Clara’s Reviews > These Summer Storms > Status Update

Just finished chapter 11 and I had to pause to take a minute. The family dynamics are mind blowing as much as they are heart wrenching and I love how Sarah has woven them together and displayed it in a believable yet awful way.

“What was favorite when compared to essential”

My goodness. Spoilers ahead!

I don’t like half the people in the family and from what Jack said about Frank being proud of Alice I’m wondering if these “trials” are supposed to be awful and hard because he wants them to fail, for example Greta having to break her own heart, if she doesn’t then she stands up to him and they fail. Sam just needs character building. I don’t like him at all!

The family dynamics are well written and described while also keeping so much a secret from the reader for now

The only thing I don’t like so far is that occasionally the author seems to almost try too hard to make references to the current times and things that are in

I did like that the idea of trains being steady, and constant, which is Alice’s preferred method of transportation was continued in describing her choice of partner-and this seems to contrast with what we know about her father and his recklessness

I liked the idea of travel and Alice using a train to introduce Alice’s history and how she grew up. Describing Alice and her family used a lot of contrasts, which really cements the idea that Alice is not like them, but it doesn’t give you a full history and it makes me want to know more about Alice and exactly what happened.