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The Visibles

by Sara Shepard (Goodreads Author)

3.18 of 5 stars 3.18 · rating details · 499 ratings · 85 reviews

The only piece of information that Summer Davis takes away from her years at Peninsula Upper School -- one of the finest in the Brooklyn Heights-to-Park Slope radius, to quote the promotional materials -- is the concept that DNA defines who we are and forever ties us to our relatives. A loner by circumstance, a social outcast by nature, and a witty and warm narrator of her...more The only piece of information that Summer Davis takes away from her years at Peninsula Upper School -- one of the finest in the Brooklyn Heights-to-Park Slope radius, to quote the promotional materials -- is the concept that DNA defines who we are and forever ties us to our relatives. A loner by circumstance, a social outcast by nature, and a witty and warm narrator of her own unimaginable chaos by happenstance, Summer hangs on to her interest in genetics like a life raft, in an adolescence marked by absence: her beautiful, aloof mother abandons the family without a trace; her father descends into mental illness, haunted by a lifelong burning secret and abetted by a series of letters that he writes to make sense of his feelings; her best friend Claire drifts out of Summer's life in a breeze of indifference, feigned on both sides; and her older brother fluctuates between irrational fury and unpredictable tenderness in an inaccessible world of his making. Uncertain of her path and unbalanced by conflicting impulses toward hope and escape, Summer stays close to her father while attending college, taking him to electro-shock therapy treatments and trying to make sense of his inscrutable past. Upon his departure for a new and possibly recovered life, Summer begins to question the role of genetics and whether she is destined to live out her family's legacy of despair. But it is only when Summer decides to leave New York herself and put off a promising science career to take care of her great-aunt Stella -- bedrock of the family and bastion of folksy wisdom, irreverent insight, and Sinatra memorabilia in a less-than-scenic part of the Pennsylvanian countryside -- that Summer begins to learn that her biography doesn't have to define her...and that her future, like her DNA, belongs to her alone.

In a novel consumed by the uncertainties of science, the flaws of our parents, and enough loss and longing to line a highway, Sara Shepard is a penetrating chronicler of the adolescence we all carry into adulthood: how what happens to you as a kid never leaves you, how the fallibility of your parents can make you stronger, and how being right isn't as important as being wise. From the backwoods of Pennsylvania to the brownstones of Brooklyn Heights, "The Visibles" investigates the secrets of the past, and the hidden corners of our own hearts, to find out whether real happiness is a gift or a choice.(less)

Hardcover, 323 pages

Published May 5th 2009 by Free Press

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Apr 22, 2009 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read an Advanced Copy of The Visibles and absolutely loved it!

The author has the ability to combine humor, wisdom and sadness in a refreshing and straightforward voice. I could not put the book down, and after finishing, read it again just to see what I might have missed!

I'm looking forward to all future books by this author. I'm sure she'll become one of my favorites!

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Jan 20, 2013 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had high hopes for this book when I started it, I was let down almost immediately. It just feels incomplete, like she could have included so much more information than she did. I guess that's how Summer felt when every one kept so much from her during her life but it made the story kind of boring. I was kind of confused at the end when she met Josephine.. I understand why Summer felt awkward and uncomfortable when they met and she put together who Josephine was, but who did Josephine think Sum...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Anke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: flight-compatible

Hm.
I got this book at a book swap event where there was very little choice, so I gave Sara Shepard another chance even though I pretty much detested "Pretty Little Liars" in all its commercial, formulaic, glory.

Now I was in bed, recovering from a cold, and it seemed a good moment to start it. And then I read it in one go - so it seems rather well-written because I found it hard to put down. And yet there is something about it that left me dissatisfied and grumpy.

Reading it was oddly upsetting -...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The snow globe incident. The snow globe incident. THE SNOW GLOBE INCIDENT. This book should have been called The Visibles: THE SNOW GLOBE INCIDENT OMFG for how often the snow globe incident was mentioned. SPOILER ALERT: SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH A SNOW GLOBE. And when you find out it will not be as monumental as the author hoped!

We meet Summer Davis, our heroine... or something, because I'm not sure she is heroic, but Summer Davis is our narrator at any rate. That rate is soul crushingly slow and w...more The snow globe incident. The snow globe incident. THE SNOW GLOBE INCIDENT. This book should have been called The Visibles: THE SNOW GLOBE INCIDENT OMFG for how often the snow globe incident was mentioned. SPOILER ALERT: SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH A SNOW GLOBE. And when you find out it will not be as monumental as the author hoped!

We meet Summer Davis, our heroine... or something, because I'm not sure she is heroic, but Summer Davis is our narrator at any rate. That rate is soul crushingly slow and worthy of beating one's head against the desk. The story largely revolves around Summer's relationship with her father after her mother abandons them, his depression, and whether or not DNA plays a part in her family's very torrid history. Or something. The thing is, the plot is so heavy and full of odd plot devices and points that I'm not sure entirely matter. There is some stuff about science and DNA. There is some stuff about her father's depression, her guilt over taking care of him, her resentment over taking care him, her NEED to take care of him, there is the fact that her father has a secret... When Summer learns about that secret it's not at all moving. It's not shocking. It's just a flash in the pan, really. There is the fact that Summer Davis IS THE BIGGEST SAD SACK THAT EVER EXISTED OH JEEZ, there is her kooky Aunt Stella, there is the reckoning of all these things supposedly coming together: her mother's abandonment, her father's depression, his secret, her obsession with DNA and things happening for a reason, her family history, her inability to let go... I... it... I don't even know how to write a review about this book because I'm not even sure what happens. I mean, stuff happens, and it's all clear, you know, but at the same time it isn't clear and stuff doesn't happen and DSLKGHSLKHYOIRH. IT JUST DOESN'T OKAY??

Towards the end I start to wonder if the main character is not really her father, as he is the only main character that has any sort of resolution. We meet Summer's brother and cousin and friend, and they are resolved, certainly. We see them change, but they are hardly secondary characters. They exist only to tell us more about Summer and what they tell us is what we already know: SUMMER IS THE SADDEST SACK OF SADNESS.

Shepard writes beautifully. She constructs wonderfully choreographed sentences and has a keen awareness of how to involve emotion into dialogue and surroundings. What she does not do is makes sense of a plot that is so over burdened with wanting to be poignant that is becomes a giant, sloppy mess. The book ends. It simply... ends. (less)

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Jan 01, 2012 Hayden Casey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awkward, blurred-opinion, boring-action, deathly-long-descriptions, cover-made-me-shit-bricks, dreadfully-boring, confusing, ending-was-amazing, history-with-author, library, lots-of-skimming, mega-awesome-cover, not-impressed, quality-writing, started-slow, sssslllloooooowwwwww, thank-god-it-s-a-stand-alone, wish-i-could-unread-it, ★★

After much consideration, I've decided Sara Shepard should stick to what she knows best, which is young adult fiction.

This is how I felt during the whole thing:

The Visibles, her first effort in the adult fiction world, starts off shakily with a confusing-as-F preface/prologue/introduction that doesn't seem to add anything to the story. The first few chapters delve into Summer's life and provide unneccessary backstory. The Visibles is one of those adult novels I cower away from, the ones where ev...more

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May 20, 2011 Cyndy Aleo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Young adult novelist Sara Shepard made the jump to adult fiction with her novel The Visibles, a story about a girl named Summer Davis whose life is overtaken by her father's mental illness.

::: The Story :::

When The Visibles opens, Summer is a teenager. Her mother abandons the family, which includes Summer, her father, and her older brother, and leaves all her belongings in the apartment. Not long after Summer's mother's disappearance--which both Summer and her father explain as an extended trip...more Young adult novelist Sara Shepard made the jump to adult fiction with her novel The Visibles, a story about a girl named Summer Davis whose life is overtaken by her father's mental illness.

::: The Story :::

When The Visibles opens, Summer is a teenager. Her mother abandons the family, which includes Summer, her father, and her older brother, and leaves all her belongings in the apartment. Not long after Summer's mother's disappearance--which both Summer and her father explain as an extended trip rather than abandonment--the first bombing attempt on the World Trade Center takes place, and Summer's brother becomes obsessed with foreigners and joining the Marines.

Summer and family leave New York to attend the funeral of her father's mother, and she learns there may be more to her father's recurring depression than she'd thought. Instead of getting answers, however, she's left with more questions, and a seemingly requited crush on her grandmother's half-Sikh neighbor, to the horror of her xenophobic brother.

As summer grows up, she sacrifices more and more of her life as her father's mental illness grows steadily more debilitating, and her brother leaves to escape the oppression. After multiple hospitalizations, her father begins to put his life back together and Summer continues her caretaker role by shifting to her father's aunt while she tries to figure out how to separate her life, and the newly revealed family secrets, from her father's past.

::: Still Feels Like YA :::

It could be due to the age Summer is when we meet her, but The Visibles feels more like a YA novel that let its protagonist age out of the genre than an actual adult novel. Even once she's aged to an "adult," Summer's character feels more like an angsty teen, lacking even the preternaturally adult status of some of the current crop of YA heroines. Even the conceit of the mother vanishing without a trace (quitting her job, leaving all her clothing behind) feels like the typical YA set-up.

That being said, however, The Visibles does a great job of conveying the impact that serious mental illness can have on a family, from divorce to children being forced into caretaker roles for their parents before they are even capable of caring for themselves.

Summer's brother's obsession with the first World Trade Center bombing feels contrived, however, and while it seems like it would be an obvious set-up for the later events of September 11, when the novel comes full-circle, that section falls flat. I'm often frustrated when I read a story that takes place over that time period that doesn't address the events, but in this case, the build-up was more disappointing.

Overall, The Visibles would have been more enjoyable had it stuck to one genre and stayed there, instead of trying to straddle two and doing a mediocre job in each.

This review originally published on Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_T...(less)

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Jun 09, 2010 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and haunting..., May 2, 2009

This review is from: The Visibles: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is Sara Shepard's debut into adult contemporary fiction -- a departure from her YA series -- "Pretty Little Liars." It's very difficult to believe at first that this novel comes from the same mind that conceived that vampy pettiness.

The story of Summer Davis is absorbing and multi-layered. The reader is taken back and forth in time with a prologue explaining the secret that her dad...more 4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and haunting..., May 2, 2009

This review is from: The Visibles: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is Sara Shepard's debut into adult contemporary fiction -- a departure from her YA series -- "Pretty Little Liars." It's very difficult to believe at first that this novel comes from the same mind that conceived that vampy pettiness.

The story of Summer Davis is absorbing and multi-layered. The reader is taken back and forth in time with a prologue explaining the secret that her dad keeps from her for many years. Summer's mother leaves the family suddenly when she is a teenager and she and her brother Steven are left to hobble along, trying to make sense of their lives, while also watching their father decline into mental illness that results in his eventual hospitalization in an institution.

Meanwhile, Summer drifts along in her role as rescuer to those loved ones who really don't want to be saved. She is fixated on the concept that DNA explains everything in life, is completely predictive and that all choices made are a result of genetics; that each person is tethered to relatives and that they are powerless to escape whatever legacy those genes indicate. She drifts in and out of relationships, unable to communicate her own secret wants and desires -- she hesitates to commit to anyone or anything as she tries to unravel the mysterious connections that bind others who seem to be luckier than herself. She cares for her declining father, lives for a time with her dying great aunt, and constantly wonders about her absent mother. She is suspicious of feelings and covers her desire to probe deeply by avoidance and small talk.

Is there any hope of redemption -- of Summer pulling herself out of this pit of uncertainty? Can she escape what she feels might be her destiny of sadness and lost dreams?

This isn't a gripping, fast-paced novel, but one that pulls you in slowly and keeps you turning the pages until you find yourself, sighing, satisfied, at the very end. (less)

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Jan 17, 2010 Holly Lee (Bellas Novella) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, amazon-vine

Its almost always fascinating to look into to lives of strangers. Particularly an entire life, from childhood, well into adulthood. The Visibles is exactly that, a look into multiple peoples lives.

The main character Summer Davis often wonders what her various family members are doing at any given moment. She knows that she is linked to these people on the most finite level, DNA, and feels compelled to be the caretaker in the family for that very reason.

She consistently shirks her own life plans...more

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Sep 03, 2009 Sibyl rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Visibles is not a page turner and my life is complicated at the moment. I really needed to be reading a page turner. But I could not keep the narrating character, Summer, out of my thoughts. Summer's mother never is brought into the novel with a physical presence, but she is a force with which Summer has to reckon. What her issues were that led her to abandon her family and disappear are not explained. Summer is left to hold her father and brother together as a family while trying to find he...more

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May 21, 2009 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sara Shepard’s novel The Visibles: A Novel is the type of story I generally love. It is a bit of a coming of age novel about a girl from a dysfunctional family. The novel is about a young girl named Summer Davis whose mother has abandoned the family. If that isn’t tough enough for a young girl, there is also Summer’s father who suffers from mental illness and an older brother seemingly in denial of it all. The theme of family, loss, and how family background and situations affects each of us dee...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sara Shepard certainly does like her twist endings. This one doesn't pack quite the wallop of PLL, but it didn't need to. I liked this book quite a bit. I've always been a fan of Shepard's writing style. My only complaint is how MUCH every bizarre plot device seemed to come out of nowhere like a rope entangling you, and by the end you were totally bogged down with all these ropes and you had to remember each storyline and what was going on before it all made sense and you were 'free'.

Many peopl...more

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May 07, 2013 Marisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

If I could rate this more specifically, I would rate it a 3.5. Sara totally entered a new world with this book! The live of Summer Davis gets turned into knots when her mother leaves them and her father turns more and more down that dark road of depression. Clinic after clinic. It's all about the inside of Summer, how she wants someone to finally see her for once because it's always her taking care of someone else.

As much as this book is fascinating AND refreshing, I do find it really annoying a...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Lindsay Heller rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, strange-familial-relations

At times this was the weirdest book, at other times it was great, but afterwards I found it rather forgettable. I read this on vacation and sped through it quickly. But, being on vacation and all, I didn't review it right away and when it came time to do so I found it a bit difficult to recall what this story was about.

Summer Davis is growing up in Brooklyn when her mother up and leaves her family and mentally ill husband. From there the story moves through time, skipping years and changing loc...more At times this was the weirdest book, at other times it was great, but afterwards I found it rather forgettable. I read this on vacation and sped through it quickly. But, being on vacation and all, I didn't review it right away and when it came time to do so I found it a bit difficult to recall what this story was about.

Summer Davis is growing up in Brooklyn when her mother up and leaves her family and mentally ill husband. From there the story moves through time, skipping years and changing locations as often as chapters. From New York City to rural Western Pennsylvania to Annapolis and Washington D.C. Summer grows up but never leaves her demons behind. Paralyzed between her own stagnating fears and her sense of duty in taking care of her depressed father Summer prevents herself from ever taking risks or changing. She longs to live outside herself, sometimes not responding to her own name and other times running away from opportunity, but never seems willing to actually take the risk in order to change her life.

I think that Summer's story is probably familiar. Changing is difficult and it's tempting to allow life to flow by without becoming too engaged. But, reading this sort of passivity was maddening. Too many times I wanted to take her by the shoulders and tell her to do something. Anything. Even when spectacular opportunities are presented she drags her feet until it passes her by. And when she doesn't feel needed by her father she runs to her Great Aunt who's dying of cancer. Summer's life revolves around taking care of those who need her and when she runs out of those she seems adrift. It was a quiet book, a frustrating one, but it was effective for what I felt the author was trying to accomplish.

Sara Shepard, the author, is the writer of Young Adult fiction series such as 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'The Lying Game'. I watch both of the television series based on these books and like them both (slightly addicted to 'Pretty Little Liars'). I don't read the books and if I ever do it will be when the shows are off the air. This is Shepard's first attempt at adult fiction and it's a commendable effort. Clearly she can write and clearly she understand the complications of growing up and dealing with mental illness. So why didn't this story stick with me? I'm not sure. It was fast paced but not exciting. It was relatable but not likable. Maybe I just recognized too much of myself in Summer.(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Morgan rated it 1 of 5 stars

It took me three days to read the first fifty pages of this book.

No, I'm not a slow reader. It's just that whenever I tried to read the book, I would read a few pages and decide to read something with a lighter tone.

There were parts of this story that were just really depressing. Usually, if you're reading a book and something in it makes you sad, it's because you feel for the characters, right? But the thing was, I didn't care about any of the characters in this book, especially not Summer.

The...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Miche Hart rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book about a girl and her father who struggle to deal with the events of their pasts. Her father struggles with the death of his girlfriend in high school, his wife leaving him and a long battle with mental illness while his daughter struggles with losing her mother, drifting away from her best friend, coping with her fathers mental illness and eventually the death of her great Aunt Stella. The book also looks at genetics of science and how we are really tied to our parents,...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was kind of disappointed by this book. I have read Sara Shepard's young adult books, which are definitely guilty pleasure books (Pretty Little Liars Series), and I had high hopes for her first adult novel. I didn't like the way that the story jumped around, and I felt like she didn't delve into the character of Summer like she could have.

Summer's mom left when she was in high school, her brother was somewhat fanatical, and her father was severly depressed and hiding something. Throughout the...more

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Sep 20, 2009 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable, quick read with a memorable plot. How one event from the past can have long-lasting impacts on an individual and on those who love them, made for a moving story. The emotional development of a young woman whose father suffers the consequences of such an event is chronicled. In many ways the absence of her mother is less important to her than the loss of the friendship of one she so admired and longed to befriend. A momentary encounter with a young man changes her, yet the...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Lou rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not as selfless as Summer Davis is with her father but I could relate to her thoughts and constant struggles to pull her dysfunctional family together. The characters are all multi-dimensional. Even the mother, who hardly appeared in the book (save for the flashbacks), made her presence felt.

I found the book strange and difficult to understand initially because of the flashbacks and voicings but I couldn't put it down at all. The entire story revolves around the theme of 'coming to terms wi...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Sierra W. rated it 1 of 5 stars

I absolutely love Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game series by Sarah Shepard so I decided to give The Visibles a try. As much as I wanted to like the book, I could not get into it. Summer (the main character) was boring and the book was choppy. I didn't feel any real emotion towards any of the characters. I have a bad habit of wanting to finish bad books because I have already started them and this one was no exception. I had to struggle to finish it and I was relived when I realized that I...more

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May 11, 2011 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wasn’t really interested to be honest as there wasn’t an immediate plot. I found myself not eager to read it; I didn’t feel the need to pick it up. I like books that grasp me straight away and give me the feeling that this book is attached to my hand my an invisible cord sorry to say this book didn’t do that for me.

I decided since I like Shepard and the Pretty Little Lair’s series, I was going to finish the book. Any other author I would most likely would have just put the book in the bag for...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Anais rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All those struggling to understand their place in their families

Shelves: books-ill-never-forget

I read this book around 3 years ago and the story has still stuck with me.

I was a fan of Shepard's PLL series (which I read before it rose to fame by the tv series) so when I heard she had something different coming out I rushed at the chance.

What I got was a book that ended up helping me in ways I didn't even realize I needed.
To add to the summary blurb at the top Summer has to endure the heartache that is a family falling apart, all on her own. Her other family members are never really presen...more I read this book around 3 years ago and the story has still stuck with me.

I was a fan of Shepard's PLL series (which I read before it rose to fame by the tv series) so when I heard she had something different coming out I rushed at the chance.

What I got was a book that ended up helping me in ways I didn't even realize I needed.
To add to the summary blurb at the top Summer has to endure the heartache that is a family falling apart, all on her own. Her other family members are never really present enough to help her through this tough time so she ends up becoming emotionally stilted in her adult life.
At a first glance this book may seem like the coming of age story on how to deal with your crazy family, but it proves you wrong because right between the pages is a whole other story being told.

That was what really made me like this book. It wasn't just one story, it was two weaved together through time. Both seemingly unrelated, but in the final chapters they join forces to reveal a beautifully poignant closing that allows Summer, along with the reader, the help needed in moving past something.

I'll go back to why I loved this book so much.
I myself am a child of divorce and a broken family. At the time of reading this book, I had decided that I accepted the cards I'd been dealt and would be able to move on from the situations at home. I was sad yes, but I was moving on from it.
And then I read this story, and I connected with Summer on the loss she felt, and the stories we kids tell ourselves to make things not seem as bad. It made me realize that I was actively trying to convince myself that I was completely fine, when I hadn't really dealt with it. In a way, this book was there for me during this time, in a way that my other family members, or friends who didn't understand, couldn't be. And I in return felt like I was there for Summer, and her father, and even the lost characters in between.

Okay, so basically, this book means a lot to me. Shepard isn't my favorite author, but I really thank her for writing this book and opening my eyes to another part of myself. (less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Marnie Kaplan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always been able to pick up a book, read the first few pages, and know if I will enjoy the book. I read the first few pages of the Visibles and was enthralled. I considered buying it immediately, but was in a hurry to jump on a bus to NYC. Luckily, I recently got it from the library.

The book is complicated. It isn't a happy story per say, although I suppose the characters end up better off than they started. But it is a book that tackles a lot of unhappy topics: depression, abandonment, f...more I have always been able to pick up a book, read the first few pages, and know if I will enjoy the book. I read the first few pages of the Visibles and was enthralled. I considered buying it immediately, but was in a hurry to jump on a bus to NYC. Luckily, I recently got it from the library.

The book is complicated. It isn't a happy story per say, although I suppose the characters end up better off than they started. But it is a book that tackles a lot of unhappy topics: depression, abandonment, fear of loss, the way a secret eats you up on the inside, terminal cancer, the dissolution of a marriage. I have friends who prefer to only read about happy topics. I am not that type of reader.

At the heart of it, the Visibles is a coming of age story. The narrator begins the novel, a sophomore in a Brooklyn private school, dealing with the fact that her mother has mysteriously left the family, her father struggles with mental illness, and her brother doesn't have all that much to say to her. The one friend she previously felt close to has returned from a year in France, and Summer wants nothing to do with her. She still can't get over the fact that Claire didn't include her enough during Summer's freshman year (and Claire's sophomore year). Genetics becomes Summer's raft - a way for her to make sense of her own life, a world for her to lose herself inside. We watch Summer grow, attending NYU, studying biology, and still staying in Brooklyn to take care of her father as his mental health worsens. The story also contains a series of letters written by Summer's father, a doctor who struggles with severe depression and is still trying to overcome a defining moment from his own adolescence.

The novel raises a great deal of questions about what individuals are possible of overcoming. I love pondering how much of adolescence remains with a person. Can we ever outgrow the awkward version of ourselves we were at fifteen or seventeen? Is that the truest version of ourselves?

This is yet another dysfunctional family novel. And thus, I loved it. It is also such a well-crafted story. The language is evocative and powerful. As a former New Yorker, I loved the depictions of NYC and Brooklyn.

I loved this book. The language. The story. It was at times heart-breaking and sad. I wanted to reach into Summer's life and make so much better for her. I wanted to hunt down her lost mother and shake her by the neck declaring: "What is wrong with you? Do you not care about your children at all?" At times, I was angry at her father too, for wallowing so much, and not being the father Summer remembered from childhood, or the strong father she needed to guide her forward. And yet, I realize how true these types of individuals are. I realize that mental illness is a powerful thing that changes someone and often renders them powerless. Life is filled with flawed people. And Shepard captures them in such a realistic way. It's hard not to feel for Summer -- someone who thinks so deeply, feels so deeply, and wants so deeply to find the answers to the mysteries of her own life. It's hard also not to connect deeply with her. With the feeling of needing something more to believe in, something that complains all the strange complexities of every unique family. I really applaud Shepard for what she created in this novel and can't wait to read her future works.(less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Nicole Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have very mixed feelings about this book. We get thrown into a turmoil of emotions of a very confused teenager- Summer, who doesn't quite understand why her father sometimes gets depressed, why her mother left them or why her bother simply doesn't want anything to do with her or her father- Richard.
I felt as if this book was more of an autobiography of Summer and the story never really picked up much.
I wouldn't recommend this unless you wanted to pass the time and had nothing better to do...

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Sep 06, 2009 Sue Seligman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sue by: read about it online

This is about a girl from a dysfunctional family who wonders whether mental illness is an inevitable path for her as she watches her father cope with psychological issues stemming from a failed relationship/car accident in his youth and also deals with her mother leaving the family without explanation. I started out enjoying the book, but as it went on, it became more difficult to stick with it. I did not really like any of the characters and the story was a bit too long. It was only fair.

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Feb 05, 2012 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book quite depressing, seems like everything in Summer's life sucks, but she doesn't really do anything to make it better. This girl deals with her parent's divorce, her father's ongoing mental health issues, and trying to have her own life in the mix. But instead of really having her own life, she's trying to figure out her father's secrets that he hides and just deal with everyone else's issues besides her own. Not the read I expected after reading Sara Shepard's thrilling 'Pretty...more

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May 23, 2012 Ken Kugler rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was truly disappointed with this book. Have you ever read a book that kept feeling like it was going to take off and never did? That is what happened with this one. I kept reading until about page 150 pages. I then decided I would stop and not continue. I skipped to the end to see if anything changed and nothing did. Oh well, they cannot all be good books

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Mar 09, 2013 Den rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

Took me ages to read this book. Couldn't get into it fully so just read it in small parts. But I couldn't just leave it unfinished as I did want to know how the characters had got on. It is a story about a bright girl called Summer who has to make some hard decisions and she ends up putting her life on hold to look after various members of her family. Her dad becomes mentally ill after her mum leaves and so she has to cope with this illness as she is going through her teenage years and then her...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, re-read

This book is fantastic. You grow up alongside a young girl stopping every few years during important events. After reading Pretty Little Liars, I was unsure how an adult novel by Sara Shepard would be, but I loved it. This is something I'll definitely re-read in the future, and I'll be thinking about it still for days to come.

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Oct 28, 2012 Rachael Boswell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just couldn't get into this book at all, to the point it took about three attempts to get into it! It just didn't capture me at all and really was quite miserable and confusing at points. Not all books are going to be upbeat of course but I just didn't enjoy this at all!

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Aug 20, 2009 Kait rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love stories detailing the complexities of family issues. Although this was not the best book I have read dealing with those issues it was still a very interesting read and I devoured it in two days. I loved her dad and wacky aunt, two charcters that I held close to my literary heart.

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