BOOK REPORT for Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz
cover story: NO. just, no. bff charm: nay swoonworthy scale: 0 talky talk: camus camus camus bonus factors: summer, gideon relationship status: it's not you, it's me
cover story: NO. just, no.
You guys, I can't... I don't even... WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? Not only do we have another headless girl on our hands, but SHE'S WEARING A BIKINI. And the title is getting all up on her business while Hannah's name is wrapped around her... You know what, let's just move on.
the deal:
Every summer, Chase and his family head to their beach house for the sole purpose of making me incredibly jealous. Ok, not really. I mean, they don't even have a hot tub for God's sakes. Plus, even the sunshine and ocean waves can't fix the tension between Chase's parents or change the fact that his older brother, Noah, is constantly disappearing for days at a time. The halycon days of summers past have been replaced with babysitting his younger brother Gideon, who is deaf, and lusting after Melinda, a girl who happens to be sleeping with Noah. Over the span of four years, Chase grapples with increasingly complicated feelings towards girls, growing up, and most of all, his totally effed up family.
bff charm: nay
It's not that Chase isn't a good guy, because he is. Or at least, he's trying to be. He's devoted to his family, even when they're at their craziest, and he tries to fight his attraction towards Melinda out of respect to his brother. He can't help the fact that he's a hormonal teenage boy, and while I get that, it doesn't mean I'd want to hang out with him on the boardwalk. Sure, it would start off fun, esp. if we got some funnel cake, but soon he'd be whining about Melinda and I'd be like, "DUDE. LOOK AROUND. We're surrounded by hot girls in bikinis. Why can't you think about sexing one of them instead? P.S. MELINDA AIN'T RIGHT IN THE HEAD." And then we'd be in a Judd Apatow movie instead of this book, so it's probably better to remain as polite acquaintances. Not to mention the fact that the guy quotes Camus ALL. THE. TIME. More on that in the talky talk, but yeah. Congrats, Chase, you are well on your way to becoming a Philsophy Major, and therefore someone I never need to speak to again.
swoonworthy scale: 0
There's definitely some steamy horizontal action in this book, but Melinda's past and her connection with Chase's brother is basically a buzzkill. I mean, call me a prude for saying this, but two brothers knowingly engaging in sexual relations with the same girl doesn't exactly make me go, "LE SIGH."
talky talk: camus camus camus
Y'all, I'd never heard of Camus before I read this book, and that probably makes me an ignorant, uncultured person. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to remain that way, because if I hear one more Camus quote, I will grab my beach umbrella and spear the offender like Rue in the arena. Maybe I'm underestimating today's youth, but I find it hard to believe that Noah and Chase can start reading Camus and then suddenly have the ability to quote entire paragraphs at a time.
Aside from the Camus, Moskowitz's writing style is simple and frank, giving Chase a believable teenage voice and highlighting the charm he sees underneath the crayness of his family.
bonus factor: summer
In addition to having your parents pay for shizz, the main thing I miss about high school is the time when it ends, and you have over two months of GLORIOUS VACATION. This book skips all of the studying and stress and focuses solely on Chase's summers. And even though the dude complains a lot, I still reveled in the openness of his days and the freedom of his nights.
bonus factor: gideon
Oh Gideon, I wish I knew ASL for "YOU ARE THE CUTEST" because you really, really are. The good news is, it wouldn't take me long to learn how to communicate with you, because all I need to know are the signs for "love" and "cake." And really, do any other words matter? I also think you're better off not being able to hear your family, because they're probably a lot less frustrating that way.
casting call:
I'm hoping that William can bring out the good in Chase while softening the annoying edge of his angst.
"William Moseley as Chase"
I just saw Emma in Scream 4, and without giving away any spoilers, I think she'd totally be able to pull off Melinda.
"Emma Roberts as Melinda"
It didn't take long to decide on Hunter to play Noah. Basically because they both seem like dicks to me.
"Alex Pettyfer as Noah"
relationship status: it's not you, it's me
Although I was attracted to its summery quality, this book and I never really hit it off. I found aspects of the plot to be a little over the top, and the Camus really, really got on my nerves. But it's not the book's fault that an abundance of quotations make me pull a Fred Savage, and I'm sure it will find someone else who appreciates the drama and discoveries that Chase encounters at the beach. After all, there's plenty of other fish in the sea, not to mention some delicious funnel cake on the boardwalk.
As always, this review is simply my opinion of the book. Check out a different perspective tomorrow, when the blog tour of Invincible Summer heads to Consumed by Books.
