"I think I struggled with this book because I'm not used to the unsugarcoated truth; I've grown up with Disney movies and "happily ever afters." But life, as Hannah Moskowitz has illustrated, isn't always as cookie cutter perfect as it appears. " — Miss Remmers
Release Date: April 19th, 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster's Children Publishing
Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge
"Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?
Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive... ."
This book is misrepresented. It appears to be a light, summer, beach read and it starts out that way. I loved the beginning of this novel because it reminded me of home and of summer. Having grown up on a lake in Northern Minnesota all I know is lake houses and summer. My favorite part of summer was when the "tourists" would come visit on the weekends and the whole town would buzz with excitement and then they'd leave on Sunday evening or Monday morning and, while it was still summer and the sand and the water was all the same, it felt completely different — like a different kind of summer. Then the tourists would return Thursday or Friday and the routine would continue.
In the beginning when Chase and Noah are waiting for their neighbors to return I could almost smell my own beach in MN and feel the sand and hear the water (sans the salt). I envisioned the summer families unloading, unpacking, the excitement of summer finally here. This was the part of the novel I loved — the family, fun, beach part.
But that's not what this book is about. I think if I would have known that going in I would have enjoyed this book as a whole more. I read the synopsis and figured "love triangle" and summer. What I got was a whole lot more depth and I wasn't prepared for this.
For the better half of the novel it was a summer read and then I started picking up on the undertones of the novel (subtle or not): Claudia's rebellion, Noah's disillusionment, Melinda's games, and the fighting. I began to realize that this wasn't a fluffy read and that serious "stuff" was about to be addressed: family, rape, responsibility, handicaps, etc.
I wasn't prepared for this.
I loved Chase and I loved Gideon. But there were all these allusions to Noah's past and his need to run — why did he need to run? I felt like that was really left hanging open for readers merely to accept. Melinda and Chase. Melinda and Noah. Melinda, Chase, and Noah? That was extremely awkward. The families portrayed at the beginning of the novel, my "tourist" families, were shattered, broken, but seemingly perfect. While this bothered me at first it made me question: what about my "tourist" families who come each summer and look so happy. Are they really that happy? Is it all a facade? Furthermore, what about my family? Are we as happy as we appear to strangers and observers?
This book was honest.
Did I enjoy this book? Not as much as had hoped. But despite this, it's undeniable that this book evoked such strong emotion in me that I could feel it throughout my body: rage, sorrow, anger, hatred. With "The Goddess Test " by Aimee Carter my heart felt so connected to the characters and plot, but with "Invincible Summer" I felt disconnected to the characters and plot but there's still this raw emotion inside of me. Even while writing about this I'm angry and upset but I don't really know why. If I didn't like the book why would I be feeling this way? If I didn't like the book how can I be so emotional about it?
Maybe I just didn't like what happened in the book. Maybe I just didn't like how honest the plot was. Maybe I didn't like the book because it's filled with raw emotion, it's real, and it's life. And really, isn't it that very raw emotion what makes a good book? I think I struggled with this book because I'm not used to the unsugarcoated truth; I've grown up with Disney movies and "happily ever afters." But life, as Hannah Moskowitz has illustrated, isn't always as cookie cutter perfect as it appears.
Favorite Quote:
"Hiding behind an attitude is no better than hiding behind literature" (178).
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To the FTC, with love: Review from Publisher (hard copy)