Review : Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Summary (from Goodreads)

Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine; beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. 

That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. 

Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love.
But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can't ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna's never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn't even a possibility, one summer doesn't feel worth the promise of her heart breaking.


Personal Thoughts

When I picked up Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton, I was actually expecting something light, fluffy and romantic. I wanted it to have a cute tone that would have be smiling throughout the book. I mean look at the cover! Instead, the book was a little morose and so, I ended up being slightly disappointed.

Anna lives on Dune Island, a region that is basically a tourist attraction during summer. She's dreading her sixteenth summer since it has always been rather monotone. On top of that, her two best friends are dating and she feels left out and like the third wheel. However, she realizes that this summer is different when she meets Will, the tourist from New York. Her summer with Will is going really well until it dawns on her that at the end of the summer, he is going back to New York while she's left behind.

Anna was a character that I liked, but could not connect with. She was a sweet and very down-to-earth girl. Like most teenagers, she had her fears and her expectations. She wanted a boyfriend, but none of the boys that go to school with her appeal to her. It's easy to understand why she wants this because I'm sure most of us have wanted a cute romance that sweeps us off our feet. However, at times her tone was very depressive for some reason. It was almost like she had lost someone dear to her or was going through some really tough times. Yet, that was odd since she had a clearly happy and peaceful family who loved her dearly. When she met Will, her wishes pretty much came true. Will was good-looking, sweet, kind, caring and everything you look for in a boy. Towards the middle of the book, when Anna realizes that Will is leaving in less than 2 months, she starts to act a little too depressive for my liking. Instead of appreciating what's going on in her life, she started to over think everything and she started to act like everything in her life was going wrong. She even decided to break it off with Will. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that she should enjoy the present and not think too much about the future. One of my complaints with this book is the secondary characters. Somehow, I felt that they were not very well developed and I would have loved to get to know them better since they all seemed truly interesting.

The romance was definitely the focus of the story and I was satisfied. You guys, it was so cute. If I could melt from all the sweetness, I would have turned it a puddle while reading. Will and Anna had some really adorable moments throughout the book. I loved how much they talked and got to know each other. The story did have the element of love at first sight, but the characters spent so much time getting to know each other that it's easy to forget it. I adored every single moment that they spent together, especially all the island-related activities. Honestly, it was great and I'm sure lovers of YA contemporary romances will devour this one !

Michelle Dalton is a very good writer. Her writing is smooth and flows beautifully. Although I had some issues with her main character, I did enjoy the story itself, but I felt unsatisfied with the ending. It's probably because when I started the book I was expecting a happily ever after kind of book, but Sixteenth Summer just ends without really giving me any closure. I suppose I would have liked the book a lot better if things had really ended.

Sixteenth Summer is the kind of book you would want to read if you're looking for something light after some heavy YA paranormal books. It had a cute story and I'm sure everyone will love Will's and Anna's relationship.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In My Mailbox (8)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accorda Summary (from Goodreads) When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking dow
Read more

In My Mailbox (3)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer Summary (from Goodreads) Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. The Alchemy Of Forever (Incarnation #1) by Avery Williams Summary (from Goodreads) Seraphina's first love made her immortal...her second might get her
Read more

In My Mailbox (10)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Don't You Wish (Obtained From Net Galley - Big Thanks To Random House Children's Books for the ARC) by Roxanne St Claire Summary (from Goodreads) When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.  In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen. But on the insde, Ayla is still Annie. So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life a
Read more