Review: The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland

Title: The Summer My Life Began

Author: Shannon Greenland

Publisher:  Speak

Publication Date: 5.10.2012

Pages: 250

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: B

Summary (from Goodreads):

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

Review:

This was a book I hadn’t heard of before it popped up in my mailbox, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. This book is the quintessential beach read. I kind of wish I had waiting a few months to be on the beach, letting the sun soak into my bones as I read this because I think that would have totally made the experience. As it is, Shannon Greenland has written a charming, simplistic tale of a girl finding herself (and love).

I wasn’t horribly taken with Em at first. She didn’t seem like a very strong character, but as the book progressed and I got into her head more, I started to enjoy her. Cade was by far my favorite. From the first second I read about him, I adored him. The relationship of Em and Cade is sweet; it isn’t mind-blowing fireworks, but it is still fun and enjoyable to read.

My only complaint is that the book felt a little too cliché at times. I didn’t feel like there wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen in a dozen or so other contemporaries. The details were different, but the end outcome was the same. Again, this would make for a great, lazy beach read.

The Summer My Life Began is cute, flirty, and light. Snag this one to take with you on your next vacation.

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository