The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls

April 23, 2018
Spotswood (the Cahill Witch Chronicles) provides four stories about conventional and unconventional relationships in one contemporary problem novel featuring four teenage sisters with distinct personalities and different sets of problems. Oldest sibling Des is tired of always being the responsible one and is ready for a radical change. Valedictorian Bea is having doubts about her plan to attend Georgetown the next year with her longtime boyfriend. Budding actress Kat is hatching a scheme to make her ex-boyfriend jealous by “fake dating” a bisexual friend. Youngest sister Vi has developed a crush on a girl she’s known most of her life, but is hesitant to act on her feelings. During the course of the summer, while the girls spend their spare hours working at the family bookstore, they hide secrets, make some serious mistakes in judgment, and form decisions that will change the courses of their lives. If tolerance and forgiveness at times come too readily here, the book, which is told from the girls’ alternating points of view, does present a variety of situations and outcomes, providing a little something for everyone. Forward thinkers will embrace the book’s strong feminist message, while romantics will relish the all’s-well-that-ends-well conclusion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

June 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-This is the last summer that the four Garrett sisters will be together before they head into adulthood. The sisters must balance their personal wants, the obligations of family expectations, and the responsibilities that come with the illness of their grandmother. Kat is dealing with ex-boyfriend drama and starring in a play with said ex's new girlfriend. Bea and her longtime boyfriend are heading to college together, but she isn't sure if that's what she wants anymore. Vi has a crush on the girl next door who already has a boyfriend. Des is trying to decide between her dreams and the responsibility she has for her family. The narration switches among the sisters and follows the different perspectives of the same events. The characters are dynamic, each with her own coming-of-age issues and changing viewpoints. Because there are four story lines unfolding at the same time, there can be a lot of background information thrown into the narration-usually just stated and crudely established in a way that can be distracting. Sometimes the voices of the sisters are difficult to discern from one another. VERDICT A coming-of-age/love story that will appeal to realistic fiction and romance fans; an additional purchase.-Jenifer Pickens, Holmes Middle School, Alexandria, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2018
Secrets simmer in the summer heat in Spotswood's (The Radical Element, 2018, etc.) beach read.The four redheaded Garrett girls are the well-known orphans of Remington Hollow, Maryland. In a town so small that everyone knows everyone, struggles are kept hidden below the surface. Nineteen-year-old eldest sister Des feels left behind, struggling with self-imposed obligations to care for her younger siblings and the family legacy. Next in line is Bea, 18, who has just graduated from high school and realizes that the life she planned for herself is no longer the life she wants. Rising junior Kat has a flare for the dramatic but begins to learn that a life lived authentically might be more fulfilling. Youngest sister Vi, 15, has been living as an out lesbian but hopes this summer may bring the young love she has yet to experience outside of her YA romances--especially when she develops a crush on beautiful Latina Cece. Narrative focus shifts between chapters to highlight the perspectives of individual sisters, with notes of Little Women and a dash of Gilmore Girls. Frequent references to contemporary young adult literature, especially in bookish Vi's chapters, require an audience steeped in the genre, while references to current pop culture limit the time range of the appeal. Though the characters are endearing and the plot entertaining, the fleeting trendiness makes this a one-summer wonder.Enjoy it while it's fresh. (Romance. 14-18)

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June 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 After their parents died, the four Garrett sisters learned to rely on one another. Mostly, they rely on the oldest, Des: she's the responsible one who's going to take over their grandmother's bookstore one day, the one who's never going to leave Remington Hollow. Bea is definitely leaving, though; at the end of this summer, she and her longtime boyfriend, Erik, are heading off to Georgetown together. But Bea's anxiety is worsening, and she's not sure what she wants anymore. Sharp-tongued Kat, meanwhile, lands the lead in the summer musical, but she was just cheated on, and her revenge is where the real drama is. And finally, bookish Vi, the baby, is comfortable being gay, but she's totally nervous to actually talk to Cece, the girl next door. One summer can change everything, and even sisters as close as these have a lot to learn about one another. Told in alternating perspectives, this is a character study steeped in summer nostalgia and small-town life. Guaranteed to tug the heartstrings of teens familiar with crossroads.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)