Hello! I believe we’re up to the last review of the arcs I read in June! I’ve already racked up several that I’ve read and need to review in July, but I’d say I’m making some good progress. As always, here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.
I read How to Be Remy Cameron back in February, and I fell in love with Julian Winters’ writing style. So when I heard he was writing a book that was essentially a love letter to nerd culture, that takes place in a bookstore in the summer in California, with a best friends to lovers romance? I knew I had to try and read it. I requested it on a whim on NetGalley, and honestly was not expecting much, but was incredibly excited when I was approved (so I’d just like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Interlude Press, for a copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own). Again, I was absolutely captivated with this novel, from the characters and their struggles to the setting and the discussions it sparked. Please excuse me while I gush about this book a bit.
Wesley Hudson excels at two things – ignoring his responsibilities and pining after his best friend, Nico. He spends the summer before college working his dream job at Once Upon a Page, writing lists of ways to confess his feelings and trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life after high school. When the future of the bookstore is threatened by an expanding coffee shop, he must team up with his misfit group of coworkers to try and come up with ways to save the store. To top it all off, his brother, Leo, is trying to plan a wedding, and needs Wesley to help with wedding duties. Can Wesley save the store, get the guy, and assist with the wedding all in just a few months? It truly shapes up to be the summer of everything.
In true Julian Winters’ fashion, this book packed a punch while having an underlying message of hope. It tackles topics such as grief, death of a parent, privilege, first love, and figuring out your future in a way that felt natural and necessary. The diverse cast of characters was refreshing to see – so many racial identities, sexual orientations, and genders are explored and unquestioned. Personally, I started tearing up when a character comes out as aroace (aromantic and asexual), because it’s how I identify and we don’t often see characters portrayed as such, and I believe so many people will be able to experience that same feeling while reading this book – Winters does not shy away from writing the rep on page, so if the character has no questions or hesitations about their identity, the reader will not have any as well. The plot itself was fun to follow, and I appreciated the crazy shenanigans Wesley and his friends engage in to try and save the store – it shows that when you’re passionate about something, and it’s threatened, you really will try to do anything to save it. Platonic love, friendship, and found family play such an important role, and it’s something I absolutely love to see. Leo felt like a realistic older sibling, and while him and Wesley feel disconnected for most of the novel, they are still family and Leo will do anything to help his little brother. And I must say, the best friends to lovers trope was so well done, I was rooting for Wesley and Nico to sit down and talk about their mutual feelings – it also felt nice that romance wasn’t rushed, and the characters had conversations about boundaries and no one did anything that made them uncomfortable.
*this next paragraph may have minor spoilers, so please read at your own risk*
Wes is having a hard time figuring out the direction his life should be going in after high school. He knows he’s going to UCLA with his best friend Ella who will be studying communications, and will be separated from Nico when he’s at Stanford pursuing biology and medicine, and it seems like even Zay, who’s a year younger, has his life planned out and is doing 60 mph in the driver’s seat while Wes is stuck on his bike with a map in his hands reading the road signs. What I appreciated about this book is that Wes didn’t magically find an answer at the end – he made a deal with his parents that he would do his best and try his hardest for one year at UCLA, and if that didn’t work he could transfer or quit, or really do what he thinks is best. And while yes, I agree that the first few years of college are for discovery, and some people do figure out what they want to do with their lives during this time (myself included), college isn’t for everyone, and for some people the decision not to go to college, or to drop out, is the right decision for them, and should absolutely be respected as a valid option.
All in all, I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can purchase a finished copy and add it to my Julian Winters collection on my shelf. His books just have a way with words that make me want to revisit them for comfort, and The Summer of Everything is no exception. This book truly is a love letter to nerd culture, summers in California, found family, and first love. If you’re looking for an enjoyable read, I highly recommend picking this one up when it’s released on September 8th, 2020.
Where you can find The Summer of Everything:
Amazon
Goodreads
Julian Winters’ site
Interlude Press
Thoughts About Things 