Two Summers Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Two Summers
Author: Aimee Friedman
Genre: YA Contemporary/Fantasy
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Point
Formats: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook
368 pages

Find It: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Description:

ONE SUMMER in the French countryside, among sun-kissed fields of lavender...

ANOTHER SUMMER in upstate New York, along familiar roads that lead to surprises...

When Summer Everett makes a split-second decision, her summer divides into two parallel worlds. In one, she travels to France, where she’s dreamed of going: a land of chocolate croissants, handsome boys, and art museums. In the other, she remains home, in her ordinary suburb, where she expects her ordinary life to continue — but nothing is as it seems.

In both summers, she will fall in love and discover new sides of herself. What may break her, though, is a terrible family secret, one she can't hide from anywhere. In the end, it may just be the truth she needs the most.

From New York Times bestselling author Aimee Friedman comes an irresistible, inventive novel that takes readers around the world and back again, and asks us what matters more: the journey or the destination. 

Two Summers is a creative and intriguing young adult contemporary novel that will surely be a huge hit, especially among fans of the genre. I don't normally read contemporary novels - there seems to be so many trends happening that they've almost become templates, and various authors only have to insert their characters and slight changes in order to have a novel. In short - they're beginning to all blend together with hardly any standing out from the rest. I'm very happy to say that this book gives a fresh breath of air to the genre and assures that it doesn't follow any template.

What initially drew me to the book was the description -how one teenage girl's summer is split into parallel worlds after making a last minute decision. Summer, our main character, ends up having two separate and completely different experiences during this time. In one, she goes to France to visit her father, and in the other she stays at home. Both worlds are full of promise and surprises - things will happen that Summer never thought possible, both good and bad. Although they are completely different, both are magical and will change Summer for the rest of her life. 

I really liked Summer as the lead character. She's well rounded, down to earth, smart, pragmatic, and shy - but she has faults like everyone else, along with parts of herself that she doesn't even know about yet. I loved getting to know Summer throughout the book, in both worlds, as she discovers who she really is and what truly matters in life. The book is told in the first person point of view from Summer's perspective, so readers get the chance to know Summer on a deeply personal level and can connect with her character almost immediately. I love the first person POV, and I think the author was spot on to use it in this book. Both Summers were different in their own ways as well as how they respond to occurrences and situations in each world, so it was fascinating to see one character in differing views. By the end of the book, I felt like I really knew Summer and had been alongside her throughout everything that had happened - which was quite the emotional roller coaster in both scenarios. This was a wonderful contemporary novel that incorporates a bit of fantasy and magic to create a delightful summer read.

Aimee Friedman was born and raised in Queens, New York, in an apartment filled with books and different languages. She wrote her first story at the age of five, and was off and running from there. Aimee wrote all through her years as a student at the Bronx High School of Science and then Vassar College. After graduating from college in 2001, she became a children's book editor, a job she still does, and loves, to this day! Aimee published her first novel, the New York Times bestseller, South Beach, in 2005, and is now the author of several novels for young adults, the latest being Two Summers. Aimee lives in New York City, where she can usually be found writing in cafes, window-shopping, or searching for the perfect iced latte.

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(3) winners will receive a signed finished copy of TWO SUMMERS and TWO SUMMERS travel bags - US Only!

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Tour Schedule: 

Week One: 

6/27/2016- Novel Novice- Guest Post 

6/28/2016- Page Turners Blog- Review 

6/29/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview 

6/30/2016- Just Commonly- Review 

7/1/2016- YA Book Nerd- Interview 

Week Two: 

7/4/2016- Here's to Happy Endings- Review 

7/5/2016- Andi's ABCs- Guest Post 

7/6/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review 

7/7/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Guest Post 

7/8/2016- Margie's Must Reads- Review