4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun if not very meaningful, July 5, 2009
This review is from: Summer Girls (Paperback)
The Tuttle family is back for another summer at Pebble Beach, but now it's time for three new cousins to rock the social scene. Jessica, Greer, and Lara are all members of the extended Tuttle family, but they couldn't be more different. Athletically competitive Jessica is the only Pebble Beach veteran out of these three girls, and she's determined to make this summer absolutely perfect, which includes plenty of cousin bonding time, beach parties, and, of course, hot guys. For somewhat coldhearted Greer, it's a much different story. Her parents have sent her to bond with the other Tuttles while they work on their own marriage issues. And all Greer wants now is a hot guy on her arm so she can forget her parents' problems. Lara, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited to meet the family of her newest stepfather. Unfortunately, the gorgeous guy she's fallen for happens to be Jessica's brother, a summer crush doomed before it began. It's going to be another summer of misplaced crushes, complicated relationships, and even heartbreak for the Tuttle girls until they finally come together and realize what's most important.
Hailey Abbott is probably the queen of summer beach reads for teens. Like Summer Boys and Abbott's other novels, Summer Girls has all the necessary elements for a guilty pleasure for the hot season: beaches, hot guys, girls with varying degrees of boy-craziness, and, of course, scandal. I can't say Summer Girls stands out with its plot among another other beachy reads I've perused, especially Abbott's previous novels, but that doesn't mean this book won't be enjoyed by fans of this type of novel. Though in no way original, the boy chasing and familial fights keeps things relatively interesting on Pebble Beach. Abbott does deserve points for her characters though. Jessica, Greer, and Lara, like the plot, are none too original and are even a bit stereotypical at times, but readers will grow to love these three girls. They each have their good qualities and their faults, which makes them realistic, and readers will be rooting for them to make up when their tentative friendship starts to fall apart. I found it a little strange how much Abbott emphasizes family when two out of the three main Tuttle girls come from broken or breaking down families, but although it's a little to cutesy for my taste, I recognize that family will always be there, even if it's in a different form than what you're used to.
Summer Girls is sure to be enjoyed by any girl heading to the beach and fans of Abbott's earlier summer reads. Yes, this novel doesn't have much real substance to it, but everyone deserves at least one guilty pleasure.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 6, 2009
This review is from: Summer Girls (Paperback)
The Tuttle family makes their way back to Maine for the summer, after the cabins have been rebuilt. Jessie can't wait to spend summer flirting with boys, soaking up the sun, and connecting with her two cousins. She's expecting magic.
Magic doesn't come easy.
She falls for a guy, who treats her as one of the guys. She's hanging out with his brother in hopes that he will finally notice her. Is she too busy throwing herself at Liam that she completely misses another boy?
Her cousin, Lara, is so new to the family that she falls for a boy before she realizes he's her step-cousin. She can't stop thinking about him.
Greer is new to the family and only in Maine while her parents work through their marital issues. Usually a heart-breaker, she finds a boy that intrigues her. Immediately, he makes a snap decision about her and she's up to the challenge of proving him wrong.
Will it be a summer of disappointed romances and backstabbing cousins, or will it be a summer to remember?
Hailey Abbott starts SUMMER GIRLS three years after the fire burned down the family cottage. A new generation of Tuttle girls is ruling the beach and the guys this summer.
Abbott again nails the perfect summer novel.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel
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