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Jun 27, 2008

Snorkle rated it:

15-year-old Haven has always thought of the past with fond memories. She continuously retreats to favorite memories, not realizing that they might be jaded from reality. With Haven's father getting remarried and her sister, Ashley's marriage looming in the distant future, something snaps in Haven and she feels like she can't go on. It's only when an unexpected person, Ashley's old boyfriend, Sumner pops back into her life, does she start to think that maybe things will go back to the way they we More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2010

Ana705 added it

who, would like this book???? bored, people who want to listen to boring stuff? okay, i know a lot (A LOT!) of people who enjoyed this book but, it doesn't speak at, all to me. this is not my style of book, and type. sorry.

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 25, 2009

Darya rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2008

Katie Mitchell rated it:

I’ve recently just read the book That Summer by Sarah Dessen. I’ve read many of Sarah’s books and this one is at the top of my list. This is just one of her many outstanding books. This book is about a girl whose life is going through many changes. She is not your typical teenage girl. She is fifteen and almost six feet tall! This book is how one thing can change the rest of your life.
Haven, an almost six foot giant, is the reason I loved this book. She is just like me, except I am more More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2007

Kricket rated it:

Sarah Dessen's first novel. Haven is such a great character. She's 15, and she has a crappy job at a children's shoe store, and her father and older sister are both marrying people she's not sure are right for them. Her best friend Casey returns from 4H camp with a long-distance boyfriend and a smoking habit. Haven's mother is thinking of selling her childhood home. With all the changes happening in the people Haven once relied on, she fixates on a particular time: a trip to Virginia Beach her f More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 11, 2012

Sadie Jayne rated it:

That Summer wasn't my favorite Dessen novel. Most of her books are pretty life changing, and I lay awake just thinking about them for several nights in a row. This book wasn't like that. I suppose it was enjoyable, and the main character was kind of relatable, but a lot of things really bugged me.

A million things are happening around Haven and too her family, but she kind of does nothing thoughout the book, besides freaking out and throwing a show at some lady and bolting. I just fe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 19, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

A pleasant, quick and easy read. I think that the book was well written for a relaxing read without being trashy - it definitely had potential to be longer and for things to be more detailed. To be better, there could've description and history of the parents break up and Sumner's character and story could've certainly been developed more. There was certainly no depth to this book, but it was still a good read for what it was.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 20, 2008

Graciela rated it:

Things are changing fast for fifteen year old Haven as her parents divorce, her father marries a younger woman, her sister is getting maried and moving out, and Haven just can't ignore the fact that she is nearly six feet tall and still growing. To shield herself from everything thatis happening, Haven starts clinging on to the memory of a summer vacation when her parents were still together, her sister was dating Sumner Lee, and when everything was great and perfect.
At least thats what Ha More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Keysha added it

This was the first book I read of Sarah Dessen, my ex-boyfriend gave me the movie tie in edition of How to Deal where it came That Summer and Someone Like You. After I finished reading it, I knew that Sarah Dessen was about to become one of my favorite authors.

I want to believe that this specific story has a special meaning to everyone. For me is about changes. Haven is 15 years teenager who’s life is being put upside down and in the moment Summer Lee, her older sister boyfrien More...

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Jan 16, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

This book was okay. Nothing special really. It was Sarah Dessen's first novel and since she's super popular now, I'm sure she's gotten better. The things I liked about this book was that it wasn't about a teenage girl finding the cutest boy, the bestest friends or the cutest clothes. It was about a pivotal time in a teenage girls life where everything is changing around her and is totally out of her control. Divorces, babies, marriages, growth spurts, moving, these are all things that when you'r More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2007

Imani rated it:

Haven is a 16 year old monster. (Not really) she's just really tall which in her case makes her feel like a monster. But thats just on the outside, Haven can't stand the fact that his father just got a divorce and married in a time spand of 2 months. Haven can't stand the look on her moms facve everytime she sees her dad. then there Ashely her perfect sister with a perfect life, who is as well getting married, but in Haver's case to the wrong guy. Why is Haven so admamant about the "small" More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 21, 2011

Valerie rated it:

That Summer was my first Sarah Dessen book, and won't be my last. As a new Young Adult (YA) writer myself, I enjoy the part of the research phase of my job, including reading other YA authors. I've followed Sarah Dessen on Twitter, and greatly enjoyed her sense of humor, so looked forward to reading some of her fiction. I loved this book and her writing.
Fifteen-year-old Haven's world falls apart in one summer, while she continues to reflect back on the summer she remembers as the best in h More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Avel rated it:

I rate "That Summer" an undefiled five stars. Half-a-day read! Quickie!

I had this book just laying around
This book is about a girl named Haven whose mother and father get a divorce and whose sister is getting married. But her sister is marrying a very boring man who doesn't seem to fit her sister's personality. Could things just get worse for Haven?
Then something sparks Haven and reminds her of when her mother and father were happy together and her sister was perky More...

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Jul 26, 2011

Sara rated it:

Blah. This book was well-written, but dull.

Everything is changing in 15-year-old Haven's life. She suddenly 5'11. Her dad marries a 26 year-old weather girl. Her 21 year-old sister gets married a month later. Her mom is now a divorcee with a crazy bestfriend who goes to ladies night every Thursday. Haven's own bestfriend comes back from camp with a cigarette addiction and the boy-crazies.

Sumner and all of his jobs was hilarious. He might have been the highlight of the bo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 11, 2011

Nic rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 02, 2011

Maggie added it

I'm not sure how you can claim to read YA and not know about Sarah Dessen, whether you like her or not. Meg Cabot may dominate snarky, whiny, stretches-the-limits-of-the-imagination, hilarious chick lit, but Sarah Dessen is queen of more serious "girl books," ones that address topics like eating disorders and drinking and the consequences of premarital sex. I know that sounded a little disparaging, and it's not. This Lullaby is the only YA romance that never, ever made me think yeah More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Aimee rated it:

This was different from the other Dessen books I have read. And not in a bad way. In fact, I was so surprised on how different that I kept waiting for the romance. There wasn't one. This was purely a coming of age novel. And it was a great story.

Haven is dealing with a lot. Like growing to be really tall, dealing with her parents divorce, her dad's upcoming marriage and her sisters marriage and how things are changing so much. She can link it back to one specific summer. It was a nea More...

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Jun 07, 2011

Patty rated it:

All haven can think about, is the summer when her sister, Ashley, was dating Sumner. The beautiful memories causes Haven to feel anger towards her sister, for letting him go. The way Haven sees it, Ashley pushes everyone away who was ever good for her and her family. Now, Ashley is engaged to a 'loser' who haven can't understand why Ashley would love. That's when the truth is finally told... what really happened 'that summer'. And everything about her changes.
Dessen seems to have the patt More...

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May 10, 2011

Rachel rated it:

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
Realistic Fiction, Speak, 2004, 198 pgs.
A lot can happen in a single summer. In those three months free of school and normal schedules, everything can change. For Haven one summer is all it takes. The world around her is changing. Her friend returns from camp a changed girl. Suddenly she is smoking, drinking and in love with a boy in a different state. Haven’s mom is a bit of a mess due to the recent divorce from Haven’s dad who left for the sexy weather More...

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Mar 08, 2011

Alexandra rated it:

Sarah Dessen is my guilty pleasure. I read Just Listen the spring I turned 13 and fell in love. I read Dreamland the next year and was completely blown away. I always put down a Dessen novel already missing the characters and they world they live in. It's so much easier to pick up where I left off with a new book because of the fact that all of her books (that I've read) are set in the same town, and often feature characters, however briefly, from her other books. It feels like coming home.
More...

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Sep 07, 2010

Kristy rated it:

I'm okay with this book, I thought the plot was very interesting and it was told in such unimaginable ways, but I didn't really like the choices the character makes in the book. That summer, a book expressing the idea of sugar coated truth. Haven, the main character, lives through the summer learning about what really happened between her sister, Ashley and one of Ashley’s ex-boyfriends, Summer Lee. Haven realizes how things aren’t the way they happen to be. Since her father is getting re-marrie More...

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Aug 20, 2010

Escherer rated it:

That Summer could refer to the current one through which 15-year-old Haven is suffering, or it could be the one a few years ago when everything seemed perfect. Nevertheless, both summers affect her and she is a different person at their conclusions. Dessen has cast her story with a group of forgettable characters who plod their way through a coming-of-age novel with a lot of subplots. There is the long-suffering mother and her scatterbrained best friend. Then there is toupee-wearing Dad, who hon More...

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Aug 18, 2010

Emily rated it:

I am glad to know per another reader's review that this was Sarah Dessen's first book. I've heard so much about her as a YA author so my hopes were sky high, but I didn't feel like "That Summer" delivered to expectation.

SPOILER ALERT
My major disappointments were twofold in the climax:

1. There had been so much hype about the sub-plot of Gwendolyn Rodgers, and all that happened was that she and Haven ran into each other in a rainstorm and stared at one anot More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 15, 2010

Anita rated it:

I can honestly say that this is not my favorite Sarah Dessen book. This was her first novel, and you can really see that she has grown as a writer over the years. I did, however, read this book pretty much in one sitting. It isn't a very long book, and I was sick with some kind of stomach bug yesterday, so I wasn't doing a whole lot of moving around. Perfect time for reading!

That Summer is the story of Haven and her life one summer spanning from one wedding (her father's) to anoth More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 14, 2010

Rachel rated it:

This book deals with difficult issues. For example, 15-year-old Haven has to deal with her father getting remarried (after he cheated on her mother with a woman who is only a few years older than Haven's older sister). Haven also struggles with her sister getting married--to a completely boring guy that Haven does not like.

Instead of dealing with her life, she looks back to a summer several years ago when her sister dated Sumner Lee, that fun boyfriend who seemed to bring the whole f More...

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Jun 14, 2010

Alex rated it:

Fifeteen year old Haven is having an interesting summer. Her father is is about to remarry a very young weather woman, her sister Ashley is also getting married to a boyfriend who seems dull, and her mother is spending an increasing amount of time outside of the home with her own friends in order to cope with the divorce, and her best friend has fallen in love for the first time. In all this mess, an old boyfriend of Ashley's comes back to town, reminding Haven of a fun summer they all shared to More...

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Feb 05, 2010

Hannah rated it:

I found that I didn't enjoy That Summer as much I had previous Sarah Dessen books. The book was rather short, and as a result I felt that I didn't have enough time to get to know Haven as I had previous characters.

What I like about Sarah Dessen books is that they are quite formulaic: We meet a character who has recently had some big change or trauma in her life, and we follow her adventure as either her situations is resolved or she at least comes to terms with her problem and can beg More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 19, 2009

Abby rated it:

So I've read a few Sarah Dessen books now and I think I can basically boil the plot of most her books down to this formula: Middle-class white heterosexual teen girl protagonist with an absent or non-existent father and who has a somewhat strained though still loving relationship with her mother is going through a difficult time/changes/growing up. A carefree/fun-loving/slightly unusual heterosexual white boy comes along and he is the only one who understands/cares/could be the solution to all h More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2009

Hallie_m rated it:

Many parts of Haven's life are changing, her parents got a divorce and her dad is remarried, her sister is getting married, and her mom is going to Europe. Haven feels like she is not important anymore. Sarah Dessen's That Summer is a story about Haven finding herself.

The theme of That Summer is be yourself and comfortable in your own skin. Haven is fifteen years old and 6 feet tall. She feels out of place all the time because she is not comfortable with who she is.

I lik More...

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Aug 29, 2009

Francis rated it:

That Summer is a memorable debut by Sarah Dessen. It tells the story of Haven, a young teenager dealing with a difficult summer, bookmarked on both ends by weddings. At the beginning of the summer, her father is getting married to a new woman and starting a new life; meanwhile, her older sister is frantically preparing for her own wedding at the end of the summer to a loving but rather uncharismatic young man, which is a big change from the boys she had dated serially in her more impetuous teena More...

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