(Photo: goodreads.com)
If
you’re searching for the perfect summer beach read, look no further than
Forever Summer by Alyson Noël.
Forever Summer consists of two books—Laguna Cove and Cruel Summer. Below, I
will review each book separately and then discuss which story I preferred.
Laguna Cove
Laguna
Cove follows four girls—new comer Alyson and pre-existing residents Ellie,
Lola, and Jade. While Anne struggles to fit into the Californian lifestyle
after moving from Connecticut California
Laguna
Cove is obviously not some literary masterpiece. Clearly, it is fluff. However,
the story is fast-paced and dramatic, so it’s perfect for a day at the beach. Don’t
check out this book if you are searching for a book with complex characters or
a deep, profound meaning. But, if you’re looking for a fun way to pass the time,
you will enjoy this book for its purpose.
That
being said, while I was expecting mindless fluff, I was not expecting to
completely hate most of the characters. I would not want to be friends with any
of these girls, except Jade because she was the only one that didn’t act like a
brat or a snob. Lola isn’t as bad as the others, but she is constantly saying
how she’s so gorgeous that guys just fall at her feet. Some people can say that
think they are pretty and it doesn’t come across as vain. However, whenever Lola
continuously talks about how beautiful she is in one chapter, I just want to
gag. Ellie is a brat. Because of her crush, she’s rude to Anne throughout the
entire novel… and it gets old fast. She also uses a guy’s crush on her to get
back at her crush. However, she does redeem herself at the end by trying to
make things right with Anne. The worst of all the characters is Anne. She never
redeems herself. All she does is complain, whether it’s about moving to
California, not spending enough time with her father (even though every time he
tries to spend time with her, she goes off with her new boyfriend), or
basically, any little thing. She’s annoying, and I honestly could not stand her
or understand why the other characters thought she was so great.
The
romances are nothing too special. All the guys are the typical, Californian
surfers. However, some romances did not turn out the way I guessed, so I was
surprised by this. It made the book less predictable than other similar beach
stories.
Despite
the less than stellar characters, Laguna
Beach
Cruel Summer
Unlike Laguna
Cove, Cruel Summer is written in the form of letters, blog posts, and emails by
the main character, Colby. While Colby’s parents work through a messy divorce
back in California , Colby spends her entire
summer on a tiny Greek island named Tinos with
her Crazy Aunt Tally. Although Colby is less than thrilled to leave her
newfound popularity behind, she finds new friends and a romance in Tinos .
Cruel
Summer, like Laguna Cove, serves its purpose. It isn’t a deep book that’s going
to make you contemplate life after you’ve read it. However, it’s an easy summer
book that’s perfect for a quick read.
After
reading both novels, I have concluded that Alyson Noël has a talent for creating whiny
protagonists. Like Laguna Cove, I didn’t really like the main character.
Throughout the whole first half of the story, all Colby does is whine about how
she doesn’t want to go to Greece
and how she can’t hang out with her new popular friend back in California
As
for the secondary characters, they are okay. I like how Aunt Tally added some depth to the story. However, I simply could not understand why Colby was so obsessed with the popular girl. She just seemed rude, and often times, I found her behavior made Colby behave in that manner as well.
I actually enjoyed the romance in this book. Colby doesn’t use boys to make
other boys jealous or think boys drop at her feet (cough, Laguna Cove). Her
relationship and attraction towards her love interest seems real and believable. I liked her relationship and (SPOILER) their
online banter is pretty darn cute.
While
I enjoyed the characters more, I felt like the plot is so-so. The first half moves painstakingly slow. There is not a lot of drama to keep things interesting. I often found myself bored throughout
the first half of Cruel Summer because there honestly isn’t anything going on
except for Colby groaning about something or pining after a boy that clearly
has no feelings for her.
While
Cruel Summer may not be an earth-shattering novel, you will not be disappointed
if all you are searching for is a quick beach read.
Which book did I enjoy more?
Although I prefer
the characters in Cruel Summer, I liked Laguna Cove a bit more. There is
enough drama to keep the story interesting and moving quickly, which is what I
prefer in a quick summer read.
Disclaimer: I borrowed Forever
Summer from the library. I am not being compensated for this review. All
thoughts and opinions are my own!
