FICTION

The Goodbye Summer

by Sarah Van Name
Sourcebooks/Fire. May 2019. 352p. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781492677031.
COPY ISBN
Gr 9 Up–Caroline has a secret. After this summer she and her boyfriend Jake will run away together to start her dream life. They are planning to travel all over the world and have adventures together. She gets a job at the local aquarium gift shop to save up money that will help fund their plans. At the aquarium she meets Georgia, a lighthearted, hardworking girl who is determined to get into the best university after graduation. As she spends more time with Georgia, Caroline realizes the dream life she planned may not really be what she wants after all. Van Name does a good job developing the characters in this novel, but since the book focuses on Caroline’s dilemma, there is very little dialogue, resulting in a story that can be repetitive and slow.
VERDICT While the book is well written for a debut, the narrow subject matter may be less appealing to some audiences. Recommended for limited purchase.
Reviewed by Davia Schmidt, Queens Public Library, NY , Jun 13, 2019

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