Saturday, July 23, 2016

Lazy Review: The Boys of Summer (Book # 1 The Summer Series) by C.J. Duggan



Title: The Boys of Summer (Book # 1 The Summer Series)
Author: C.J. Duggan
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.5 Lazy Books


Synopsis:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.



“You get a little moody sometimes but I think that's because you like to read. People that like to read are always a little fucked up.” 
― Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides



My Lazy Thoughts:

This book goes down as one of the best NA romance novels I've read and so far my favorite in the series. It kept me awake when I was supposed to be sleeping. Why wouldn't it? Tess and the Onslow boys - Toby and Sean in particular - had me hooked from the get-go.

The story was set in the 1990s, giving the book a nostalgic old-school feel which I certainly didn't mind. And the fictional small town of Onslow - don't you wish that it exists?

Although I like Tess and her crazy best friends Adam and Ellie (whose own story I also enjoyed), the Onslow boys won my heart the moment they were introduced. They're a bunch of fun-loving hotties who became an integral part of Tess's character development. I love how her friendship with them and her relationship with Toby helped Tess loosen up and eventually develop self-confidence.

Also, I'm not a fan of dark angsty plots with characters that seem to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Oftentimes, they leave the readers feeling sad and depressed. I'm happy to say that while The Boys of Summer is not exactly a light read, it has just the right amount of drama with a HEA that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling afterwards.

C.J. Duggan has indeed written the perfect summer romance. Definitely recommended!




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