Review: Since Last Summer, by Joanna Philbin

Since Last Summer (Rules of Summer #2), by Joanna Philbin

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: June 3, 2014, by Poppy

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Rory McShane should be excited to spend the summer in East Hampton with Connor Rule, her generous, smart, cute boyfriend. After all, Rory's no longer the hired help at the Rule family mansion on the beach, and she and Connor have made it through a year of long-distance dating. But now, in the months leading up to college, Rory can't help but wonder if she really belongs in Connor's world.

Isabel Rule is still trying to get over Mike, the devastatingly sexy surfer who broke her heart last summer. Enter Evan, an aspiring filmmaker who's kind, funny, and crushing on Isabel. He'd be the perfect summer fling -- so why can't she seem to forget about Mike?

Set against a backdrop buzzing with the rich, the famous, and the wannabe rich and famous, Since Last Summer, a companion novel to Rules of Summer, is the perfect beach read.

Review:

  Another book in this series? Really?

  It wasn't needed. The previous and first book ended off the perfect way for a good summer contemporary read! And this one took two years to be written. Meh. I already forgot who the characters were in the series. Thank goodness Joanna gave us a recap.

   This book was okay. I had some problems with it, but it overall was enjoyable, coming from this great author. 

    This book takes place right from where the first book left us off... well a year later. Rory is back in the Hamptons for a summer where she's the guest, since she is Connor's girlfriend and Isabel's best friend. Time is ticking, and Rory's beginning to wonder if it's working out between Connor and her, the first boy she's really loved. Isabel still can't forget about Mike, but when she meets Evan, she falls head over heels for him instantly, with some backtrack thoughts still nearing her down. How will their summer end?

      The big question that was sorted through in this book was--Who do these chicks really love? That's all that's really surrounding the reader's mind, at least, mine. I really think that Joanna was trying to create some plot twists and surprises, but none of those really came out as shocking. And I didn't expect them to. This is just a plain Mary-Jane summer contemporary read that you can read beside the pool with loud screaming kids behind you and while you sip a plain old Coke. It was a very easy read and none of it seemed to be a big deal.  So overall, the plot was okay, but really nothing special. 

       The characters were really what annoyed me. My hate for Rory was unbelievable. 

        I never really liked her in the first book, but now my disliking has gone extreme to a whole other level. She was selfish and didn't give a crap about anyone except her and her love life. She kissed Connor's ass the whole time through, and when he broke up with her, she didn't even care. She just acted like he was sad but she went to Amelia's (who she doesn't really know) house to hide and pretend that she was sad. She was a cold, heartless brat.

        Now Isabel was the character I just adored. She was badass and wasn't afraid to be afraid. Bad things were coming her way, but she dealt with them strongly and appropriately. I just loved that girl. She's a definite character that you could look up to.

         And then I got a different liking for another character... Evan.

           YUM. No other words needed.

         I'm silently hoping that this won't become a trilogy, because it doesn't need to be. It definitely should've stayed as a standalone, but it was enjoyable either way. The plot was good, and I liked what happened in the end.