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A review by mysakaeda
Girls of July by Alex Flinn
3.0
This is was a solid contemporary for me. It didn't blow me out of the park, but I also didn't hate it.
I am generally a sucker for summer novels anyways so this may have something to do with my enjoyment of the book. I love stories about friendship and first loves and I especially love them when they're during the summer. This book took a good hit at all of these things. We follow 4 different girls all dealing with different things who happen to be at the same place during the summer. Some of these characters felt a little flat compared to her counterparts, but they were enjoyable overall. The girls start off despising each other and by the end of the book are BFFs. Predictable, simple, and yet it still felt like it was missing something. Normally these types of books are very character driven. You FEEL with the characters. There doesn't need to be a high stakes plot involved as long as the characters are well developed. I think that is where this book lacked. The characters were a little relateable, but I didn't really connect with any of them. They first time they fell in love felt instant and not well thought out (and I understand that as a teenager it is much easier to fall in love than when they get older). The romance went up and down and then up again and then they were happy at the end as if nothing bad happened at all. It didn't feel real. Their fears didn't really seem big. They were concerned about their families or going to college or doing something great with their lives, and yet it all felt like a joke in some way. I also had a difficult time telling who was who towards the end which made the story less enjoyable overall.
I think the story was a saving grace. While predictable and easy to follow (nothing new), there is always something special about summertime and contemporaries that I am a sucker for. I don't know if its the late nights or the bonfires or the stars and camping or the lake and wilderness or friendships. But there is something I love about a summer story. And that is what kept me going forward. I liked the development of the friendships. I liked the Grandmother's story and how it was intertwined.
Overall, it was a decent read. Nothing specatacular and nothing truly despicable.
I am generally a sucker for summer novels anyways so this may have something to do with my enjoyment of the book. I love stories about friendship and first loves and I especially love them when they're during the summer. This book took a good hit at all of these things. We follow 4 different girls all dealing with different things who happen to be at the same place during the summer. Some of these characters felt a little flat compared to her counterparts, but they were enjoyable overall. The girls start off despising each other and by the end of the book are BFFs. Predictable, simple, and yet it still felt like it was missing something. Normally these types of books are very character driven. You FEEL with the characters. There doesn't need to be a high stakes plot involved as long as the characters are well developed. I think that is where this book lacked. The characters were a little relateable, but I didn't really connect with any of them. They first time they fell in love felt instant and not well thought out (and I understand that as a teenager it is much easier to fall in love than when they get older). The romance went up and down and then up again and then they were happy at the end as if nothing bad happened at all. It didn't feel real. Their fears didn't really seem big. They were concerned about their families or going to college or doing something great with their lives, and yet it all felt like a joke in some way. I also had a difficult time telling who was who towards the end which made the story less enjoyable overall.
I think the story was a saving grace. While predictable and easy to follow (nothing new), there is always something special about summertime and contemporaries that I am a sucker for. I don't know if its the late nights or the bonfires or the stars and camping or the lake and wilderness or friendships. But there is something I love about a summer story. And that is what kept me going forward. I liked the development of the friendships. I liked the Grandmother's story and how it was intertwined.
Overall, it was a decent read. Nothing specatacular and nothing truly despicable.