A teenager finds the summer bucket list of her recently deceased older sister. She decides to complete the list and hopes doing so will help her find some comfort in losing the one person she idolized the most. Author Rachel Bateman gives young adult readers this somewhat sappy but ultimately disappointing story in her novel Someone Else’s Summer.

The night of Storm Holloway’s high school graduation should be one of celebration for the Holloway family; instead it turns into a horrific event. After refusing a ride home with her classmate and next-door neighbor, Cameron, Storm dies in a car accident. The town of Muscatine, Iowa, falls into shock, and the Holloway family is devastated.

Hardest hit is Anna, Storm’s younger sister by 11 months. Anna worshipped Storm, following her and Cameron around when they were all kids, wishing she had Storm’s confidence. Maybe, Anna reasons, Storm’s surety about herself came from being a cancer survivor. Maybe it came from not caring what others thought about her eclectic style. As one of the popular kids, Anna always ran with the “in” crowd but Storm always seemed more secure.

Now Anna and her parents must grapple with their grief. Her parents struggle with the loss of a child and don’t know how to help Anna who consoles herself one day by visiting Storm’s room. There she finds Storm’s summer bucket list, which includes a road trip to North Carolina where Storm had accepted college admission for the coming fall. All of the adventures on the list feel like Storm and unlike her all at the same time to Anna, and on the spur of the moment she decides to complete it. Maybe, she reasons, finishing what Storm hadn’t even started will bring the two closer in some way.

Anna shares her intentions with Cameron who insists on coming along. The two get into Storm’s stick shift car and drive from Iowa to North Carolina, spending the road trip reminiscing about Storm and challenging one another through the list. As they go from one item on the list to the next, they will have to decide how their own relationship moves forward in light of their memories of Storm and what she meant to both of them.

Author Rachel Bateman cares about her characters, and her concern for them comes across on every page and in every chapter. Unfortunately that deep affection for Anna and Cameron does not translate to a convincing story. Anna’s parents seem grossly isolated in their own mourning; with Storm’s death occurring before the book begins, readers never get a chance to get to know Anna and Storm’s parents. Bateman may intend for her target audience to focus on Anna and Cameron, but by doing so she inadvertently relegates Anna’s parents to stereotypes.

Anna’s grief, too, comes across as disjointed. For pages at a time, she thinks of nothing but her sister. Then she bounces right back into the tropes of the teenage world. The book almost portrays Anna as two separate people: the Anna who lost her sister and the Anna who wants to hang out with her friends. Each of them comes across as distinct from the other, and neither of them feel fully relatable.

The road trip Anna and Cameron take comes off as more of an excuse for their romance to blossom. Some of Storm’s bucket list items seem downright mundane—get a tattoo; kiss someone in the rain—and that’s precisely why, as Anna completes the items one by one, her accomplishment in doing so feels just as mundane. Because readers never meet Storm directly, they never get to understand just why these particular bucket list adventures would have made a difference to her.

The “big reveal” at the end of the book, then, feels forced. Anna and Cameron keep insisting that Storm was different, reminding one another that “you know how Storm was,” but readers don’t and therefore can’t relate to the climax. With this book checking off so many other criteria of a YA novel, Anna’s big moment may not even come as a surprise to most readers.

Those looking for a fast summer read that doesn’t really require much alertness might want to pick up this book; otherwise I recommend readers Bypass Someone Else’s Summer.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone Else's Summer is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Anna whose older sister died in a car accident on her graduation night. Storm is a cancer survivor and she looks up to her for being brave. When she found Storm's bucket list and goes on a road trip with Storm's best friend, Cameron. In honor of her sister's memory, she'll fulfill the things listed on Storm's bucket list.

To be honest, it's quite an up and down for me. The story is cliche and some parts are a bit boring. Anna is a good protagonist but I couldn't connect with her and as for the male protagonist, Cameron is somewhat bland. They may have cute moments together but not enough to give me butterflies. When it comes to road trip stories, I want to feel as if I'm travelling with them as well and this book failed to make me feel it.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Anna's always idolized her older sister, Storm. So when Storm dies in a tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation, Anna is completely lost and her family is torn apart. That is, until she finds Storm's summer bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever—which includes taking an epic road trip to the coast from her sleepy Iowa town. Setting out to do everything on Storm's list along with her sisters best friend Cameron—the boy next door—who knew that Storm's dream summer would eventually lead to Anna's own self-discovery?

Well, this was a mismatch of good and bad. There were times when I felt this was going to be one of the better YA books I had read for a while...and then it seemed to deliberately go out of its way to not be that. Frustrating doesn't cover it.

See, the idea of this story was cool - best friends go on a road trip to do a bucket list that a dead sibling had written. Felt like this was something that could be sentimental without being sickly, a story that would be the perfect summer read - not too heavy but enough story to carry you through to the end. And, to some degree, it achieved those things...

...what it also did, though, was made it far too bland and predictable. Every single thing Anna and Cameron do is made so easy for them. There were no confrontations, no limits on what they could do...all just so far away from being even remotely believable, I ended up just praying for the end. And even that was a letdown. I didn't expect some huge revelation, but what we got was dull and unimaginative.


Paul
ARH

This is a really good example of how a book can give you nearly everything you thought you could want, all at once, and that doesn't make it instantly amazing. This book had so many tropes that I loved - road trip and adventuresome to-do list are the first that come to mind - but I just didn't love this. The beginning was especially tough to get through. It was a really long setup, a lot of which was completely unnecessary for the rest of the book. I think the problem was that I never really got attached to the characters, and I never had a great sense of their personalities. I could tell you a few random facts about each one, but they didn't seem like whole people to me at all, and so it was harder for me to care about what they were going through. The good news is once I got past the beginning, I didn't have any strong negative feelings about the book. I guess it just wasn't really for me.

3.5 stars.

Someone Else's Summer is a quick read. I love road trip books, so I was eager to read this one when I found out it contained a road trip. However, having just had my oldest daughter graduate from high school a week ago, I was afraid the premise of this book would be too depressing. But, thankfully, this is Anna's story, not her sister, Storm's. Even though the story revolves around a sad situation, there are plenty of good summer feels. And while I enjoyed the road trip aspect of the story, some of the situations were too contrived and made to fit the story. Much of the book didn't feel organic, but the bit of a twist at the ending was a nice change, although, not completely unexpected. A nice read to get me in the mood for summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna's older sister Storm is killed in a car accident the night of her high school graduation, leaving Anna lost without her. Soon after Storm's death, Anna finds a list Storm made, a bucket list of sorts, detailing her perfect summer. As kids, Storm was always making them lists each summer for the two to complete along with Storm's best friend Cameron, the boy next door. Anna eventually moved on from being their tag-a-long, making her own friends and running with a different, more popular crowd, but missing out on parts of her sister's life in the process. Now, after finding the list, she and Cameron set out on a roadtrip to check the items off the list, as Storm will never get to herself. This is a great coming-of-age contemporary that explores the sisterly bond, families, friendship, grief, love, and living life bravely. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

3.5 Stars
For the most part I really enjoyed this book. It managed to deal with heavy issues with a gentle touch, neither glossing over nor dwelling. I realize this is a YA read, and that Anna was only 17, but at times her reactions seemed simplistic. And I really didn't get her relationship with Piper at all. She can't tell Piper no ever? She doesn't want to go to all the parties but Piper tells her too so she does. 3 weeks after Storm dies Piper says she doesn't understand why she's not herself and Anna says nothing? This is not the kind of friend you need. So overall cute, but I wanted a little more from Anna.

I immediately fell in love with Someone Else's Summer and how it is so much more than a light and airy summer story about a road trip. Anna's goes through some major character development and progression, while she deals with her grief for her sister. She spends a lot of time trying to find herself over the course of the novel, while also struggling to come to terms with living her life without her sister.

One thing I loved is how there is a bit of a plot twist at the end, which ties everything together in a way. It such a pivotal moment, that is filled with so much emotion and lingers long after it happens. I also love then ending, and how while it is not quite a happily ever after. There is a bit of uncertainty, which makes it that much more real. It's a great summer beach read that I'd strongly recommend.

***3.5 ‘It’s All About the Journey’ Stars***

I’ve waffled over this one a bit because while I really did enjoy the journey that Anna went on, it didn’t give me the emotional gut punch I was expecting. It’s not a bad thing in anyway, in fact I’m quite happy with how the every thing in the book played out and the tone of it, I just feel like there should have been a little more to it. Since this is a debate that I don’t see winning any time soon I’m simply going to go with it being a “It’s not you, it’s me’ sitch and call it a day because it was a good story in the end.

Anna was an interesting character in that I felt she was an amalgamation of your typical 17 year old. She was head strong and insecure in equal measure. It wasn’t easy for her to open up about her feelings, but when she did it was like a tsunami coming at you. She was selfish and generous and couldn’t always see past her own nose, but she was at heart, a good person and I enjoyed watching her take on the list, with the help of Cameron, and how her perception of the world shifted just a little.

As I said, I liked the tone of the story and it’s because the author could have most definitely made it more melancholy and focused on what Anna and her family lost, but instead she made it more of a celebration of Storm’s life and I found that to be quite refreshing. This isn’t to say that there weren’t moments where you felt the pain of losing a child, sister and friend, because there were, but it wasn’t the focus, healing from the loss was. I liked how Cameron and Anna’s relationship evolved and while the twist in the story didn’t surprise me all that much, it still worked for me in the end.

Heartbreaking...loss, love and undying friendships.

Anna and Cameron's summer, bucket list, adventure and then, then the secret.... Holy cow I did not see that coming. I was speechless.

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

I feel that 25 years old may be a bit early to say, "Oh, to be young and in love!" when discussing a bunch of high schoolers, yet here I am. Someone Else's Summer is about two teenagers, Anna and Cameron, who embark on a summer road trip to fulfill Anna's late sister's bucket list. It's the type of book that you bring to the beach, or that you flip through while sipping a cold drink on a lounge chair on a patio. Although it deals with the dark reality of death, the bulk of the book is a fun, light read.

It isn't hard to see how "Someone Else's Summer" could easily become a teenager's favourite book, which is why I would first and foremost recommend it to high school librarians. I do have to warn that it has some mature themes throughout (it is a love story through and through), but it's the perfect YA love story. The story goes much further than the cutesy instant love affair, however - you get to see Anna, a young teenage girl, slowly grow into a brave young woman. She discovers so much about herself that I see her as the completely relatable character. We follow her summer through the good and the ugly, her excitement and her despair, and I dare you not to love her.




I can feel some of you start to roll your eyes, so let me tell you what differentiates this book, in my opinion, from the other books tackling the "summer bucket list" trope. It starts with a funeral. Storm, Anna's sister, is always omnipresent through the book. She is never forgotten. Anna and Cameron learn to heal, but never forget. The tone of the book is bittersweet throughout, which stops it from being a suffocating type of "cute", which could have been its downfall. Thankfully, it wasn't. It reads as a real story, at times, which is why I believe this will become someone's favourite book.

I'd like to thank Running Press, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is being published May 9th (that's next week!) so keep an eye out for it!

Such a beautiful, heartfelt , road trip story. Loved the writing and was really rooting for the main character all the way through. I've put up a full review on my blog here http://www.isthisreallife.co.uk/2017/05/book-round-up-5.html

This book... I had a bit of a book hangover after finishing it. It is a beautifully written story with amazing characters and all the feels.

Anna's older sister Storm is killed on the night of her high school graduation. Their parents fall apart, turning to each other in their grief. Anna is left to work through her pain on her own. Until she discovers her sister's bucket list. That list becomes both a gift and a curse as she works her way through it in honor of her sister. But she doesn't do it alone. She does it with Storm's best friend Cameron, the boy who lives next door that she's known for most of her life.

The story is emotionally charged as it explores the journey of grief, self-discovery, change, friendship, acceptance, and secrets that can be devastating to learn. This is a story that will, at times, leave your heart shredded. But before your tears dry, there will be a funny moment that will bring a smile to your face.

At first, her mother's total lack of compassion for Anna's grief was horrifying to me. I just didn't understand how a mother could be that blind to the grief of her child that she would go so far as to send her to her room for expressing it. But as we learn more, it becomes easier to understand. Her mother is broken, shut down. She has nothing to give her daughter in the way of support. Everyone reacts differently to grief... that is a reality. And what was initially hard for me to accept became something I truly applaud. The author showed grief in its raw reality... messy, painful, hurtful, and impossible to navigate cleanly.

This was a funny reading for most of the time, but I also found myself just wanting the end to finally come. Someone Else’s Summer was mostly a character-driven story, so you really have to like the characters. And I only liked them occasionally.

I could really understand Anna, the main character. She lost her big sister, Storm, and she’s trying to get back to her life. But she soon finds out that’s not as easy as she thinks, and she eventually has some breakdowns.

“She’s not here to guide me anymore. It’s time to figure it out on my own. I’ve never been so terrified.”

When they were children, Anna and Storm were really close. Eventually, they broke apart, and while the explanation wasn’t as weak as I initially thought it would be, I really disliked the fact that Anna started to treat Storm so badly, around her new friends. Unlike what I’ve previously read, the geek character was the sister, not the main character; and it was interesting, but not always pleasant, to see it through another character’s eyes.

Their family was a bit messed up. The parents were shocked, of course, and their retreat was understandable, but it really seemed that they had forgotten they had another child to care for. Her Aunt Morgan was my favorite character, always present, reliable and funny.

Unlike her “best friend”, Piper. Don’t get my inverted commas wrong, they stay friends until the very end, but I didn’t like Piper, both as a character and as a best friend. She was hurt too, sure, that’s understandable, but she was just so selfish throughout the entire book! I really liked Jovani, though. It’s not usual to see an ex-boyfriend hanging around after the break-up, but he proved himself to be a good friend. And the way he always had Anna’s back was admirable.

The actual plot was fine. I haven’t read many books with similar stories (I don’t think I’ve ever read one, actually), so it wasn’t exactly an old tale for me, but still quite predictable. I also didn’t like the way the romance developed. That’s why I say you have to really create an empathy with the characters, otherwise, you wouldn’t enjoy this at all. I wouldn’t recommend this book for people who have read similar stories in the past, but in case you like this type of plot and are interested in it, there are certainly good things in here.

Anna has just lost her sister Storm, and everything else feels lost together with her. Until she finds a list of things Storm wanted to do that summer. Now Anna and the sisters' best friend Cameron go off on a road trip to tick every item and live the summer Storm couldn't have.

The beginning of this book kind of made me think of To All the Boys I Loved Before, in which two sisters have a thing for the long time male friend—I simplified this so much but what I mean is that Storm and Anna's relationship between each other and with Cameron were very similar to the one in the aforementioned book. But it really is different.

Another comparison made, and this not by only me, was to Morgan Matson, probably because of Since You've Been Gone. Indeed, there is a list to follow, and some items are similar, if not the same. However, the tone it takes also differs.

This said, I was a little disappointed when both comparisons fell through.

Now let me say what I liked. Anna. She's not your out-of-the-mold YA heroine. She's more outgoing, and also a cheerleader. Her personality reminded me a little of the Before I Fall main character's. I'm not saying those are my favorites, but it was refreshing that this wasn't the cliche of the popular big sister that died and the nerdy little sister that was left behind.

The text is well written but the main events are predictable. I did like that there were some plot twists, and yet even those weren't that surprising. Still, this is very easy to read and to enjoy, even if it's so bland. Definitely, not a bad pick. Also, what a fitting cover! I loved the idea and how it relates to the plot.

(Lately, hasn't there been too many YA's about dead sisters?)

Interesting premise - will recommend to a few students.

A sweet story with likable characters. Everything is very "convenient" but that doesn't distract from the story. The twist was a heartbreaking surprise, especially as other bits were a little more predictable.

Anna is a character that many people will likely relate to. Her grief and emotional journey to healing that grief is well written and poignant. The whole tone of the story is light and summery, so there's no fear of having to dive too far into a dark emotional despair while reading. Instead it is nostalgic and optimistic, which I found refreshing.
I think this will appeal to a younger teen reader that likes realistic fiction with light romance and emotional storytelling that leaves you feeling better when it's over.

A really engaging read. I'm a bit of a sucker for a road trip story. The author did a good job dealing with difficult issues.