Review: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Invincible Summer

Author: Hannah Moskowitz

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 269

Published: Available now from Simon Pulse

ISBN: 9781442407510

Source: Galley Grab

 

Description:  Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....Not your typical beach read.

I Give This ...

  

I was expecting a type of beach read no matter what the description says.  I was ok with emotional and maybe even a coming of age story.  Because let's face it, summer can be that type of season.  But, not matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get past some aspects of this novel.

I was ok with the time frame.  4 summer seasons and a lot can happen.  But in all reality, it's the last summer that anything really monumental happens.  Ok, maybe the very end of the 3rd as well...but it's the defying moment, the straw the breaks the camels back so to speak.   The other 3 summers are just one form of dysfunction or another.

I had a hard time liking anybody in the story.  It's told from Chase's point of view, but he never feels like a teenager.  His older brother Noah, is constantly disappearing.  He reasoning is the family is sometimes hard to handle.  I completely agree.  The parents don't feel like parents.  The kids are basically raising themselves.  The youngest brother is deaf, but doesn't seem like a functioning deaf child.  Claudia, well I was just as much of a loss when it came to her as everybody else was.  She's making out with girls and then together with the boy next door.  Attention seeking much?

The worst part was the sharing of the girl next door.  It's just gave the story an icky feeling.  There were times that I wondered if one brother was going to come over to find the other one already there.  It was just a little bit much.  I also didn't really understand the appeal of Melinda, not enough to warrant the devotion of both brothers.  

The best part of the story is from the end of the 3rd summer on.  This is what I was expecting from this book.  The emotions come full circle and it seems everyone finally grows up.  

There are quite a few other readers who really enjoyed this story.  But, I found that it just wasn't for me.  I haven't read anything else by this author.  I'm unsure if I will after this one.