The Summer of Skinny Dipping [Paperback]

Amanda Howells (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—"I was being strong. Even though I felt weak." Grounded, logical Mia is trying to cope with a summer that hasn't been what she expected. Her vacation in New York's tony Hamptons with her extended family was supposed to be about spending time with her firecracker cousin Corinne and her sympathetic aunt as relief from her mother's criticism and her parents' fights about money and status. But quickly the bubble bursts: her aunt is tense and preoccupied while jaded Corinne is more interested in drinking and her cool friends. Adrift, Mia can't help wanting to be part of Corinne's circle, even though she doesn't like these girls. Struggling to remain true to herself, she strikes up a friendship with Simon, the boy next door. Through late-night walks on the beach, the teens become more than friends. A skinny dip after a storm brutally ends Mia's summer—but not the growth she's achieved. Tailor-made for Sarah Dessen's fans, this novel mingles family drama and teen relationships. Over the course of the summer, Mia comes of age as she questions who she is and what she wants from the people in her life. Amid a cast of well-developed characters, her stumbles and achievements keep readers rooting for her. With a lyrical yet straightforward voice and a layered plot, this novel will live on for more than a summer.—Melissa Rabey, Frederick County Public Libraries, Frederick, MD
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

While spending summer vacation with her family at her cousins’ fancy beach house in the Hamptons, Mia, 16, wants to join the popular crowd. Instead, she feels like the “frumpy relative”; in fact, even her own mother is a class snob who thinks Mia isn’t slim enough to be part of the “in” set. Then she bonds with gorgeous Simon, the boy next door, and they meet secretly at night on the beach, drink vodka, and skinny-dip in the wild ocean waves. The details about what the kids wear and their conversations about what is trendy overpower the story, especially because much of the fashion will date. But many teens will appreciate this first novel for how the dialogue not only captures the dynamics of Mia’s standoffs with her peers but also reveals her surprising discoveries about adults. Mia’s first-person narrative is right on about wanting to be “cool” (“I couldn’t help wishing I was more like them”) even as she despises much of what “they” stand for. Grades 8-12. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402238622
• ISBN-13: 978-1402238628
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #404,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summer of Skinny Dipping, May 19, 2010

By	Susan Ward "page turner" (Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Summer of Skinny Dipping (Paperback)

This book made me laugh and cry. The romance was very sweet and sad, and the book had so much more to it than the title reveals. It's not at all the kind of beach read you expect--it is entertaining and a page-turner and a romance, but it also has much more serious themes going on, woven into the book in an interesting way. As Mia discovers what first love is really about, she also figures out that her family (and even she herself) is not what they seem to be. So her summer is not just about falling in love but also about growing up and realizing that life is a lot more complicated when you grow older. The book has depth but it moves quickly and there is a lot of witty dialogue between Mia and her spoiled cousins and their friends in the Hamptons. But even the "mean girls" aren't stereotypes in the book and I like that the author shows even the privileged people to be real flesh-and-blood human beings with problems of their own. If you have read The Great Gatsby you will find many parallels in this novel and references to Fitzgerald's famous story of what it means to be an outsider among insiders, on the chichi coast of Long Island. Set during the recession, the Summer of Skinny Dipping is a modern update of those ideas, exploring what it means to be rich and struggling, and all the gaps that divide people from each other and get in the way of the ultimate American Dream--happiness. This is a great read for those who love romance and beach reads that also have some depth and realism to them. It is not steamy or slutty so it is perfect for tween and up, and also for women who like chick lit. After I read it I decided I had to order a copy for a good friend!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wildly Emotional, June 8, 2010

By	Cinnamon Brown "http://ajourneyofbooks.blogsp... (Washington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Summer of Skinny Dipping (Paperback)

THE SUMMER OF SKINNY DIPPING by Amanda Howells is another great summer romance following in the footsteps of 20 Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. If you could only take a handful of books with you to the beach, this is definitely one that I would choose to take.

This is a story of self discovery and learning to love who you are. Mia, our heroine, is struggling to get over her ex and reform some old familial ties. She's excited about getting to spend time with her family, but disappointed when she finds that the moodiness of her cousins threatens to destroy her vacation. In rides the knight in shining armor. Simon brings a light into Mia's life and over the course of the book we see him help Mia accept who she is. On the same note, Mia does her own bit of public service and helps Simon with his own personal demons as well.

There were many aspects of THE SUMMER OF SKINNY DIPPING that made it a wonderful read. The writing style was smooth and clear - great for reading with wild kids running around the beach. Some aspects of the story could have bogged down a bit, but the paced actually pretty good throughout. I loved how Ms. Howells was able to dig into some fairly deep topics while still keeping the general feel of the book from dipping into dark and depressing territory. Also, the fact that she included some of these darker aspects at all is testiment to the realism of this story and how well young adults should be able to relate to it.

Another great aspect of the book was the character development. Not only did Ms. Howells develop Mia beautifully, but she gave us some good insight into the other side characters in the story as well. Mia's family really comes to life, although not always in a good light. Reading this story is very much like sitting in the middle of someone's living room, watching the goings on of the people around you.

The best way I can describe the experience of THE SUMMER OF SKINNY DIPPING is an emotional rollercoaster; one you would ride again and again. Ms Howells has a great way of writing that really makes the reader feel like their skin is sunkissed; like they're slipping through the ocean waves.

I highly recommend this to any fans of Romance or YA. Fair warning though, tissues are definitely going to be required for this read as is the occasional punching bag.

3.0 out of 5 stars Coming of Age and self discovery, August 11, 2010

By	Candace Robinson "Candace" (Vancouver, Wa USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Summer of Skinny Dipping (Paperback)

Glancing over reviews I see most everyone else has said the same thing as I was planning on saying. This book is not the fluff you expect. Although at times it's carefree and fun it's really a coming of age story and self discovery. There's a lot of talk about feelings and being yourself, who you REALLY are and not just being who everyone else wants you to be. At times I was almost a little tired of all the talk but other times I just really felt a connection, like I really understood Mia and her thoughts and feelings.
I think any teenager can relate or understand this story in some way or another. Finding ourselves is something everyone goes through and trying to be true to ourselves isn't as easy as it sounds.


This book really brought me back to my teenage years and remembering. I never had a summer remotely like the one Mia had but yet I still connected with it.
I also loved that Simon was so different and so very much his own person, but yet had weaknesses of his own. He was a person that felt 'real'. Everyone in this book felt real, as a matter of fact, and they were all people we know in our own lives.
The author has skills with words (the paragraph in the description shows that quite well). Everything seemed to flow quite beautifully and it was quite easy to tear through this book. It was just a few slower parts that had me aching to get to more action, more conclusions to the issues at hand.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and it's one I think every teenage girl should read. There's references to drug use and sex but it's all real. What girls in the world have to deal with. And it shows the consequences to those poor choices in a way that flowed with the story.