Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer

by Sarah Ockler

For sixteen-year-olds Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, their twenty day-long, minimally supervised California vacation will be the 'Absolute Best Summer Ever' and according to Frankie, if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance that Anna will get her first real boyfriend.

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.

Written in lyrical, accessible prose, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it truly means to grieve, and perhaps most importantly, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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There were so many heartbreaking things in this story. A sister lost a brother. Two parents lost a child. But, it was Anna, who I really felt for. She and Matt had just moved from being best friends to something more, but he died before they had the opportunity to define it. She was left with a myriad of "what ifs", and she had to struggle with all that on her own.

This book may be called "Twenty Boy Summer", but it was really about love, loss, secrets, and grief, which filled me with equal parts warmth and pain, which I found very touching.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 31 January, 2020: Reviewed