Format: Kindle ebook
Rating: 4/5
Summer loving, or what? This was a cracking two-in-one read - perfect for battling away the winter blues. Although, now I want it to be sunny even more. I probably shouldn't be reading Instructions for a Heatwave then, should I?
Lori and Bill McGillicuddy (what a brilliant surname) spend their summers working and wakeboarding with their next door neighbours, and besties, the Vader brothers. In the first book, Lori is about to turn sixteen and decides it is high time she sheds her tomboy image and embraces her femininity. Also, she wants to impress Sean Vader - the middle brother who manages to get away with being a bit of a prat thanks to his looks and charm. However, flaunting her new found girlishness is not enough to get Sean's attention as he has eyes for another. Lori enlists the help of best friend and youngest Vader, Adam, to help her make Sean jealous. Needless to say things get more than a little complicated - oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive! Lori ends up having to truly examine her feelings and the reliability of her memory when it comes to the Vaders. The second book is of a similar vein but certain roles are reversed.
I've seen these books around and I'm definitely a Jennifer Echols fan but I've never gotten around to purchasing them. However, I came across a post on love triangles on +Clear Eyes, Full Shelves and decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did because I really, really enjoyed the characters in this book. I actually laughed out loud many times, particularly during the first one (and whenever a character did an '...or what' exclamation. That is so something you do as a teenager. Well, we did anyway). The banter between the friends and siblings is full of life and extremely authentic. Lori is so funny and her voice sounds like a real sixteen year old. I thought the boys were all written very well too. Jennifer Echols wasn't scared to make them brattish and unlikeable at times- Edward Cullen they were not. The first book is definitely stronger than the second plot wise but the characters and the setting more than make up for that shortcoming.
If you're looking for a fun, hilarious but sweet summer novel (perhaps a lighthearted alternative to The Summer I Turned Pretty) and haven't entered Lori McGillicuddy's world yet, I think you should go and get a copy. In the meantime, I'm going to get The Ex Games - a setting more appropriate for our current weather.
I really should get around to reading more Jennifer Echols, because I really enjoyed THE ONE THAT I WANT. (It was my first Echols and I only just read it last month.) I could definitely use more contemporary in my life. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that one yet but I'll definitely add it to my list!
Delete