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Summer Of Seventeen (2014)

by Jane Harvey-Berrick(Favorite Author)

4.06 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harvey Berrick Publishing

review 1: So whilst the subject matter will change, I can pretty much guarantee now when I read a book by Jane that it will have/be the following:Be wonderfully crafted, pure poetic words laced throughout to weave a story that will sink into your soulBe amazingly well researched - in this case, I now know an amazing amount about surfing that I would have never found out without reading this bookCover hugely sensitive issues - always handled in a wonderfully sensitive, thought provoking mannerSummer of Seventeen covers all of the boxes. It’s much more than a coming of age book. It’s a book about a boy who has had more thrown at him in life at 17, than most people get in a lifetime. It’s about prejudice coming at you from all sides of life, finding out where you fit in the world... more and the people who are worth holding on to.You’re taken through a maelstrom of emotions whilst reading the book. Everything is handled in a beautifully sensitive way.My heart broke for this wonderful boy, who had had to endure so much more than anyone should at that stage of his life. When his biggest issues should have been worrying about the stupid stuff that we all thought was important at that age, Nick has a weight of responsibilities that someone his age shouldn’t have to deal with. But life does deal people lemons, and those who overcome adversity from such a young age certainly deserve to have their story told.There is a huge issue tackled in this book and I commend Jane for putting in her book, a very real, often ignored problem. Maybe if more people tackled the taboo, we might start making inroads into helping those around us.As always, i’m left feeling like my life is that much richer for reading this book. My poet Jane writes words that sing to your soul, make you grateful for what you have in life, and make you want to make the world a better place for others. Pure class.
review 2: At 17 years old, Nick should be having the summer of his life. His worries should be about when to catch the next wave and where to take his girlfriend out for a date. But that’s not his reality. His summer is actually filled with worry, regret, and tragedy. All of his plans now center around taking what he can get because life lately hasn’t offered much except pain and heartbreak. Even with the tragic way his summer begins, his life controls to spiral downward; one thing after another forces Nick further into melancholy: he’s forced to work with his girlfriend’s father who can’t stand him. He’s forbidden to see his girlfriend or his best friend because of their parents, and his sister basically calls him a loser and doesn’t think he’s going to amount to anything. It makes sense why he wants to self medicate with alcohol and marijuana to numb the pain for just a little while, but that only ends up getting him into further trouble. By the time Nick reaches the end of the summer, who knows where he’ll be or what he’ll have, but if everything continues to go the way it’s been going, Nick may have to figure out a different way to work through it all before he does something he can’t take back.I really enjoyed Summer of Seventeen. It’s a realistic look into the struggles one endures when life tragically changes and adult responsibilities come much too quickly. Getting Nick’s story from his own perspective allows readers to truly understand everything that he’s going through as he tries to adjust and process this new life that he’s been thrust into. Transitioning between being an adolescent to an adult is hard enough without all of the added pressure and heartbreak that Nick’s going through, so readers can easily comprehend his struggles.I haven’t read a book by Jane Harvey-Berrick that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. She’s a fantastic storyteller who always presents her characters in their truest forms, no matter how flawed they are. Her writing allows readers to feel every emotion that is explored in the text, and it easily establishes a connection between them and her characters. We all, no matter how big or small, understand what Nick is going through because we’ve been through similar experiences, and as we witness Nick’s struggles, we identify with his situation and hope that like us, he can find his way out of the devastating circumstances he finds himself in.A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.4 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews) less

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