The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse // A Lovely But Lacking Travel Read

The Summer of Us, by Cecilia Vinesse
Publication: June 14, 2018, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 311
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Aubrey and Rae have been planning their trip around Europe practically from the moment they became BFFs in primary school. And, now, it ought to be the perfect way to spend their last summer together before university.
But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. There's Jonah, Aubrey's seemingly perfect boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, the boy Aubrey may have accidentally kissed. And there's Clara, the friend Rae is crushing on, hard, even though there's no hope because Clara is definitely into guys, not girls.
Five friends. Ten days. Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence, Barcelona. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be happening love story, or two ... because how could there not be?

 My Thoughts:

After previously reading Cecilia Vinesse's writing in her debut novel, Seven Days With You, a book that *actually* made me cry and develop wanderlust to jet off to Tokyo and explore all of Japan, I knew I wanted more. Receiving word about a new book by this author, a book that features characters travelling throughout Europe and visiting one of my favourite cities in particular, Prague, really excited me. I had a HUGE feeling that this would be one of the best books of the summer, and while it wasn't a 5-star read like the author's debut was, it certainly was an enjoyable read filled with so much romance and drama that will make your head hurt. Readers who enjoyed Sarah Mlynowski's I See London, I See France will especially fall in love with this story, as I noticed many similarities (even though Mlynowski's story was better as a whole).

The Summer of Us is a story that is set during the summer before college begins, and the characters head off to their freshman year. Funnily enough, that is the exact state I am in right now, and this book as a whole made me really jealous that I did not plan some kind of Eurotrip like this around the continent (although it has always been at the back of my mind... maybe next summer?). We have five main characters: Aubrey, a worrier and English literature obsessed, Jonah, her boyfriend, Rae, her best friend, Clara, an artsy friend of theirs, and Gabe, the boy who Aubrey feels awkward around. I cannot go into the inner details of each of these characters or else I'll be spoiling some surprises that arise in the middle of the story.

So I must admit that I liked each of the characters, and grew to like them. Each of them had their own flaws, and this was the nice part of it all; no one is perfect and through this trip, readers and the characters themselves got to see that some of their intended relationships may not work out after all as they grow apart and see what they themselves are like on their own, taking full responsibility for all of their actions. I guess it was also interesting to see what kinds of lives these characters will have in the future since they are all privileged. They all attend some kind of British American school, and they all are from America.  

However, what bothered me was the lack of description in terms of the cities visited by the characters. This Eurotrip included travelling from London to Paris to Amsterdam to Prague to Florence and to Barcelona... all in a matter of ten days. That felt rushed to me, and it felt as if the author was just trying to rush her characters from one destination to another so that she wouldn't have to describe the cities in detail and talk about attractions. But that's not what I like; I adore travelling and seeing characters travel in books makes me want to do so even more. This was a major low of the story and it affected the way I enjoyed reading this. I needed more detail.

The Summer of Us was a great, quick read that I finished in one sitting in a few hours. I always love the concept of travelling when it is mended with a contemporary-romance, and this was a successful read. I just wish that there was more description in terms of the cities and destinations the characters visited, but this was a overall enjoyable summer read.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some other wanderlust-inducing YA reads?

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse // I Want to Go to Tokyo. NOW.

Seven Days of You, by Cecilia Vinesse
Publication: March 7, 2017, by Little Brown BFYR
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.
Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

My Thoughts:

I WANT TO GO TO JAPAN SO BADLY. After reading this precious thing by Cecilia Vinesse, I realized that like New York City, Tokyo is the city of dreams. Or in other words, the city of my dreams. It is a place that never sleeps, it's gorgeous, and the food described by Vinesse was just extraordinary. What else could we possibly want from this book? The only thing I would ask for is to have a sequel where we read this story from Jamie's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I adored Sophia's character and the class that she had—Jamie is just a heartthrob and I want to read more about him. Seven Days of You is a fast-paced story that tells the story of a girl who is about to leave everything she has ever known and move to the States. This was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2016 that I finished in a few hours because it was just THAT CAPTIVATING. 

I get so much wanderlust reading books because I want to travel around the whole world. One of the obvious reasons why Seven Days of You was so intriguing was because of the setting: Tokyo, Japan. It is quite rare to find YA that takes place in Asia, let alone Japan. It was so interesting reading about the city life and how the teenagers in Japan, specifically Sophia and Jamie, live. It was a huge culture shock for me, and I have come to realize that I want to be go there so badly. ANYWAY, excuse me for my excessive fangirling. I also want to be part of the book for Jamie, duh.

You see, it has been like fifty years since I last put this beauty down. That was in California, six months ago. IMAGINE THAT. That's why you should expect a short review where I just am skimming over things; this was extremely delayed. As you can tell, I read this beauty while on vacation and I was so overwhelmed with how good it was. This is a short read that made me feel that I was wherever Sophia was. This is such a touching, descriptive book that made me believe in love. Occasionally, contemporary romances can be boring to the point that I felt that the objective of the author was to actually make his/her characters fall in love, though, in this case, Cecilia Vinesse mastered the art of love. This was a raw, moving story that made you feel the emotions Sophia was feeling; when she was afraid to leave the place she grew up in, you felt her fear. There is nothing better than an author writing a book like that. 

I loved Sophia's character for her originality. I often find chick-lit protagonists to be quite self-immersed and selfish, only for the reason that they do not want to give love a chance for various reasons. Then there are the protagonists who dealt with a difficult situation and a guy randomly pops up in the middle of their lives and they decide to leave everything and just go for the situation. Sophia was none of that; I cannot even describe her characters in words because she was just that unique. The concept too was especially unique; you will never find a book that is so beautiful and real, taking place in a matter of days. It made me feel rushed to get up and experience life to the fullest. THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL PHILOSOPHICAL, OKAY? Little Brown made the best decision to publish this story. It's unlike anything I have ever read before. 

This beauty is like 2016's Anna and the French Kiss. I strongly encourage you to pick this up, read it in a sitting with your laptop by your side so you could research last-minute flights to Tokyo and to find out more about the authentic Japan. Indulge in Cecilia Vinesse's debut novel about pure, authentic love. I'm sure that no one will regret it.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

Have you ever read a YA book that takes place in Asia? What do you think about books set in big cities? Do you feel wanderlust after? XD