The Summer of Skinny Dipping
Amanda Howells
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Pages: 324

Rating: 4 stars

“Sometimes I still wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I’m jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the very beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life.
My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen years old, and I remember everything….”

Timeless in feel, The Summer of Skinny-Dipping is a poignant, literary coming-of-age romance that will live on long after summer has ended.

The Summer of Skinny Dipping was a surprising treat. I had thought I would like it a lot, but I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. It’s a book with a story that just keeps surprising you with great characters and a sweet romance.

The book is split up into three “sections”, for each phase of the book. I’ll admit, I wasn’t feeling the first section. I liked the story, but it wasn’t amazing or anything. Then we got to the second section, and the story just ehanced and completely drew me in. After that, there was no putting it down. I also was expecting The Summer of Skinny Dipping to be a lighter, fun read. While it is fun and most of it is light, there’s a lot more plot development and issues going on that I had thought there would be. Along those lines, the ending is a complete shocker! What happened had never even crossed my mind as a consideration.

Each character in The Summer of Skinny Dipping is very well rounded and has many layers. As the story moves on, you really peel away the layers and see the characters for who they truly are. The more I saw of the characters, the more I loved them. There were a few characters I’ll admit at first I wasn’t too crazy of, but by the end there wasn’t a single character I didn’t like.

I would whole heartedly suggest this great book. I wasn’t feeling the love the first section of the book, but what comes next is absolutely brilliant. I would definately suggest getting a copy! This is a perfect summer read.