Nothing seems to be going right for her until one of Ashley's old boyfriends name Sumner, who made a lot more sense as Ashley's boyfriend then Lewis does, shows up again. He shows her that everything isn't as bad as it seems, and makes her feel better about her summer.

This book is a good read that you will probably be able to finish in 3 days, tops. It is so good that you won't want to put it down!


That Summer   November 29, 2001
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Have you ever been at the age of about 15 and just felt happy, sad, scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time? This is how Haven, a 6 foot tall 15 year old girl feels in the book, That Summer, by Sarah Dessen.
Her father just got remarried to the wheather girl he had an affair with, her "perfect" sister is getting married to this dull and boring guy, and her mother is thinking of selling their house. Her house is crazy and Haven cannot comprehend why all these things are going the way they're going: all wrong. She can't help but wonder why her sister isn't marrying Sumner, the perky, always fun to be with guy that she dated 2 summers ago.
Then one night, she's at dinner with her dad when she sees Sumner. Thery talk for about a 1/2 hour and over the course of the summer run into each other more and more. Now that they're so close, she can't help but think, does she love him? Can she replace her sister's fiance with him? Is her stepmom really
pregnant now? And why is no one paying any attention to her?
In this book, you really relate to what she's going through and feel like you're going along for the ride with her. There's so much going on, you can never get bored. It's a good easy read for all ages, but is best for teenagers.


"That Summer"- B/R   March 22, 2002
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

"That Summer" was about a girl named Haven. Haven is a fifteen-year-old who is going through a lot of bad changes in her life. Her life is very similar to other teenagers lives in our world today. She would always get picked on at school because of how tall and thin she was. Also, the changes she was going through seemed pretty sad. She was dealing with her parents getting a divorce and her father re-marrying and her sister getting married for the first time. It was summer time for her, and there was two weddings going on. One of the weddings was for her father and Lorna Queen, and ther other was for her sister and Lewis Warsher. She wasn't all that happy.

I truly enjoyed reading this book by Sarah Dessen. I loved it so much because it was hilarious. Well, it was not only hilarious, but the story was also sad, very heart warming, and also sweet as well. Reading this book has reminded me a lot about the character Mia Thermopolis from "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot. The way that she was getting picked on at school because of how weird she looked was exactly what was happening to Mia. I really like reading books about teenagers lives. I like to see what happens and what they go through. That's why i enjoyed reading this book.

My favorite part in this book would be in chapter eleven. In chapter eleven, they are apparently only three days away from her sister Ashley's wedding. She talks about how everyone was kind of stressing themselves out, and how they were trying to get everything done before the wedding. The funny part was when she was describing how her father looked when he and his new wife, Lorna came back from the Bahamas. She said,"My father came back with even more hair, a sunburn,..." I always love reading the funny parts. It reminded me of my grandpa. He barely had any hair. That was one good laugh!


Teenagers will enjoy listening to this story   May 27, 2003
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

What teenager hasn't felt ill-at-ease in his or her own skin? Haven is one of many, but in addition to a spurt of growth that brings her to almost 6 feet at the age of 15, she's facing her father's wedding to a mini celebrity from the local TV station and her sister's upcoming nuptials to a really dull fellow.

Mia Barron's reading of this story of teenage angst and recovery is pitch perfect from the family arguments to the mayhem at a mall where Haven works to shared confidences with her sister, Ashley.

When Haven's life is turned upside down by all the changes to her physical appearance and within her family she remembers what she believes to have been a perfect summer - the vacation when her parents were together and Ashley dated Sumner Lee, a really likeable, charismatic boy.

Memories aren't all Haven has because Sumner turns up once more. Listeners will find out what this means, and may very well be surprised.

- Gail Cooke