In this perfectly crafted summer book, Mia Gordon finds herself looking to run away from love and lose herself in the sea off of Long Island. With a broken heart and a self-esteem that is just a little too low, she returns to the summer home of her aunt and uncle. The house is filled with loving memories, and cherished moments that are sure to cure her of her pain. However, Mia goes back to a foreign place where she no longer feels at peace and where new, yet not-so-amazing surprises await her. Only the sea is never changing. Along with the new differences between her and her cousin (who was also her best friend), she is also faced with the cold facts that the rich life is not as glamorous as it seems and that the pressure of perfection is a life-changing thing. But just as Mia was giving up on ever being happy, she is surprised to meet Simon. Simon is different than the rest, he is unreadable, mysterious, and full of life and Mia finds herself charmed. However, her heart has put up walls and her mind has forbidden the L-word. She is trapped in the ideas that she will never find love again. And besides, Simon would never be interested with her when he could try his luck with the skinny, model-like, beach blondes that roam Long Island like loins. Or would he? But this does not mean they cannot be friends. And so it happened that the friendship between these two teenagers began; neither of them truly aware of where it would take them but each open to the summer that was to come, and the unsettling call of the ocean. I truly enjoyed this book for many reasons. It is a perfect summer read and it would do for any occasion. It had the perfect balance of action and internal conflict that most people desire to have in a book. However, for people who do not appreciate internal conflict and prefers to bite their fingernails off and sit on the edge of their seats for the whole ride...this is not the book for you. Despite the abundance of monologue that we see in the text with Mia, it does not drag the book down and I found myself interested in her thoughts. The book is light though and it will not cause you too much strife. Its elaborate diction makes the texts rich without making it difficult to read. Instead you find yourself wanting to turn the next page.
I really liked the characters presented in the book. I am often upset at authors when they create these perfect men that prance around making the reader wish she was in the story. However, Howells crafts a wonderful young man who although has his faults, is still as lovable and very more realistic in comparison to the other men. Also, Simon isn’t like many characters I have read about. He is not as well defined as previous main male characters, despite this we know enough for him to win us over. He is not compulsive like most males and his creative, artistic personality gives life to the story. He is like a breath of fresh air from the rich life for not only Mia but for us as well. I found myself wanting to skip pages until I met Simon again. Our main character is also quite amazing and is in every way the star of the story, though she would never let herself believe it. Mia is self-conscious, self-critical, and has a sort of low self-esteem. The main conflict of the story is not the tension between her and her cousin or even between her and her mother but between Mia and herself. Instead it lies in the progress of Mia as she comes to terms with herself about the meaning of love and the true meaning of beauty and happiness. As the reader I cheered as Mia starts opening up and feeling happiness with our boy Simon and I cried...on the sad parts. Her narration is very unique and I enjoyed reading it. In reference to other characters, I must say that although they each had problems I am glad Howells added each and every one of them. Since the story takes place in a summer home, there are not many other relatively important characters other than her family. However, they are more than enough to create a wonderful tale.
Despite the book’s airy and easy to read feeling, it has some important concepts woven into it. Within the text, the book The Great Gatsby is brought up a number of times and rightly so for this book has some similarities to it. The greatest similarity is that of the stress both books place on social status and wealth. Both have the connection to the inability to take time back and gain what you once had before. Both suggest that we cannot come back a long time afterwards and find things as they had before. Our narrator Mia is put in the position of dealing with social differences and learning the ways of the wealthy such as the elaborate parties her cousins throw and the generalization of beauty which is something she perceives unreachable. Perhaps this was Howell’s initial intention; to create a modern The Great Gatsby for teens. If this was the case, she succeeded for it delivered a story much like the original but in a kinder more ideal way. She even added the connection of Mia and Simon’s use of light to signal each which can be associated with the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. The similarities are there till the end (read the book and you will know what I mean.); however, I think Howell’s has a kinder feeling to it in that our characters are likable and very relatable.
In conclusion this was one of the nicest books I have ever read. It made me laugh and cry and then some. It is a perfect book if you just want to curl up on a lovely day and I personally recommend it. Once you open the book the pages practically turn themselves and you won’t be able to put it down up until the end where Howell takes your breath away. So go and grab this book now and leave a comment about your reaction to the ending and if you agree with my analysis. ©
