This One Summer

by: Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
An unforgettable summer.
Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family.
But this summer is different.
Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. it's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. {cover copy}
I will admit, I picked up this graphic novel because of the cover. I thought it was going to be slightly younger in content than it was, based on the cover. I didn't read much of the copy when I bought it, because I was at the Strand for the first time and was overwhelmed by it all so I was sortof just grabbing things that looked interesting as I walked around gaping! haha

The artwork is done on a really limited palette, and the style of the art combined with the content of the story gives off this feeling when you are done reading it as though you just spent any old summer at the beach while you read it. Like, a whole season seems to pass. I feel like nothing was really resolved as far as the interesting parts of the story, but it is very clearly an imitation of life in that it honestly just shows a glimpse in a life, so you won't get everything resolved. Still, it was an entertaining read and I'm not disappointed by the way it wrapped up, I just wasn't really expecting it to be that way when I started it. So I'm warning you. Come into it with the expectation that you are along with them for the summer, and I think you will find it quite enjoyable. 

As this is a graphic novel, I find myself never marking quotes or passages I like, so this review ends here! None of the extra stuff for you this time!