Boys of Summer

February 15, 2016
Winlock Harbor has been Ian Handler and Grayson Cartwright's summer vacation spot for years, and they've always spent their summers hanging out with local Mike Metzler. But this summer, their final summer before college, is filled with drama. Grayson's status as the first African-American starting quarterback at Vanderbilt is at risk after an injury to his arm. Mike has been dumped by his longtime girlfriend, Harper. And Ian has to deal with the first summer without his soldier father, killed overseas. (Both Ian and Mike are white.) Ian is able to find some semblance of solace in Grayson's sister, Whitney. Mike is able to distract himself with new girl Julie. And Grayson and Harper start to connect in interesting ways. It's an incredibly soapy story that is hampered by poor structure and infuriating characterization. First-person narration alternates among the three, and long passages go by in which very little actually happens other than descriptions of emotional pain. At over 300 pages, that's a lot of pain. And since these three characters never truly reach out to any of their respective love interests, readers see little of them beyond their sex appeal and eternal understanding. The novel's midsection is another problem, filled with close calls and near misses as the couples avoid one another for one reason or another, and it drags considerably. A promising idea sabotaged by poor pacing and narcissistic characters. (Romance. 14-18)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-In this engrossing novel about friendship and tough transitions, three 18-year-olds are spending what might be their last summer together on Winlock Harbor, the island where they met building sand castles as six-year-old boys. The breezy setting of beaches and boardwalks belies the struggles each one faces in the passage between high school and adulthood. Wealthy Grayson has a way with girls and a future as a quarterback at Vanderbilt. No one suspects that his mother walked out on the family or that the supposedly healed injury to his arm threatens to end his college football career before it begins. Mike, born and raised on the island, works two jobs to help support his family and is devoted to his first love, who can't seem to make up her mind about their future. Ian is a wry songwriter and musician grieving the loss of his father while avoiding the clutches of his alcoholic mother. To complicate everything, the usual summer romances take a forbidden twist this year as the pals seem to fall for all the wrong people, and the resulting subterfuge threatens their bonds. Likable, complex characters and believable scenarios make this a juicy and satisfying read. Brody doesn't talk down to teens or resort to pat endings. VERDICT A worthy addition with engaging, well-developed male characters grappling with classic coming-of-age issues.-Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

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July 1, 2016
A promising premise--the emotional lives of three boys, lifelong friends, the summer after high school--is marred by sluggish pacing and alternating narration that too often fails to advance the plot. Although the focus on teen boys' friendships and inner lives is appealing, the female characters are two-dimensional, seeming to reinforce formulaic notions of how teenage boys view their romantic interests.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)