The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Title: The Summer of Skinny Dipping

thor: Amanda Howells

Series: No

Published: June 1, 2010

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 324

ISBN: 9781402238628

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Description: After getting dumped by her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Mia Gordon is looking forward to spending a relaxing summer in the Hamptons with her glamorous cousins. But when she arrives, her cousins are distant, moody, and caught up with a fast crowd. Mia finds herself lonelier than ever. That's when she meets her next-door-neighbor, Simon Ross. Simon isn't like the snobby party boys her cousins seem obsessed with; he's funny, artistic, and utterly adventurous. And from the very first time he encourages Mia to go skinny-dipping, she's caught up in a current impossible to resist. Timeless in feel, The Summer of Skinny-Dipping is a poignant, literary read sure to dazzle tweens and teens alike.  

I Give This ...

I don't give out 5 star ratings very often.  But, I feel this book completely deserves it.  I expected a cutesy type novels, more of a beach "teen" read.  While it does have those moments, it was so much more than that.  I think it's a bittersweet coming of age book.  There is so much wrapped up into the story to help Mia learn who she is.  She learns that things aren't always what they seem, and that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.  She learns the about the importance of family, true first love, heartache, and loss.  I think through it all she learns that above all she can count on her self, because she knows who she is.  Simon turned out to be a far deeper character that I imagined.  He seemed flighty at first, your typical rich kid use to getting what he wants.  But, there are things under the surface fighting to break free.  He knows who he is, but to get there, he may have to break out of the mold that has been cast for him.  Together they weave a wonderful story.  It's laid out so that you don't know what's coming and your just in the moment. The author has created something beautiful that I hope a lot of people enjoy.   Sadly, I'm sure that the ending will leave people mad and not being able to accept the story for what it is.