One Paris Summer

by Denise Grover Swank Narrated by Amy McFadden

Overview

Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they're expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.



Sophie could deal with all the pain and humiliation if only she could practice piano. Her dream is to become a pianist, and she was supposed to spend the summer preparing for a scholarship competition. Even though her father moved to Paris to pursue his own dream, he clearly doesn't support hers. His promise to provide her with a piano goes unfulfilled.



Still, no one is immune to Paris's charm. After a few encounters with a gorgeous French boy, Sophie finds herself warming to the city, particularly when she discovers that he can help her practice piano. There's just one hitch-he's a friend of Camille's, and Camille hates Sophie.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/23/2016
Swank, author of the Rose Gardener Mystery series for adults, explores the complicated family dynamics that result from divorce. Sixteen-year-old Sophie, an aspiring pianist, and her 17-year-old brother, Eric, are a long way from forgiving their father for abandoning them to work in Paris, as well as recently remarrying. To make amends, he invites the siblings to spend the summer with him, wife Eva, and Camille, Eva's daughter, who is just as angry as Sophie and Eric are about her new family. Even the beauty of Paris isn't enough to smooth over Sophie's deep feelings of hurt toward her father, while Camille's antagonism robs Sophie of enjoying the sights and making potential new friends. Writing from Sophie's point of view, Swank handles the teen's powerful and sometimes conflicting feelings with insight and sensitivity. When tensions ease, Sophie is eventually able to open up to Paris, her father, and Mathieu, a handsome boy who invites her to practice piano at his family's apartment, in this family drama about forgiveness and starting fresh. Ages 13–up. (June)

From the Publisher

Swank, author of the Rose Gardener Mystery series for adults, explores the complicated family dynamics that result from divorce. Sixteen-year-old Sophie, an aspiring pianist, and her 17-year-old brother, Eric, are a long way from forgiving their father for abandoning them to work in Paris, as well as recently remarrying. To make amends, he invites the siblings to spend the summer with him, wife Eva, and Camille, Eva's daughter, who is just as angry as Sophie and Eric are about her new family. Even the beauty of Paris isn't enough to smooth over Sophie's deep feelings of hurt toward her father, while Camille's antagonism robs Sophie of enjoying the sights and making potential new friends. Writing from Sophie's point of view, Swank handles the teen's powerful and sometimes conflicting feelings with insight and sensitivity. When tensions ease, Sophie is eventually able to open up to Paris, her father, and Mathieu, a handsome boy who invites her to practice piano at his family's apartment, in this family drama about forgiveness and starting fresh.--Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal

07/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—A summer in Paris should be a dream come true for talented pianist Sophie, but the circumstances of her sudden trip don't leave her with much hope for a good time. Her father, who left the family behind for a great job opportunity, is getting remarried. Sophie planned to spend the summer practicing for an important audition—but her father doesn't even have a piano. When she and her brother, Eric, arrive, they discover that they'll be spending most of their time with their new stepsister Camille, who seems about as excited as they are about this development—in fact, she's outright angry. The addition to the group of Dane, Eric's friend from home, and Camille's Parisian friends adds plenty of opportunities for drama and romance. They all have two months to get to know one another, and for a while it doesn't seem as though it will ever happen. One of Camille's friends offers Sophie real friendship and access to a piano, and things finally start to look up. But as romance starts to bloom, it becomes clear not everyone is being entirely truthful. Sophie could lose both a friend and her chance to practice for her auditions. This is a fun, light novel with relatable characters that will resonate with high school readers also struggling with romantic disappointment, difficult parents, and the stress of college exams and auditions. VERDICT A great summer read that will appeal to fans of Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss.—Sarah Jones, Clinton-Macomb Public Library, MI

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170718405
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/07/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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