Twenty Boy Summer

Reader reviewed by Deltay

This may be Sarah Ockler's first appearance on the literary scene, but what a debut Twenty Boy Summer is! A recurrent theme throughout the novel is how deceiving appearances can be, from the surface point of view. The same applies here; from the gorgeous cover one might assume that it's a fun, light-hearted summer read. And it is - but it's also so much more.

The emotions in Twenty Boy Summer are portrayed beautifully and conveyed fantastically. Ockler's writing takes on an almost lyrical voice at times.

"I just swallow hard. Nod and smile. One foot in front of the other. I'm fine, thanks for not asking" (Ockler 273).

In fact, there are phrases which taken out of context or used by someone else, would seem to border on purple. But Ockler pulls it off beautifully to fit with the narration from Anna's first person present tense perspective. There are beautiful key phrases repeated throughout the course of the novel - if this were done amateurly, it could be disasterously cliche. Yet somehow Ockler makes it work so well. Kudos, for sure.

Let's face it; Twenty Boy Summer isn't exactly a plot-driven adventure story; it's more of an internal journey of its characters. And boy, does Ockler manage to characterize wonderfully. The leading lady, Anna, is a pretty brilliant; and the thing is, she sort of shares center stage with BFF Frankie. Yet despite being a first person narrative, both of their motives, perspectives, reasons... it all comes through loud and clear. Through Anna's memory flashbacks, the audience even gets a pretty distinct picture of Matt. And with a title like Twenty Boy Summer, you know there's just got to be some romantic aspect involving boys. As for Sam Macintosh? Ow-ow!

Twenty Boy Summer isn't exactly a light-hearted comedy; but it's not exactly grieving angst either. More than anything else, it's a hopeful, insightful view into the journey of the loved ones through the aftermath of a traumatic death. Visiting a significant place. Reliving those memories. Wondering what could have been done differently. Learning to cope, learning to move on, to bridge the gap left behind. It chronicles Anna and Frankie's transition from kids to young women, trying to find their place in the world after losing someone special. Of figuring out how far to go with keeping a secret promised to someone who's now dead. Of trying to understand parents.

The writing style really pulls you into the story, into Anna and Frankie's summer world. The descriptions are luciously vivid. The setting is timeless and almost surreal. But the story is very realistic. With a title like Twenty Boy Summer, you're not really sure what you'll be getting into. But that's just life - it's unpredictable. And that's just the story. In the aftermath, emotions are unpredictable, what's to come is unpredictable. The metaphors in here are striking.

Like its cover, Twenty Boy Summer is a beautiful read. And like that one piece of red sea glass in that shattered heart, this is one gem among the masses. Sarah Ockler is definitely one whose work will go far, so keep an eye out.

"Don't move, Anna Reiley. Right now, everything is perfect" (213).

Reader reviewed by Debbie

I first ran across this book blog hopping and thought to myself
This is a book I have to read.   So imagine how excited I was to get
this on my door step.  It was definitely as goods as I was hoping. 
Even though you only see it briefly I loved the interaction between
Frankie, Anna and Matt and despite knowing Matt was going to die I
found their developing relationship touching and I would have really
liked to see where it went.  Anna says at one point that losing Matt
was especially hard because she would never know what would have become
of them.

It was fascinating watching how Frankie and her parents all dealt
with Matts death in their own way and the role Anna plays.  I loved
following Frankie and Annas vacation in Zanzibar Bay as they try to
meet their goal of meeting twenty boys while there.  The ending was not
what I was expecting and it was a nice surprise.  Perfect summer read!

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Printed with author

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

This novel is the perfect summer read! Not only
is it cute and fun, but also its deep and meaningful. Its such a realistic
and detailed story of loss and breakthrough. This book was so hard to put down,
and I was begging for more even after the last page. I could understand each
character perfectly and relate to them easily. It was interesting seeing how
Anna and Frankie changed throughout the story especially from the car crash.
Sarah Ockler has amazed me with this story and I cant wait to read what she
comes up with next! I absolutely love this cover, too. Its so beachy and
symbolic and ties in with the novel greatly. Just looking at this book makes me
want to pick it up and see what adventures are inside. A must-read for all
ages!

Reader reviewed by Kristin

Sarah Ocklers Twenty Boy Summer tells the story of Anna as she deals with the grief of the death of the guy she always loved. The thing is, after years of admiration from afar, Anna and Matt only acted on their feelings for each other a short while before his death. And did I mention that Matt happened to be Annas best friend Frankies brother and she promised him she wouldnt tell Frankie about their secret, but rather leave it to him during family vacation. A year later, their vacation is finally rescheduled so that Anna and Frankies family can try to cope with Matts death, while Anna continues to struggle with the secret she holds so dear.

In this poignant young adult novel, Ockler takes the typical beach read novel two girls and a beach and a hunt for guys and expands upon it, creating a rich story about the trials of friendship and love. While Ockler could gone further with her use of the first person narrative to really expand on Annas inner emotions, I still felt that the reader was able to pick up on and relate to Annas raw grief, confusion, and frustration. Though Twenty Boy Summer doesnt have the usual happily-ever-after ending, Ocklers ending is as uplifting as would be suitable for the story and I was thankful for its grounding in reality as I believe this contributed to the impact of the story. Beyond the text, the cover is absolutely lovely and I was pleased to find how meaningful the pieces of sea glass are. More than anything else, I felt that Ocklers Twenty Boy Summer taught the lesson of appreciating every moment you have a lesson that will resonate with every reader. 10 out of 10.

Reader reviewed by Beth

This is a perfect summer read.
There's enough fun and lightness in it to make it enjoyable, but
there's more to the story. It could have been about two friends trying
to have the perfect summer romance, but it wasn't just that. This was a
story of people trying to deal with tremendous grief in different ways.
There was so much heart. With the title and cover (there's no magic
involved) I wouldn't have picked it up on my own, but I'm glad I read
it. The relationships between the characters were all very murky, and I
enjoyed it. Everyone is in a place of confusion, and it affects all
aspects of their lives. The characters were all well done, but at times
felt a bit blah. I could predict some of the things that they did when
I wasn't supposed to. The plot flowed well and remained interesting
throughout the novel. I loved the layering of emotions in the book.
This is a lovely debut from a talented author. Everyone should grab
this book and some tissues on the way to the beach, especially if it's
a girls weekend!

Reader reviewed by Kristen

Anna is friends with Frankie and in love/friends with her older brother
Matt. After her birthday party, Matt kisses her and everything changes,
but they decide not to tell Frankie. Just as Matt is about to leave for
a family vacation where he plans to tell Frankie about them, he dies in
a car accident. Anna and Frankie survive and manage to cope. A year
later, they're going back to the same vacation spot, Anna in Matt's
place.

Frankie is changed though, obsessed with boys and
experienced. She plots for them to find 20 potential boys for Anna to
lose her Albatross (aka virginity) to. Anna does find a really
potential boy in a native Californian named Sam, but will she be
betraying Matt by doing anything with him?

I must say this book really surprised me. This really isn't my typical type of read, but I really fell in love with the story.

When
reading this book, I was totally immersed in Anna's character. She had
never told Frankie the secret Matt and her kept and she struggles with
it every day. I felt for both characters and well, I was completely
moved by this book. I didn't cry, but I was close. I suggest anyone
looking for a great summer read to read this book!

Reader reviewed by Anna

One of my all-time favorite books. Although the title seems unacceptable, it's pretty much clean. This book deals with summer love, heartbreaks, secrets, and friendships being ruined: pretty much the drama of beings a teenage girl. This book is so east to relate to, and I hope this encourages you to read this amazing book.

Reader reviewed by Lizzy


When I picked
up this 2009 debut, I expected a fun beach read (apparently, I'm not
very good at reading the synopses of the books that I purchase). Well,
I was surprised when I realized what the subject matter of the book was
(dealing with grief, death, and first love). The story is told by Anna,
and really begins after the death of Matt, the older brother of her
best friend, Frankie. What's even more traumatizing, is the fact that
Anna has been in love with him for years, and they had just recently
started a relationship (secretly, of course).

Most of the book
takes place in California, where the girls are vacationing (which is
where the twenty boy game begins). They spend time traveling to see the
sights (San Francisco), spending the rest of the time, where else, on
the beach. I've vacationed in California, and it was surprisingly
different from the chaotic lifestyle that I'm used to on the East
Coast. Granted, it was a vacation,
but Palo Alto and La Selva Beach had a different atmosphere. Plus, I
completely geeked out that I was in the city where the Stanford Prison
Experiments took place (have I mentioned I'm a psych major?). But I
digress, it was really nice to see that the laid back atmosphere I had
experienced was able to translate to the book. I also loved how Ocklwer
was able to capture how it feelts to be a teenager, particularly how
everything seems like it's the end of the world.

The great thing about this novel is that isn't just
a beach read. It's got something special that makes people look forward
to, or reminisce about their first love. I can't wait for more from
this author. On a different note, is it just me or are the debut
authors this year amazing?

Reader reviewed by Erica

Twenty Boy Summer
Sarah Ockler

Rating: 5 stars

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

This was Sarah Ockler's first novel, but all I can say is holy debut! Twenty Boy Summer was incredible! Sarah Ockler writes a touching story about tragic loss, friendship, love, and summer romance. Ockler really touched all aspects of life that are meaningful to people. Matt lingers in every conversation even when not being discussed.

Anna, the main character, was so real. Her wave of emotions were all so deep that one must wonder how Sarah Ockler wrote such a wonderful character. Throughout the entire book, I found myself feeling for Anna, especially when dealing with the grief Anna felt. As the novel went on, you could see Anna changing, starting to move on. As changes progressed, I found myself more and more drawn to Anna. Her best friend, Frankie, changed in different ways - more as a cover for that emormous pool of grief she's feeling. The two girls were so different and unique, making reading about each that much more alluring.

I absolutely loved the cover! When I first picked up the book, I had no clue what it meant, and within a few chapters I could completely connect with what the cover symbolized. That made me love the cover that much more.

I cannot wait to see what ideas Sarah Ockler comes up with next!