Tis the season of books about summer romances and adventures, and every year shelves are flooded with stories about sand, surf, and tan lines. I’m a sucker for books about summer love, letting me experience the joy and wistfulness of it all without the sunburn, and SIXTEENTH SUMMER by Michelle Dalton is the latest addition to my growing collection.
First, the jacket copy:
Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat.
That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York.
Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love. But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking….
I must confess that as the remaining pages of this book grew smaller and smaller, my nerves skyrocketed. Anna and Will needed to have a happy ending. They had to. But how would Ms. Dalton swing that? It isn’t like Will could stay in Georgia—he had to return home to New York. Right? Well, without giving any spoilers, let me just say that the ending is perfect. Exactly what it needed to be, sweet and authentic, showing the tremendous growth both characters experienced through the journey.
My favorite thing about this book is also the most frustrating—the chapter breaks. This book doesn’t have them! It is divided into months, June, July, and August, with scene breaks within each one but no real easy place to set the book down. Each scene flows beautifully into the next . . . and on the same page! Let me just warn you now that you will want to block a whole day out to read this in one big gulp.
The setting of this book is beautiful. I have a confession: I hate the beach. I adore lakes, and boats, and mountains, and even pools. But itchy sand, stinging salt, blinding sun, heat stroke, and sharks? No thank you. But SIXTEENTH SUMMER made me want to be Anna, living on Dune Island, scooping ice cream, going to her family’s crazy Fourth of July throw downs, and picking blueberries off the bush in my backyard. I wanted to learn how to make a sandcastle and ride a bike in lazy circles near sand dunes. And Ms. Dalton perfectly captures the personalities, culture, and tastes of the South. Born in New Orleans and living in Houston, I adore everything about the South and appreciate when someone can recreate a slice of our life, hold it up to the world, and say “Here, this is what it’s like.”
The romance between Anna and Will is sweet, raw, and poignant. Will is swoon-worthy with just the right mix of flaws and endearing qualities, and Anna’s struggle to live in the moment, casting aside worry of the future, was spot on. The family dynamic is wonderful. The parents are fun and three-dimensional, the siblings not content to merely round out the background but illuminating nuances of Anna and Will’s relationship. Anna’s best friends Sam and Caroline provided comedic relief as well as facilitators for Anna’s self-discovery.
SIXTEENTH SUMMER is definitely a must-have beach read . . . of if you are like me, a bubble bath read or even a swinging on your back porch swing read. You’ll be instantly swept up in first love, shrimp po-boys, crazy ice cream flavors, and Southern hospitality. And, like me, you will anxiously await Ms. Dalton’s next book.
SIXTEENTH SUMMER hits shelves May 3rd.
