Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman

 

“Hannah used to be all about focus, back before she shattered her ankle and her Olympic dreams in one bad soccer play. These days, she’s all about distraction—anything to keep the painful memories of her recent past at bay, including the string of bad decisions that landed her at boarding school for a year.

Enter Bonanza, the local entertainment multiplex and site of Hanna’s summer employment. With its mini golf course, bowling alley, and arcade—not to mention her hot, flirty coworker Patrick—Bonanza seems like the perfect way to stay distracted. Until her boss announces the annual Bonanza tournament, a staff competition that brings her past Olympic nightmares crashing back into her present.

On top of that, the Bonanza staff includes Brie, the ex-best friend she cut off last year, and Ethan, her brother’s best friend who became unreasonably attractive in her year away and who accepts her, even knowing her worst secrets. Under the neon lights of Bonanza, Hannah must decide whether she can find a way to discover a new self in the midst of her old life.” - taken from Goodreads.

With flashbacks to the previous summer where her life drastically changed, Hannah Klein is trying to put her life back together. Home for the summer from boarding school for troubled teens, Hannah has a checklist from her parents to complete if she hopes to stay  home in the fall. While this might seem to be a cute rom-com at first glance, several tough topics are dealt with as Hannah tries to complete her to-do list. Will Hannah be able to find her way to who she was before and make a new future for herself?

Visit Laura Silverman’s website.

Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

 

“Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind… “ - taken from Goodreads.com

This book was slow to start off with and I found Amelia to be a bit wishy-washy. I loved the diary entries from Molly Meade that were interspersed throughout the story about her life during the last year of World War II and the start of what would be her business venture. I almost gave up on this book but once Grady Meade enters the story and takes over the ice cream stand, the story really picks up as Amelia comes into her own. Not without problems and confrontations, Amelia’s and Grady’s summer is a sweet story about standing up for what you believe in.

Visit Siobhan Vivian’s website.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

“Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was another super sweet rom-com from Sarah Dessen. Louna is still heartbroken over the tragic ending of her first love/relationship. It doesn’t help that she works for her wedding planner mother who has also disillusioned herself with the idea of happily ever after. When Ambrose joins Natalie Barrett weddings for the summer, Louna discovers that maybe she can open her heart up again. 

Visit Sarah Dessen’s website.