I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WHEN WE HAD SUMMER by Jennifer Castle Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Jennifer Castle
Pub. Date: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 336
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WHEN-WE-HAD-SUMMER
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets 13 Little Blue Envelopes in this new young adult novel about a tight-knit, daring, and eclectic group of friends who dedicate every summer to completing their #SummerSistersBucketList together – that is until one of their own passes away.
Best friends Carly, Daniella, Lainie, and Penny – aka the self-proclaimed #SummerSisters – have been coming to the New Jersey shore town of Ocean Park Heights ever since they could remember. And every year, the girls make a bucket list and dedicate their entire summer to completing every item on it, documenting their wacky escapades on FotoSlam for everyone to see. It’s their tradition, and as long as the Summer Sisters had each other, the rocky jetty on the shore, and their bucket list, that would never change. Right?
But then, tragedy strikes after Carly – the mastermind behind the bucket list– unexpectedly passes away. As the remaining Summer Sisters try to wrap their heads around their best friend’s death, life seems determined to throw more curveballs at the girls, threatening to split the Summer Sisters up for good. Daniella is accepted to a prestigious music academy in New York City, Lainie finds out her family is moving to Florida and leaving Ocean Park Heights for good, and Penny struggles to find her footing as she feels ready to leave childhood behind more quickly than either of her friends. What will hold them together with Carly gone and the Summer Sisters seemingly over?
Then, Daniella finds Carly’s final bucket list. And just like that, the Summer Sisters are back! But of course, things don’t always go as planned, and the girls try their hardest to navigate grief, loss, and coming-of-age woes while keeping the Summer Sisters – and Carly’s memory – alive.
REVIEW
Carly, Daniella, Lainie, and Penny are best friends that spend their summers together in the seaside town of Ocean Park Heights on the Jersey Shore. They are the #SummerSisters and have a tradition of completing a bucket list every summer, usually created by Carly. However, this summer, the summer of 9th grade, everything changes for the summer sisters. Daniella is going to a special music academy in NYC, Lainie finds out her family is moving, Penny finds that she might be moving at a faster pace than her friends and Carlie passes suddenly before the summer. Separated and struggling, Daniella, Lainie and Penny try to complete this summer's bucket list that Carly left behind.
When We Had Summer is a heartfelt coming of age young adult story. Focused on change, loss and growing up, each of the girls face a different challenge this summer while trying to carry on the bucket list tradition and honor Carly's memory. It was interesting seeing how the girls faced their different challenges and how they coped. Even as an adult it was easy to relate to the challenges the girls were facing and the impacts on their lives, breaking down everything they thought they were and having to rebuild. It was also nice to see the girls get the help they needed from their peers and adults around them. I loved when the summer sisters were able to come together along with the others who had helped them to memorialize Carly in a meaningful way.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
About Jennifer Castle:
Jennifer Castle is the author of twelve books for children and teens, including the novels for BLAIRE WILSON, American Girl's Girl of the Year 2019. Her YA novels published by HarperCollins include THE BEGINNING OF AFTER, which was an American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW, and TOGETHER AT MIDNIGHT. Her four-book middle grade fantasy series from Bloomsbury USA is BUTTERFLY WISHES. She’s also the co-author of two non-fiction books, FAMOUS FRIENDS: BEST BUDS, ROCKY RELATIONSHIPS, AND AWESOMELY ODD COUPLES FROM PAST TO PRESENT and FRIENDS AND FRENEMIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AWKWARD. Jennifer lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, two daughters, and two cats/writing assistants on the edge of deep woods that are most definitely filled with magic...she just hasn't found it yet. You can visit her online at www.jennifercastle.com.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of WHEN WE HAD SUMMER, US Only.
Ends May 6th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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4/1/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post/TikTok Post |
Week Two:
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4/2/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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4/3/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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4/4/2023 |
IG Review |
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4/5/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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4/6/2023 |
Review |
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4/7/2023 |
IG Review |
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4/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
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4/9/2023 |
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4/10/2023 |
Review |
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4/11/2023 |
Review |
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4/12/2023 |
IG Review |
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4/13/2023 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic |
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4/14/2023 |
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4/15/2023 |
Review |
Week Four:
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4/16/2023 |
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4/17/2023 |
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4/18/2023 |
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4/19/2023 |
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4/20/2023 |
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4/21/2023 |
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4/22/2023 |
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Week Five:
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4/23/2023 |
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4/24/2023 |
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4/25/2023 |
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4/26/2023 |
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4/27/2023 |
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4/28/2023 |
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4/29/2023 |
IG Review |
Week Six:
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4/30/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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