Book Review: The Last Summer (of You & Me)

The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares

A quick summary: Sisters Riley and Alice and neighbor/friend Paul grew up spending their summers at the beach, on Fire Island. Riley's boyish attitude allowed she and Paul to be the best of friends, and Alice was always the younger tag-a-long. Fast forward to their 20's, and the three are reunited after a few years of not visiting the island. Paul finally sees Alice as more than just the little sister type, and for a while it seems like this might just be a fairy-tale romance. Of course, life gets in the way when Riley gets some devastating news regarding her health, which tears Paul and Alice apart. You'll have to pick up the book if you want to find out how things turn out in the end. :-)

My opinion: First of all, I think they need to take "Author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" off the cover. I started reading the book, thinking Brashares would use the same writing style with this book and that it would be similar in ease to read. Not so much. Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the writing style or language of The Last Summer, I just expected one thing and read another. So, it took me a couple of chapters to get into, but about mid-way through the book, it became one that I didn't want to put down. I wanted to know what would happen next.

Brashares is a very descriptive writer, and that was something I loved about reading the book. You could picture everything in your head because she painted a clear picture of everything.

I was reading this book while I was in NYC, and the characters spend the majority of their year at home in the city, so it was cool to be able to say, "Duane Reade! I actually know what that is!" where if I hadn't been the the city, I wouldn't have had a clue.

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely. I think it's a great book to read in the summertime, but if you're feeling the winter blues, it could be a little warm-sun-on-the-face for you. Just don't equate the book with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It's geared towards an older audience. If you're looking for a book to read, I would suggest picking up The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares.

[No compensation. Just my opinions. :-)]