The Summer of Firsts and Lasts was kind of hard to get into, for me. There are three different POVs, and with each narrator comes a set of friends and love interests, which was a little hard to keep track of at times. In the beginning, I kept checking back to see whose POV I was reading from because I couldn't keep the sisters' personalities straight. The way all three of the girls see themselves is very different from how they're seen by their sisters. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since that's how it is in real life (in my excperience), but it made it even harder to keep the sisters straight. To add to that, the girls have these nicknames that are kind of weird, and it was difficult to remember which nickname belonged to which of the sisters.
Once I'd spent some time inside all of their heads, though, I did like the characters; I conneced with each of them in a different way. Calla is the one I'm probably most similar to - because we're the same age, but also just because of our personalities. I know some people will be annoyed by how Calla keeps hoping beyond hope that Duncan likes her as more than a friend, but I personally could easily relate to that. I got her perfectionist ways and how she feels like she always needs to be nice to everyone - again, some people will be frustrated by that, but it worked for me, because I'm kind of like that too. Daisy, the youngest sister, is like the little girl inside of me I don't like to let people see. I got her insecurities because, well, I used to be her, when I was her age. Her character growth is probably the biggest, out of the three, and I loved reading about how she found her strength. Violet is the one I'm least like - she's the kind of confident I wish I was but know I never will be. But still, I enjoyed reading from her POV, because every once in a while I need to read about someone who is completely different from me.
I have to admit, the plot is very, very slow. It's less like fast-moving world of fiction and more like real life, in that way. I personally didn't really mind, but I know this will alienate a lot of readers. If you can't take a slow-moving plot and need action all the time, I'm pretty sure The Summer of Firsts and Lasts will make you go crazy. Terra Elan McVoy's style is very understated - there are few ornate descriptions that'll make you marvel at their beauty, but that's okay. The author let her characters do most of the talking, let the reader get to know the characters' voices instead of her own style, and I personally really liked that.
I loved the whole camp atmosphere! I've never been to camp, but The Summer of Firsts and Lasts makes me think I missed out on something important. I loved the together-ness and the spirit of it all - it's not exaggerated, but it's always there.
The romance is okay. I liked the non-romance between Calla and Duncan because like I said, I get it. Daisy and Joey are interesting to read about, too, because their awkwardness is so real, and again reminded me so much of myself at that age. Violet and James, though, didn't really work for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but their attraction to one another felt forced and I didn't feel any real chemistry. Their relationship moved much to fast for me to really enjoy these two as a couple.
But, in a way, I don't even care about whether the romance worked, or whether I liked the characters as individuals, or about the writing or the plot. For me, The Summer of Firsts and Lasts isn't about any of that - it's really about the relationship between Calla, Violet, and Daisy. And the sister dynamics are really well-done. These three make me wish I had a sister. I love how they fight but are always there for each other when it counts. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate this unique setting to showcase this sister relationship, since there are already so many sister stories out there that take place at home or whatever - the camp aspect gave the sisters' relationship a unique twist.
This book is not for everyone - I can definitely the slow-moving plot and some of Calla's and Daisy's character traits frustrating some readers. But for me, this book was just what I needed. I didn't love it as much as Being Friends with Boys - the first Terra Elan McVoy book I read - but I really did like it. The Summer of Firsts and Lasts is a cute summer read and a unique sister story.
