The Summer My Life Began
Publication: May 10th, 2012
Pages: 250
Author: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Publisher: Speak
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository
A great summer beach read filled with sunshine, cooking, and—of course—romance!
Elizabeth Margaret–better known as Em–has always known what her life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard, and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is, it’s not what she wants. So when she gets the opportunity to get away and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em learns that her family has some pretty significant secrets. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn’t. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels that for the first time ever, she is really living life on her own terms.
The island setting and cute summer romance make this book the perfect beach read. A novel about learning to accept who you are and taking a stand for yourself, The Summer My Life Began tells the story of Elizabeth Margaret, a girl who seems to live the perfect life. She comes from an affluent family, she knows her future, and she is Harvard bound. However, Em feels that something is missing, and it’s obvious to the reader. She has the perfect life, but she has no real life. She doesn’t enjoy what she does, and she has to hide her cooking hobby from her family.
Em’s life begins when she receives an invitation from an aunt she never knew she had to join said aunt at her island resort. There, Em explores summer romance and her innate cooking talent, and she learns the truth behind Aunt Tilly’s estrangement from her family. As I mentioned before, this is a cute summer read. Nothing really stood out to me. It’s the typical chick flick and seems targeted towards a younger audience, as the novel is short and the lack of complex plot twists. Note that while a party with alcohol is mentioned, Em and Gwenny’s father warns them away from such dangerous behavior, and they listen to him.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, and I was definitely rooting for Cade–my favorite character besides Em’s awesome Aunt Tilly. It’s the perfect read for a summer getaway when you don’t want to work your brain.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Crystal says
@Bookworm1858: Me too. Same here. I like books with deeper plots, which is why I recommend this for light reading.
@Nerd Girls: Thanks!
@Julie: It is perfect for a lazy summer day!
Julie says
This sounds like a fun read for a lazy summer day. 😀 The cover's a bit plain, but I'm gonna check this one out. Great review.
Anonymous says
Sounds like a good summer read! Great review 🙂
Jenny
Bookworm1858 says
This book ended up being too slight for me. While the cover and title scream summer, I like a little bit more to my story to be fully invested in the book.