Title: Not Our Summer
Author: Casie Bazay
Genre: YA Contemporary
Notes: This is a debut novel that’s coming out on May 11, 2021
TW: Light violence (one character punches another), death of a child, death of a family member.
I received an ARC of ‘Not Our Summer’ from Netgalley.
Blurb:
Five trips, two cousins, one family feud, and a summer that will change their lives forever.
It’s bad enough that estranged cousins Becka and KJ see each other at their grandfather’s funeral, but when he leaves them a bucket list of places to visit together over the summer, so they can earn their inheritance, it seems like things are about to get much worse.
However, with each trip the cousins complete — like riding mules into the Grand Canyon or encountering a bear and a hot tour guide at Yellowstone — they steadily learn about and begin to trust one another. That is until the truth behind Grandpa’s bucket list, and their family feud, is revealed, testing Becka and KJ far beyond their limits.
Will they find a way to accept each other or will their grandpa’s wish to mend his divided family end up buried alongside him inside his grasshopper green casket?
My Thoughts:
When I picked this book out from Netgalley it was because I follow that author on Twitter and she was asking for reviews. I thought ‘My TBR is empty, let’s give it a look’. It took me all of two days to gobble down this book. With the dumpster fire of a year we’ve been having I’ve noticed my reading tastes have been drawn to lighter stories. ‘Not Our Summer’ was the balm I needed.
I love to travel. Normally every year we go to the beach or have a larger family vacation. Because of obvious reasons, that’s not going to happen this year. ‘Not Our Summer’ takes the reader along on Becka and K.J’s vacations and just for a moment I forgot about the world. That is so important right now.
The Issues:
The book does call into some well used tropes, and I called it early on, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of the book. I will say, if you are looking for a tear jerker, or something full of angst, this book has notes of it but it doesn’t drag out the angst or the sad moments. Personally, I am glad it didn’t. There are moments where Becka thinks about you deceased brother Ricky, it’s all set up for a later reveal and I liked how the writer slowly introduced the path that Becka goes down to accepting her cousin.
Who Will Like This Book:
If you are already an avid YA reader and enjoy contemporary fiction, I say this will be a great quick read. If you want to dip your toes into YA contemporary fiction, then this book is still a great fit. It’s fast enough but well thought out enough that I didn’t reel like the writer was trying to rush at any point.
My Final Thoughts:
After reading ‘Not Our Summer’ I now have an intense desire to go to Key West. Thankfully it’s one of my S.O’s favorite places. Books like this, they are meant to inspire and distract, and ‘Not Our Summer’ has don’t it beautifully. I hope the writer finds a ton of success in her next book and that she keeps writing!
You Can Buy The Book At:
Or contact your local Indy bookstore and preorder it!
Loss For Words 