I'd read one of Cecilia's books before, Seven Days Of You, and while it was alright I wasn't the biggest fan. But, as I felt it was just the storyline/setting and not the writing style that was putting me off I thought I'd try out her next novel The Summer Of Us*. Lucky I did as I really enjoyed it!
Aubrey and Rae have been planning their trip around Europe practically from the moment they became BFFs in primary school. And, now, it ought to be the perfect way to spend their last summer together before university.
But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. There's Jonah, Aubrey's seemingly perfect boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, the boy Aubrey may have accidentally kissed. And there's Clara, the friend Rae is crushing on, hard, even though there's no hope because Clara is definitely into guys, not girls.
Five friends. Ten days. Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Barcelona. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be happening love story, or two ... because how could there not be?
Europe and YA together create rather predictable storylines but hey ho this wasn't too bad. While you could guess how the book would end, the middle wasn't as easy to predict and parts were actually surprising to me. I enjoyed most of the interactions between the five friends, however, Rae and Aubrey's relationship mostly just irritated me. There were a few select moments where their relationship was actually a nice proper friendship but for most of the book, I felt they were really snippy with each other and not at all best friends. Oh and yes for the gayness, even though it felt a little awkward.
The thing I loved about this book is the trip they took. I can imagine if I still lived in England I might have gone on an interrailing trip after I finished High School like these guys. Imagine simply taking a train to different places all over Europe in a few weeks. That's not something that's easy now in New Zealand! I know things like this is possible but the fact that Aubrey and Gabe went on a day trip to Rome. A day trip to Rome??? I'd like to visit Rome one day, and books like these take you there for a short moment as they suck you in.
If you like fluffy YA and can deal with teenagers being a little bit dramatic then I totally recommend picking this up. Also be prepared to slightly have mini heart attacks every time a 17/18-year-old goes wandering alone around a foreign country where they can't speak the language... cuz I did that frequently!
*Received as a review copy, however, all opinions are my own.
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