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A review by mehsi
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
4.0
This was an interesting book, there were various things that I liked, but there were also various things I disliked. Since I am not feeling all to well, I will just make a good/bad review.
Good:
-The illustrations, they were pretty gorgeous and I really liked them, especially the huge illustrations that spanned more than one page.
-The various plots. We have several plots. Growing up, pregnancy, parent issues and more. It seems like they don't fit together, but they did. When the topics first came up I was afraid it might turn chaotic, but it didn't.
-The characters. I really liked Rose and Windy, they were very interesting characters and they are truly teenagers, trying out various things, being interested in things like boobs and boys. But on top of that, I loved their friendship. They are 2 characters who I wouldn't place together, they are just quite different, yet they still match.
-The vacation place and all the description we got by illustrations. At times I could just imagine myself there, imagine myself swimming. It seems like a wonderful place to just relax and have fun.
Not so good:
-The slut-shaming. I really dislike it, and it was brought up quite often. Even causing Rose to say things like it. It is sad that a girl this young already sees things like this. So another girl is seeking comfort, hugging someone else and then she is a slut? I can see where this is going when the kid hits 16. :\
-The mom. I wish she would have just been honest, honest with her kid, honest with everyone. I didn't like her at all. Her husband and her daughter both did their best, yet they only got cold shoulders and mood-swings. And sure, not being able to get another baby is hard and losing one while trying is hard, but this way you will lose everything you have. Your husband, your daughter, everything.
-The ending, I feel like there were still enough things that didn't end well. But I guess the book is just about the summer, so when that is over, everything is over. I guess we will never know if Rose's parents stuck together, what happened to Jenny, what happened to Dud. It is a shame.
All in all though I really liked this book and I would recommend this one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Good:
-The illustrations, they were pretty gorgeous and I really liked them, especially the huge illustrations that spanned more than one page.
-The various plots. We have several plots. Growing up, pregnancy, parent issues and more. It seems like they don't fit together, but they did. When the topics first came up I was afraid it might turn chaotic, but it didn't.
-The characters. I really liked Rose and Windy, they were very interesting characters and they are truly teenagers, trying out various things, being interested in things like boobs and boys. But on top of that, I loved their friendship. They are 2 characters who I wouldn't place together, they are just quite different, yet they still match.
-The vacation place and all the description we got by illustrations. At times I could just imagine myself there, imagine myself swimming. It seems like a wonderful place to just relax and have fun.
Not so good:
-The slut-shaming. I really dislike it, and it was brought up quite often. Even causing Rose to say things like it. It is sad that a girl this young already sees things like this. So another girl is seeking comfort, hugging someone else and then she is a slut? I can see where this is going when the kid hits 16. :\
-The mom. I wish she would have just been honest, honest with her kid, honest with everyone. I didn't like her at all. Her husband and her daughter both did their best, yet they only got cold shoulders and mood-swings. And sure, not being able to get another baby is hard and losing one while trying is hard, but this way you will lose everything you have. Your husband, your daughter, everything.
-The ending, I feel like there were still enough things that didn't end well. But I guess the book is just about the summer, so when that is over, everything is over. I guess we will never know if Rose's parents stuck together, what happened to Jenny, what happened to Dud. It is a shame.
All in all though I really liked this book and I would recommend this one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/