Hi! I’m here to bring you a review for an advanced reader’s copy of a book I was not expecting to pick up, but nevertheless enjoyed my time with. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so 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. You can also visit the description of this video by booktuber Jess Owens, which has links to several additional resources about global events.**
While scrolling through NetGalley back at the beginning of the year, I came across this title Not Our Summer in the “Read Now” section. The cover intrigued me, and it was winter so I was curious to see what this summer book would bring. Turns out this YA contemporary debut by Casie Bazay is riddled with family drama, feuding cousins, and a bucket list left by their late grandfather which must be completed in order to receive their inheritance. I didn’t need to know more in order to select this book to read.
Becka and KJ are cousins who can’t stand each other. Years ago, their mothers, RaeLynn and Jackie, had a falling out and now family events can be more than just a little complicated. After the death of their grandfather, Elijah Walker, the girls are forced to attend five trips throughout the course of the summer – if they don’t, they won’t receive any of their inheritance, and neither will their mothers. Elijah had hoped to build a bridge between his two granddaughters after being unable to do so for his daughters, but as their excursions continue, KJ and Becka start to wonder if there can ever be peace between their two families, and, if so, at what cost.
I thought that the alternating perspectives, along with a few of Elijah Walker’s letters in between, was a great way to tell the story, as it allowed the reader to delve into the minds of both our main leads, Becka and KJ. The focus on familial conflicts and their impacts really stood out to me. One event in their past caused a schism between Jackie and RaeLynn, which in turn caused Becka and KJ to grow up on differing sides of a rivalry. Pretty much all they know of the other is bits and pieces of what their mothers say, so of course there is going to be tension and animosity. It can be tough to unlearn a lot of those misconceptions, especially if you’re being told it’s the truth from your parents or someone you’re supposed to trust. The depictions of their trips were incredibly vivid and I could almost imagine myself riding alongside KJ on a mule at the Grand Canyon, hiking with Becka and Johan at Yellowstone National Park, trying to keep the boat afloat while rafting through the Bull Sluice or even watching the sea-life go by while snuba diving in the Florida Keys. I also found the dichotomy between the two girls fascinating – KJ and her mom don’t have a lot of money, live on their own in a trailer park, KJ herself doesn’t care all that much about her future because no one has ever expected her to be anything great, while Becka and her mom have more than enough to get by, RaeLynn has been remarried twice and had another child, Ricky (who had since passed away at the age of nine prior to the start of this novel), and Becka has the grades and agility to have a sports scholarship lined up after college. Both are envious of each other for vastly different reasons, and not all of it has to do with money.
While I did think some of the messages of the novel were interesting and thought provoking, to be the book was not without its faults. Occasionally I did have some issues with the pacing, and was unsure if the girls were still on their trip after a chapter break or if they had since returned home since it wasn’t always clear. In personal taste, I felt that the girls went from pure animosity to friendly a bit too quickly, and some of the comments used to attack each others’ families were a bit in poor taste, but others may feel differently with their own experiences. And while I am usually all for a sprinkle of romance anywhere I can get, I really didn’t find the romantic moments in this novel all that necessary (other than to be a source of conflict between the girls on their trip, at least in Johan’s case), but again, only personal opinion and some may think it added another complexity layer to the story – all valid opinions that should be respected.
In conclusion, I’m pretty glad I decided to take a chance on this book, because it was a nice change of pace when compared to other YA novels I’ve been reading or have released and are on the market. Following Becka and KJ throughout their journey, and seeing their respect for each other grow, was awesome to read about. Not Our Summer will be released on May 11th, 2021 (which is less than a month after this will be posted) so if you’re at all interested in familial drama and two cousins coming together to gain their inheritance, I highly recommend preordering the book, as it does really help the author (and if you’d like to support your local independent bookstore you can find one here) or picking up a copy when it’s out in the world. **Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Running Press Kids, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Where to find Not Our Summer:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Casie Bazay’s site
Hachette Book Group
Thoughts About Things 