Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 1st, 2009)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 290 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed."It's our secret, right?"
According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie—-she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.
Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
Review: I don't know why it took me this long to read Twenty Boy Summer but I'm so glad I finally had time to pick up this book. Part of the reason I pushed it up on my to-read list was because of all the controversy surrounding the book a few months ago. Why some people want to ban books I'll never know. I personally believe certain people need to simply get over themselves and stop trying to dictate what other people do.
But back to the story, Twenty Boy Summer is not anything beyond what teens do, and already know about, so I don't think people will be corrupted for life if they read this book. This is a powerful story of first-love, friendship, heartbreak, transformation, and finding joy beyond a tragedy.
Anna had a heartpounding romance with one of her best friends, Matt. Matt was the brother of Anna's other best friend Frankie. Matt and Anna kept their relationship private when they first got together and when Matt dies suddenly, Anna doesn't feel right letting Frankie in on the secret. She knows it will only hurt Frankie and she feels as if it would be a betrayal to Matt because he wanted to be the one to tell her.
After Matt's death, Frankie changes. She begins to rebel and Anna doesn't know how to reach her best friend anymore. Then Frankie and her family invites Anna to go on their annual California trip with them. It's been almost a year since Matt's death and it seems that this trip is a turning point for everyone in the family. It is a chance to see if they can really move forward. Anna agrees to go and Frankie tells her they will meet twenty boys while on the trip. Anna never really takes it seriously but she goes along with the idea anyway.
While we see Anna and Frankie exploring the shores during their trip, we also get glimpses of the Matt that Anna knew. She lets us in on their secret encounters and it provided just enough detail to help readers see the love between the two characters.
I felt so deeply for these characters. I could see how alone Anna felt and what an impossible situation she was in. I could see the pain behind Frankie's hard personality and the struggle felt by her parents. More than anything else, I could see how passionate Anna and Matt were about each other. Although we only see Matt in memories, they are vivid and charming.
The"Twenty Boy" part of the story is minor and, by far, not the point of this book. People who focus on the fact that these girls are meeting boys at the beach and partying, are not seeing the point of the story. These characters are dealing with pain in completely different ways.
Twenty Boy Summer is a story I will never forget. It is a heart-wrenching, honest portrayal of first-love and a devastating loss. Sarah Ockler tapped into the mind of a pained teenage girl and really brought her story to life.
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