Review: Sixteenth Summer

Paperback, 283 pages

Published May 3rd 2011 

Simon Pulse

ISBN: 1442423447 (ISBN13: 9781442423442)

Rating: 4 Stars 

Summary
 Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love. But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking….

 

  Let's describe this novel in one word, shall we?
Adorable.

“A perfect person is easy to love. But when somebody likes all your imperfections, well, that's when you know they really mean it.”

They fell hard, fast and deep. Their love was a rude awakening as far as first loves go. They fell in love in a sweet paradise. It was the whole like at first sight scene. They saw each other at the beach, locked eyes and it just went downhill from there. She was from the beach and he was from...well he was from New York.
I don't know how to describe this book really, other than sweet. It was a cute, light fun read with an ending that you'd have to be crazy to like. But you know it's going to end that way. A disaster of a first love. A beautiful, perfect disaster that you wouldn't trade for the world.
They fell in love between candy and ice cream, Valentines Day and the Fourth of July, the city and the beach. They knew more about each other than they did themselves. They hunted crab and fish and went to The Swamp. 

“I love you,” he said. He almost yelled it. “And I know that sounds crazy. That’s what you say at the beginning of something, not when it’s almost reached its end. But – I don’t care. I just want to be with you. Maybe it’ll only be for these next few weeks. Maybe it’ll be forever. We can’t know what’ll happen, Anna. All I know is I love you and…we should be together. We just have to be together. We need to be together.” 

I loved it. I devoured it. It was sweet.
But, of course, summer had to end. Eventually. And with it brings heart break.
The only thing I would change is have more of a hook in the beginning. 

   -Jackie