Title: The Summer After You and Me
Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Publication: May 5, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Teens, YA Fiction
Pages: 284
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn’t just the perfect summer escape, it’s home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her costal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can’t help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper. Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy’s summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I have always been a big fan of books about teens at beach-lined coastal towns and coming-of-age stories. I think summer is a great time to discover yourself and grow as a person. The Summer Before Me and You was exactly what I was looking for.
The story follows Lucy as she tries to get back to regular life in her coastal town after a terrorizing hurricane that took her away for a long time. I really enjoyed Lucy’s character. She reminded me of myself as a teen and her development throughout the book. Doktorski did a marvelous job of showing Lucy’s character growth and the struggles she dealt with. I loved watching her relationship with Connor heal itself, even when she wasn’t aware of it. I think Connor was such a fun character as well. He was your average teenage boy, but his emotional depth was a breath of fresh air to read and his character was instantly likable.
Doktorski not only wrote a really good YA story with a romance blended in, but the coming-of-age aspect. Sometimes it feels like we’ve read every version of a story that could possibly exist, so I love it when one hits just right and feels original. Doktorski has done that with The Summer Before Me and You. A truly fantastic adventure after a disaster, following along as two teens figure out life and a community recovers. Must read!
