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The Summer of Possibilities - How Companionship Can Make a Difference

 The Summer of Possibilities - How Companionship Can Make a Difference 

Robert Gao

Synopsis

Sometimes companionship is the most effective way of coping with pain. In The Summer of Possibilities by Rachael Allen, four immensely different girls who suffer from various struggles in their lives find themselves living together at a lake house for the summer, the same house where their mothers grew up. Through the four girls' own unique stories, voices, and outlooks on the world, the reader learns about how multiple completely different stories can emotionally intertwine.

One is alone and constantly bullied. 

One is hiding her arthritic joint pain. 

One is feuding with her mother.

One can’t forgive her father for leaving.

One is questioning her sexual orientation.

One is desperate to befriend the other girls.

One's father doesn't approve of her sexual identity.

In emotional and eye-opening prose, Rachael Allen showcases the struggles that people suffer while hiding under a masquerade of someone who’s in control, who has the flashlight needed to navigate through the muddy waters of growing up. And how, through the dark tunnel fraught with instances of self-doubt, a light always shines through.


Review

This book ventured into a realm of combining all of the struggles a teen growing up in the world today could face and eloquently combines them into a large story about how companionship can significantly shape and alter the path a teen, when met with choices, ultimately takes. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the style of the book, which is structured into short narrations from each of the novel’s four protagonists. This structure allows the reader to constantly grasp the inner emotions of the characters and allows for a more interconnected, cohesive reading experience. The realistic aspects of the plot along with the raw, individual voices of the characters make for a captivating and incredibly enjoyable read.

Comments

  1. CollinsOctober 11, 2021 at 9:17 AM

    This sounds like a really interesting book to read, thanks for letting me know about it! This book sounds like it is a very fascinating book, with many engaging stories throughout! I definitely am looking forward to reading this book, I added it to my reading list! I also really liked the unique format of this blog post, it was very creative.

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  2. RichiOctober 11, 2021 at 3:45 PM

    I enjoy the approach of this post. I found it easy to understand while being dense with information. The main conflicts were given out in a list, and your opinion was given after the review. I wouldn't be reading this book, but I would consider it with this style of writing if I had this type of book in my favor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ross KimmeOctober 13, 2021 at 7:00 PM

    Great blog review. Seems like an interesting book to read. The book seems like a unique story and is different from many of the books I usually read. I like how in your book review you show how each girl has their own struggles. The writing style of short narrations is something very interesting. I have read other books with that structure and it really can make books enjoyable to read. Overall great blog post!

    ReplyDelete

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