would recommend them.
September 10, 2025
I really Ate this book up!! I loved this whole story, it was fast paced, nothing serious appening and also learned some Swedish! Cali was a great main charater, she was sweet and she didnt let a broken heart stop her from enjoying her time
January 4, 2015
Sweden! While it still exasperates me that most of this series is set in Europe, I'm pleased that some of them take place in countries I know so little about.
Calista has gone to Sweden for two reasons: to get a break from his perfect, talented twin, Suzanne, and to be closer to her Swedish boyfriend, Jonas. She's studied some Swedish on her own (note: when she moans about how perfect Suzanne is and how she doesn't have a talent of her own, nobody stops to point out that she speaks four languages) and is ready for action.
Calista's an interesting one because she's really very different when she's with (or talking to) her family and when she's on her own. She's a bit hard to take at times when it comes to her family, honestly (I spent a fair amount of time, especially early on, wondering if I wouldn't have preferred a book from Suzanne's perspective), but when it comes down to it she's no different than, oh, any teen who has a complicated relationship with her family. We do see a much kinder side, too, pretty much right away...and she grows up a bit with regard to her family.
Now. The boy. (There's always a boy.) I...don't have much to say about him. Calista comes to the conclusion that he's the guy for her because the have a lot in common and a lot to talk about, but I don't really see it, perhaps because they don't spend a lot of time together. Not that I mind their lack of joined-at-the-hip-ness -- I appreciate it, in fact -- but it feels a little like an afterthought. Too much time spent on Jonas, perhaps, especially considering that .
I don't believe the amount of Swedish progress Calista makes, but...at least she's another heroine with an interest in the language and who puts effort in to learn. Overall, a pretty fun book.
More general look at the series here.
Calista has gone to Sweden for two reasons: to get a break from his perfect, talented twin, Suzanne, and to be closer to her Swedish boyfriend, Jonas. She's studied some Swedish on her own (note: when she moans about how perfect Suzanne is and how she doesn't have a talent of her own, nobody stops to point out that she speaks four languages) and is ready for action.
Calista's an interesting one because she's really very different when she's with (or talking to) her family and when she's on her own. She's a bit hard to take at times when it comes to her family, honestly (I spent a fair amount of time, especially early on, wondering if I wouldn't have preferred a book from Suzanne's perspective), but when it comes down to it she's no different than, oh, any teen who has a complicated relationship with her family. We do see a much kinder side, too, pretty much right away...and she grows up a bit with regard to her family.
Now. The boy. (There's always a boy.) I...don't have much to say about him. Calista comes to the conclusion that he's the guy for her because the have a lot in common and a lot to talk about, but I don't really see it, perhaps because they don't spend a lot of time together. Not that I mind their lack of joined-at-the-hip-ness -- I appreciate it, in fact -- but it feels a little like an afterthought. Too much time spent on Jonas, perhaps, especially considering that .
I don't believe the amount of Swedish progress Calista makes, but...at least she's another heroine with an interest in the language and who puts effort in to learn. Overall, a pretty fun book.
More general look at the series here.
April 26, 2022
I read this back in middle school and it was just as mediocre as I remember. This was incredibly similar to the previous book in the Students Across the Seven Seas series I read, Now and Zen, which takes place in Japan. Perhaps because I have a greater interest in the Land of the Rising Sun, but this book was trickier to follow the Swedish culture and language. Our heroine kept chasing after a deadbeat boyfriend and only enrolls in the foreign exchange program because he's Swedish. She eventually pulled her head out of her ass to learn the language and fully immerse herself in the experience. This is the second book in the series where the protagonist chases after the wrong guy and ends up with the better one who's been secretly wooing her from the beginning. I hope this trend doesn't continue because I don't recall it happening in the Mexican installment. I didn't pick that one up last summer in my popup book sale, but it featured manual labor building houses in Mexico. I don't enjoy that in reality and I certainly don't want it in my escapism fiction. Long story short: this book did not provide me any Swede Dreams or Scandinavian sheep jumping fences in my head.
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Sweden means two things for Calista: getting away from her annoyingly talented twin sister, and being reunited with her boyfriend.
But Sweden isn't at all what Cal expects. For one thing, she can't get a hold of her boyfriend. She's also living with a host family, taking all of her courses in Swedish, and needs to learn the language pronto!
As the semester unfolds, Cal begins to notice things about herself that she'd like to change when she gets back home, but for now she's content with soaking up both the language and the culture.
SWEDE DREAMS is part of the SASS series of high school students traveling around the world learning different cultures and languages. Cal realizes her true self on foreign soil and she's anxious to make a new beginning. Teens will love this series!
Sweden means two things for Calista: getting away from her annoyingly talented twin sister, and being reunited with her boyfriend.
But Sweden isn't at all what Cal expects. For one thing, she can't get a hold of her boyfriend. She's also living with a host family, taking all of her courses in Swedish, and needs to learn the language pronto!
As the semester unfolds, Cal begins to notice things about herself that she'd like to change when she gets back home, but for now she's content with soaking up both the language and the culture.
SWEDE DREAMS is part of the SASS series of high school students traveling around the world learning different cultures and languages. Cal realizes her true self on foreign soil and she's anxious to make a new beginning. Teens will love this series!
August 3, 2011
I have always been fond of reading S.A.S.S. Books, due to the simple fact that they combine culture/ history and a little bit of romance in just the right amount of degree..
I love realistic fiction, and more of it when it transports you to a place as exotic and historically rich as Sweden.
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Calista (Cal) was initially drawn to studying abroad in Sweden because of her exchange student boyfriend, Jonas. She wanted to distance herself a bit more frorm her twin sister's talented shadow for a bit and explore the awesomeness of Sweden.
Cal's journey is filled with meeting new friends, new hobbies, a new perspective on history/ as well a sense of enlightenment..
I love realistic fiction, and more of it when it transports you to a place as exotic and historically rich as Sweden.
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Calista (Cal) was initially drawn to studying abroad in Sweden because of her exchange student boyfriend, Jonas. She wanted to distance herself a bit more frorm her twin sister's talented shadow for a bit and explore the awesomeness of Sweden.
Cal's journey is filled with meeting new friends, new hobbies, a new perspective on history/ as well a sense of enlightenment..
Read
September 11, 2011Swede Dreams is a really fantastic book with loads of Swedish culture!..I really liked this book because it gave me a lot of insight into Sweden and I also am starting to perceive Swedish as a delightful language..!..I really liked the plot and Hakan was really an amazing guy!....I also learnt that hurdles and problems are the things that make a person really strong as in the case of Calista! Also that we should never feel inferior because of a person in our lives who has a great talent instead we should try to find our own talents!...and we should nt let someone's talent get in the way of our relationship with that person!..Dis book is definitely recommended!..:D
April 28, 2015
Swede Dreams is quite different from the other sass books in term of cultural references. Usually I find a lot of stereotypes in sass books. But Swede Dreams kind of unravel the other side of Sweden that I never knew before.That's a good thing. Though sometimes it feels overwhelming. Calista, the main character is pretty enthusiastic to learn everything about Sweden. So there's a lot of interesting information about places and cultural activities in this book which makes this book looks like a guide book. It was okay, I guess.
March 10, 2016
This was the first ever S.A.S.S. book I read, and I absolutely loved it. Calista is going to become an exchange student from America all the way to Sweden. That's going to be awesome: she's going to continue learning languages--but even more, and she's going to be with her boyfriend, Jonah. But when she gets to Sweden, it's not all sugar, spices, and everything nice's: school is harder than she thought, and Jonah isn't answering any of her calls--what's going on? And why is she so interesting in that Swedish hunk who's a friend of her host parents??
August 19, 2008
Another one of these books i really liked this one also this one is about a girl who goes to sweden to get away from her twin sister, and family and to find out about herself. WHile in sweden she changes she finds out shes been dating the people for the wrong reasons and whike un sweden meets a guy she likes for her own reasons, and descovers she wants the friendships she had with her sister again so its about finding family.
May 29, 2014
When I started this Spain or Shine was my favorite from this series now it has competition.
Calista is great. Her hunger to learn, her love of languages and history, and her friendly nature are very endearing.
The supporting cast is awesome, especially Britta and Bengt.
The love interest is nice and his relationship with Cali is super cute.
Calista is great. Her hunger to learn, her love of languages and history, and her friendly nature are very endearing.
The supporting cast is awesome, especially Britta and Bengt.
The love interest is nice and his relationship with Cali is super cute.
March 16, 2013
I enjoyed learning more about Swedish culture, about which I knew very little. Any type of book that involves travel and a new culture is fascinating to me. I did not rate this book as highly as the others I have read in the S.A.S.S. series because I simply was not as engrossed in the story or characters.
July 28, 2013
Swede Dreams is my favorite book I have read in the S.A.S.S Series since Girl Overboard. The main character is the perfect balance of likability, but still having relatable problems. The plot is fun and the Swedish culture feels very well represented and I enjoyed the fact that the language was a big part of the story. Overall 4/5 stars; I would read more by this author.
April 12, 2014
I read this book and LOVED it! I live in the area where Eva lives (like I live on the same street as her) and after I read the book I went to talk to her where she works (the book store) and talked to her! She is SUPER nice! I am also Sweedish so we talked about things about the sweedish culture then about the book! I love her and her book!!!
July 11, 2014
1.5
The bits about Swedish culture and history were good, particularly the Viking history. However, the characters were cardboard cut-outs. They had no depth or individuality and instead just conformed to stereotypes.
I would not recommend this book.
I did enjoy one of the other books in this series though (it's by a different author) - When Irish Guys are smiling.
The bits about Swedish culture and history were good, particularly the Viking history. However, the characters were cardboard cut-outs. They had no depth or individuality and instead just conformed to stereotypes.
I would not recommend this book.
I did enjoy one of the other books in this series though (it's by a different author) - When Irish Guys are smiling.
May 31, 2008
Calista can't wait to get to Sweden to see her exchange student boyfriend and escape her "perfect" twin sister Suzanne. Only, when Calista gets to Stockholm, Jarod won't return her calls. Calista must find her own way and new friends as she learns Swedish in her semester abroad.
January 1, 2011
This was my 11 yr old's book. It's about a high school girl who does a study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden. Read it mainly to do the whole nostalgia thing - reliving my teen & early college years in Scandinavia. It certainly met those needs.
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