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Summer Boys (Summer Boys #1)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 3,310 ratings · 162 reviews

From the creators of GOSSIP GIRL comes a fresh, edgy take on teenage romance. Three interconnected stories explore the different stages of love over the course of one summer on the seashore.

It's summer. It's hot. And it's time to hook up.

Cousins Ella, Beth, and Jamie are at their family's beach house, and they're gearing up for the wildest time of their lives. Sassy Ella i...more

Paperback, 214 pages

Published June 1st 2004 by Scholastic Paperbacks

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DCPL 's Teen Love & Sex (Some Romance) Booklist, for OWL

80th out of 360 books — 1,505 voters

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48th out of 405 books — 287 voters

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Apr 09, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

A few years ago, before I had discovered the joys of internet shopping and book availability really depended on what I could find in - usually department - stores, I really wanted to read this. I never got around to buying it though, because I thought it would be too trashy for my tastes. Now, with the wonderful evolution of ebooks, I picked it up pretty cheaply and gave it a go. So what was the verdict?
Well, it was trashy, but not in a hide-this-somewhere-where-it-won't-embarrass-you-if-someone...more

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Apr 24, 2008 Sierra Doehring rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teenage girls

Recommended to Sierra by: christina D.

"Summer Boys" by Hailey Abbott was a "must read" according to my friend Christina. I went with her opinion and picked it up and befor I knew it I couldn't put it down. Three cousins: Ella (the beautiful one that gets any guy she wants), Beth (the one that cares more about sports then the way people see her), and Jamie (the one that wants to look for a summer love, but the one she falls for was right in front of her face for the past cupple of years). They spend every summer together at Pebble Be...more "Summer Boys" by Hailey Abbott was a "must read" according to my friend Christina. I went with her opinion and picked it up and befor I knew it I couldn't put it down. Three cousins: Ella (the beautiful one that gets any guy she wants), Beth (the one that cares more about sports then the way people see her), and Jamie (the one that wants to look for a summer love, but the one she falls for was right in front of her face for the past cupple of years). They spend every summer together at Pebble Beach, but this summer they are looking for their summer flings.

The first night they are at the beach, Ella sees a lead singer of a band and MUST have him. After the show she goes to find her sister. When she finds her, Peter (the lead singer) is there flirting with her sister. Peter and Kelsi (Ella's sister) end up dating, but Ella can't get him out of her mind. Should she make a move on Peter or stay true to her sister?

Jamie found her summer love last summer and they had a long distant relationship for the past year. When she gets to Pebble Beach, the first thing is to find Ethan. They spend a few days together and then he starts pushing her away. Soon enough he pulls the whole "lets just be friends" thing and Jamie's heart gets broken. She doesn't get out of bed for the next cupple of days but then she thinks, "what better way to get back at him then hook up with one of his freinds." Should she try to hurt Ethan like he hurt her or just try to be friends with him?

Beth brought her best friend, George, along with her this summer. But one day at the beach this girl Cara starts hitting on him. Beth just thinks it's crazy that someone could think that he is cute. They start spending more and more time together and it drives Beth up the wall. Then she relizes, she's in love with George and she's jellous of Cara. Should she try to break them up and steal George back or should she let him be happy with who he is already with?

I loved how one chapter it was in Beth's perspective and then the next was in Jamie's and then it went to Ella's. I could relate to all three of the situations and it kept me reading to see what happens next.

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Jan 23, 2009 Lana added it

Shelves: q32009

Hot, steamy, and lustful. "Summer Boys" by Hailey Abbot captivated my heart and mind.
A book about three girls, cousins, who all go to the beach in Maine to spend the summer with their big happy family. An every year tradition gets a little mixed up as they begin to mature. Ella, being the fun, flirty, girl who gets all the boys’ attention and dresses top of the line. Beth, athletic and humble, quite opposite of Ella, but her attraction to her best friend get hot and heavy, things get complicat...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Anna Garza rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel Summer Boys is a very good read and I liked it a lot. The description and fun nature of the book is remarkable. The author Hailey Abbot did a excellent job at portraying teenage girls just having fun during the summer with twists of drama and secrets. The three girls whose stories get told are Jamie, Beth, and Ella.
In this novel each chapter is a new surprise and you never know who's story will be told each time. It's about three girls named Jamie, Ella, and Beth who are cousins. The...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Alicia Lotto rated it 3 of 5 stars

Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott was an okay book. I didn't exactly like it, but then again I didn't hate it. I honestly didn't know what to expect. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I highly recomend it to teenage girls who like drama, boys, and summer time. I'm giving this book three stars. Before I get started, I just wanted to give some opinions that I have about the book. I think that the book should have had some more realistic things, like in ways that us teenage girls can relate to. I mea...more Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott was an okay book. I didn't exactly like it, but then again I didn't hate it. I honestly didn't know what to expect. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I highly recomend it to teenage girls who like drama, boys, and summer time. I'm giving this book three stars. Before I get started, I just wanted to give some opinions that I have about the book. I think that the book should have had some more realistic things, like in ways that us teenage girls can relate to. I mean, i guess we can relate in some ways, but not for alot of us.

Here's the thing... I didn't really like how i had to keep flipping the pages back and forth to remember who was talking. So that's the main thing I didn't like about the book, because it confused me on who was talking. Some books have the characters talking at different times, but this book had all the characters talking at once and I didn't like that.

The main characters in the book are Ella, Beth, and Jamie. These girls are cousins. The setting is summer time, these girls are at their family beach house.

Ella seemed like she was in way over her head. She had tried so hard to get with her sister's boyfriend Peter. The sad part is that she got what she wanted and she didn't even care about how her sister would feel. Ella's sister was happy with Peter, but it turns out he had cheeted on BOTH girls. Quote (Ella)- "Peter was watching me all night- I could feel it. I wish he'd make a move already. Too bad he's my sister's boyfriend". Karma will get to her, I'm sure, in the next book.

Beth is this really nice girl. Her character represents the girls who are stuck in the "friends zone". She is in-love with her best friend George and doesn't know whether to act on those feelings or to just leave it be. Quote (Beth)- "Suddenly George is looking really good in his swim trunks. I don't know what I'm thinking- he's my best friend. Do I want more?"

Last is poor Jamie. Jamie had gotten her heart broken by her love Ethan. For me, Jamie was barely in the book, she was a main character but theres nothing to really say about her besides her getting her heart broken. Quote (Jamie)- "Last summer, Ethan and i fell for eachother- big time. My feelings for him havn't changed. But why is he pushing me away?"

"First boy. First love. First time." READ THE BOOK!

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Jan 19, 2011 Domagoja Jukic rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I believe this book was an a-okay book. I didn't really like it AND I didn't really hate it. But I believe it deserves a 2 and 1/2 stars. Reasons? Well...

First, I didn't like how the P.O.V. changes. I don't think it had a pattern of who P.O.V. it was. (Like some books, they switch from one character to another.) It always confuse me and I always have to read the back to think which character is speaking. And after a few chapters, I will still be confuse...

While we are talking about characters......more I believe this book was an a-okay book. I didn't really like it AND I didn't really hate it. But I believe it deserves a 2 and 1/2 stars. Reasons? Well...

First, I didn't like how the P.O.V. changes. I don't think it had a pattern of who P.O.V. it was. (Like some books, they switch from one character to another.) It always confuse me and I always have to read the back to think which character is speaking. And after a few chapters, I will still be confuse...

While we are talking about characters...
~Ella - I don't like her. I don't like her personality and attitude. Escpecially when she was the cheater in the relationship even tho her sister was happy with Peter (i hope that was the name?) But what I hated her the most is when she secretly dated (and didnt told her sister) and had sex with Peter. And after that she founds out he was cheater on both of them. Even tho she said she will stop dating for a while. But we all know that's not gonna work and that karma will kick her in the butt.
~Beth - A sweet girl who believe she can't like her best (guy) friend, but she like him anyways even tho he is with someone. Beth is a nice character, even tho she gets jealous a lot. And for some odd reason I think she puts a lot of drama and concerns before she realizes that George likes her too. She gets mad easily and it's funny how she didn't see the signs before that he like her. But they made it thru and they got together. And I think they are a cute couple :)
~And Jamie - A girl who got heartbroken by her love. O.K. I'm being honest, but Jamie was blah... What I mean blah is that she was a character that was there. I know that she was in bad times since she got depress because of the break up but she pull thru. But I think she was a main character just to be there and nothing more. And please don't kill me Jamie's fans, but that how I view her.

My opinion for the author...
I wish that Hailly Abbott gave more realistic to each characters. Something that might relate (even tho there is a lot to relate to from each characters) Escpeically the minors characters too. The minors were just there to be there and be minory (Is that a word?) It just seems eh to me.

And otherall, this why I rated 2 and a half (but it has to be 3, I guess)
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Jan 10, 2011 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about three teenage girls and there summer at pebble beach. It's also about their relationships they get in with guys. Each chapter is about three different girls. They are all best friends. One of the the girls Ella is super pretty and all the guys like her but one. Ella like him a lot but he is dating her older sister so her chapter is about that. Beth cares about sports and how she looks. Beth has been dating this guy Ethan since last summer but it all goes wrong in the end. Jaim...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Audrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Plot Summary
The Tuttle family spends every summer at Pebble Beach. Ella is looking for her next romantic conquest, and finds him--but he's her sister's boyfriend. Jamie is excited to see Ethan--they hooked up last year, and write each other all year. But he doesn't seem excited to see her....Beth is falling for her best friend George, but worries about how this will affect their friendship. All three cousins learn a lot about themselves as they navigate their summer romances.

Critical Evaluation
T...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-readings-books-2009

This book was about 3 different girls who are cousins. During the summer they go to their aunt and uncle's summer house. They stay there for the whole summer. They have good times and summer romances. Ella likes her sister's boyfriend and is waiting for him to make the first move. Beth ends up liking her boy best friend. The guy Jaime hooked up with last summer is acting strange and pushing her away. The main chracters are Ella, Jaime, and Beth. It takes place in a town named Pebble Beach. Beth...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Sarah N rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-booklist

Em, unlike the books I'm used to reading, of course I'm going to say that "Summer Boys" by Hailey Abbott doesn't compare to the works of Austen or Dickens. However, as in today's society reading has sadly become a less popular form of entertainment then it was fifty-years ago, so in that retrospect, today's writers - verses those from years ago - have been deluded by pretenses that whenever they write something, they believe it to be wholly new and fresh when in actuality it isn't. However, one...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Rowena rated it 3 of 5 stars

...Over the course of the book, we see Jamie go from being in a relationship to not being in a relationship. We see Beth finding herself falling for her best friend George and then we see Ella lusting after her sister's boyfriend. Let me tell you, these girls give real meaning to you do stupid crap when you're young. Because each of these girls, well maybe not Beth but those other two? Yeah, total dummies.

Jamie's boyfriend Ethan breaks up with her and instead of letting him go gracefully or if s...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Taylor added it

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in about one night because I just didn't want to put it down. I really liked how relatable this book was in a lot of ways. As a girl reading this book I was able to relate to many of the main characters because they are also girls and around the same age as me. All the situations in the book that the characters were going through seemed plausible and believable and none of them were so ridiculous that you couldn't believe them, so that was nice. I also liked...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Corrina S. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have finished the book Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott it is the first in the series. My older sister recommended it to me so I had to read it. I enjoyed it very much, it is like the typical books that I read which are girly.
The plot of this book is there are 3 cousins that are girls all alike in age but totally different when it comes to personality, they stay at a cabin in the summer and they all meet boys that they think they are in love with. One of the girls is Ella, she is a bad girl when...more I have finished the book Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott it is the first in the series. My older sister recommended it to me so I had to read it. I enjoyed it very much, it is like the typical books that I read which are girly.
The plot of this book is there are 3 cousins that are girls all alike in age but totally different when it comes to personality, they stay at a cabin in the summer and they all meet boys that they think they are in love with. One of the girls is Ella, she is a bad girl when it comes to dating; she knows how to get the guys going and will do anything to get what she wants. Beth is a sporty girl who is starting to love her best friend. Jamie is very relaxed and thought she has been dating the same guy she met last summer at the cabin, but he thinks differently. They all react differently to their situations. The theme of this book was your first love will never be your only love.
Some quotes from the book that support the theme are “ And I’ve never had a girlfriend. I mean, I don’t want things to change between us.” (pg. 113). This supports the theme because if you are questioning yourself at all if you want to date them you know it isn’t going to last that long, you have to be able to be 100% sure with yourself. Another a quote which supports it is “He invited me to a party tomorrow. For some reason, he thinks we can be friends. I don’t know if maybe he still likes me, or something...” (pg. 75) This supports the theme because if you aren’t mature enough to be friends with your ex then you aren’t mature enough to be in a serious relationship in the first place, especially in this case Jamie wasn’t really dating him.
The book is set up into chapters and they switch between the three main character’s view. The author didn’t make it confusing of which is which because right away in the first sentence it usually says the character’s name and what they are thinking at that exact moment. I think she organized the book this way so that everyone could relate to at least one of the characters and have a very diverse book of feelings and girl types.
The theme of the book can also relate to a lot of teens who think that they love this one person and will love them for the rest of their lives. When in reality things are gonna change and proven by this book, people will change.(less)

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Aug 14, 2011 Ophelle Dominique Balolong rated it 5 of 5 stars

First time I encountered the term "skinny-dipping". LOL

From the creators of GOSSIP GIRL comes a fresh, edgy take on teenage romance. Three interconnected stories explore the different stages of love over the course of one summer on the seashore.
It's summer. It's hot. And it's time to hook up.
Cousins Ella, Beth, and Jamie are at their family's beach house, and they're gearing up for the wildest time of their lives. Sassy Ella is majorly crushing on a cute older boy -- who just happens to be her s...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Patty Curran rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory

this book was decent because it has what most teenage girls want to read about- forbidden love. This kind of love in the book is a little more realistic though. The maIn character, Jamie just gets out of a relationship while Beth finding herself falling for her best friend George. This book describes three different girls with their love life but the most interesting one is ellas. Ella is lusting after her sister's boyfriend. It's kind of crazy and weird at the same time.
Jamie's love life involv...more

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May 27, 2010 sandiie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: junior-year

I had enough of the sad depressing books and decided to go back to reading more light-hearted books again. Since Summer was coming up anyway, I thought it was a good choice. We all know Summer is the time where love blooms and new things occur. Well, Summer Boys displays a typical teen life of girls falling in and out of love as they jump from relationship to relationship, something I can't really understand. Like seriously, how do people move on so quickly?
But other than that, this book was al...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Tiffany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books-i-read

This book gets three stars for the relationship between George and Beth. I really enjoyed that part of the story. This novel alternates views between the 3 main girls. Jamie who is excited to see Ethan who she had a physical relationship with last summer and communicated with all school year. Ella who I have to say I had a hard time stomaching her. Beth who was my favorite. These three girls are cousins and each summer their parents, aunts and uncles rent these three cottages on the beach.

So li...more

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May 14, 2012 Paige Bradish rated it 5 of 5 stars

Summer Boys was definitely a fun contemporary read. I loved the whole concept of following three teenage girls on their summer quest for boys. I knew that I would have a favorite but I still fell in love with all three girls (not literarily) but they were such fun characters and I had fun rooting for them to get their guys!

Our main characters are Jamie, Beth, and Ella but there are some side characters to like Kelsi, and Cara. First let’s talk about Jamie because we started the book with her. Sh...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Princess Bookie rated it 3 of 5 stars

My Thoughts: This is the first book in a series. It started out a little confusing for me but quickly picked up. There are 3 girls and it was hard to distinguish between them. I kept having to flip to the back of the book to remember who was who. The three guys in the book I had no problem remembering. But they had very easy names for me to remember and they were each so different. The girls are cousins and each one has their own distinct personality but their names I had a hard time remembering...more

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Oct 13, 2007 Sabrina rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: advisoryreading07-08

This book is about a girl named Jamie who hooked up with a guy from last summer. She was so excited to see him and wanted to have a romantic summer with him. But when she came back, nothing to seem to be going the way she expected. Ethan, the boyfriend of her, was not acting the way he uses to. One day, Ethan came over supposedly enjoying the fireworks with Jamie, but instead he broke up with her. He told her how they were just friends the whole time. After Jamie heard that she got really mad. S...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Alyssa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Alyssa Morres
Romance

"Summer Boys" is a novel about best friends becoming lovers, breakups, jealousy, and anything else you can think of in a relationship. It is narrated by each girl character and talks about each of their experiences. Very well written book and it really portrays the issues in which young couples go through when dating, or even on summer relationships. Abbott really catches the true essences of teens in love and lust.

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Jan 25, 2013 Ingrid rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fine book. The style of writing was a little confusing, because it was written in first person and each chapter was a different person, so it was hard to remember who you were reading about and what their story was. It was a pretty good book though. Although it was not very deep or thought-provoking, it was still super entertaining and I had a hard time putting it down. But I am a sucker for teen romance.

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Apr 12, 2011 Laura YA indie princess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2004, kindle, ya-chick-lit

3.5 STARS

Summer Boys is the start of a four book series where cousins Ella,Jamie and Beth go away every summer to the beach with all there familes and other cousins. We follow Jamie who's boyfriend just broke up with her, Ella who is lusting after her sister boyfriend and Beth who has started to have feelings for her best friend.

I loved all her the girls POV but Beth voice was by far my favourite to read and I really enjoyed her story of how she wanted her best friend and him starting dating a g...more

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Jun 08, 2009 Joann added it

Shelves: advisory08-09

I really love this book because it talked about summer. I really love summer and it's coming up so soon.
It talks about how people doesn't understand certain things in relationships and that it's just a phase in life. I get that a lot because I'm just really confused all the time and yet I don't know what to do. I sort of relate to this book but it's nice reading about people's problems.

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May 11, 2009 vcheung rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was hesitant to read this book because it seemed like it would be yet another chick-lit book about girls hooking up with guys. I finally decided to give it a chance because I read Hailey Abbott's The Bridesmaid, which was charming, witty, and clever. This was, in a word, not. The writing was good, but the plot was pretty weak. Overall it was a fairly disappointing book.

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Mar 25, 2013 Charlotte Crosby rated it 4 of 5 stars

PERFECT Summer series for those days when you just want to grab a quick read. I read the series when I was 15/16 years old and I fell in love. Over the Summer I read the series at the beach, swinging on the hammock or laying on my bed with the AC blaring. I think as a teen I could connect with the girls. I recommend this series to girls between the ages of 13 to 16.

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Dec 17, 2012 Praxedes rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was donated to the Library and I read it to see if it was appropriate for our students. It's definitely acceptable for Young Aduls --just not very good. Many of the situations seemed contrived and unreal, and it is only the lovely descriptions of the New England coast in the summer which made me complete the reading. This is no Gossip Girl, believe me.

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Nov 04, 2012 Paiton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Summer Boys is about three girl's on summer vacation with three guys. Ella wishes Peter would make a move but, its to bad for her because thats her sisters boyfriend.Beth,likes George she wants them to be more than best friends. And then there is Jamie, she dated a guy named Eathen last summer her feeling's for him have not changed one bit. But shes wondering why he keeps pushing her away.Its frusterating because they dont know who likes who. Disterbing because there are some gross parts in this...more

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Sep 03, 2012 PaperbackAnchors (Sabrina) rated it 4 of 5 stars

The entire Summer Boys series is the best beach read series . The problems given to the characters aren't serious , and that's why I loved the books so much. The summertime is the one extensive period of time in the year where I feel completely calm. I want to read books that put me at ease and that's exactly what this book did ! Recommendation approved .

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Jun 21, 2009 BookActivist rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reminds me still of the Gossip Girls, just simply because that is the first series that started all these..But I actually liked these books. I found traits in myself in the characters. I became to care about the characters. And I could feel Beth's pain in my heart as well. Well imagery and scenery. Very easy to read. Would only suggest for teens.

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About Hailey Abbott

Hailey Abbott grew up in Southern California, where she split her time between creative writing and creative beaching. She is the author of Summer Boys, Next Summer: A Summer Boys Novel, The Bridesmaid, Getting Lost with Boys, and The Secrets of Boys. Hailey now lives in New York City.

Her first book was Summer Boys, published in 2004, the first of a series. It was described as "escapist beach rea...more

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Summer Boys (Summer Boys #1)

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