I love coming of age young adult novels. This was such a good read, I’ll for sure be reading more by this author.

The all-consuming nature of the feel of that first love, especially when it's a love with someone who wasn't your friends' or your parents' first choice, burns through these pages. Literally, it BURNS.

I felt a pretty strong connection with Caroline even though I found her pretty unlikeable at the beginning.
She felt a lot of self-doubt, and honestly the confidence she didn’t have was so much of what I felt like whenever I was in high school with my first true boyfriend and first love.

Caroline wants to leave in September with her long-ish time boyfriend Jake.

But then she meets and befriends a girl name Georgia, who makes her see all these red flags that she had been missing all along.

The ending lacked a lot, but it was a cute story.

I wanted to love this book. The cover was so cute and caught my eye, as well as the title. Unfortunately, I felt bored and didn't love the characters either.

Hello, hi, how are you?


It's going to be a long week! I have a to-do list a mile long and it feels like it is constantly growing. Last week I also had a pretty long to-do list but I got to listen to an audiobook while I was doing most of my list. I love being able to listen to an audiobook when I am not necessarily able to read a physical book because it allows me to still read something but also complete all the tasks on my to-do list. So I decided to look through my audiobook apps on my phone and see what I might be interested in listening too. After looking through Libby and the books I already have on Audible I decided to jump over to Hoopla to look around. I read a lot on Hoopla (if you have Hoopla through your library definitely check out this app it is amazing), and I still had three borrows left for August so I settled on the Goodbye Summer! A book that has been on my favorites list (kind of like a need to read list for me) on Hoopla for several months now. I kind of thought this book was the perfect pick for this time of year, it's literally the end of summer right now and everything is starting to change for me, so I thought it would be interesting to hear about someone else's end of summer tale.


SPOILERS AHEAD


Caroline is looking forward to the end of the summer. She and her long time boyfriend Jake are planning to run away and start a new life. They are going to get new jobs, work hard, eventually get a home, and even start a family someday. However, for this summer before their big move (that no one but the couple knows about) Caroline is going to work at the aquarium in the gift shop. It's an easy job most days and Caroline can continue to think about her upcoming future with Jake. Until one day when Caroline starts to make friends with some of the camp counselors who work at the aquarium summer camp. She goes on to become best friends with Georgia. As the summer goes on and their friendship develops Caroline starts to wonder if she should run away with Jake or if she should stay for her senior year and maybe even go to college someday? There have been many places that Jake and Caroline have talked about going but as the summer goes on Jake wants to move to rural Kentucky with Caroline to live with his father (someone he has not lived with or spent time with since he was very little). But will Caroline be okay with this? With actually leaving everything at the end of the summer? Without telling her parents or anyone her plans? Not finishing high school or going to college? Giving up her new best friend Georgia?


I love the end of summer and the start of fall/winter. Fall and winter are my two favorite seasons. Reading a book that deals with the end of summer and making choices about how to proceed with a new year was not only fun but also interesting. I always feel like the year starts with the fall (mostly due to my job and being in graduate classes right now) and I love thinking of all the new opportunities a year could hold. Caroline's end of summer holds so many different choices. She goes into the summer thinking that she is for sure leaving with Jake, not finishing her last year of school, and definitely not going to college. I am not going to say what Caroline's exact choices were but over the summer she takes a lot of time to think about these, to evaluate her relationship not only with Jake but also with her parents and her new best friend Georgia. She takes the time to evaluate what she might want her life to look like in the future. I ended up really loving the choices Caroline made for herself and her future. Which made me think about the new season in my own life and the year ahead, I am so excited to see where things will go this year and what choices might be ahead.


Goodreads Rating: 4 stars





**Thank you so much to the publisher for the Netgalley ARC

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. There was nothing exciting in this story that kept my interest.

While there is no place that says this book is lgbt, the synopsis led myself, and many others, to believe it is. It felt a bit pandering to me and once I realized that the most we were going to get out of this was a crappy boyfriend who had zero redeeming qualities, I wanted to call it quits.

I picked up this book hoping for something that felt like a given based on the way it was pitched and I was given something completely different. Extremely disappointing and I hope in the future, the obvious queerbaiting is gone. There are people tagging this book as lgbt and queer on Goodreads before they read it.

There are teens and young adults who are in the closet or just came out and are desperate to find books about characters who are just like them. I hope they don't see this book and think they will see themselves in Caroline because they won't.

I really enjoyed this book and found it very interesting with this take on this romance. I enjoyed the description of the romance interests and the different point of views . Overall I enjoyed this book and loved the cover. I can't to read other books by this author.

Nice story but it didn't excite me as I hoped.
Jake la the problem:he's so manipulative and i'd problem with this.
I love the friendship between the two girls.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy,

It was a DNF for me because of some of the content that I did not care for.

The Goodbye Summer is book about a toxic relationship, a great friendship, and the bitter sweetness of summer.

This is one of those books that gets that fleeting freedom and heavy weight of summer equally right. The atmosphere of the book alternates between the weight of sixteen year old Caroline’s decision to run away with her older boyfriend Jake at the end of the summer (without finishing high school), leaving her slightly oppressive parents behind; and the lightness of Caroline finding her first best friend Georgia – a soulmate who makes life at her aquarium gift shop job easier. The best part of this book is how smoothly it transitions between those two worlds. Caroline is swept away by how sexy and happy Jake makes her feel at first. And then the pivot to how honest and real her friendship with Georgia becomes is also very real.

The problem with this book, for me, was that it was not a fun summer read. I think I was expecting something lighter given the cover of the book. It was really hard for me to watch this toxic relationship develop and continue. So much of Caroline got swallowed by Jake and his manipulative nature. I think it’s important for books to show how easily a man can take advantage of a young girl. But I also think that the book let Jake off the hook too easily.

Caroline is so swayed by Jake that even by the end, she’s still not totally clear on the ways that he took advantage of her. And we’re robbed of a full resolution for her. Their final confrontation happens sort of off-screen, with a time jump. We don’t get to see her be strong. I felt like this wasn’t enough. While it’s not the author’s job to teach, there is a responsibility to recognize that the audience for this book might still romanticize the choice of running away with one’s boyfriend to live alone in the world, needing only one another. It just wasn’t clear enough about the choice that Caroline ends up making. « Hide Spoiler

Did I think The Goodbye Summer was well-written? Yes. The writing was lyrical and gorgeous occasionally. That’s what saved the book for me. The characters were decent, but I didn’t fall in love with them.

THE FINAL WORD:
The Goodbye Summer is a decent summer library book if you’re looking for something a bit weighty. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but if you’re interested in darker, older YA that deals with toxic relationships, this might be for you.

“The Goodbye Summer” was a lovely, light read.

It was a pleasant story about the summers that come to change one’s outlook on life.

I loved Sarah Van Name’s mellow writing style that reminded me of the happiness and joy of long blissful summers spent eating ice creams and visiting fun-fairs.

The story was well-paced and though it wasn’t a page-turner, the book did deal with important issues whilst highlighting the significance of friendship.

I thought Sarah Van Name showed great talent and I expect to be reading more from her in the future. This book was definitely a very worthwhile read.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I guess romance isn't my thing or maybe the way it was depicted here wasn't my thing because I didn't really enjoy this book that much. Which is a pity cos it seemed like it would be a nice light read.

I thank Netgalley for this for an honest review and I’m sorry but I couldn’t really get into this one, like a 17 year old dating an adult I’m sorry over 18 is an adult it was too much for me it feels like a dark romance.

I couldn’t finish this. I just couldn’t. I NEVER DNF, and I stopped reading this at 10%. Yeah.

The main reason was that the romantic sideplot was deeply troubling to me. Caroline, the protagonist, is only 16, her boyfriend is an adult, and she’s thinking about running away from home with him? What? I just turned 17, so I’m about her age, and the idea that someone as young and vulnerable as myself would so willingly throw away their future (by dropping out of school) for a creepy older guy makes me sick to my stomach. And the fact that they uh, regularly gain carnal knowledge of each other? THAT ISN’T EVEN LEGAL. I was so disturbed by those aspects, as a teenager who could very well be in the same position in another life, that I couldn’t finish this. I never give a negative review but this one was weighing too heavily on my conscience to let slide.

Caroline is dating older guy Jake and plans to move away with him after the summer.



However, Jake's cousin Toby gets her a job in the local aquarium gift shop to earn cash to save to afford to move and live off but while working at the aquarium she meets Georgia, they become good friends and soon she starts having fun with her and making some good friends and get to be just a normal teen before senior year and having to knuckle down to decide her future.



When Jake's dad offers them to stay with him, Caroline isn't happy and doesn't want to settle but see the world or not leave her home at all...



All through the novel, she struggles with her feelings to the point of making herself be ill with worry about the future while Jake is an over powering and dominating character who's persistent and pushy bordering abusive in his actions. Growing up is hard enough without growing up too soon and this book shows that clearly.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I felt more connected to Georgia than Caroline. Georgia seemed more realistic for the age while Caroline planning to run away with her 18 yr old boyfriend to go live wherever was a bit creepy. Other than Georgia why did Caroline have no friends? And then some pop in at the end of the book? Why was Jake dating a girl so much younger than he was? Overall the book really didn't work for me.

The Goodbye Summer is a fun story of friendship and figuring out who you are as you get older.
The book is driven more by characters than by plot, and these inter-character relationships are certainly where the story shines. Of course, Caroline and Georgia’s friendship is the focus of the book, and it's refreshing to see a female friendship that doesn't need drama or cattiness. I firmly believe we need more of those examples in media, and so I loved seeing them navigate the obstacles of their summer together, rather than fighting with each other as the driving force of the plot. Their friendship was so well-balanced by their personalities and family experiences, and it was a joy to see them grow closer and support each other through the story.
Beyond that, I also really enjoyed seeing Caroline's relationships with the other characters grow as well. I absolutely loved when Jenny supported her despite not knowing what was going on, and providing some older-sister type guidance. It was also good to see Caroline's relationship with her parents grow and fluctuate throughout the summer. It's clear that Jake had negatively affected that, and to see her gradually realize she's still a kid and needs her parent was sweet, and something less frequently explored in YA novels.
While the focus is more on the characters, there still didn’t seem like a clear character arc for Caroline that provided a semblance of a plot. Often, it felt more like a collection of vignettes from throughout the summer. Which, again, could have worked better if we saw more of Caroline’s growth. Instead, it felt like sometimes she started to grow and rethink her decision to run away with Jake, but then she would backtrack and be firm about how she felt about him. It was a little frustrating as a reader.
This also means that at the end, the climax fell a little flat. When Caroline does finally make the decision to stay at home for her senior year and not join Jake when he leaves, it didn’t feel believable since just days earlier she had been 100% set on going. And there wasn’t anything big that actually happened to make Caroline do such a 180—she simply was at the amusement park with friends and suddenly had this realization. While it was a beautifully written scene, it lost much of its power since it felt like it hadn’t been foreshadowed earlier in the book.
That said, The Goodbye Summer does a remarkable job of capturing that “summer in high school” feeling, particularly one when you believe everything is going to change. It reminded me of my summer after 12th grade, when everything somehow felt the same and yet different, as I kept my normal summer routine but also prepared to go to college. While Caroline’s experience is a little different since she’s preparing to drop out and run away with Jake, it still has that bittersweet feeling that I think many people are familiar with. The writing style is beautiful, and there were numerous lines that made me say, “Wow. How did she put that into words so perfectly?” While this book was a little disappointing, I do look forward to reading more work by Sarah Van Name and following her growth as a writer.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Van Name and publisher Sourcebooks Fire for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will be posting this review on my blog (https://dinipandareads.home.blog) in the coming week.

*Minor spoilers ahead!*

I think this is the first YA novel I've read where I can say that I finally understand people who say they no longer read YA because it's just not targeted to them. I personally think, read whatever you like if it makes you happy. However, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more had I read it when I was in middle/high school. I didn't hate it, but it's certainly not my favorite YA and I think a big part of that has to do mostly with the MC (Caroline) and the way the novel is written.

Van Name does a great job at showing the vulnerability and susceptibility of young women in Caroline's character. Caroline is so consumed by Jake -- everything has to revolve around Jake -- that she doesn't really have an identity without him; that is until Georgia and the other JAC counsellors came along. She never realized how controlling and possessive Jake was the whole time they were together, and at the end, she was still surprised when people pointed this out to her, and how they collectively didn't like him. She also highlights the value of hard work and having ambition without being preachy. Georgia's character was so driven and had so much ambition and was such a positive influence in Caroline's life.

One thing I didn't really understand was the frequent intimacy between Georgia and Caroline. That's not me saying that I have a problem with LGBTQ or F/F relationships--that's not it at all! However, I found how the author often described Georgia from Caroline's POV overly intimate and bordering on romantic/sexual. Some of their interactions I also see more between partners in a romantic relationship rather than between friends. Such as when Caroline left her hand on Georgia's knee as she was driving (this too so shortly after knowing each other). I know it was a neutral situation, but I read these type of scenes so much in non-platonic situations, that it was weird to see it between these two friends. I'm also pretty sure I've never put my hand on my BFFs knee/leg and left it there for any reason so on a personal level, I guess I found this weird.

Although it's a pretty short novel, the pace is fairly slow and I felt at times a little emotionless. As I was reading, everything just kind of felt stagnant and sleepy, much like the small town this is set in. I honestly think, with the way this is written, it would be much better suited as a TV show; especially with all the moments staring out the window or sitting quietly (and awkwardly) in a car.

Overall though, it was a fairly quick read that I'm sure many young adults will enjoy!

If you are into YA books you should definitely pick up this winner of a book. The story dragged just a little bit but it's definitely engrossing. It will absolutely keep you turning the pages just to find out what happens. Happy reading!

3.5 Stars
A great early summer read. While some of this story was slow I was very intrigued and really wanted to know Caroline's decision to stay or go I was so glad of her decision. No spoilers....

"Caroline can't wait for summer to end so that she and her older boyfriend, Jake, can run away together. She decides to spend her last summer at home saving money working at the local aquarium gift shop--and spending all the rest of her time hanging with Jake.

Then she meets Georgia, a counselor at the aquarium camp. Georgia weaves her way into Caroline's life and suddenly the summer feels a lot less lonely.

The stronger Georgia and Caroline's bond grows, the more uneasy Caroline becomes about her plans to leave. When summer comes to a close, she will have to say goodbye to someone... but who is she willing to lose?"

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.