Review of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Title: Twenty Boy Summer

Author: Sarah Ockler


Description: "Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it." 
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?" 

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. 

TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer.

Review: Twenty Boy Summer is the fantastic story of two best friends, Anna and Frankie, and their journey to come to terms with the death of their best friend, who also happened to be Frankie's brother, Matt. When Matt and Anna reveal that they have feelings for each other one fateful summer night, their once special friendship turns into something more. The only problem is, how do they tell Frankie?Matt wants to tell her when they take their annual family trip to California, and he makes Anna promise not to tell. But life takes a tragic turn the day before Matt and Frankie leave for California, and Matt is dead. This leaves Anna with a terribly broken heart and a decision: should she tell Frankie about her relationship with Matt? Or should she keep her promise? Anna decides to keep her promise to Matt, which works fine until a year later. Frankie's family asks Anna to come on their annual family vacation to California, and the girls decide they have a mission, meet twenty boys while they are there. And even though they hoped having a twenty boy summer would help them cope with the horrible feeling of knowing Matt is not coming with them, when they arrive it feels like he is all around them. The girls can't avoid thinking about him in this place he loved. Anna wants to tell Frankie about her relationship with Matt, but something is holding her back. As their trip goes on, Anna and Frankie's friendship is put to the test. And the twenty boy summer becomes one they will never forget. Sarah Ockler's writing creates so much emotion inside you and you can feel your heart hurting for these girls. I repeatedly got goosebumps from this book because it just feels so real.

Bottom Line: This book is written in a way that makes it feel so raw and real. My heart went out to Anna, Frankie, and their families. I felt their loss and got tears in my eyes a few times. I would definitely recommend this book if you like raw, natural emotion, and a book that will give you goosebumps over and over.

Rating(1-5): 5