Manhattan Book Review
The past year has been rather challenging for Summer, and she’s hoping that her new summer job as a nanny for a family vacationing in Belize will be just what she needs to get her mind back on track before college starts. Summer’s charge, Joshie, is wonderful, and she gets along great with her employers. Unfortunately, she can’t say the same for their older son, spoiled party-boy Bray. At the urging of his parents, Bray agrees to take Summer out as part of a tourist dive group, but things go horribly wrong. The two ended up stranded on a seemingly-deserted island, and as they learn to rely on one another for survival, they each discover that there is more to the other than first thought. Heather Burch’s novel Summer By Summer is a new take on a classic survivor story. Despite its lackluster beginning–the animosity between Summer and Bray comes across as forced and without any real motivation–this book develops into a sweet romance without ignoring the overarching survival story. While the book could benefit from a little more time developing the characters and the scenario before the storm, most of the book is very well-written, and readers will find themselves quickly locked in a page-turner.
Hypable
Summer by Summer by Heather Burch is a fast-paced book that you’ll have no trouble devouring while hanging out on the beach just a few steps from the ocean. The tension between Summer and Bray picks up within the first few chapters, and you immediately get a feel for both of them. They each have their flaws, but they also each have their own compelling reasons for why they act the way they do. The heart of the story is revealed when the pair find themselves on the deserted island. Bray and Summer discover that the other is more than what meets the eye, and it is this tangible push-and-pull relationship that will have you flipping pages faster than you thought possible. The opening of the book is actually a snippet of the ending, and that uncertain moment will be in the back of your mind throughout the entire novel, giving you yet another reason to fly through the pages. The chemistry in Summer by Summer is the true highlight of the book, and it is both undeniable and natural. As stereotypes are broken down and cast out to sea, you’ll fall in love with both characters as they fall in love with each other.
School Library Journal
06/01/2015
Gr 7–10—A fairly typical summer romance. Girl (Summer) goes to Belize for the summer as a nanny, clashes with her charge's popular teen brother (Bray), things go awry, and the two end up shipwrecked. What happens next is predictable, which doesn't necessarily discount this from being a good beach read. Where this book goes astray, unfortunately, is in the unnecessary physical transformation of Summer. At the start of the book, she fits a certain conservative modest teen girl stereotype—long floral dresses, mousy brown hair. Within a few chapters she's been given a complete makeover—highlighted hair, cutoffs, tank tops. Among the intended audience, the message that an instant makeover will get the guy might not float so well. Despite being full of YA tropes, it is a readable novel. VERDICT Purchase where Christian romance flies off the shelves.—Sarah Jones, Clinton-Macomb Public Library, MI
