Title: When Summer Ends
Author: Jessica Pennington
Publication: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: YA Fiction, Teen
Pages: 283
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Aiden Emerson is an all-star pitcher and the all-around golden boy of Riverton. Or at least he was, before he quit the team the last day of junior year without any explanation. How could he tell people he’s losing his vision at seventeen?
Straight-laced Olivia thought she had life all figured out. But when her dream internship falls apart, her estranged mother comes back into her life, and her long-time boyfriend ghosts her right before summer break, she’s starting to think fate has a weird sense of humor.
Each struggling to find a new direction, Aiden and Olivia decide to live summer by chance. Every fleeting adventure and stolen kiss is as fragile as a coin flip in this heartfelt journey to love and self-discovery from the author of Love Songs & Other Lies.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
When Summer Ends was a feel good story with a lot of ups and down similar to the likes of Sarah Dessen and Colleen Hoover.
The story followed Aiden and Olivia as their two life journeys crossed and brought about a summer of finding themselves, recovering from losses of different kinds, and having a good time. While it did have that summer feel good vibe to it that I so love in many of the Teen Fiction books I read, When Summer Ends also brought a lot of emotions and real life situations that teenagers find themselves in.
I felt like we got to witness the characters growing as individuals as we read about their journey and I found myself smiling or groaning at different points when I just knew something was going to throw things off kilter. This always makes for good reading and author Jessica Pennington did not disappoint. Olivia was relatable and likable. Aiden was that untouchable boy in high school that suddenly surprises you because he’s just like any other boy, but maybe with some outstanding looks. I loved the emotion level that was just under the surface of every scene. You could feel what they were feeling and it brought a lot to the story.
I’m a huge fan of Sarah Dessen as an author and Jessica Pennington writes similar to her, but has her own style that I love. This book is perfect for laying on the beach and soaking up her words.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. Also make sure to check out more from author Jessica Pennington on her website here!
