That Summer

In everyone's life, there is a time when everything changes, when a person's view on life is heavily altered. For Haven, the time was that summer. The one when her sister got married and she was reunited with her sister's ex-boyfriend. Sarah Dessen once again drew my attention with her novel That Summer.

Haven is a fifteen year old girl who is extremely insecure about her height. Falling at 5 '11, she is always trying to crush herself down, not only literally, but emotionally as well. Haven's world is turned upside down when her father leaves her mother and marries the local weather girl, and Haven starts searching for an escape to which she can run. She manages to find her escape in a twenty-one year old boy named Sumner Lee. Sumner, an ex-boyfriend of Haven's sister Ashley, managed to change Haven's life once, but can he do it again?

The theme of the story is tyring to learn to deal with and accept the obstacles that life has dealt. Life is, without a doubt, hard, but with the help of people who care, nothing is too much to handle. Another theme is the inability to avoid change. Change is inevitable, so people might as well try to live with it instead of trying to make things the way they used to be.

The character who intrigued me the most was Sumner Lee. the college student once dated Ashley, the older sister of Haven, but now constantly saves Haven from her thoughts and struggles. Every time Haven begins to feel overwhelmed by her life, Sumner is suddenly in her sight, instantly making her feel better with his personality and spontaneity. I can relate myself to Sumner because I am constantly on the go, often not even knowing quite what I am doing or where I am headed. I can also relate myself to Haven, though, because often when I find myself overwhelmed or faced with too much to handle, I look to my friends for guidance and strength.

I would recommend this book for girls of any age, because it is a life changing story that can offer advice to any age.

200 pages