It was a quick and easy read, and I kept waiting to really see what the Takeaway was from this summer. But it seems like it was really just a snapshot out of this person‘s life where they felt like they really had gone through some hard things. Which I definitely understand and it’s definitely interesting, but doesn’t necessarily need to be made into a book if that makes sense. It didn’t seem to have this ending that really highlighted what the purpose was for making this a book but it was very interesting and I enjoyed following along with the story. 

This One Summer follows Rose, a young teenage girl as she and her family go on their annual getaway to the fictional Awago Beach. There, Rose gets to see her longtime best friend, Windy, and the pair find out more about each other and what they want out of life.

I initially read this book because I heard it was banned due to its inclusion of LGBT characters, amongst other topics. However, there's no explicit inclusion of any LGBT characters. Allusions were made of Windy being lesbian/bisexual (ex. her saying that she doesn't want a husband; going to the 'lesbian camp'; showing slight jealousy when Rose shows interest in the boy who works at Brewster's, etc.), but it is never explicitly stated. 

Other reasons why the book ended up being banned are because of the profanity and sexual comments that the children make, including Rose and Windy. They overhear two workers at Brewster's call the girl's they're hanging with

sluts

, and Rose and Windy begin to repeat it. Even after Rose's mom overhears the two using such language and tells them it isn't appropriate, they repeat it later on in the novel. On top of that, the two Brewster's workers

actively talk about sex

and one of the girls they mess around with goes on to

get pregnant

. Those themes make a little bit more sense as to why some parents weren't happy with the novel.

Overall, I liked the book. This is the second book I've read by the Tamaki cousins; the first one being Roaming. I do like This One Summer much better, because the characters actually feel like they have some sort of depth (albeit minor).  

 This was a really beautiful reflection on the intricacies of growing up as a girl. I feel like so many of us have related to both Rose and Windy at different times in our lives. The art style and the language work in so many subtleties that really shook up my subconscious. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.