The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

The Square Root of Summer

by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

My heart is a kaleidoscope, and when we kiss it makes my world unravel . . .

Last summer, Gottie's life fell apart. Her beloved grandfather Grey died and Jason, the boy to whom she lost her heart wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. This summer, still reeling from twin heartbreaks, Gottie is lost and alone and burying herself in equations. Until, after five years absence, Thomas comes home: former boy next door. Former best friend. Former everything. And as life turns upside down again she starts to experience strange blips in time - back to last summer, back to what she should have seen then . . .

During one long, hazy summer, Gottie navigates grief, world-stopping kisses and rips in the space-time continuum, as she tries to reconcile her first heartbreak with her last.

The Square Root of Summer is an astounding and moving debut from Harriet Reuter Hapgood.

Reviewed by abigailjohnson on

2 of 5 stars

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I hate giving this book two stars, but it really was just okay for me. The writing, while pretty, failed to engage me. The included physics elements were confusing and the many German words/expressions grew tedious (I want to on say almost every page). On top of that, the characters were so quirky and depressed (for good reason, but still), I didn't connect with any of them. Even the premise of a girl slipping in and out a time to relive key moments in her life never really delivered. Yes, she does go back and forth between the past and present, but, like I said, it was confusing and I kept waiting for the emotional impact to hit me and it just didn't.

This book could have been wonderful, but every element fell short for me, which carried the whole thing down to just okay.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 June, 2016: Finished reading
  • 6 June, 2016: Reviewed