Summer Constellations

by Alisha Sevigny

Julia Ducharme is ready for a fresh start. Her little brother has finally recovered from a serious illness, and now she just wants to enjoy peak season at the campground her family owns. Maybe this will be the year her annual summer fling with Dan Schaeffer becomes something more? But her summer dreams are quickly shattered.

• ISBN10: 1525300431
• ISBN13: 9781525300431
• Publish Date: 3 May 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Kids Can Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This was NOT the summer Julia had been anticipating. She was looking forward to working the family campground and cuddling up with her maybe-more-than-a-summer-fling, Dan. But, when Dan arrived with her new girlfriend and Julia's mom announced she might be selling the campground, Julia's summer quickly turned into a nightmare.

• Pro: I know, I know, the description I gave above makes this book sound all doom and gloom, but it was actually quite fun, sweet, and touching. Although there are some heavy issues involved, Sevigny keeps it on the lighter side, which fit the summer setting.

• Pro: I was so pro-Nick from our first meet. He came across as kind and open, and yeah, there were swoons too. I loved the banter between him and Julia, but also appreciated the way they went a little deeper with each other.

• Pro: Julia was a fabulous and very independent female. She grew up on the campground and learned how to fix and maintain the property. As amazing as she was, she still had her share of insecurities and abandonment issues, which I liked seeing her work through over the course of the book.

• Pro: Julia had a very sweet and adorable little brother, Caleb, and an interesting and caring mom, Anna. They shared a great dynamic, and though their family suffered some setbacks, they were always there for each other.

• Pro: I am a science nerd, so I adored all the astronomy talk. And "watching" the stars from such a wonderful location made it even better. Did I mention how much I loved the camp setting?

• Pro: The ending was a wee bit rushed, but I did love the final outcome. There was enough of a resolution, and a pretty great one at that, to leave me with a smile on my face.

Overall: A charming summer-of-change story, which featured family, romance, and outdoor fun.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[readingwithwrin]

Thank you to the author for an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The moon is a wide band of gold on warm silver waters. Overhead, an infinity of diamonds sparkles just beyond fingertips."

This one reminded me so much of a Hallmark movie, and it was exactly what I needed after reading so many fantasy novels back to back.

Summer of Constellations follows Julia Ducharme, whose family runs a campground that has been in the family for years. After falling on hard times, the bills have gotten to be too much and they just might have to sell it. Between that and the guy, Julia likes not being who she thought he was, she's not having the best start to her summer. That all starts to change when she meets a guy on the docks, who could just be everything she needs.

"I think that despite the reason you're here, you're a good person. Your mom would be proud of you."

Overall I really liked and enjoyed this book. It is a perfect summer contemporary read. It does have its predictable moments at times, but I kind of like those in these types of books. Julia and Nick made a good team when they were working on something together. Nick was a little to perfect for my liking at times (this is where it felt a little Hallmark movie-ish to me). I also really liked how Caleb illness was mentioned and explained for a change. There was also the very real worry of his illness coming back at any time. One of the last things I really enjoyed about this book is how involved the mom is, she's always present and worried about what Julia and Caleb are doing.

The only thing I wish this book had more of is the mystery of searching for something hidden on the property. It was always on the backburner to Julia's love life, even though it was far more important.