This novel was so sweet! The perfect romcom for the summer. The characters were compelling and relatable. It made me dream of my own summer romance as well as ache for the feeling of friendships evoked by Cor and Ella. The writing fit the feeling of the book well and the mood of a coming of age story.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an early copy to review!

In The Edge of Summer Coriander (Cor) Cabot and her best friend Ella had been obsessed with saving the whales since they were kids. When Ella drowns after they have a falling out, Cor is determined to complete a "to do" list they wanted to accomplish before college. Cor accepts a marine biology internship on Cape Cod for the summer and meets and falls for Mannix, a local lifeguard whose father is a struggling fisherman. Her focus on rescuing humpback whales from entanglement conflicts with the fishing industry. She is particularly interested in a whale known as "Fraction" for her mangled tail that Cor and Ella had noticed as kids. Knowing that her romance with Mannix could end with the summer, she tries to focus on her goals but cannot resist his charms. The detailed information about the "Save the Whales" effort is interwoven with the story, making this a fascinating, as well as romantic read.

While spending the summer on Cape Cod saving the whales, Coriander fell in love, came to terms with her guilt, and moved forward towards her future.

I am well known for my love and adoration of grief books. That was the number one reason why I wanted to read this book. I felt that aspect of the story didn’t quite take center stage, but I was happy to discover many other story threads that spoke to my heart.

Cor was definitely grieving her best friend’s death, but the bigger focus was on the guilt she felt. Towards the end, Cor wasn’t being a good friend. The reasons were related to her wanting to be wanted and accepted by others. She was willing to give up pieces of herself to be part of the crowd. Grown-up me was disappointed by Cor, but teen-me totally related. I was pleased with how this part of the story played out and proud of where Cor was at the end of the summer with respect to this aspect of her life.

I also enjoyed the friendship and subsequent romance that grew between Cor and Mannix. I felt those flutters of first love, and it was even more satisfying given Cor’s past romantic experience. I adored Mannix, and I must admit, I was drawn to his storyline. I even feel like I cared more about his outcome than Cor’s at some points, though I was happy for them both in the end.

The setting of this book played a big role in my enjoyment as well. When I was younger, my family vacationed on Cape Cod, and this brought all those summers back to me. George did an amazing job painting Cap Cod in technicolor for me. I could smell the sea and feel the breeze.

Overall, the combination of first love, grief, and marine life conservation resulted in a wonderful story. There were parts that tugged at my heartstrings, brought me to tears, and filled me with happiness.

Coriander Cabot has a lot to prove to a lot of folks this summer. But perhaps none more pressing than herself. In her quest to make up for a broken friendship, she ends up breaking promises and hearts instead. In this heartfelt summer romance, whales and grief take center stage, but so do change and second chances. Featuring a well-rounded, inclusive cast, this book is perfect for readers who love romances, saving whales, and stories of authenticity.

An interesting, immersive YA novel about the loss of a friend, a first boyfriend, and the way everything seems poised to flip like a switch as you approach the end of high school and prepare to leave behind all the things that make up your childhood. George captures this, and does so in an evocative, intense way that pulls the reader into Cor’s story from the outset.

The Edge of Summer had a lot of elements that make up a great YA novel. There's Coriander, a girl with big dreams that is also dealing with a lot more than someone her age should be. Thrown into the mix is her unexpected summer romance with Mannix, the local lifeguard that she can't stay away from. And there is also Coriander's awesome summer internship saving whales, which makes for a great backdrop for the story. The Edge of Summer is an enjoyable book that YA fans should check out this summer.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers/Poppy for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Edge of Summer is a book I devoured in just a few hours. I loved the writing of Erica George and the character development of Cor and Mannix. After reading Marissa Meyer's book Instant Karma, which focuses on wild life preservation and is also a YA book, I wanted to read something similar and I feel The Edge of Summer is similar with the amount of love Cor and her best friend have for saving whales.

I adore the story, the heart, and realistic decisions Cor has to make as a teen trying to save whales and her friendship while her priorities start to change. I recommend this book to any YA reader and to read this book at the beach or outside in general.

4.5 stars

"Saving the whales has been Coriander Cabot and her best friend Ella’s dream since elementary school. But when tragedy strikes, Cor is left to complete the list of things they wanted to accomplish before college alone, including a marine biology internship on Cape Cod." And from there, a summer of change and revelation ensues.

This book is comped as the perfect read for lovers of Sarah Dessen, and I could not agree more. I grew up on Sarah Dessen around the time I lost my mom. Had The Edge of Summer been around then too, it certainly would have helped me through the most difficult time of my life. Coriander feels so intimately real, and even as a reader approaching my thirties, I saw so much of myself in her. I won't lie, what drew me into this book was the mention of whales. That aspect certainly didn't disappoint. The story is so much more than that though. It explores the many facets and complexities of relationships, which was, perhaps my favourite part of the story. The writing was clean and so easy to read, with wonderful pacing. As a bookseller, I'll be recommending this to many young readers—and perhaps some adults too.

The Edge of Summer is the PERFECT young adult romance. It's heartfelt, relatable, and exquisitely written. I devoured this one and am very much looking forward to reading more books by this author.

The Edge of Summer by Erica George follows Coriander. She and her best friend Ella have dreamed of saving the whales since they were children. When tragedy strikes and Ella passes away, Cor is left alone to complete the list of things the friends wanted to do before college. The list includes an internship at a marine biology institution on Cape Cod. Cor hopes that this summer will be healing. She soon meets a boy named Mannix, who is a lifeguard. Cor is immediately taken with him. As the summer progresses, she grows even closer to him. But when her love life gets in the way of fulfilling her promise to Ella, Cor struggles to find a balance.

This is a story of grief, love, and starting anew. It’s a great read for the summer—or when you find yourself missing summer.

If YA Eco-romance wasn't a thing before, it is now thanks to Erica George's beautiful THE EDGE OF SUMMER.

The Edge of Summer perfectly captures the complexity of relationships (romantic, familial, and friend) wrapped up in a delicious package of beachy summer vibes. Immersive and compelling, Cor's story is richly layered and deeply authentic. I read this one slowly at first as I loved being swept away to Cape Cod, learning about the peril whales face from human activity, and diving into the complex relationships. But my slow read didn't last very long as this book is compulsively readable, and I couldnt put it down.
George traverses complex emotional terrain with compassion, tenderness, and the clear-eyed gaze of one who cares deeply about people, the natural world, and about trying to repair the unbalanced world we all occupy together.
This is a love story in so many various ways, not just the beauty of first loves, but of love that fades, love that has to change, and the one kind of love that must alway abide; the love we have for ourselves.

Thank you to the author and Little Brown Book for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and E-Arc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a high school romcom and ended up with a novel about growth and discovery.

The story takes place in Cape Cod and follows Coriander the summer before her senior year. She has a list of things to accomplish before she goes off to college with one of them being an internship with marine research and conservation alliance. Coriander (Cor) is spending the summer with her uncle while discovering more about herself through introspection. We get personal flashbacks events which shape Cor’s decision making in intense situations.

Cor has flaws, and is dealing with the transition from adolescence into adulthood. I felt that the author was able to convey how relationships change throughout high school and reflections people have later on in life. High school is tough and Cor made mistakes, but I think she gains more self-awareness throughout the book.

Hmm this is a hard book to review. There were many things I loved and some things I didn’t. I think overall this story has many good lessons and brings great insight into ocean and conservation and our human impact on whales and their environment. I think it does a nice job dealing with on page grief and deep regrets. I think the hardest thing for me is the book was described as finding first love and dealing with loss in the summer at Cape Cod. So I was expecting a little more happiness in the love sense and more of a HEA ending. And the dealing with loss felt more like reliving all of the depressing mistakes of the past. It’s not a bad story per say it’s very real and was just not exactly what I expected.

I think the main thing I struggled with was Cor the main character. She is just really unlikable. She’s not kind. I understand going through grief and loss but she was mean before the loss… I think the teen angst is real and raw and sometimes people do act like that but it was really hard to feel anything but a bit of anger for her. Her and her first love Mannix are a bit messy together too. The love in the story is that intense insta summery love but it doesn’t really feel realistic. Cor never really acts like she’s in love it’s always told to us but never do I feel as a reader that I’m rooting for them. Overall it’s very well written and I love the whales and all of the facts about them. Personally I found this book hard to connect to. I think if you’re a young adult looking for a book with very real representation that shows grief, regret, bullying, and new relationships the good the bad and the ugly then I’d say this might be right up your alley.

Thank you to the author and Little Brown Books For Young Readers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was something of a mixed bag for me, but I mostly enjoyed it. I found Cor pretty realistic and relatable. I liked that while she's working to be more of the sort of person she wants to be, she still makes bad choices and has times when she's selfish and refusing to face up to things. She's only human and only eighteen. I've got twenty years on her and I'm still working on changing things about myself that I don't like, but breaking our patterns isn't easy and doesn't happen overnight. It was painful to read some of her interactions with Ella, but they also felt very real to me. I know I did things when I was younger that I am ashamed of now and treated friends badly because it was easier than doing the right thing.

I'm not really a fan of the whole having someone grieving seeing their dead loved one and having imaginary conversations with them. So that element didn't really work for me. I also felt like the pacing was off at the end. Things felt very rushed towards the end in a way they didn't in the rest of the book. And I'm not sure I really agreed with Cor's thinking when it came to the big decision she makes that leads to a falling out with Mannix.

I liked Mannix and all the side characters and appreciated that there were queer characters. I mostly enjoyed this while reading but then it fell a bit flat for me at the end. It was entertaining and had some aspects I liked, but I didn't find it particularly memorable or moving. Liked it but didn't love it.

Wow! I was expecting a fun summery read, but this turned out to be so much more than that. I absolutely loved the passion that Cor has for the work she is doing with the whales. The author does an amazing job of slowly revealing the reason behind Cor's passion due to her guilt over her friend's death. The love story between Mannix and Cor is also beautiful. The description of Cape Cod was amazing, and transported me there. I love all of the diverse characters in the story as well. This was a very well written and capturing story!

okay this was actually so cute?! i really liked the whole 'save the whales' part, and the main character was super relatable. i did think that the writing was a bit of a mixed bag, sometimes it felt super rushed, other times it felt super drawn out. overall, i think i'd recommend this to people who are more trying to get into reading, not for already established readers.

3.5 stars

The Edge of Summer by Erica George
is one of best reads Ive read in some time.
I could not put down this book.
I felt this one to be captivating, heartfelt and wonderfully written.
The characters and their personality just shined onto these pages and I absolutely loved that.
The setting was phenomenal and felt like I was sitting right there watching it all unfold right before my eyes.
This book is perfect for those looking for a sweet, quick read. With amazing beautiful characters.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Poppy,
Thank you for this eARC.
I will post to my platforms, blog,
B&N and Waterstone account close to pub date.

In the midst of this cold and dreary January, I really needed to be taken away to a sun-kissed beach, and THE EDGE OF SUMMER was just the ticket. Erica George’s deep love for Cape Cod just shined on every page, and at the end of each chapter, I found myself saying 'just one more,' until… there I was at the end, a swoony grin on my face. Because there is swoony romance in this gorgeous novel, but that’s not all. This is also a deeply moving and resonant story about friendship, regret, and how to walk the line between the many forces that pull on your heart. And, perhaps most of all, it’s a story about the ways human behavior impacts the natural world – specifically, the majestic whales that make their home off Cape Cod. Erica George’s compassion, commitment, and care for these creatures radiates from THE EDGE OF SUMMER. The book educates and advocates and inspires, without ever for a second feeling preachy or didactic. I found myself getting weepy over Cape Cod’s whales at more than one point in this book, which is a testament to the power of Erica George’s words. Highly recommend. My thanks to Hachette for the eARC.

I loved this book. The Edge of Summer is a great read for anyone who wants to spend time with whales while enjoying a meaningful coming of age story and romance.

A lot of books say “for fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson” but this is the first time I’ve seen that description be so accurate. It has the summer that changes everything, big feelings, memorable character names, a white girl making new friends and figuring out love and life, and a gorgeous beach setting.

Coriander Cabot spends the summer in Cape Cod with her uncle, while interning to help save the whales. She’s grieving the recent loss of her friend, and falls in love with a lifeguard/cook who lives there year round. There are flashbacks to her life with her friend, and you learn more about that relationship throughout the book. Content warning for grief and loss.

I highly recommend this book to YA fans.