Fifteenth Summer

Starred review from April 1, 2013
This sweet, realistic tale of a girl's first love proves that young romance fans don't need vampires, werewolves or other assorted immortals to enjoy a book about love in their age group. Chelsea has mixed feelings about spending the family vacation in her family's pretty little cottage near the shore of Lake Michigan. Granly--her grandmother--passed away the previous winter, and Chelsea misses her. She sets off to find a book in the nearby little town and meets Josh, who works at the bookstore. Dalton's sensitive writing makes it clear that both teens experience immediate attraction to one another, but their natural insecurity in their first romance makes each doubt that the other feels the same. Chelsea looks to her older, more experienced sisters for advice, while Josh simply yields to temptation and plants a sudden kiss on Chelsea. With their intentions declared, Chelsea takes a job as a waitress next door to Josh's bookstore, where the drama continues. The completely believable and likable characters, the small town and its often-quirky inhabitants, the waitressing job and, especially, the up-and-down relationship between Chelsea and Josh come across with such realism that readers will recognize these characters as actual people like themselves. Drawn with keen emotional insight, this lovely little novel comes as a warm breeze in the current storm of paranormal romantic fiction. It's just good writing, and good writing always works. (Romance. 12 & up)

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August 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-A story about families, hope, change, and growth. Every summer, Chelsea and her family leave LA for Bluepointe, a charming little town along Lake Michigan, to visit her grandmother. But this year is different, as Granly died recently. As the family settles into her cottage without her, they all try to come to terms with their loss, participating in old traditions and making new ones. However, moving on is only part of what this story is really about. Having destroyed her e-reader, Chelsea makes her way into a new bookstore and meets Josh. He seems perfect-cute, clean cut, and a genuinely nice guy, not to mention that he seems interested in her as well. As the teens get to know one another over the summer, they become inseparable. At season's end, Chelsea reflects, "Josh was my first love. Even if I never saw him again, that-he-would always be a part of me." Chelsea's family members are very supportive of one another, and readers can almost feel their love for one another radiating off the pages in this book. This is a perfect choice that leaves readers feeling happy and hopeful.-Jesten Ray, Seattle Public Library, WA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 Fifteen-year-old Chelsea and her family have always spent summers on Lake Michigan, and this summer is no differentexcept Granly is no longer there. The summer's goal is to go through all her things and ready the house to sell. But day trips and traditions always seem to take precedent, especially for Chelsea, who has a new summer job waiting tables and is falling in love with Josh, whose family runs the local bookstore. It's a sweet, authentic teen romance. Chelsea and Josh have just the right amount of insecurity during their early encounters, and Chelsea's sisters provide just the right amount of harassment and support. The family is a loving one, poignantly learning the lesson that life goes on, perhaps bittersweet and more treasured, but reassuringly so.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)