Author:       Sarah Ockler

Publisher:    Little Brown

ISBN:          978-0-316-04315-1

Website:      http://sarahockler.com/

Type:         Fiction:Young Adult-Teen

Pages:        304 Hardcover

Release:      June 1, 2009

Purchase:    $11.55 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“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?”

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.”

(Above excerpt is from the cover of 20 Boy Summer) 

The Review

Even though this book isn’t due to be released until June 1st, I read that some books have made their way to the shelves early.  So, Sarah Ockler has formed a bit of an interesting contest on her website (HERE).  If you frequent bookstores, you might be a sure winner for this book!

I read this book in less than a day’s time.  It grabbed the remnants of my youthful heart and tugged it into a story of two best friends and a great loss that they share.  Everything changes for them during a visit to a beautiful California beach town. 

I remember my first love and the days that I spent with him on the sand.  A part of me relived those memories as I read through the pages of this good YA novel.  Does that love ever really leave you or is it always an imprint on your heart and soul?  For me, that imprint is tattooed.  

What I liked about this book was the truth of it.  I had so much sympathy for Anna and Frankie, as well as their parents for surviving Matt’s death.  I wanted these girls to make better decisions and find a way to deepen their friendship.    

For the first half of the book, I considered sharing it with my twins.  However, by the end of the book I elected to hold it on my bookshelf for a couple years before I share it.  This book does discuss losing virginity and due to my religious beliefs, I don’t want them to read about that particular topic without a Christian/Spiritual theme influencing the story.  However, the reality is that many, if not most, teenagers have lost their virginity (or close thereto) by the age of 16-17.  I’m just not sure that I want to encourage that as being “okay” with my tweenie boppers! 

Another thing that occurs in this book are two teenagers lying to their parents about their whereabouts and sneaking off to meet boys.  Now, I am the FIRST to admit that I conducted such acts as a teenager.  However, it’s again something that I don’t want to encourage my girls to think is “acceptable.”

With these two main things being said, I think this well suited for Ages 15+.  Truthfully, I enjoyed the HECK out of it!  Just a little “mom” warning to my readers, that’s all.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

Congratulations to Ockler on a job well done!  For a debut novel, Ockler did a fantastic job with this novel.  I can see it being optioned into a movie or made-for-television movie.  For the genre Fiction:Young Adult, I am going to rate this book an 8.5 OUT OF 10. 

My thanks to FSB Associates, for the wonderful read!

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