That One Summer
Author: C.J. Duggan
Series: Summer, #3
Release date: 12/17/13
Goodreads
Loving Chris Henderson would be wrong. Diabolically disastrous. I mean, what is there about him to love? He’s moody, bossy, brooding, a control freak, and that’s on a good day … but there was one achingly obvious fact that haunted my every thought, every minute of every day …
He sure could kiss.
As the countdown to the new millennium begins, there is one thing everyone agrees on: no one wants to be in Onslow for New Year’s Eve.
So that can only mean one thing: road trip!
No longer the mousey, invisible, shy girl from years ago, Tammy Maskala is finally making up for all those lost summers. A new year with new friends, which astoundingly includes the bossy boy behind the bar, Chris Henderson.
She likes her new friends (at least most of them), so why does she secretly feel so out of place?
After chickening out on the trip, a last-minute change of heart sees Tammy racing to the Onslow Hotel, fearing she’s missed her chance for a ride. The last thing she expected to meet was a less-than-happy Onslow Boy leaning against his black panel van.
Now the countdown begins to reach the others at Point Shank before the party is over and the new year has begun. Alone in a car with only the infuriating Chris Henderson, Tammy can’t help but feel this is a disastrous start to what could have been a great adventure. But when the awkward road trip takes an unexpected turn, Tammy soon discovers that the way her traitorous heart feels about Chris is the biggest disaster of all.
Fogged up windows, moonlight swimming, bad karaoke and unearthed secrets; after this one summer nothing will ever be the same again.
*I received a copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*
The setting: an Australian Summer road trip with sexy boys, best friends and one gorgeous, brooding, mysterious boy = my cup of tea! For real. I loved That One Summer. When I realized that this was set in Australia I was completely hooked. Even more so when I discovered the road trip and all the romance that was to come. Another awesome thing about That One Summer: You don't have to read the other books in the series to read it and understand what's going on.
Tammy Maskala is the kind of girl who hates confrontation and going outside of her comfort zone. The stress of it all can easily bring on a major migraine, one that requires medication. She has a mantra that she always keeps in the back of her mind: Positive, positive, positive. But for her it's not always so easy. The smallest thing can set her stress level soaring, even if it's a little game of Murder in the Dark or always being stuck with the handsome, uptight and a little intimidating Chris Henderson. So when her group of friends decide to go on a road trip for the Summer holidays, it's no wonder that she has her reservations and almost decides not to go. But that little hiccup causes her to be left behind to hitch a ride with Chris, while her best friend Amy leaves early with the rest of the group. What Tammy wasn't expecting was to enjoy the time spent with Chris, even if he is infuriating and keeps most of his thoughts to himself. And the most infuriating thing of all is the fact that she can't seem to get him out of her head.
I really liked Tammy, even though she did have a tendency to doubt herself most of the time and keep to herself. She always felt out of place around her new friends though her best friend Amy was among them. She was emotional and often jumped to conclusions, often times the wrong one, but honestly I couldn't fault her for it. I probably would have done the same thing in her situation. Actually, I know I would have. She really reminded me of myself throughout most of the book. Even though I was hoping for her to respond in a different way, she almost always responded the way that I would have whether it was the right response or not.
I completely fell for Chris Henderson. He's sexy, mysterious, broody, and completely infuriating. Always keeping his emotions in check and never letting himself lose control. It's interesting to me that the brooding mystery man with a hidden tenderness is almost always the love interest in YA these days, but I understand why that is: more times than not, it works. We always end up falling for him. It's always this guy that has the most attention when it comes to fangirling. As readers, we tend to gravitate towards the Chris Hendersons. And I'll admit it, I'm not ashamed to say I fall into that group more times than not. I definitely did when it came to Chris Henderson.
This is a bit of a spoiler so you can skip if if you want!! The biggest thing that bothered me came at the end of the book, when Tammy has finally let loose and let go of all the stress she usually carried with her. It felt like the whole reason she changed is because of a guy. Now I know that love can move mountains and all that, but it just felt like the sole reason her mood changed was because she got the guy. I personally had hoped that she found that strength deep down in herself. I mean, it wasn't in flashing neon likes that said "I'm better because of Chris. If it weren't for him I'd still be a stressed out uptight shy girl". But the feel I got from what was said was that the time she spent with Chris caused her to feel positive and confident. I don't know.. it just didn't sit well with me. End spoiler!
That One Summer was such a delight to read. I loved the Australian setting, I loved reading all of the Australian words (some of which I still have no clue what they mean!), but it made it authentic in my mind. I loved the road trip and all of the humorous situations that Tammy seemed to find herself in because she so desperately wanted to avoid confrontations. I loved the romance between Tammy and Chris, even though it seemed to take FOREVER for them to admit their feelings for each other. Communication is not their strong suit. I loved the subtle ways Chris let her know he cared for her even if she questioned his intentions. That One Summer is the perfect Summer read. I'll definitely be picking up more C.J. Duggan books, especially the others in the Summer series.
I rate this book:
The Summer Series
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Author
About C.J. Duggan
C.J Duggan is a Number One Best Selling Australian Author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia. When she isn’t writing books about swoony boys and 90’s pop culture you will find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her highly successful Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
***Giveaway***
1 winner will get ebooks of Book 1-3 of the Summer series (INT)
RULES AND RESTRICTIONS:
Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.
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This honest review is part of the That One Summer Book Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. For more stops, check out the Tour Schedule.
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Really think I am going to have to finally check this series out! :)
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