Sometime in Summer
Series: None
Author: Katrina Leno
Published June 28th 2022 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
From critically acclaimed author Katrina Leno comes a tender love letter to books and summertime, with a touch of magic.

Anna Lucia Bell believes in luck: bad luck. Bad luck made her best friend stop talking to her. Bad luck caused her parents’ divorce. Bad luck is forcing her mother, Miriam, to sell the family’s beloved bookstore. And it is definitely bad luck that Anna seems to be the only person in the world Miriam is unable to recommend a life-changing book.

When Anna finds out that she and her mom are spending two months in a New England seaside town called Rockport, she expects a summer plagued with bad luck too. But Rockport has surprises in store for Anna, including a comet making its first appearance in over twenty years and two new—but familiar—friends.

In what will prove to be the most important summer of her life so far, Anna learns about love, herself, and the magic that an ordinary summer can bring.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Finding out that your parents are getting divorced is one thing, but when your mother announces that the family book store is being sold, and you're going away to the East Coast for 2 months during summer, is not the best way to start your birthday. Anna has always believed in luck, and though that 13 was the worst year, but from the get go on her fourteenth birthday, she thinks she's in for worse. But arriving in Rockport hasn't been too bad, nor has making friends with Emmy and Beck either. However, not all is as it appears, and the comet flying overhead may not be the only magical element to her summer.

When I requested this book, I thought it would be a nice summer read, and didn't really expect much more. Well, I was in for a shock. Sometime in Summer was such a quick read, and from the minute we meet Anna, it's clear that she's someone you can't help but like. Okay, she holds grudges a little, but you want to know about her, and learn the truth about what's happening. She can't believe her parents have separated, and are getting divorced, and wishes that they could love each other forever. But wishing on her moonstone ring, under the comet, may have released some magic, and she finds summer is not what she expected at all. I really liked her growth across the book, as she realises that what she might want, is not what everyone else does, and though she sees some situations in one way, it's not always black and white. I guessed the truth behind the 'mystery' quite early on, but it was still enjoyable, and this is a book I can definitely see teens loving this summer! All in all, a really decent YA contemporary read.

Dates Read:
June 3-4, 2022

Rating
4 Stars