About the Book
-
Author:
- Elizabeth Eulberg
Cover Story: Detail-Oriented
BFF Charm: Yay x 4
Talky Talk: So Excited!
Bonus Factor: Revenge
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups
Relationship Status: Not Bad
(This review contains spoilers for Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1).)
Cover Story: Detail-Oriented
The girls’ outfits and hairstyles are taken directly from the book, and if you look closely, each of the background squares corresponds to one of their story arcs. You can tell by the matching colors.
The Deal:
Taylor, Tay, Teffy and TS, inseparable since fifth grade, are about to spend their first summer apart. TS has been invited to visit her girlfriend Gemma’s family in London, while Taylor is working as a summer camp counselor. They’re not prepared for TS’ hosts to be insufferable snobs, or for Taylor’s evil ex, Hunter, to be one of her co-workers. Meanwhile, Tay and her boyfriend Reece clash over opposing creative visions for their band, The Archers, as Teffy struggles to stand up to her boyfriend Liam’s bullying friends. With all four girls under pressure to fit into hostile environments, can they make it through the summer and still stay themselves?
BFF Charm: Yay x 4
The girls are growing up, which I like to see. Shy Teffy is now confident enough to share her songs in public and tell Liam what she needs in a relationship. Starry-eyed Tay is learning to see through Reece’s tortured poet facade to the kind of person he actually is. Impulsive Taylor deals with Hunter’s schemes by keeping a cool head (mostly) and finding allies she can trust. TS is still TS, but Gemma – torn between her family and her girlfriend – has a lot of soul-searching to do, which makes me wish she were one of the narrators.
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
I took a few points off compared to Love Stories. Not only is Hunter even worse here – he’s actively plotting to get Taylor fired from her job – but I didn’t much care for her new admirer, Caleb, either. He’s “dad joke guy” – he literally tells the same jokes her father does. I’m not sure if that’s cute or off-putting. Also, Gemma disappointed me. I wish she’d defended TS sooner, although I understand why she didn’t. It can’t be easy going up against centuries of family tradition.
Talky Talk: So Excited!
I don’t remember this from the first book, so it may be a new development, but all the chapters from Tay’s point of view are stuffed! With exclamation marks! Because she’s excited! All the time! (At least this helps to tell her apart from the others.)
Bonus Factor: Revenge
Taylor gives Hunter a precisely measured dose of his own medicine. Her namesake would be proud.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups
Gemma’s older cousins are actually quite progressive – in their own eyes. They don’t care if Gemma dates another girl, as long as it’s the right sort of girl. A middle-class American simply doesn’t qualify. Hunter, now that he’s graduated, also counts as an awful grown-up; so awful, in fact, I almost gave up on this book.
Relationship Status: Not Bad
This book may not be a chart-topper, but there are worse ways to spend a holiday afternoon.
Literary Matchmaking
Love Story (The Taylors Version #1) by Elizabeth Eulberg is the first book in this series.
Sunrise Nights by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro also takes place at summer camp.
Not Another Love Song by Olivia Wildenstein also stars an aspiring songwriter.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review.
