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The Summer My Life Began

by Shannon Greenland (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 537 ratings · 182 reviews

A great summer beach read filled with sunshine, cooking, and—of course—romance!

Elizabeth Margaret--better known as Em--has always known what her life would contain: an internship at her father's firm, a degree from Harvard, and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is, it's not what she wants. So when she gets the opportunity to get away and spend a month with the aunt sh...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published May 10th 2012 by Speak

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Community Reviews

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Mar 17, 2012 Lisa O. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-neurons-involved, ya-lit, swoooooon

You might have noticed that I shelved this in my 3-neurons-involved shelf (and please note, it is not a shelf with a derogatory purpose, it's just dedicated to vanilla, fluffy, light reads I seem to enjoy so much when I feel overcome by... well, life). Most books that end up in that shelf are books I actually liked. That being said, you barely need 2 neurons for this book. Actually, make that 1.
And I'm quite disappointed to be honest, because the idea wasn't bad at all.

Margaret Elizabeth belong...more You might have noticed that I shelved this in my 3-neurons-involved shelf (and please note, it is not a shelf with a derogatory purpose, it's just dedicated to vanilla, fluffy, light reads I seem to enjoy so much when I feel overcome by... well, life). Most books that end up in that shelf are books I actually liked. That being said, you barely need 2 neurons for this book. Actually, make that 1.
And I'm quite disappointed to be honest, because the idea wasn't bad at all.

Margaret Elizabeth belongs to a well-off, pseudo-aristocratic family (imagine Gilmore girls' grandparents) one of those who strive for elitism, the life paths of their children set in stone, with no choice whatsoever. She is meant to go to Harvard in the fall, become a lawyer and work in the family's firm.
When she receives and invitation from a mysterious aunt asking her to spend some time on the Outer Banks where she runs a B&B, she decides to take advantage of the good opportunity for her to relax and recharge her batteries before college.
Life on the island is nothing like the life she's used to: from her sweet aunt Tilly to her cute cousin Frederick, from the eccentric cook Domino to the magnetic and brooding Cade. As she gets settled and adjusts to the island's rhythm, she starts discovering clues as to the reasons why her aunt has never been mentioned before by her family... which might be more life-changing than what she bargained for.

So...a tropical getaway island? Soft sand and sunny days? A hot surfer guy with some secrets? Sign me up, please, I'm all ears. Then why did it go so wrong?
This book has no depth whatsoever, unfortunately. There's no depth in the characters, who ended up being pretty two-dimensional, and never got developed enough up to the point that some of them come out being cardboard caricatures (the grandmother? the mother? the sister?).
But most of all, and this is the biggest problem of this book, there's no depth in the writing.
There's a lot of telling, and very little showing.
A whirlwind of actions, places and scenes one after the other, they sounded almost like theatre stage directions in some points. It was all too fast, leaving me no time to appreciate the characters, the emotions, even the scenery.
Furthermore, the big ending revelation(s) that we discover at 94%, I guessed them around the 20% mark. A tad predictable? Everything is just too perfect, works out too well, at the right moment.I know this is fiction but it's gotta be believable.

The general impression is that this book could have been as good as Wanderlove, if only the writing and the characterization had been taken to a more... "experienced" level. I think this author has still a lot to learn.

Also seen on The Nocturnal Library.(less)

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May 10, 2012 Jasprit rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: out-2012, arc-galley, read-in-2012, ya, contemporary

The disappointing and/or abandoned reviews that I read before picking up this book should have been the biggest hint that maybe I should avoid this book. But I decided to give it a shot who knew maybe I would end up liking it?

Elizabeth Margaret or “Em” has her life planned out for her; she is a perfect student who will do an internship at her father’s law firm over the summer and then go to Harvard to study law. She does everything she is told by her parents and grandmother, but Em is given the...more The disappointing and/or abandoned reviews that I read before picking up this book should have been the biggest hint that maybe I should avoid this book. But I decided to give it a shot who knew maybe I would end up liking it?

Elizabeth Margaret or “Em” has her life planned out for her; she is a perfect student who will do an internship at her father’s law firm over the summer and then go to Harvard to study law. She does everything she is told by her parents and grandmother, but Em is given the chance to change all this when she receives a letter from an Aunt Tilly, an aunt that she didn’t even know existed until she received her letter. Her aunt wants her to spend the summer with her before she goes off to college. Em’s mother and grandmother you can say aren’t too happy about this letter out of the blue, they don’t want Em to go, Em has no clue why, but they come to a compromise, Em can stay a month at Aunt Tilly’s and then has to finish off the rest of the summer break at her dad’s law firm.

Em’s time at Aunt Tilly’s you can say is an invigorating experience for her; she can do things she’s been hiding from her parents for years like cook (Em’s mum used to shout at her if she ever saw her trying to help their housekeeper prepare a meal in the kitchen). She doesn’t have to feel as if she has to be careful about what she wants to say, she basically has the most care free and easy time of her life.

The reason this book didn’t work for me was because of a couple of issues; firstly the book took ages to get down to the nitty gritty of things. It’s like everyone was dancing around the issue of why Aunt Tilly and Em’s mum and grandmother didn’t speak to one another, every time we got close to discovering the truth Aunt Tilly would just brush the issue aside or would be like we don’t have time for this. I got to the point when I wanted to pull my hair out; it just felt like they were faffing around too much.

Em was also meant to be an intelligent individual, she was going to Harvard to study law, but so many times she came across as a bit clueless and immature, like she knew in the pit of her stomach that she had feelings for Cade but she still decided to go out with Jeremy because her parents may approve. And then she needed other people like Cade or her Aunt to tell her things before she clicked and realised they maybe on to something here. I wanted to say come on girl think for yourself sometimes and have a bit of spontaneity. Also I can’t deal with books which have an unexpected turn of events, but then everything’s hunky dory straight away. With this book I felt that things got resolved way too quickly for my liking.

I really thought that The Summer My Life Began would be a great summery feel good book to start off with in preparation for the summer, but unfortunately I couldn’t be more wrong. Hopefully this book will work out a lot better for other readers than it did for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This review and more can also be found on my blog: The Readers Den
(less)

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May 03, 2012 Janina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, contemporary, on-my-kindle, summer-books, young-adult-fiction, nothing-special, want-to-go-there, read-in-2012

Let me get one thing out of the way: I love summer books. They are my favourite go-to when I need an uplifting story that features the sea, beaches, sand on one’s skin, sun and maybe a nice summer romance.
Now, there are certain types of summer books that are not particularly deep, but that does not necessarily keep me from enjoying them. This book, though, barely even scratched the surface, and combined with a rather lacklustre writing style, it didn’t really do anything for me.

I am not saying t...more Let me get one thing out of the way: I love summer books. They are my favourite go-to when I need an uplifting story that features the sea, beaches, sand on one’s skin, sun and maybe a nice summer romance.
Now, there are certain types of summer books that are not particularly deep, but that does not necessarily keep me from enjoying them. This book, though, barely even scratched the surface, and combined with a rather lacklustre writing style, it didn’t really do anything for me.

I am not saying that the basic ingredients for a great read aren’t present here. We have the Ivy League bound main character, preparing to follow her father’s steps in his law firm, but secretly dreaming of becoming a chef. We have the never heard of aunt running a beautiful little B&B in the Outer Banks inviting her to spend the summer. We have family secrets and crushing expectations. We have the gorgeous surfer guy with a tragic past. We even have tons of delicious food!
But although the characters undoubtedly had potential, I never felt anything for them. They were there, they were okay, but I did not care for them. They remained pale throughout the whole novel, and lacked depth and authenticity. Come to think of it, the only thing that really convinced me in this book was the setting. Beautiful beaches, laidback atmosphere, the glittering blue sea and exotic flowers. The Outer Banks are definitely a place I could see myself visiting one day.

There are simply books that are too light and breezy, conflicts that are solved too easily and characters that are too forgiving. Sadly, all three things can be found in The Summer My Life Began. The conflict is there, the difficult family relationships are there, too – heck, we even have a secret that would shake up the most well-functioning family. Yet, conflicts are solved in a matter of a few pages, or dealt with only superficially and the main character is able to forgive something after a one night’s sleep that I would never have been able to forgive as easily as her.

Last but not least, the romance. Call me superficial, but in books like these, the romance does play the most important part for me. I want to be wowed, I want to swoon a little, I want to fall in love alongside the heroine. Well, this did not happen. Just like all the other aspects of this book, the romance was rather colourless and not particularly thrilling. There is the hint of a love triangle, but that gets resolved pretty quickly.

All in all, there isn’t really anything wrong with this book, it is just nothing special. I do not regret reading it – it was a quick read – but I wouldn’t have missed out on anything had I skipped it either.

Thanks a lot to Penguin and Netgalley for the review copy.(less)

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Mar 17, 2012 Tatiana marked it as lost-interest

Shelves: ya

Available now for EVERYONE on NG.

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Mar 11, 2012 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars - I didn't like this book at first, but it ended up growing on me. The book has a lot of potential because the story is obviously there. I just wish it wasn't so surface deep.

The book started out really dull. Here you have Em in a rich, stuck up family that has high expectations of her. But a lot of it was just surface deep, and you don't really get more than just that. And I felt there were a bunch of senseless, useless scenes that just dragged out the beginning when it should have be...more

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Oct 14, 2012 April rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, ereader, netgalley, for-review, contemporary

I read The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland on the bus ride to BEA and I have to say, it is a great read while traveling or a beach book. I found it to be absorbing, but not to require a whole lot from me on my end, except a bit of attention. To further define what I mean, a travel or beach read, to me, is a light book that entertains you while making the ride pass by rather quickly. It’s not exactly a life changer of a book.
Read the rest of my review here

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Apr 08, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, about-summer, arc, book-with-gorgeous-boy, e-book, e-galley, complicated-families, the-start-of-something-beautiful

Read more of my reviews at Falling Books!

The Summer My Life Began is an interesting book about family and friends. It shows you how life can change within a few weeks, how you life can be turned upside down because of one secret and how opportunities can pop up in the most surprising of places!

This isn't just an ordinary summer....

Elizabeth Margeret is the daughter of a wealthy family. What is expected of her? She must become a lawyer, she much marry someone rich, she must not disappoint her pa...more

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May 12, 2012 Hilda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, young-adult, mundane-world-normal-people

Elizabeth Margaret, or simply called Em, is a girl with passion in cooking. However, the option of telling her uptight and prestigious family that she wants to pursue a career in cooking is off-limits. Her family would be furious, and Em doesn't want to hurt her family's feeling. Being a chef is not even possible in her wildest imagination.

This is her last summer holiday before she goes to Harvard and follows her father’s path as a lawyer, when a letter from her aunt arrives. Em doesn’t even kno...more Elizabeth Margaret, or simply called Em, is a girl with passion in cooking. However, the option of telling her uptight and prestigious family that she wants to pursue a career in cooking is off-limits. Her family would be furious, and Em doesn't want to hurt her family's feeling. Being a chef is not even possible in her wildest imagination.

This is her last summer holiday before she goes to Harvard and follows her father’s path as a lawyer, when a letter from her aunt arrives. Em doesn’t even know that she has an aunt until she receives the letter. She is invited by her aunt Matilda to spend her summer in Outer Banks. The more Em thinks about it, the more she wants to accept this invitation. This is her only chance of freedom. The moment when finally, her life begins.

The Summer My Life Began could be a much better book with more polishing. I judged most books I read by the first chapter. The first chapter plays a lot in my judgment whether to keep reading or shuffle the book to somewhere in my To-Be-Read pile. Sadly, this book falls on the latter. When I finished reading the first chapter, I got the impression that most part of this book will be about telling, not showing. I felt like I was overloaded with too much information regarding Em’s feeling. I would like to have more sides of Em’s shown in the following chapters, not thrown out in the first chapter. It made me think that I’ve known every bits and pieces about her already.

Fortunately, the writing is much improved throughout the story. There are also enough puzzles and magnetism of beautiful setting of an island out in the Atlantic Ocean that made me eager to read what happens next. Em and Cade’s relationship is also very adorable. There are some surprises that I didn’t see coming and they add to positive points of this book. I think The Summer My Life Began will appeal to fans of younger YA. If I were younger, I know that I would fall in love more with this story and the message behind

We drove under the beautiful archway of bright red flowers growing on thick green vines that I had seen on the Pepper House’s website. We circled around a stone fountain with four carved goats spouting water from their mouths. Cade stopped the van in front of a Mediterranean-style whitewashed stone house covered in more beautiful red flowers.

He turned the key and silence filled the cab.

“Here we are,” he said, flinging open his door and getting out of the van.

I sat for a moment and smiled. Here I am.(less)

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May 13, 2012 Emily (Book Jems) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netalley-e-galley, young-adult, blog-tours, kindle, released, romance, contemporary, fun-to-read, annoying-protagonists, adventure, horrible-cover, meh, from-publisher-for-review

As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!

4/5 Stars!

The Summer My Life Began is a fast, light read that's perfect for a day of relaxing in the summer sun!

Elizabeth Margaret, or Em as she's referred to in most of the story, and her sister are born into a world of prestige. As they grow, they must learn to meet their family's expectations: perfect grades, ivy league education and a high-standing job like a lawyer or a doctor. All Em wants is to be a chef and get away from the high stress of her family's expe...more As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!

4/5 Stars!

The Summer My Life Began is a fast, light read that's perfect for a day of relaxing in the summer sun!

Elizabeth Margaret, or Em as she's referred to in most of the story, and her sister are born into a world of prestige. As they grow, they must learn to meet their family's expectations: perfect grades, ivy league education and a high-standing job like a lawyer or a doctor. All Em wants is to be a chef and get away from the high stress of her family's expectations. So she decides to go to an aunt's Bed and Breakfast. She's never heard of this aunt, but receives an invite as a high school graduation present.

The way that Em's life is depicted really annoyed me, but based on television shows, movies and other books, the way she grew up seems normal for a upper class citizen. For me, it was hard to believe and actually a bit frightening. My parents want me to be the best I can be, but they want me to do what I want to do. To see someone's parents so prejudice to people who aren't rich, or careers that aren't high end, is very unnerving to me. I wanted Em to immediately get out of that house and find her own way.

As soon as Em makes her way to her aunt's home in North Carolina, I wanted to visit my own family there. The way Ms. Greenland writes the scenery really makes you want to go to the Outer Banks. And eat a lot of food. Reading Em's descriptions of the food she's cooking made me literally drool. I'll admit to having to have food around as I read this one. That's how delicious the meals sounded! Ms. Greenland has a way with descriptions!

I had a few issues with this book, but overall, I enjoyed it. There are a lot of cheesy aspects in this book. Rich girl falls for the poor, mysterious boy. It's almost insta-love. He knows the real secret about her and this causes drama. Much of the drama is needless. Em's voice is a bit younger than I picture for a legal adult. She doesn't always seem like someone who just graduated as a valedictorian. It's not a very unique character set-up or plot, but the author really makes it her own.

I don't know how, but the twist in this book really blew me away. I think it was my favorite part of the book - besides the romance. I mean, I'm a total romance junkie. And the romance in this story is very realistic and sweet. I love Cade. He's a great guy. The word that comes to mind when I think of him is actually "summer" because not only does Em meet him in the summertime, but he himself almost embodies it. Cade is a good match for a character like Em. Em is sweet, but she lets people rule her life and that bugged me. She's a sweet girl who didn't deserve to be controlled, but loved for being her own person.

This book is a very light read. Perfect for sitting out in the sun and relaxing. It's got its own drama, sure, but it isn't drama that is going to make you need tissues. That's why it's so good for summer! It's refreshing to read something so carefree after the dark books that I've been reading lately! The Summer My Life Began is a recommended book for all-age teens who need an easy summer read!

I received a free e-copy of this novel for a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Erika Stone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ivy League is Expected

I gave the book, The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland, a 4 out of 5 because I really enjoyed reading it. The line "My parents were status seekers, plain and simple." in the beginning of the book is talking about what her lifestyle is like at home. The main character's name is Em who is 17 and she is from a strict family. Her parents expect great grades and for her to behave well. Her parents have planned out for her to do an internship at her father's firm, to get...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-reader-copy

Elizabeth Margaret (or, Em, as she’s sometimes called) has just graduated from high school and is about to start an internship at her father’s law firm the summer before attending Harvard. When she gets a letter from an aunt she didn’t even know she had, Em jumps at the chance to get away from her strict and unfeeling family to spend a month at a Bed and Breakfast in the Outer Banks. Em discovers her true self, pursues her love of cooking and learns family secrets that will change her life.

The S...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

The contemporary YA novel, The Summer My Life Began, by Shannon Greenland, tells a remarkable story about the significance of family and forgiving. With Elizabeth Margaret’s (Em) future already in placed by her parents, she believes it is the only one available for her. After spending a few weeks with her Aunt Tilly and cousin Frederick, Em uncovers new paths that make her second-guess about the future already set for her.

With clues suggesting that the secrets of Em’s family could be terrible, r...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Gloria Zhu rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

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Aug 17, 2012 Casey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, realistic, teen

I would have really liked this book had it been written by someone else, like Dessen or Ockler. The overall story was great and had so much potential. I didn't even have much issue with the story arc and resolution. It was the execution that killed it for me. The characters lacked depth and consistency. The writing felt juvenile. The main character just graduated high school, the love interest is 19 and on his own, this had the potential to be an amazing New Adult book if it was edgier and deepe...more I would have really liked this book had it been written by someone else, like Dessen or Ockler. The overall story was great and had so much potential. I didn't even have much issue with the story arc and resolution. It was the execution that killed it for me. The characters lacked depth and consistency. The writing felt juvenile. The main character just graduated high school, the love interest is 19 and on his own, this had the potential to be an amazing New Adult book if it was edgier and deeper, if it actually delved into the conflicts, but it didn't and I would have guessed Em was 13 not 17/18. There was a lot of telling instead of showing or showing but then telling like the author didn't think her readers were smart enough to figure out what was going on. There also seemed to be a lot of filler writing, like a and b happened and then I went home and went to sleep and then I woke up and thought about everything that happened which was a and b and then I went and cooked because that's when I think the best and I thought about a and b. The conflict fell flat when it actually happened. The argument felt forced then was over as soon as it happened because Em was just like, it's all good I see why you did what you did so I'm over it. I'm sorry but you don't just deal with something like that in 24 hours. Also, I had a really hard time believing that her family at home reacted in the way they did. Finally, the last sentence is, "He was right; I am amazing." Self-centered much? Em is far from perfect but somehow because everything has miraculously and easily fallen neatly into place she is amazing for bringing it all together. Honestly the book would have been better without the epilogue and I'm usually one for sappy epilogues.

In its favor, I did finish the book which I don't often do when I have this many issues. It was still interesting enough to keep me reading on my lunch break but not interesting enough to make me want to read it when I got home from work at night. Except for maybe one reference to underage drinking (in which Em would NEVER take part) and some heated kisses, this book would be perfect for younger teens who want to read about older teens but who aren't quite ready for those books (or whose parents don't want them to read those books).(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s...more Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time

The Good:

I love books about inns and Bed & Breakfasts. When you add in a young girl who wants to be a chef and a hot boy with great hair then I am guaranteed to read it. The Summer My Life Began promised me the hustle and bustle of a beautiful B&B, a well loved kitchen and a summer romance. In some aspects this book delivered. After reading this story I couldn’t wait to book my trip to the Outer Banks. I say that like I DID book it. I didn’t. But not because I didn’t want to. And the description of the B&B…oh my. If that isn’t the B&B the XO and I own in our retirement (yes that is our plan for our old age) I’ll die. Simply die. OK, that might be a bit dramatic. But you get the picture.

The Bad:

Unfortunately, the dialogue was flat and lacked emotion. For someone who thrives off of the emotion in stories, this was frustrating. The lack of emotion lead to most of the relationships appearing superficial. This in turn made them almost impossible to root for. The relationship between Em and her sister seemed forced and the romance between Em and Cade came across as completely implausible. I wanted so badly to get behind the characters in this book but found it impossible.

I really wanted to love this story but unfortunately it fell at a Meh (or 2 stars) in our rating system.

Nat(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever had your whole life planned out for you ? Right from birth to adulthood , somebody dictating who you were going to be , what grades you had to get etc. Elizabeth Margaret has , she has a bank account earmarked for Harvard where she will study Law and then work for her father's firm and this summer she has an Internship lined up in a law firm. However for Em as her sister calls her , she doesn't dream of being a lawyer , yet all she wants to do is go to Culinary school and became a...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, didn-t-live-up-to-the-hype, for-review, net-galley, teen-ya

At First Sight: Em (also known as Elizabeth Margaret) is on the fast track to an Ivy League School and the life her parents have planned for her: become a lawyer, get a spot in her father's firm and marry someone who is at least as rich as her parents are.

However, Em wants something different, as her true passion is - and has always been - cooking, and she would love to go to cooking school, only that she knows she doesn't have it in her to defy her Parents and Grandmother. In fact, she never d...more At First Sight: Em (also known as Elizabeth Margaret) is on the fast track to an Ivy League School and the life her parents have planned for her: become a lawyer, get a spot in her father's firm and marry someone who is at least as rich as her parents are.

However, Em wants something different, as her true passion is - and has always been - cooking, and she would love to go to cooking school, only that she knows she doesn't have it in her to defy her Parents and Grandmother. In fact, she never defies them about anything, no matter how disenchanted she is with her current life and future ahead.

So, when Em gets and invitation to spent the summer with Aunt Tilly - a mysterious aunt she had never heard of - she sizes the opportunity to step away from her parents's plans, defying them for the first time ever but winning, in the end.

In the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Em gets to know this whole other side of her family she never knew about and, much as she misses her sister Gwyneth, Em also begins to love her Aunt Tilly and cousin Frederick.

Second Glance: I have many mixed feelings about this book. To start, I found the writing to be fun and airy and fast, I mean, I would read large chunks of the story in just a few minutes without even noticing - and that's always good in my book.

I also loved the relationship Em has with her younger sister Gwyneth (even if she does sound too perfect to be true), since it's loving and fun and it's nice to see two sisters who are close in age and aren't at each other's throats all the time. Gwyneth and Em always are each other's suppor and I liked that.

But, for the most part, I didn't like the people in this book. I didn't find them compelling or likable. The story, over all, was a bit melodramatic and, at the same time, it feels like everything is fixed or dealt with in a ridiculously easy way.

Cade, the romantic interest of the story, was all right and played his part well, but he also reminded me of other characters I've read before, with out having anything about him that really stuck to my memory.

Also, I can't pin-point why, but when I was reading the beginning of the story I thought two things: First, Grandmother is a mix of evil Grandemere from the Princess Diaries Books and Emily Gilmore, just not as charming. And second, this feels like fan fiction. Really good fan fiction, but no more than that (I think it might be the 'quirky characters' that (again) reminded me of Gilmore Girls).

Bottom Line: I don't want to make it sound like The Summer My Life Began is a bad book, because it isn't. I just had a few issues with it that made it an OK book for me but no more than that. I did enjoy the setting and I liked Em, even if the big family secret could be spotted miles away. (less)

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May 25, 2012 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a girl name Elizabeth Margaret but goes by Em. She is a senior in high-school and is spending the last summer before heading to Harvard on her Aunt TIlly's Bed and Breakfast. Em is used to uptight, strict, and very controlling parents and grandmother. She is amazed of how laid back her Aunt TIlly is. During her stay she falls in love with a guy name Cade. Em learns a lot about herself while at her aunt's place. She ultimately changes her goal in life to something that makes he...more

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May 22, 2012 Alice in Readerland rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was part of The Summer My Life Began blog tour, so I also had the honor of interviewing Shannon Greenland! Here’s the direct link to the interview on my blog Alice in Readerland: http://aliceinreaderland.wordpress.co...

Em’s well-to-do family has her life all planned out for her: she’s going to go to Harvard and become a lawyer. Em’s passion, however, is cooking, something she must hide from her parents. But soon, Em receives a card from her Aunt Matilda, an aunt she never knew. A card that inv...more I was part of The Summer My Life Began blog tour, so I also had the honor of interviewing Shannon Greenland! Here’s the direct link to the interview on my blog Alice in Readerland: http://aliceinreaderland.wordpress.co...

Em’s well-to-do family has her life all planned out for her: she’s going to go to Harvard and become a lawyer. Em’s passion, however, is cooking, something she must hide from her parents. But soon, Em receives a card from her Aunt Matilda, an aunt she never knew. A card that invites her to stay at her aunt’s Bed and Breakfast, called the Pepper House, in the beautiful Outer Banks. “It was like something out of a fairy tale,” Em says of the Pepper House as she pulls up its website in the first chapter of The Summer My Life Began, “with ivy and bright red flowers growing up both sides of the doorway. There were pictures of the tropical-themed rooms and a beautiful bay out back.”

Despite the family estrangement, and the family secret being kept from Em, she’s allowed to stay with her aunt for one month. Setting off, Em is more than ready for a fun, unforgettable, summer. And that is just what she gets.

The imagery is beautiful and vivid, and will leave you wishing that you too could stay at the Pepper House; the surprises one right after another will keep you on your toes, wondering what will be revealed next; and Em’s development will keep you rooting for her all the way to the end.
“I’m not going to forget who I am and become someone else just by visiting Aunt Matilda.” Em says in chapter two. And that’s just what happens. We don’t see Em become an entirely different person, we see her grow.
One of the things I enjoyed the most was getting to see Em enjoy herself and be who she really was. Just by the beginning pages, we see that Em feels trapped into conforming to her demanding family’s ideals, however, at the Pepper House, things change. The warmth and excitement Em was shown (and that she conveyed) was a wonderful change from many of the angst-filled YA novels today. I loved seeing Em go from hiding her dream to being surrounded by people encouraging her to pursue her dream.

For the perfect summer read, get your copy of The Summer My Life Began today!
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May 10, 2012 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS
This book is full of charm,family problems,romance and food.
Elizabeth Margaret had just graduated from school as valedictorian
Plans have been made for her to intern at her father's law
practice. Go to Harvard in the fall.
One graduation card is from her Aunt Tilly who lives in the
Outer Banks, North Carolina offering to have her come and
stay with her.
Elizabeth & her sister Gwyneth had no idea they even had
an Aunt or who's sister she must be.
Elizabeth really wanted to go have a break and...more

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May 08, 2012 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book had a lot of heart. I thought it was going to be a fairly light and fun read, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much different this book ended up being, from what I had initially thought it would be. Shannon did an amazing job writing the book. I honestly don't think there is anything I disliked about it, it's a great story with everything else you need to make a great book.

I wouldn't want to have my life planned out for me, I felt really bad for Em because she felt so pressur...more This book had a lot of heart. I thought it was going to be a fairly light and fun read, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much different this book ended up being, from what I had initially thought it would be. Shannon did an amazing job writing the book. I honestly don't think there is anything I disliked about it, it's a great story with everything else you need to make a great book.

I wouldn't want to have my life planned out for me, I felt really bad for Em because she felt so pressured into doing exactly what her parents wanted her to. When she gets a letter from her Aunt Tilly, things start to change though. She gets her parents to agree to letting her go to her Aunts B&B for a month before starting an internship at her fathers law firm. The story doesn't really get good until she actually gets to the B&B once she is there she is faced with a lot of decisions she never imagined she would have the opportunity to make. It was just really nice seeing how her story progressed, and everything she went through to figure out what she truly wanted.

Em and Cade are one of the better romantic couples I have seen in a book lately, they are just really cute together and it was nice seeing that relationship grow. Gwenny and Domino have to be my favorite characters, they were just so much fun and I always found myself laughing at the things they said or did throughout the book. All of the other characters were also written very well, I didn't really have any that I didn't like.

The ending was really shocking for me. I wasn't expecting what happened at all, but in a way it seemed to make sense. I didn't really feel like there were any subtle clues or anything leading up to it, or I just didn't catch on to it.. But I really felt like it was a good ending, it felt right. Shannon did a fantastic job with this story.

If you're looking for a heartfelt summer read, I would highly suggest The Summer My Life Began. It has a cute romance, and a really touching story. I feel like it's a perfect summer book, the fact that it takes place during the summer is just a bonus. I hope you will all check it out though, it's well worth it.(less)

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May 07, 2012 Rachel Marks rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was asked to review this book as part of a JKS Communications Blog Tour. I am so happy that I got on this tour, because if I had not, I would have never have read this amazing book. Normally I tend to stay in my comfort zone of reading young adult paranormal romances. Once in a while I will venture out of that comfort zone and read something else.

The Summer My Life Began was a giant leap out my comfort zone since it is a young adult contemporary romance. For some reason I have avoided this sec...more

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May 06, 2012 Alexa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-2012-advisory

Elizabeth Margaret, Em, for short, gets invited to spend the summer before she goes off to college with her aunt that she had never met. Her parents and grandmother is against it because her aunt Tilly doesn’t exactly fit in with the family. But Em, and her younger sister, Gwynny convince her parents to let her go. Now at the beach, Em is living a totally different life. She is cooking, something she loves but her parents, and especially her mom never lets her. She also met some new people, who...more

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May 02, 2012 Hannah (The Irish Banana Review) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-penguin, ya-contemporary

This was a book I hadn’t heard of before it popped up in my mailbox, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. This book is the quintessential beach read. I kind of wish I had waiting a few months to be on the beach, letting the sun soak into my bones as I read this because I think that would have totally made the experience. As it is, Shannon Greenland has written a charming, simplistic tale of a girl finding herself (and love).

I wasn’t horribly taken with Em at first. She didn’t seem like a very s...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Fara Nani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, favourite, netgalley

Review on blog: The Summer My Life Began

Em's life was already mapped out ahead of her. When she received a graduation letter from an unknown aunt to spend the summer over her place, she convinced her parents to spend time with Aunt Tilly before she finally starts her freshman year in college.

The title suits the book perfectly. Em's life literally did finally began that summer. She finally got to express her passion in food and found her inner self(no matter how corny that sounds like). Em is qui...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Mollee rated it 2 of 5 stars

So I start reading "The Summer My Life Began" & within 2 pages I’m stoked – the main character, Em, is heading to the Outer Banks – where I live! ”It’s fate!” I think, but when she finally gets to my corner of the world, it’s nothing like how the Outer Banks actually is. I decide I can get over the fact that the airport/rolling hills description is totally inaccurate so long as I like the characters and the plot stays interesting. But things took a turn for the worse, in terms of the dialogu...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Lexie rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I came across this title, I thought it would be fun summer read. I picked up this book from netgalley because I thought the cover was cute and the summary reminded me of something Sarah Dessen would write. Now don't get me wrong the summer-girl-boy theme was cute. But I felt that, The Summer My Life Began didn't reach its full potential as a story.

For starters the main character Elizabeth or Em, as a character was dull, but that wasn't entirely her fault due to her strict parents making he...more

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Apr 18, 2012 rameau rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, ya, contemporary, theory-good-practice-not, emotional-disconnect, i-salute-you-captain-obvious

Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes-lite was the first thing to came to my mind when I opened this book. Both books are about a young girl just graduating and getting a surprising invitation in mail. For Ginny it was her dead aunt inviting her to London with 13 little blue envelopes that were supposed to guide her through an adventure. For Em, Elizabeth Margaret, it's a postcard from an aunt she didn't know she had to come and spend the summer with her on an island.

Both girls accept the c...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Ddpjclaf rated it 2 of 5 stars

**Free galley received from NetGalley**

My rating is hovering at around 2.5 stars.

Let me start off by saying that this book is sweet and cute. It really is. The protagonist, Elizabeth Margaret (heretofore known as Em) has just graduated high school and is set to intern for her father's law firm this summer, and then head off to Harvard in the fall. Even though what she'd really like to do is study to be a chef, she goes along with this plan because it's what her parents want. But one day she rece...more **Free galley received from NetGalley**

My rating is hovering at around 2.5 stars.

Let me start off by saying that this book is sweet and cute. It really is. The protagonist, Elizabeth Margaret (heretofore known as Em) has just graduated high school and is set to intern for her father's law firm this summer, and then head off to Harvard in the fall. Even though what she'd really like to do is study to be a chef, she goes along with this plan because it's what her parents want. But one day she receives a letter from an aunt she didn't even know she had, inviting her to spend the summer in the Outer Banks at her aunt's B&B. Despite not knowing anything about her aunt or anything, Em goes.

The premise is not really a new one, but I thought it sounded like a nice, easy read, and sometimes we need that. I wasn't disappointed by that. However, I didn't fall in love with this book.

The problem? The characters. Not that they were bad or unlikable, that's not true at all. They were all likable. It's just that they never developed past the outer layer. There was no depth to any of them. There was great potential with Em; she came from a very controlling family, was practically being forced to study something she didn't want to study, and through the course of the story, found out some really traumatic information about herself and her family. But I never *felt* any of that while reading. Everything moved so quickly from one scene to another and there was never enough given to make me really connect with her, to really feel what she was going through. It was like I was just standing there watching from outside a window.

There was also Cade. His background alone was rife with pain and struggle, yet we barely scratched the surface of any of it. He could have been a really amazing part to this story, could have really added a layer of depth and feeling, but he was, instead, just there to be a pretty boy Em fell for--which I also must comment on. This kisses in this book . . . felt very misplaced, very anti-climactic. There needs to be buildup for this sort of thing, and there was none here. Yeah, Em thought Cade was cute, she liked him, but there was never really anything between them until, oh, he's kissing her. It kind of left me scratching my head.

I'm not sure what more I can say. I liked this, but I didn't. It needed more. More character growth, more buildup for romance, more buildup for the big reveal, just more. There's a good premise, good character foundations, it just all needs to be filled in a bit more.
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Mar 22, 2012 cupcake rated it 2 of 5 stars

In Shannon Greenland's The Summer My Life Began, Elizabeth Margaret is presented with an intriguing offer. Her heretofore unknown aunt, Tilly, invites her to spend the summer between graduating from high school and heading to Harvard with her at her bed and breakfast in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Turns out, Elizabeth Margaret's mother and grandmother have concealed Aunt Tilly's existence from "Em", as Elizabeth Margaret's beloved younger sister, Gwenny, calls her. But why?

So Em heads to No...more In Shannon Greenland's The Summer My Life Began, Elizabeth Margaret is presented with an intriguing offer. Her heretofore unknown aunt, Tilly, invites her to spend the summer between graduating from high school and heading to Harvard with her at her bed and breakfast in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Turns out, Elizabeth Margaret's mother and grandmother have concealed Aunt Tilly's existence from "Em", as Elizabeth Margaret's beloved younger sister, Gwenny, calls her. But why?

So Em heads to North Carolina, where she meets "sexy loser" Cade, a young man who works for her aunt. She also meets a cousin, Frederick, she did not know about, along with a quirky chef named Domino and a houeskeeper named Beth. Within a few weeks, Em goes on dates with two different men, uncovers the family mystery, and admits - out loud - that she does not want to go to Harvard, but instead dreams of culinary school.

And there you have it. That, faithful readers, is the sum total of this book.

I wanted to like it, I really did. I wanted to like Em more than I did, and I wanted to care more about her. But instead, I was frustratingly disinterested. Her life is too perfect. Rich girl, valedictorian, gets into Harvard, finds out her parents have lied to her about something important, but with preternatural aplomb, gets over the lie pretty darn quickly. She breaks up with one guy, but stays friends with him. Everyone loves her. She's perfect.

TOO perfect.

There is no real conflict here. We all know that she'll give up Harvard and go to culinary school. We all know she'll get together with Cade. We all know that she'll muddle through the family trauma and come out just hunky dory.

Here is what would make this a better read:

1. Explain why Em is so agreeable to her parents' wishes for her future. All we get is a "I don't like to make waves" vibe from Em, but why? What does she get out of it?

2. Have her struggle some, for goodness sakes! The most we get is a page or two of angst over the family mystery. It's all too neatly solved. There is no mystery.

3. Explain what, exactly, happens the night she stays with Cade. Don't be coy. Did she sleep with him? I know this is a YA novel, but don't play these games.

If you're looking for a mild, moderately entertaining, lightweight book, then The Summer My Life Began is right up your May pole. But if you want some conflict, drama and mystery, then search elsewhere.(less)

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About Shannon Greenland

Shannon Greenland started out writing for adults and found her voice and home in teen fiction. Her award winning spy series, The Specialists, was an ALA top pick and a National Reader’s Choice Recipient. Her latest YA single title, The Summer My Life Began, made the Barnes & Noble suggested reading list. Killer Instinct is her current project and it will be published in hardcover by Simon Puls...more

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The Winning Element (The Specialists, #3)

Fight to the Finish (The Specialists, #5)

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“In front of us, the ocean stretched for eternity. Around us, reggae mussy floated through the air. In our drying clothes and still-damp hair, we ate junk food and talked.
At some point we finished and went for a long walk in the sand. We picked up shells, laughed, and talked. Before I knew it, the sun was going down and we went back to the van. We lay side by side, stretched out on the blanket. When the sun dropped completely below the horizon, we let the moon illuminate us.” — 6 people liked it

“She raised her sad blue eyes to mine. "It's going to be so boring here without you. And I'm going to have to deal with Grandmother on my own! You need to e-mail, text, call, send smoke signals--whatever--and tell me everything you're doing."
I laughed. "Yes, I know. Every day. I promise.” — 5 people liked it

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