Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

4/5 Quality, 4/5 Popularity

Anna and Frankie are BFFs, and they’re both really close with Frankie’s older brother Matt. So when Anna and Matt start a secret relationship, they decide that Matt should tell Frankie about it on Matt and Frankie’s family’s upcoming annual trip to Zanzibar Bay. Then came the crash.

A year later, Frankie and Anna are gearing up for the Absolute Best Summer Ever. Four weeks in Zanzibar Bay. If they meet one boy a day for twenty days, Anna’s sure to cash in her V-card, right? But what about the secret that Anna still hasn’t told Frankie…?

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a great summer read full of fluffy fun, summer at the beach, romance, and the importance of friends. This effervescent debut by Sarah Ockler is sure to be a hot accessory this summer, whether it be on the beach or at the library.

The story takes off in a whirlwind, and the first twenty pages are almost like a Lurline McDaniel book condensed. We are then flung forward a year, but surprisingly this transition is not jarring. The plot takes off from there at a controlled pace, not too slow and not too fast. The climax is riveting and will have pages flipping, while the witty dialogue and snappy wit will keep readers interested through the rest of the novel.

The characters are semi-standard. Anna is the tortured heroine who may not be ready to let go of her past (or her virginity). Frankie proves to be the most interesting character, with her little idiosyncrasies. Then there’s Matt (yum!) and Sam (yum!) and Jake (yum!), the (yummy) boys that the girls interact with.

Sea glass features in the story, and is a nice touch. It adds something special that sticks out and sets TWENTY BOY SUMMER apart from other summer chick-lit books.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a great novel with approximately 30% empty calories (a good thing), 30% romance (a good thing), and 40% summer (a good thing). So I guess it’s a good thing!

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