The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond

This was the summer that would change my life.
No more being what everyone expected. No more doing what everyone else wanted.
So when Luke came into my life, I decided to keep him a secret. Maybe he as a dead-ringer for notorious Hollywood bad boy Trent Yves. And it was possible that everything he told me was a lie. And yes, I was probably asking for trouble. But all I saw was Luke--sweet, funny, caring--someone who would let me be the real me.
But which was the real him?

THOUGHTS: 

I tried liking this book, mainly because it was set during summer (you guys ought to know by now how much I love YA books set during summer) and the blurb intrigued me, but when you have to try to like a book, you just know for a fact that you won't like it no matter what you do. It's not that the book is badly written, or the plot is nonsensical and boring - rather, I just didn't feel anything while reading it. It just didn't have that zing I've come to expect when reading books I know I won't be able to stop thinking about well after I've finished reading them. The story just didn't hook me in and I just couldn't fully connect with the characters, though they were definitely interesting in their own little ways. I just wasn't tearing through the pages of the book, eagerly anticipating what came next. As a matter of fact, the only reasons I finished this book were because I was eager to find out whether or not Luke really was Trent Yves, and also because I was torn whether or not I liked Brigitta as a character. 

We've all gone through moments wherein we feel like Brigitta - socially awkward, ashamed of our families for how they act, and just intent on bottling everything in. As much as I relate to her at times, I couldn't possibly fathom just why she was so intent on pushing everyone away, and then later on lament on the fact that she had no nobody to talk to or that nobody was there for her. It was all very... confusing, and it got really tiring to read about as the novel progressed. However, I really liked Brigitta throughout the course of her relationship with Luke - she always let him know how she felt, and she never let him walk all over her. I can't help but laud book heroines who never fail to stand up for themselves against guys (especially ones they like) - reading about them is so refreshing!

This book deals with a lot of aspects other than your typical summer love (though I never got the impression that it was summer while reading the book) - filial relationships, the search for one's identity, and religion amongst others. The book has a lot going on, and I'm sure that most of you will like it - it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Rating: 3 Stars