The Summer After You and Me seemed to be full of potential for a fun beach read, but it falls short of the mark. The sibling and high school drama results in fighting and jealousy that leave little time for any romance, and the character development is stunted by the same never ending drama. There was a romance novel trope used to resolve the major conflict, and it was disappointing. While there was some effort to increase awareness about the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the marine life in the New Jersey shore area, it failed to develop into anything meaningful. There just wasn’t anything memorable about this book.
Goodreads Summary
Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it’s not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.
Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Handheld Dream 