Customer Reviews

Cruel Summer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Colbie Cavendish is looking forward to a fun summer spenet partying with her new (and über-popular) circle of friends. Unfortunately, her fighting parents decide to send her to a tiny Greek island no one's ever heard of to stay with her crazy aunt Tally. This is practically unforgivable to Colbie since she'll only have minimal contact with her new friends (email) and is worried they'll forget her. But when Colbie finally takes a break from being depressed about her vacation when she spends mostly in an Internet café, she realizes that maybe she should be out living instead of mourning all the changes to her old life. And that's when she meets Yannis, a gorgeous Greek guy who's just as interested in her as she is in him. It seems Colbie's vacation isn't as miserable as she thought it would be; it changes her perspective on her entire life.

I really enjoyed Alyson Noël's writing in her other novels that I've read, Faking 19 and Saving Zoë, and Cruel Summer was no different. While the plot isn't fast-paced and exciting, it's the well-developed characters that really caught my attention, though in this case, Colbie was the only well-developed character as the story was told from her point-of-view. Alyson Noël has a subtle way of making her stories much deeper and more meaningful than they may appear on the surface, and this makes them seem real. For example, Colbie is initially portrayed as a whiny and insecure girl, but as her vacation progresses, she starts to appreciate or at least accept what she has in life. I also liked how romance was incorporated into Colbie's story, because she really deserved Yannis in the midst of all her other problems. In all, Cruel Summer was a very enjoyable story and, despite the cover, much better than just a beach read.

In a strange way, although none of her novels rank very high among my favorites, Alyson Noël is one of my favorite authors. It's not just because she's an Orange County resident like me and often writes about that setting; Alyson Noël just has a really great writing style. I definitely recommend Cruel Summer as well as her other novels that I've read, Faking 19 and Saving Zoë. I also look forward to reading Art Geeks and Prom Queens and Kiss & Blog sometime in the future.

Colby Cavendish has finally made it into the in crowd! She worked hard to gain Amanda's favor and now she's her new best friend. She's practically guaranteed the best Senior year ever! As an added bonus, Levi Bonham, the hottest guy in school, has suddenly become very interested in Colby! So interested that she's actually sitting right next to him on the couch at Amanda's house.

Okay, so Colby's just a little nervous that it's their first date...well, not even really a date. She's alone downstairs kissing Levi like she's always dreamed, like they'd been dating for forever, while Amanda is upstairs in her room with her guy. And Colby can't stop thinking about her curfew, which, by the way, passed, like, two hours ago. But at least she's stopped feeling guilty about dumping her former best friend, Natalie. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to progress up the social ladder. It's just part of life. Right?

Colby's parents are in the middle of a messy, angry divorce. Turns out they were so engrossed in their fight of the night, that they didn't even know Colby missed her curfew. It seems they barely remember they have a daughter, whose life they are royally screwing up. Then Colby finds out they have plans for her summer that don't include hitting the malls and becoming fully entrenched in her new social order.

They are sending her to Greece. No, not Athens. A tiny little island called Tinos. No amount of ranting, reasoning, pleading, or even crying will change their mind. Colby boards the plane bound for three months with Crazy Aunt Tally and no TV, no computer, no Wi-Fi. Nothing. How is she supposed to maintain her new social status? What if Colby gets replaced by a new Amanda Wanna-Be?

But soon things are looking up. First, there's Yannis, this really cute Greek guy who's living on Tinos! And second? She found an Internet café! Score! She is alive again! Maybe she can ignore the parent wars. But why was Yannis with Marie? And should she tell him that she's going to island hop to Mykonos to meet Levi, who's on a cruise to Greece? And her parents are going to sell the house as part of the divorce settlement? She might be spending her Senior year in Arizona?

Teen girls will totally love CRUEL SUMMER by Alyson Noël. The story is told using letters home, the journal her mother gave her, "Colby's Journal For Desperate Times...," and her new blog. The range of emotions, devastating lows to breathtaking highs, and the intense feeling that everything affects her is so authentic. The reader will relate to her habit of over-thinking every comment, gesture, or word of an email, and the insecurity she feels around Yannis. I loved this book and totally devoured it. For this reason, I give it five stars!

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

This book was the reason why I wanted to read Evermore. I hoped that Evermore would have a higher dose of the spirit in Cruel Summer (which it didn't, but that's not the point). Which means: the main character was a really funny girl, with an actual sense of humor, and the style was fast and, sure, funny. The ending went down, being too philosophical and corny for comfort, but the first two thirds of the book definitely made up for that.

I liked this book. It was cute and I liked how the main character changed over the course of the story. It was nice to watch the main character mature. Nice read.

Colby Cavendish, a former dork, is slowly moving up her school's popularity ladder. She recently befriended resident chief popular girl, which resulted in her ditching her former nerdy best friend, and she even started seeing a hot guy! Things are moving quickly for Colby, that is until her parents announce their impending divorce. She was hoping for a summer filled with with parties and boys, but her parents have sent her to live in Greece with her quirky Aunt Tally for the entire summer while her parents sort things out. Colby is miserable in Greece as they don't have reliable internet and she can't use her cell phone. It's a whole new world for Colby! She is really down until she meets dreamy Yannis who teaches her about life and how to appreciate it. Alyson Noel's Cruel Summer is the perfect beach read for when you want to escape from it all.

The setting is the beautiful Greek island of Tinos and Noel paints a stunning picture. It's incredible and as Colby is hating Tinos, I was secretly wishing I could be transported there and swim in the ocean, drink wine on the porch, and visit local cafes. Her Aunt Tally doesn't have internet, so Colby often visits the local internet cafe and starts writing a blog about her summer. The entire book is from her perspective, whether it be her blog or her journal. I thought the blog idea was pretty amusing, especially once she started to receive comments.

Colby was a tough character to relate to as she was extremely self absorbed. She ditched her former best friend quickly and treated her like crap. I had a hard time feeling sorry for her, especially when she was complaining that she stuck on a beautiful island in Greece. HELLO!?! It's paradise! But I understand that she was without her friends and at that age, friendship is extremely important. Colby's blog posts/journal entries were pretty limited and not as insightful as some other novels I've read which have utilized the same format. However, I do think Noel captured the typical teenager's angst accurately, because I'm sure most teenagers would react that way if they too were "banished" to Greece for the entire summer.

I like how this novel explores the idea of "unplugging." I feel like so many of us are dependent on the internet and other social media. Colby at first struggles, but she then learns to appreciate all that life has to offer. I think this is an important message for many of us and Cruel Summer made me want to go to some far off island and throw my iPhone in the sea.

If you are looking for a fun, quick read that's simply for mind-candy and entertainment, this is a beach read you should definitely check out. I could easily see myself soaking up the rays while reading all about Colby's adventures in paradise. In fact, I may pick up Noel's latest; a re-issue of Cruel Summer and Laguna Cove which is aptly named Forever Summer.

Cruel Summer was hard to read. Colby. the main character is shallow and pathetic. She lies and trys to make her life sound amazing when it isn't. She is focoused too much on getting other people to like her and being part of the in crowd, rather than just being herself. She will do anything to make Amanda, her now bestfriend, still want her in her in crowd. Its really kind of sad. With a character like this it made me almost want to stop reading the book and go do something ENJOYABLE. I was really suprised because Alyson Noel's other book, Laguna Cove, was pretty good. I did not fall in love or like the main character at all. The book could have been better.

Alyson Noel has hit it big with EVERMORE, the first in her Immortals series, but her previous books were not paranormal. And CRUEL SUMMER is a perfect for keeping you entertained in teh sun while you wait for your tan to develop. (Or, in my case, tuck yourself under man-made shade because your skin does not know the meaning of the word "tan.")

Colby's been out with the in crowd most of her life, but she's finally made it in. Of course, her summer of partying and developing a relationship with the hottest guy on school is put on hold when her parents ship her off to Greece to live with her aunt for the summer. Normally I'd hate Colby's whining about being sent to Greece, but Noel does a good job of preventing her point of view.

Of course, her point of view does change as she realizes she's in GREECE, and meets hot local Yannis. And as she continues contact with home through e-mail and a blog she comes to realize what makes a good friend.

Just a look at the perfect blue sky on the cover tells you what most of the book is going to be like. It's simple and predictable, but still fun and affecting. And if you don't get to it this summer, maybe it will brighten up your winter.

From In Bed With Books

got it for my daughter, she hasn't read the book yet, but got it fast

Well, the message in this book is really great and honorable. I think that the book drug on intermittently, however, it was a fun read.

This is a fun, fast, easy read that I would recomment to all lovers of young adult fiction. It deals with real-life issues in a humorous and hopeful way. From divorce to the death of a friend, Noel covers it all and lets readers know that no matter what happens, there is still hope and life is still worth living.