That Summer

Rating:
Summary: Hm...a little disappointing
Review: though i am a fan of dessen, this book really disappointed me. i read this right after 'someone like you' and it doesn't even compare. in this book, haven's character is poorly developed. you never really get to know anything about her besides that she gets angry at the world. dessen's usual strong maincharacters did not appear in this book as we learn that haven acts as a doormat for most of her life, going along with things she doesn't believe in without a peep. when i read other people's 5 star reviews of the book i am definetly surprised and wonder whether they were fully conscience while reading.

Rating:
Summary: Teenagers will enjoy listening to this story
Review: What teenager hasn't felt ill-at-ease in his or her own skin? Haven is one of many, but in addition to a spurt of growth that brings her to almost 6 feet at the age of 15, she's facing her father's wedding to a mini celebrity from the local TV station and her sister's upcoming nuptials to a really dull fellow.

Mia Barron's reading of this story of teenage angst and recovery is pitch perfect from the family arguments to the mayhem at a mall where Haven works to shared confidences with her sister, Ashley.

When Haven's life is turned upside down by all the changes to her physical appearance and within her family she remembers what she believes to have been a perfect summer - the vacation when her parents were together and Ashley dated Sumner Lee, a really likeable, charismatic boy.

Memories aren't all Haven has because Sumner turns up once more. Listeners will find out what this means, and may very well be surprised.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This was the first book I have read by Dessen and I will certainly be reading more of her books. I loved the wit of Haven, a fifteen year old with a less than perfect life. Her strong personality really got me hooked. It was not Brady Bunch with perfect solutions to everything. She certainly had some conflicts but it was not depressing at all and it did not bring me down like some books can do. The way the tough situations were handled was almost inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: That Summer was a GREAT book!!!
Review: That Summer was a great book beacause it tells the story of a girl's life. Haven is the girl in the book, is very tall and is self-concious about her height. She has a 21 year old sister named Ashley who is very short. Ashley is engaged to a man named Louis who is VERY boring. The book got it name becuse it tells about the summer Haven spent at the beach when she was eight with Ashley and one of Ashley's many boyfriends over the years, Sumner. It also tells about Haven's bestfriend Casey who went to camp very timid and came back smoking, drinking, and doing other crazy stuff. This book is mostly about Haven's life and what she thinks and what she thinks about her life and I recomend it to anyone who likes stories that could acctually happen in real life.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for you
Review: I just got done reading the book 'That Summer'. This book is about a teenage girl named Haven. She goes through many good times and upsetting times. This book is a very gook book to read if you like to read teen issues. I would like to recomend this book to girls, because the main character is a girl. Many of the things that Haven goes through girs would be able to relate to, and the boys would probably think that it is boring. If you have an older sister that you fight with a lot, but deep down inside you know that you love her, this would be a perfect book for you. Haven and her sister fight quite a bit, but when it comes down to the times when they need each other the most,they're there for each other. If you're looking for a good book take my advice and read 'That Summer'.

Rating:
Summary: Oh!!!!!!!
Review: Have you ever had that feeling after reading a book where you can not stop thinking about it? Well I just finsihed this book a few minuted ago and the many well thought out themes that Sarah Dessen inserts in this book are still running through my mind. That Summer is my current favorite book, and I have read a lot of books!
What is it about? A fifteen year old girl, unique, as all people are, but I still found myself relating to her completely. She is tall and skinny, feeling as if she is a giant and different in the crowd. Everything is changing. Her father is getting remarried to the weather pet, her sister is engaged and is soon to move out, and her mother is sad and lonely. I do not want to It was like the words she was saying were the words I wanted to say but couldn't express.
Who would I reccomed this to? Well, I know whenever you have read a realy good book you say anybody, and I know everyone has their own opinions. Teenager could relate to this novel the most, Sarah Dessen is such a beautiful writer. Please read this book, I loved it, and I hope you will too!

Rating:
Summary: That Summer Review
Review: My friends had always told me that this was a wonderful book that I must read. It sat on my bookshelfs for months until I finally decided that I needed to read this book. I read it in 2 days! I didn't really understand the hesitation I had against this book. Maybe it was because I myself had gone through a first love that I will never forget. My favorite part of the book was the last sentence. If you have not read "That Summer" I highly recommend it and other Sarah Dessen books. I also think this book will mean more to the reader if you read it when you are in middle school or just entering high school. The plot and the characters will become more real if you read it this way. I hope my review was helpful and just give the book a try, you might be happilly supraised!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent first novel by a very talented writer
Review: Essentially this book is focused on two weddings: the remarriage of Haven's father to a woman young enough to be Haven's sister, and Ashley's, Haven's older sister, marriage to a boy Haven doesn't like all that much. Haven instead keeps remembering Sumner, a boy Ashley had gone out with a few years ago before she broke up with him. For Haven, Sumner represented a time when her family was still happy and together and when Ashley treated Haven like a sister, rather than a stranger. When Sumner shows up again the summer of the two weddings, Haven hopes he can make it like it was the other summer. By the end of the book, however, she realizes that not everything is exactly how you remember it.
I did like this book. While not as good as Dreamland, it's still an excellent story. However, there do seem to be too many things it is trying to focus on. The weddings and the summer at Virginia Beach with Sumner are the main plot points, but there's also the best friend who's changed over the summer, the job Haven has that she hates, and Gwendolyn Rogers, the model who has a breakdown. Really, the job doesn't do anything for the story and I still haven't totally figured out why they spent quite a lot of pages on the Lakeview models and Gwendolyn. Haven and Gwendolyn both share being tall and having men betray them, but there's no other reason for her to be in the book as much as she is.
One thing I have discovered about Sarah Dessen as a writer, is her tendency to put men in unfavorable light. In this book alone, five women are betrayed by men they loved or thought they had loved. She does that in her other books too, though not to the extent she does in this one. I do find that odd because, at first glance, you might think that has nothing to do with the story.
Still, despite the flaws, this is a fabulously written novel with an unusual concept and storyline. Not her best, but also not one to be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: A summer of growing up
Review: 15 year old Haven's world is changing, beyond her control. Not only is she worried about her gangly height, her sister is getting married to a bore, as is her father.

Over the summer Haven meets up with her sister's first boyfriend, and all the memories of that relationship and how she felt about her life then when things were so much easier come flooding back.

This is a heart warming story of a young woman growing up and seeing the world as it really is, instead of in an idealistic way.

Rating:
Summary: A Book Of Insperations
Review: That Summer is just a amazing book, one that you remember for the rest of your life. Its about growing up on the inside and outside. In short Sarah Dessen writes a compelling book that brings a much needed freah breeze to the teen literary world. Buy This Book!!