Rating: 
Summary: One of Ms. Dessen's best
Review: "It's funny how one summer can change everything." Thus begins That Summer, the debut novel of remarkable author Sarah Dessen. With those first few words you are instantly pulled into the chaotic world of Dessen's gangly fifteen-year-old protagonist, Haven, whose summer revolves around two weddings: her father's, to the pulchritudinous local weather girl; and her sister Ashley's, to reliable-but-dull Lewis Warsher. The former wedding is something Haven is struggling to come to terms with. The latter she is flat-out dreading. Add to this the fact that her recently divorced mother's life is seemingly being taken over by her new bosom buddy, Lydia; and on top of it all Haven has to work a thoroughly hateable job at a children's shoe store.
Enter (or rather re-enter) Sumner Lee. Sumner is an ex-boyfriend of Ashley's whom Haven has clearly always idolized. It's not too hard to see why - he is a loveably idiosyncratic, wonderfully written character. Haven always associates him with a beloved summer several years past (hence the title) when he accompanied her then-undivorced family on a trip to Virginia Beach, and when he re-enters her life this year, on a break from college, she naturally sees it as a sign. She wonders if there is some way she can get Sumner back together with Ashley, certain that as long as he is around everything will be all right.
I don't want to give away too much more of the plot, because this one simply must be read. It is well worth purchasing sight unseen, because once the reader gets into it they will never want to put it down. In my opinion this is possibly the best of Dessen's six novels (I say "possibly" because 2002's "This Lullaby" certainly gives it a good run for the money). That Summer is endearing, charming, moving, sad, and funny all at once -- no mean feat.
Rating:
Summary: What A Great Summer Book!
Review: "That Summer" by Sarah Dessen is a great book. It is about a 15 year old girl named Haven who is facing a whole lot of problems--her height (She is almost 6 feet tall), her father getting married, AND her sister getting married also, to a boring Lewis Warsher, who just makes her sister Ashley seem as boring as him. Her frind Casey also returns from summer camp as a different person that Haven has to get to know all over again. Nothing seems to be going right for her until one of Ashley's old boyfriends name Sumner, who made a lot more sense as Ashley's boyfriend then Lewis does, shows up again. He shows her that everything isn't as bad as it seems, and makes her feel better about her summer. This book is a good read that you will probably be able to finish in 3 days, tops. It is so good that you won't want to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: "That Summer"- B/R
Review: "That Summer" was about a girl named Haven. Haven is a fifteen-year-old who is going through a lot of bad changes in her life. Her life is very similar to other teenagers lives in our world today. She would always get picked on at school because of how tall and thin she was. Also, the changes she was going through seemed pretty sad. She was dealing with her parents getting a divorce and her father re-marrying and her sister getting married for the first time. It was summer time for her, and there was two weddings going on. One of the weddings was for her father and Lorna Queen, and ther other was for her sister and Lewis Warsher. She wasn't all that happy. I truly enjoyed reading this book by Sarah Dessen. I loved it so much because it was hilarious. Well, it was not only hilarious, but the story was also sad, very heart warming, and also sweet as well. Reading this book has reminded me a lot about the character Mia Thermopolis from "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot. The way that she was getting picked on at school because of how weird she looked was exactly what was happening to Mia. I really like reading books about teenagers lives. I like to see what happens and what they go through. That's why i enjoyed reading this book. My favorite part in this book would be in chapter eleven. In chapter eleven, they are apparently only three days away from her sister Ashley's wedding. She talks about how everyone was kind of stressing themselves out, and how they were trying to get everything done before the wedding. The funny part was when she was describing how her father looked when he and his new wife, Lorna came back from the Bahamas. She said,"My father came back with even more hair, a sunburn,..." I always love reading the funny parts. It reminded me of my grandpa. He barely had any hair. That was one good laugh!
Rating:
Summary: What A Great Summer Book!
Review: "That Summer" by Sarah Dessen is a great book. It is about a 15 year old girl named Haven who is facing a whole lot of problems--her height (She is almost 6 feet tall), her father getting married, AND her sister getting married also, to a boring Lewis Warsher, who just makes her sister Ashley seem as boring as him. Her frind Casey also returns from summer camp as a different person that Haven has to get to know all over again. Nothing seems to be going right for her until one of Ashley's old boyfriends name Sumner, who made a lot more sense as Ashley's boyfriend then Lewis does, shows up again. He shows her that everything isn't as bad as it seems, and makes her feel better about her summer. This book is a good read that you will probably be able to finish in 3 days, tops. It is so good that you won't want to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: That Summer
Review: "That Summer" entails Havens heartwarming memories of the past summers, with her sisters boyfriends, and parents marriage problems, along with her own hopes,thoughts, and dreams for her life still waiting to unfold in front of her. as haven stumbles across the summer she encounters confrontations with Sumner, her sisters old boyfriend, Gwendoly Rodgers, the town celebrity model, and "the weather pet" her dads new wife. Dessen describes perfectly the feelings of a 15 year old girl, and the summer feelings that every one enjoys as they think back to the summer when life really began.
Rating:
Summary: Sarah's biggest fan raves about her great book
Review: "That Summer" is by far the best book I have ever read. I couldn't find a book as wonderful before I read it and I haven't found one since. Sarah Dessen writes with such insight and humor and description, all used to the right degree in the right places. Haven and Sumner and Casey and Lewis and even Ashley are such lovable characters that I wish I knew them. "That Summer" is definitely worth reading once or twice. Or a hundred times. The more times I read it, the more I love it. Definitely a worthwhile read.
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: This is a marvelous book!
Review: THAT SUMMER is the debut novel from Sarah Dessen, whose writing and insight bely her age -- she is in her mid-20s. It is the story of one summer in the life of 15-year-old Haven, a summer bracketed by two weddings -- her sportscaster father's to Lorna Queen, his TV station's "Weather Pet," and her sister Ashley's to dull Lewis Warsher. Faced with such dramatic change, Haven can only wish it was five summers ago, before her parents' divorce, when Ashley was dating Summer Lee. Summer transformed the day-to-day for their whole family, and when he suddenly reappears in Haven's life, she has to come to terms with the difference between memory and truth.
THAT SUMMER is an ideal book for fans of Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, and -- of course! -- teenaged girls. "Haven is the most honest and lovable character to observe the makings of a wedding since Carson McCullers's Frankie in THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING." -- Jill McCorkle
"This first novel is written with such easy grace that you want to quote sentence after sentence. Haven's funny, desperate voice draws you into every scene." -- Booklist, starred review
"First-time author Dessen adds a fresh twist to a traditional sister-of-the-bride story with her keenly observant narrative full of witty ironies. Her combination of unforgettable characters and unexpected events generates hilarity as well as warmth." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review Puffin will be publishing the paperback edition of THAT SUMMER in (fittingly) Summer 1998.
Rating:
Summary: A Look at the Past and the Present
Review: Dessen's novel, That Summer, is most likely referring not to the summer 15 year-old Haven is now in the middle of, but a summer that has already passed her by and now remains a fond memory. That summer, the one she fondly reminisces of, was filled with the happy sort of memories that make the present seem bland and melancholy in comparison. Her sister, Ashley, was dating Sumner Lee, a ruggedly handsome boy who has held a special place in Haven's heart, even though their relationship has long been over with. When Haven begins seeing him around the neighborhood and at the mall, however, old, happy memories come to mind. Now, Ashley is a bride-to-be. Her groom, Lewis, is boring and not the brother-in-law Haven wants. The summer that past also was a time when she, Ashley, her mother, and her father were a happy family, a family that was sticking together and had a seemingly bright future ahead. Too bad things didn't stay that way. As Haven's present summer goes on, she finds out why Ashley and Sumner split. She deals with her father's marriage to The Weather Pet, the young, blonde bombshell who is replacing her mother. And she also comes to the realization that people aren't always who you think and want them to be. Ashley's relationship with Lewis makes her feel secure because she knows he'll never hurt her. Haven's ways of dealing with the unpleasant is focusing on the past. Although this is not a favorite of mine, Dessen is one of my favorite authors. I have yet to dislike any of her books. Haven, the protagonist, no longer lives in a perfect world. As she deals with the awkwardness of puberty, along with other awakenings, readers come to understand that more and more. What Dessen does successfully is create a likeable and believable character who many will be able to relate with, making this YA novel a worthwhile and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: greater than the sum of its parts
Review: Dessen's plot performs a rare and elegant twist of surprise at the end that forces you re-evaluate all that you have read up until that point. It thus becomes greater than the sum of its parts, an uncommon quality in a young adult novel.
| 
