Customer Reviews

The Last Summer (of You & Me)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

In this book, sisters Riley and Alice are going to their summer home on Fire Island, where they have gone every summer since they were kids. Their friend Paul is going to be there too, whom Riley and Alice haven't seen in quite a few years since he didn't come to Fire Island in the last three summers. So many things happen to the three friends in that one summer. A romance between two of them happened (I won't say who), a illness overcomes one of them (I still won't say who) and secrets are uncovered regarding them. Deep secrets. This book was wonderful and I loved it. Although, it was made for adults, I read it anyway, since I love Ann Brashare's books! Although it was a little sexual, I loved it all the same. I suggest this book to anyone, even kids, if your parents will allow you to. That's how good it is. So, go read the book!!!!

If you're looking for another "Traveling Pants" sort of story, I'm sorry to say that this isn't it. Instead, the author of the famous and highly acclaimed series "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" aims for the heart, with a rather drawn out tale of two sisters, a guy who hasn't decided who he wants to be if he grows up, and life in Waterby, Fire Island.

Intended for adults, this book fails completely in that respect, especially as the main characters are all young adults, and even the few steamy parts come over with only a weak sizzle. Having said that, there's a very nice little story buried in here, about the close relationship between two sisters, Riley and Alice, and how this is affected when their close friend Paul returns to the island to pick up where he left off three years before. Things have changed, people have grown, and secrets long hidden start popping up, but it takes eons to develop, leaving the reader lots of time to walk on the beach and watch the ferry come and go.

In summary, this rather dry tale of sisterly love and growing up serves as a reminder that sometimes, life's a beach.



Amanda Richards, October 24, 2007

I bought THE LAST SUMMER (OF YOU AND ME) yesterday, and I couldn't turn off the light last night until I'd reached the end. The relationship between the three main characters (two sisters and the guy who lives next to them every summer, when they stay on Fire Island) was complex and fascinating.

This is a love story, but also the story of the love between two sisters...it's romantic, poignant, suspenseful...what more can you ask?

I am a huge fan of Ann Brashares's TRAVELING PANTS books -- this novel is written for adults, so feels very different, but just as good.

I bought this book for a summer read for a beach vacation. It was a bit hard to get into but about 1/3 of the way in, I was hooked. I read just for personal pleasure and an escape so had no big expectations. I had not read any of the other reviews before reading and was frankly surprised by all the negative ones. I would recommend this book.

This book is great. This story is perfect for reading by the beach or sitting outside on a cool summer evening. I loved this book! The Last Summer ( of you and me) is on my list for best books of summer. And even if summer is now over you can still enjoy the romance and the sister bonding. The ending will put a smile on your face and make you happy for days. This book made me tear up a little. Not just because it was sad but I was happy also. It was a little predictable at times but Ann Brashares is a brilliant writer anyways. And I think that predecting the end helps you understand the book better. The Last Summer( of you and me) is full of sister bonding, tragedy, and that silly little thing called love.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books were great; that's why I bought this book. I assumed it would be just as smart, just as touching, just as well-written, and just as good. Sadly, I was mistaken.

There is SO MUCH purple prose in this book. Very little time is spent on actually exploring the relationships between the characters or showing how they interact. Instead, there are pages filled with memories, pages filled with flowery descriptions, etc. It feels like the author is telling you everything instead of showing it to you, and definitely not in a good way. It is overblown and overdramatic.

The plot is very simple: Sisters Riley and Alice meet up with their childhood friend Paul after a few year's absence. Alice and Paul fall in love and then Alice ends up pushing him away because of a secret Riley makes her keep. Problem is, Riley's reasoning for keeping this secret is not really explored, and it also feels like Alice pushes Paul away merely as a plot device instead of something she'd actually do. Very, very disappointing.

It takes a long, long time to get into the plot to begin with - the first 50-100 pages are filled with flowery phrases and memories, the plot meandering around with no real purpose or end in sight - and then the weak plot begins. Unfortunately, it's so weak that it doesn't even feel important; instead, the reader is left feeling like this book is merely an experiment to see how many descriptions one could put on page, eventually deciding to throw in a plot so it could be published.

I was severly disappointed in this novel. I don't recommend it to anyone. If you want to read something by the author, check out the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. If you've already read those... well, just stop there.

I hope her next novel is much better than this.

So it's going to sound like I didn't like this book, and the thing is I did... BUT there were a few things that just really bothered me!

First, the whole book, basically, is based on this tension between Alice and Paul. The tension is a nice effect, but it makes no sense! There is no reason for it! Alice and Paul both admit to themselves that they love each other, and they both want to be together, and yet they both deny themselves the pleasure for reasons we are never told. Paul it just mean to Alice the way a third grade boy is mean to a girl he crushes on, and Alice just takes it as normal behavior. What? I found myself wanting to give both of them a good shake! Why doesn't Paul just hit on Alice? Why doesn't he just kiss her? Ask her on a date? Why is she off limits? The forbidden fruit thing only works if there's a reason it's forbidden.

So without giving anything away, I will tell you that just as the above conflict seems to work itself out, and you think, okay, so the characters are actually starting to act like you would think people would act, they go and act even more crazy! Would you just stop talking to someone you are madly in love with because someone else told you to keep a secret from them? NO. It seems to be through this entire story Brashares has her characters doing things that advance the plot, but doesn't take into consideration that in "real life" no one would act that way. It's just very frustrating to read!

I am giving this book three stars, though, because despite what I have said if you can get past that stuff, the book is a page turner. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what was going to happen, even if I was annoyed with the characters. Also, I like the fact this book was in my demographic - I'm 26 and it's hard to find good reads that aren't YA, are smarter than chick lit, but aren't targeted at an older audience. Upmarket fiction about twenty-somethings is almost impossible to find.

I'll start by saying that I love Ann Brashares. However, I do not understand how a NYT Bestselling author can go from that, to this. OH MY GOSH, I am sorry--but this story was so lame. Too much character-building, and hardly any story. Adding a few cuss words to your novel doesn't make you an "Adult Novel Writer". I thought that EVEN the last book of the sisterhood was more "adultish" and better written than this. I do not mean to be harsh--but truth must be told. I only finished the book because I started it (I'm committed that way). I'm almost sorry that I did finish it.

What about the publishing of "The Girl of Lost Things" ? Perhaps that book would have been better? I'm sorry--but this book was boring--I did not love the characters. The narrative voice was indirect and BORING. I'm so shocked (considering that I am an adult and truly love the characters in her OTHER books because she wrote them, sold them, and spoke through them so well!) Riley, Alice, and Paul did not have a voice. She should have re-adapted and made it a youth novel. These characters were not grown ups!!!!!!! (Not even in transition--they were not young adults!)

I give her props for promoting "sisterly love". That's about it.

The Last summer of you and me is a great book. The setting is a a great little island, and is just a charming scene. Two sisters have been summer friends with Paul for years. The story is about a tragedy, and the love between the sisters and their friend, and how each relationship affects another. You get to know the characters intimately, and understand the complications of their relationships, and love for one another.
Brashears is a fresh writer, but I did find sometimes that what she wanted the reader to feel, or the conclusion she wants the reader to draw is not clear. Sometimes, the way she writes, makes it hard to read- as it makes you analyze quite a bit, but for the most part it's an easy read. It's a typical story, but the challenges of the characters is what makes is unique and fresh. You long to be on the very island with these two sisters, who have so many differences but yet such a bond. The characters stay true to themselves throughout the novel, and throughout the different stages of their lives, showing that Brashares truly knows these characters.
The story is sweet, and sad, and leaves you wondering a little. It's moving, but maybe could have been a little more moving. There is so much building with the complications of the lovers that sometimes you wonder what the surface of their relationship is, away from all the intensity, but the story turns out as it should, and probably won't disappoint you, although there is a tragedy that is sad.
It's a great book that I would recommend. I love reading books that make me feel differently, and make me feel as if I know the characters, and you walk away feeling that you intimately know these people.

I read the other reviews before starting mine. This book was neither slow and boring, nor was it very sexual. It made some references, however it most definitely wasn't graphic in the way that Judy Blume books are. Safe and innocent, anyone can read it without being offended.

It is a a heartwarming story about 3 friends who grew up together, young love, young unexpected loss, expectations, forgiveness and how they handle it all.

The author has a summer home on Fox Island and describes it so well, I felt like I was there. The story was so engrossing I read the majority of the book in about a day and was disappointed it came to an end.

I hope Ann Brashares writes a sequel to this book as I'm dying to know what happened to the future of the characters.

I will be adding this to my stack of summer reads that I bring out and enjoy every summer!