Summer beach book? Maybe, if that means romance and yummy love interest. But this one has a bit more going on that frolicking in the surf of first love. And yummy? Uh-huh. If he were 30-say instead of 17, I would totally go all cougar for him; but I would love to see a guy like Jase dating my daughter in a few years.

Samantha Reed's life has been a bit stilted so far: Friday night dinners at the club with a primer-than-thou mother whose office as Connecticut state senator is up for re-election and an older sister wildier than she, but not as wild as the completely unsuitable Garretts who moved in next door about ten years before and have been a source of tsking and snide remarks for her mother ever since. Yard a mess, noise, and constant activity and eventually eight, EIGHT!, kids. Well, it's just not normal.

Luckily, Sam is ready for something fresh in her life. She's resigned herself to just watching the Garrett clan from a roof ledge off her bedroom until one night Jase shows up there and just starts talking. Soon she's hooked, not just on him, but on his harried but loving mother, and especially the youngest Garretts she sometimes starts to babysit. It's not all suntan oil and kisses on a picnic blanket. There are challenges. For Sam, as her mother becomes involved with a kind of smarmy political advisor and spends all her time wooing voters. For Jase, as he trains with his dad to go for a football scholarship or face the distinct possibility of no college at all. And eventually, for them both, as they face decisions about sex and responsibility and deal with tragedy that might draw them closer together or pull them completely apart in the aftermath. Most should enjoy this sun-kissed realistic romance even more for the difficulties thrown in the path of great characters just learning about themselves and their worlds. Fans of Sarah Dessen, et al, should dig in.