2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 18/35: TWENTY BOY SUMMER

Slowing down a little bit with my reads. It started with Delirium and also struggled a little bit with Twenty Boy Summer (Sarah Ockler). The last book I read which I really really enjoyed was That Boy (Jillian Dodd). I'm currently reading Elizabeth Berg's What We Keep and so far, I am liking her writing style so hopefully this would be better than the past so-so ones.

Twenty Boy Summer started really interesting with Anna and Matt and their budding love relationship. Anna is best friends with Frankie, Matt's little sister; while Matt is her best friend that is a boy. They've been the best of friends since they were in their nappies. But we all know that a guy and a girl can't be just friends, right? So as usual, Anna falls for Matt and has had the biggest crush on him starting the 4th grade. But the best part of it all is that Matt feels the same way about her and on her 15th birthday, her wishes (technically, just that wish pertaining to Matt) came true. But there's a catch- they can't tell Frankie right away for fear that she might not take it well or she might feel left out. Matt feels the news should come from him and in the meantime, she made Anna promise that this will be their little secret until the day of the big reveal. But during that fateful summer day, Matt died of a broken heart.

And from then on, everything has gone from interesting and exciting to blah.

After the accident, everyone has been coping in their own way. Of course it was most difficult for the parents and the sister, Frankie, but I guess Anna also had a hard time coping with Matt's death- no one truly knows how devastated she must have been with Matt's death. Nobody knew they were something more than best buddies. She felt that she can't tell anyone about their relationship and so she wrote everything in her journal.

The summer after Matt's death, Frankie and her parents invited Anna to spend summer with them in Zanzibar Bay in California. The Perinos have always spent their summers there. It was actually a brave step for them to continue with the tradition ever after their loss, but Mr. Perino felt it was necessary for their healing. This time they brought Anna with them. With Frankie and her new-found sexuality, she dared Anna to a game- whoever gets to 20 summer flings wins- hence, the title.

So what do I think about the book? It was okay. Boring and slow and absolutely no kilig factor A.M. (After Matt) but it was okay. Just not a raving fan and I feel does not deserve a rating of five stars.

What I don't get about these YA books is the fascination over losing one's virginity. During my time (oh no, I am officially old) well at least here in the Philippines, people don't talk openly about sex and losing one's virginity before marriage. Prudish, yes. But, I'd rather that teenage girls don't go bragging about their sexual adventures. I mean, why are these kids in a hurry to lose it? May pa-contest ba? Haha. Anna loses her virginity with this guy she met over the summer. Maybe because she felt she loved him at that exact point in time and deserved deflowering rights, but mainly she felt she had to lose it because Frankie thought it was her albatross (meaning, an emotional burden that feels like a curse). Okay I understand that PMS is the norm nowadays but please not that young. Young and promiscuous. Young and promiscuous and proud of it. Sa panahon ngayon, wala nang martir dahil madali na lang isinusuko ang Bataan. Harhar. Now I get it why most of my friends do not want girls for children.

I think I gave it three two stars (I just changed it) on Goodreads. I was bored. It seemed liked I waited for eternity for the story to pick up pace. Frankie finds out about Anna & Matt and she throws a fit about it (which is totally understandable because two of her bestest friends were keeping thinks from her) then that's it? Anna finally got rid of her albatross and that's it? For YA books, still nothing beats the Jessica Darling series which is my favorite book series in the genre.

I don't even know you, and yet, in my life, you are

forever entangled;

to my history, inextricably bound.