Twenty Boy Summer

Twenty Boy Summer
By Sarah Ockler
Little, Brown, and Co., 2009. 290 pgs. Young Adult

Anna thinks lift can't get any better when Matt, her best friend, kisses her. However, Matt's sister Frankie is their other best friend, and Matt makes Anna promise not to tell Frankie about their new relationship, thinking it'll be better if he tells her. However, before Matt has a chance to tell Frankie, he dies. The next summer, Anna is still keeping their secret, which becomes increasingly harder when Frankie and Anna hit the beach for the summer, with Frankie determined they'll have a "twenty boy summer." Anna isn't interested in meeting anyone, but not being able to explain that her heart has been broken makes her agree to Frankie's plan.

While some of the themes explored in the book (love, loss, and healing) are pertinent to teens and adults alike, Ockler's characters and plot didn't have quite the same pull for me that other books on the same topic have, perhaps because the book's depth was sacrificed by the immature behavior Anna and Frankie exhibit throughout the book.

AE