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Our Last Summer
Spending every summer with his grandmother in the south of England isn't Ryan's idea of a good time, and when he finds someone his own age to hang out with, he doesn't much care who that is. Alex might not say much, but company is company when there's nobody else to choose from, and Ryan will simply have to make do. It isn't, after all, like he really needs a friend. But Alex is more than just a kid with a thing for smashing up greenhouses, and Ryan finds himself dragged further and further into a dark, uncertain world of alcohol, bruises, a mother's madness, and a father's anger. Worst of all, Alex is dragging Ryan into a world of lust, attraction, and midnight kisses that Ryan is struggling to keep confined to southern summers. This thing with Alex can't go further than summer -- but Alex, and the shadows that surround him, are not so easily forgotten. Ryan can't forget Alex, but the longer he hangs on, the more he discovers ... not just about Alex, but about himself, his future, and the things that really matter. But eventually, summer must come to an end.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2013
4 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Matthew J. Metzger
34 books351 followersMatthew is an asexual, transgender author from the wet and windy British Isles.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 9, 2016
3.5 stars. Review posted March 16, 2014
While Our Last Summer is a pretty impressive debut, it doesn't measure up to Matthew's Vivaldi in the Dark series. Our Last Summer was a tough one to rate. At times I felt like I was engulfed by a yoyo-effect. The beginning was promising and then it kinda fizzled out; it picked up again only to test my patience once again. The story shined the most during the last 30 %. At that point I felt totally invested in the characters as well as the plot and there was something going on. Simply put, the story was really compelling for the first time.
It was hard for me to connect with Alex who was a very closed-off and taciturn loner unlike Ryan who was more responsive. Also, it was difficult to deal with Alex's indifference I caught myself telling him secretly to do something already!
Pretty much when I made do with It was good but… Matthew pulled something emotive out of his hat that proved how talented he is when he puts pen to paper.
"I am part of your summers," Alex says. "I'm part of this world, out here, in the middle of nowhere, with the sun and midnight wanderings and little secrets that don't mean anything. I'm not part of that world: of your autumn or winter or spring. I'm not there."
Passenger -- Hearts on Fire (with Ed Sheeran)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EreZNk...
If you are a fan of Matt's writing then I recommend you to read Our Last Summer.
"I am in your summers."
While Our Last Summer is a pretty impressive debut, it doesn't measure up to Matthew's Vivaldi in the Dark series. Our Last Summer was a tough one to rate. At times I felt like I was engulfed by a yoyo-effect. The beginning was promising and then it kinda fizzled out; it picked up again only to test my patience once again. The story shined the most during the last 30 %. At that point I felt totally invested in the characters as well as the plot and there was something going on. Simply put, the story was really compelling for the first time.
It was hard for me to connect with Alex who was a very closed-off and taciturn loner unlike Ryan who was more responsive. Also, it was difficult to deal with Alex's indifference I caught myself telling him secretly to do something already!
Pretty much when I made do with It was good but… Matthew pulled something emotive out of his hat that proved how talented he is when he puts pen to paper.
"I am part of your summers," Alex says. "I'm part of this world, out here, in the middle of nowhere, with the sun and midnight wanderings and little secrets that don't mean anything. I'm not part of that world: of your autumn or winter or spring. I'm not there."
Passenger -- Hearts on Fire (with Ed Sheeran)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EreZNk...
If you are a fan of Matt's writing then I recommend you to read Our Last Summer.
December 19, 2023
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
“I am part of your summers,” Alex says. “I’m part of this world, out here, in the middle of nowhere, with the sun and midnight wanderings and little secrets that don’t mean anything. I’m not part of that world: of your autumn or winter or spring. I’m not there.”
“But you could be.”
Alex says nothing.
“I want you to be,” Ryan says.”
Sweet and tender, Our Last Summer is the story of two boys from completely different backgrounds and family lifestyles who only meet up during the summers, but slowly start to become a part of each other's lives and hearts - regardless of time and place.
“Because this, here, is love.
He smiles into Alex’s skin, and scrapes the next kiss with teeth to leave a mark, and grins when Alex murmurs discontentedly.
And he loves.”
It took me a while to warm up to the story; only having Ryan's perspective also hindered my connection to the story, but I slowly got a feel of the story through his eyes. It's divided between Danny's time in Manchester against the summers his parents send him aboard a train to visit his Nan in the countryside to save him from the prying and preying ways of his fellow classmates. It's during the summer after his sixth form's completion, he meets the aloof but beautiful, quiet yet enigmatic Alex - and Ryan's look on life and himself changes forever. 🫶🏻
The writing carries itself on a melancholic vibe, but one laced with this summery feel to it - fleeting, yet catching - one that stays with you, much like the friendship that develops between the two of them, one that with the passing summer morphs into something of a crush till finally a full-on confession of feelings and actions that encompasses their hearts. I liked how it developed - the quiet tentative push and pull of their dynamic - 'they aren’t friends. They are barely more than strangers' - till one day, it comes to the point that Ryan does become his friend - over what he learns and sees. It felt very gradual and very believably captured, despite this slight prevailing feeling that something would go wrong.
And like a tide washing over you - I got carried away by how Ryan slowly comes to terms with these strange new feelings he had on Alex - how he had ingrained himself into his skin, that he had no choice, but to give into that happy gleam of someone liking him for who he is! 'Somehow, at some point, Alex has reached for his heart, and he has caught it. And Ryan cannot, will not, and does not want to ask for it back.' 🥹 There were some truly joyous moments of affection that warmed my heart and smiled their way through their tenderness of explorations and kisses - ah, so many beloved kisses and stolen heated moments that pulled them even deeper into each other's orbit, despite how hard they aimed to prove it meant something more. 🥰 Even at Alex's behest to stay simply a summer fling, Ryan doesn't want him to remain a secret, because the alternative could be so much worse. It's that discovery, that fear, that inner desire to protect Alex from the abuse he faces - to keep him close - was very heart-warming and something very precious Ryan was trying - in the only way he knew how to show his concern. 😥
“You can’t bring your summers into your new life.”
“Stop talking about my life in stages!” Ryan yells, and shakes him again. “You’re more than my bloody summers, Alex! I thought we’d worked that part out, for fuck’s sake!”
Oh, the frustration of fighting for someone to see how much they mean to you was beautifully portrayed - oh, it hurt, it hurt so hard. Ryan, you tried so hard - your heart was genuinely in the right place, how rare is that to see? I loved how he cared for Alex at the worst of moments - how much he wanted to help, but helpless to do anything, the challenge that Alex attacked him with - daring him to be silent - my heart hurt for hard he tried to help - to reason and plea with him to see sense - to speak up. 🥺 Alex was so adamant in refusing his help, refusing to see how much Ryan cared for him - how much he meant to him - that I wanted to tell him to just see that he wants you to be more than just for the summer. He wants you for life!!! Even as he goes away for the entire year - torn that he's leaving you alone at the mercies of others for so long - it's that aching hope that you'll be okay is what keeps him going. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Despite my appreciation of the romance, though, I did still find some faults in it that failed to make that much of an impression on me. Alex remained very much a mystery; there was no closure to his character or his past, or what led him to behave this way - what was the hidden meaning behind his cryptic comments and why was he so accepting of the way he was treated? There was just no feeling to his behavior that made me hurt and care for him. We are introduced to so many facets of his family life that would be alarming to some, but it never gets fully fleshed out. 🤨 Perhaps the author hoped to address it later on - perhaps the author didn't feel it relevant to Alex's character, or perhaps, it was simply enough that this story was a story of summers - and how one summer changed everything for both of them and one last summer, where Danny was determined that he wouldn't walk away without him. 🤷🏻♀️
One of the biggest turn-offs, however, would have to be the excessive use of italics . Now, I know what you're thinking - Amina, isn't that like, the pot calling the kettle black?? Okay, yes, I use italics, but I use them sparsely - like, maybe one in 6-7 paragraphs. Not, at least 30 on one page!!! 😫 I understand the reason for doing so - to stress on the emphasis for the words it's stressed on, but I do believe it could have been done in a better way. The author did not have to rely on that to capture their importance and it just became an eye sore at times. 😵💫 I wish it hadn't been the case, and there were definitely a few times at the start where I considered bowing out, because of it. But, I prevailed, but it has also made me slightly hesitant to read anything more by this author - especially, one of lengthier content, despite how promising and entreating the premise sound. I just don't think I could do it to myself again. 😔
“You’re…you’re that,” he says—almost croaks, his nose almost touching Alex’s, and those grey eyes are everything.
“You’re more. You’re summer but I want you to be all the bloody seasons anyway.”
I may have had some issues with a few things, but I won't deny how lovely their romance blossomed - the gentle intimacy that they both shared and experienced together - the soft way Alex let down his guard with Ryan - that he allowed himself to be normal and behave like a teenager, and not a mystery, where just as Ryan was coming to terms about his own sexuality, he was helping Alex become braver for himself. 🥺 'It’s not something accompanied by a swooping feeling in his chest, and he doesn’t say a word or do a thing to mark the discovery.' It's a feeling that washes over you - one of inner contentment at a young romance that deserves their fair shot at unbridled love and happiness. 💟💟
“I am part of your summers,” Alex says. “I’m part of this world, out here, in the middle of nowhere, with the sun and midnight wanderings and little secrets that don’t mean anything. I’m not part of that world: of your autumn or winter or spring. I’m not there.”
“But you could be.”
Alex says nothing.
“I want you to be,” Ryan says.”
Sweet and tender, Our Last Summer is the story of two boys from completely different backgrounds and family lifestyles who only meet up during the summers, but slowly start to become a part of each other's lives and hearts - regardless of time and place.
“Because this, here, is love.
He smiles into Alex’s skin, and scrapes the next kiss with teeth to leave a mark, and grins when Alex murmurs discontentedly.
And he loves.”
It took me a while to warm up to the story; only having Ryan's perspective also hindered my connection to the story, but I slowly got a feel of the story through his eyes. It's divided between Danny's time in Manchester against the summers his parents send him aboard a train to visit his Nan in the countryside to save him from the prying and preying ways of his fellow classmates. It's during the summer after his sixth form's completion, he meets the aloof but beautiful, quiet yet enigmatic Alex - and Ryan's look on life and himself changes forever. 🫶🏻
The writing carries itself on a melancholic vibe, but one laced with this summery feel to it - fleeting, yet catching - one that stays with you, much like the friendship that develops between the two of them, one that with the passing summer morphs into something of a crush till finally a full-on confession of feelings and actions that encompasses their hearts. I liked how it developed - the quiet tentative push and pull of their dynamic - 'they aren’t friends. They are barely more than strangers' - till one day, it comes to the point that Ryan does become his friend - over what he learns and sees. It felt very gradual and very believably captured, despite this slight prevailing feeling that something would go wrong.
And like a tide washing over you - I got carried away by how Ryan slowly comes to terms with these strange new feelings he had on Alex - how he had ingrained himself into his skin, that he had no choice, but to give into that happy gleam of someone liking him for who he is! 'Somehow, at some point, Alex has reached for his heart, and he has caught it. And Ryan cannot, will not, and does not want to ask for it back.' 🥹 There were some truly joyous moments of affection that warmed my heart and smiled their way through their tenderness of explorations and kisses - ah, so many beloved kisses and stolen heated moments that pulled them even deeper into each other's orbit, despite how hard they aimed to prove it meant something more. 🥰 Even at Alex's behest to stay simply a summer fling, Ryan doesn't want him to remain a secret, because the alternative could be so much worse. It's that discovery, that fear, that inner desire to protect Alex from the abuse he faces - to keep him close - was very heart-warming and something very precious Ryan was trying - in the only way he knew how to show his concern. 😥
“You can’t bring your summers into your new life.”
“Stop talking about my life in stages!” Ryan yells, and shakes him again. “You’re more than my bloody summers, Alex! I thought we’d worked that part out, for fuck’s sake!”
Oh, the frustration of fighting for someone to see how much they mean to you was beautifully portrayed - oh, it hurt, it hurt so hard. Ryan, you tried so hard - your heart was genuinely in the right place, how rare is that to see? I loved how he cared for Alex at the worst of moments - how much he wanted to help, but helpless to do anything, the challenge that Alex attacked him with - daring him to be silent - my heart hurt for hard he tried to help - to reason and plea with him to see sense - to speak up. 🥺 Alex was so adamant in refusing his help, refusing to see how much Ryan cared for him - how much he meant to him - that I wanted to tell him to just see that he wants you to be more than just for the summer. He wants you for life!!! Even as he goes away for the entire year - torn that he's leaving you alone at the mercies of others for so long - it's that aching hope that you'll be okay is what keeps him going. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Despite my appreciation of the romance, though, I did still find some faults in it that failed to make that much of an impression on me. Alex remained very much a mystery; there was no closure to his character or his past, or what led him to behave this way - what was the hidden meaning behind his cryptic comments and why was he so accepting of the way he was treated? There was just no feeling to his behavior that made me hurt and care for him. We are introduced to so many facets of his family life that would be alarming to some, but it never gets fully fleshed out. 🤨 Perhaps the author hoped to address it later on - perhaps the author didn't feel it relevant to Alex's character, or perhaps, it was simply enough that this story was a story of summers - and how one summer changed everything for both of them and one last summer, where Danny was determined that he wouldn't walk away without him. 🤷🏻♀️
One of the biggest turn-offs, however, would have to be the excessive use of italics . Now, I know what you're thinking - Amina, isn't that like, the pot calling the kettle black?? Okay, yes, I use italics, but I use them sparsely - like, maybe one in 6-7 paragraphs. Not, at least 30 on one page!!! 😫 I understand the reason for doing so - to stress on the emphasis for the words it's stressed on, but I do believe it could have been done in a better way. The author did not have to rely on that to capture their importance and it just became an eye sore at times. 😵💫 I wish it hadn't been the case, and there were definitely a few times at the start where I considered bowing out, because of it. But, I prevailed, but it has also made me slightly hesitant to read anything more by this author - especially, one of lengthier content, despite how promising and entreating the premise sound. I just don't think I could do it to myself again. 😔
“You’re…you’re that,” he says—almost croaks, his nose almost touching Alex’s, and those grey eyes are everything.
“You’re more. You’re summer but I want you to be all the bloody seasons anyway.”
I may have had some issues with a few things, but I won't deny how lovely their romance blossomed - the gentle intimacy that they both shared and experienced together - the soft way Alex let down his guard with Ryan - that he allowed himself to be normal and behave like a teenager, and not a mystery, where just as Ryan was coming to terms about his own sexuality, he was helping Alex become braver for himself. 🥺 'It’s not something accompanied by a swooping feeling in his chest, and he doesn’t say a word or do a thing to mark the discovery.' It's a feeling that washes over you - one of inner contentment at a young romance that deserves their fair shot at unbridled love and happiness. 💟💟
February 3, 2013
I love you. That one I will probably never say again, but it’s true, and you need to remember that more than I need to say it. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I love you now, and I may well love you when all the summers end.
-Alex's letter to Ryan
It's like my vague fantasy had become clear reality, my untouchably dreamlike fairy tale had depicted itself in an unmistakably concrete way. I had dreamt about it for too long to be able to recognize it immediately, to actually believe it was there, in my hands. This story, this very story, is all I ever wanted. It was not as epic or glamorous as in my imagination, felt sort of ordinary, simple actually, but it was as beautiful and sweet and romantic and I love it very much.
I can't remember exactly since when, but I always have had these ideas in my mind, Two boys, in their summer break, meet in an isolated, deserted island or country town. They get to know each other and with every passing day, they gradually and steadily fall in love. They bask in the quite happiness of their little world in the middle of nowhere where all that exist are gorgeous nature, joyous freedom and each other; a paradise on earth. I know, that fantasy is childish, insignificant, unrealistic, but even knowing so, I still wanted it.
This book, however, is more, much more than what I had hoped it would be. It surpassed wonderfully my admittedly pretty high expectations. I'm truly satisfied of what I was granted, happy for deciding to read it, and thankful for the author for writing it.
Ryan meets Alex the first time when he comes to visit his grandmother in the summer, as he always does.
The first summer, they reluctantly, cautiously become friends. But with Alex's cold distance and infuriating quietness, Ryan doesn't really think Alex sees him as an actual friend. So when summer ends, he returns to his seemingly separated and entirely different world without so much a goodbye.
The second summer, he unexpectedly has a mind-shattering, life-changing moment in which everything he believed about himself is turned upside down and he has to come to terms with his true identity. He's terrified of what difficulties, obstacles and dilemmas might be hidden in the future, and one more time, he runs away from Alex. The author did an amazing job here, describing his confusingly mix feelings for Alex and his hard struggle to come to accept who he is so excellently and naturally. Marvelous, the way he handles it.
The third summer, and the last, he's somewhat confident in what he and Alex have together, but he also has to go long way figuring out the best thing to do to protect Alex and their newly-blossoming, fragile, precious love. With his impending return and the possibility of never seeing Alex again, he definitely has to do something, anything.
I very much adore the characters in this book. They're perfect for each other, like missing pieces. I like them individually and together.
I also especially like the subtle way in which the author alarmed us about the serious consequences of bully and homophobia in school environment, born from either willful ignorance or cruel intentions. No one should be treated the way some kids are in that school. It's just...so sad, and hopeless.
I don't quite know what to say to be able to do any justice for this awesome book. Just, read it. I very much hope you will.
February 12, 2013
I can't believe I read this in one day - no, less than one day. That's not normal for me. It sucked me in, the way the writing flowed, the ease of each chapter, and the simple but likeable characters. Summer is a fleeting, dreamy novel about two very different boys and three summers they spend together, each one bringing them closer, making them invaluable to each other.
Ryan is a good student, has a nice family, a small group of friends, and...he's straight, or at least he assumes he is. Life is pretty easy for Ryan. Then he starts to fall in love. Alex lives in the small, uneventful town where Ryan visits his grandmother every year. To say Alex is quiet would be an understatement. An extreme one. He's downright withholding, only revealing what he wants to, and that ain't much. As a result, he's a distant character, a bit of a ghost, for most of the story. I wanted to know him better, and a gradual fondness for him did grow.
I have a love/hate thing for reticent characters. I'm thinking of Silvio in Dark Soul and White in When the Music Stops and now Alex. All of them are mysteries, which is intriguing but also frustrating. I want to shake them and yell, SPEAK! SPEAK ALREADY! THERE'S NO REASON FOR HOLDING BACK THIS MUCH! It's puzzling to me because I'm not like that. I love talking to people - sharing, discovering, even arguing. I want to understand others and express myself, and I might have a tendency, small one mind you, to analyze. I'm sure I drive others mad at times. (Eh, deal with it :)
But what I love about this type of character is when we're allowed a peak into their hearts. That makes it all worthwhile, that gift from the authors. I can pinpoint the moments it happened with Silvio, White, and Alex. I've had similar moments in real life, when I feel like I know someone. Those moments seem to matter even more with a quiet character (or person) because they're not earned. They're given. It's special, something to treasure.
So, I love Alex's letter to Ryan for this reason. *SPOILER* I love the ending also, the very last page, the sense of hope and of moving forward. I'm happy with the resolution overall, even though it's easy (yes, that's a complaint.) Honestly, this book didn't blow me away. It didn't change my life. Instead, it charmed me, it cast its summery spell. I felt wrapped up in a warm, sleepy haze reading it, but now it's over and the next season has arrived for Alex and Ryan, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them though, if the writer ever feels inspired.
Ryan is a good student, has a nice family, a small group of friends, and...he's straight, or at least he assumes he is. Life is pretty easy for Ryan. Then he starts to fall in love. Alex lives in the small, uneventful town where Ryan visits his grandmother every year. To say Alex is quiet would be an understatement. An extreme one. He's downright withholding, only revealing what he wants to, and that ain't much. As a result, he's a distant character, a bit of a ghost, for most of the story. I wanted to know him better, and a gradual fondness for him did grow.
I have a love/hate thing for reticent characters. I'm thinking of Silvio in Dark Soul and White in When the Music Stops and now Alex. All of them are mysteries, which is intriguing but also frustrating. I want to shake them and yell, SPEAK! SPEAK ALREADY! THERE'S NO REASON FOR HOLDING BACK THIS MUCH! It's puzzling to me because I'm not like that. I love talking to people - sharing, discovering, even arguing. I want to understand others and express myself, and I might have a tendency, small one mind you, to analyze. I'm sure I drive others mad at times. (Eh, deal with it :)
But what I love about this type of character is when we're allowed a peak into their hearts. That makes it all worthwhile, that gift from the authors. I can pinpoint the moments it happened with Silvio, White, and Alex. I've had similar moments in real life, when I feel like I know someone. Those moments seem to matter even more with a quiet character (or person) because they're not earned. They're given. It's special, something to treasure.
So, I love Alex's letter to Ryan for this reason. *SPOILER* I love the ending also, the very last page, the sense of hope and of moving forward. I'm happy with the resolution overall, even though it's easy (yes, that's a complaint.) Honestly, this book didn't blow me away. It didn't change my life. Instead, it charmed me, it cast its summery spell. I felt wrapped up in a warm, sleepy haze reading it, but now it's over and the next season has arrived for Alex and Ryan, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them though, if the writer ever feels inspired.
September 24, 2018
This is a slow, back and forth, depiction of a gay teen's voyage into self-discovery. (Trigger warnings for abuse content, mention of suicide.) Ryan begins the book as a guy who doesn't dare look too deeply into himself and what he wants - he has a painful fear that he may find something his mates at school would never understand, or even tolerate, so he just... doesn't think about it. Visiting his grandmother for the summer, he encounters Alex, a silent, cool, and enigmatic boy. They spend a lot of time together, but on a superficial level, each locking away most of who they are and what they think out of sight. So that at the end of summer, Ryan can go back to his mates and his "real" life without a backward glance.
But the next summer, something changes and shifts between them. In one unexpected moment, Ryan has a realization about himself that alters his world. And what was a casual friendship becomes something more. On Alex's part, the silences and bruises and the way he keeps Ryan and his home life in two very separate boxes begin to paint a clear picture. One that scares Ryan, but that he seems to be powerless to do anything about. Alex is still aloof, self-sufficient, and in some areas holds Ryan at an implacable distance.
The story really takes off in the last third, as the frustrating distance that kept these two guys from really connecting melts away in the press of their growing caring, and emotions and events that follow. Alex's determination to shelter Ryan and his stoicism and fatalism caught my heart. While I wasn't as deeply sucked in here as with Vivaldi in the Dark, I ended this book with a relieved sigh, with satisfaction and hope. I've yet to read a book by this author that wasn't worth my time.
But the next summer, something changes and shifts between them. In one unexpected moment, Ryan has a realization about himself that alters his world. And what was a casual friendship becomes something more. On Alex's part, the silences and bruises and the way he keeps Ryan and his home life in two very separate boxes begin to paint a clear picture. One that scares Ryan, but that he seems to be powerless to do anything about. Alex is still aloof, self-sufficient, and in some areas holds Ryan at an implacable distance.
The story really takes off in the last third, as the frustrating distance that kept these two guys from really connecting melts away in the press of their growing caring, and emotions and events that follow. Alex's determination to shelter Ryan and his stoicism and fatalism caught my heart. While I wasn't as deeply sucked in here as with Vivaldi in the Dark, I ended this book with a relieved sigh, with satisfaction and hope. I've yet to read a book by this author that wasn't worth my time.
February 17, 2013
4.5 stars I really like this book. It's a gorgeous story and well written. It didn't grabbed me at the beginning. As the story progressed and I got to know the characters I got into it more and more. Ryan's journey from the first summer when he meets Alex while visiting his grandmother to the second summer when he realizes he might be gay is well portrayed. That includes his fears about the consequences of that secret getting out in school and to his friends especially Tom. After all the only openly gay student committed suicide after years of bullying and no one seemed to care. He didn't want that to happen to him. By the last summer, you could see how much he had grown. He knew he loved Alex and wanted to protect him from his abusive father. He was leaving for University and begged Alex to come with him. Alex was very quiet and didn't share a lot about himself. That frustrated me at times because he didn't have an easy life with the abusive he suffered and he seemed to have quit school. I was afraid for him the whole time. Until his letter to Alex, I didn't know how he felt about him and their relationship. It was a beautiful letter.
Overall, I really like this book. I liked the ending. It ended on a happy and hopeful note for Alex and Ryan. I would love to know more about them especially about the changes in Alex's life.
Overall, I really like this book. I liked the ending. It ended on a happy and hopeful note for Alex and Ryan. I would love to know more about them especially about the changes in Alex's life.
July 8, 2017
Ahhh Ryan and Alex
Lovely story of first love and discovering yourself
Alex wrecked me
Brilliantly told!
Lovely story of first love and discovering yourself
Alex wrecked me
Brilliantly told!
February 9, 2013
It was a good book, powerful and beatifully written, and I liked it more and more as the story moved along, although really not much happens plot wise. It is really very character driven. Alex's struggle with abuse and Ryan coming to terms with the way Alex sees it (up to when he could not of course) was really well done IMO. I have to say though, I liked both guys a lot, but I did not right away felt the connection between them as more than friends connection. Maybe thats how author wanted me to feel though, since the boys were figuring that out as they went along themselves.
I am also not sure how I feel about present tense in this book. I am not vehemently against it and in some books it worked very well for me, here I am not sure. Maybe the author wanted that sense of urgency that changes the guys go through do happen now and he did not want us to feel that there is a wall between the characters and the reader.
I am also not sure how I feel about present tense in this book. I am not vehemently against it and in some books it worked very well for me, here I am not sure. Maybe the author wanted that sense of urgency that changes the guys go through do happen now and he did not want us to feel that there is a wall between the characters and the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2020
CW: child abuse, internalized homophobia
One of the reasons I really enjoy Metzger's work is because it often features the rough, shit talking kind of boys who use gay slurs and tease their friends for acting gay, but are ultimately pretty accepting when the MC comes out. Not because I think that's a good thing - God knows we'll all be better for it when those kind of guys disappear - but because it reminds me of my own experience growing up and it makes me pretty nostalgic. This novel was definitely that, with the boys all being just stereotypical, rough housing, shit talking lads who don't think before they speak and say things they don't mean to look tough. Even the main character falls into it at time, which is why it takes him so long to realize he's not as straight as he thinks he is.
Alex and Ryan were both such sweet, lost boys I spent half of this wanting to just wrap them up in bubblewrap. Though this could have easily gone the bittersweet route, I'm really glad that they wound up with one another. I'm a big fan of the way Metzger writes his characters and this was no exception. I loved both boys and I adored Ryan's Nan, easily the other character with the most screen time in this. I even developed a certain fondness for Tom and his rough edges.
One thing I wish was that Ryan's sexuality be explored a little further instead of him defaulting to gay when he realized he had a crush on one boy. I wish that had either been a lengthier decision, maybe after realizing he looks at other boys the same and never realized, or that it had gone a different route. For a second there, I thought Ryan was being set up to be on the ace spectrum and that would have been really lovely, in my opinion. My other biggest complaint is just wishing that something had actually been done about Alex's father and the way he abuses his family. I know these situations are often unresolved in real life, but I was really hoping for something to be done here. Just left me feeling all sorts of off.
Overall, though, this was a really lovely, really speedy little summer romance that I think lots of people would enjoy! It hits all the right spots.
One of the reasons I really enjoy Metzger's work is because it often features the rough, shit talking kind of boys who use gay slurs and tease their friends for acting gay, but are ultimately pretty accepting when the MC comes out. Not because I think that's a good thing - God knows we'll all be better for it when those kind of guys disappear - but because it reminds me of my own experience growing up and it makes me pretty nostalgic. This novel was definitely that, with the boys all being just stereotypical, rough housing, shit talking lads who don't think before they speak and say things they don't mean to look tough. Even the main character falls into it at time, which is why it takes him so long to realize he's not as straight as he thinks he is.
Alex and Ryan were both such sweet, lost boys I spent half of this wanting to just wrap them up in bubblewrap. Though this could have easily gone the bittersweet route, I'm really glad that they wound up with one another. I'm a big fan of the way Metzger writes his characters and this was no exception. I loved both boys and I adored Ryan's Nan, easily the other character with the most screen time in this. I even developed a certain fondness for Tom and his rough edges.
One thing I wish was that Ryan's sexuality be explored a little further instead of him defaulting to gay when he realized he had a crush on one boy. I wish that had either been a lengthier decision, maybe after realizing he looks at other boys the same and never realized, or that it had gone a different route. For a second there, I thought Ryan was being set up to be on the ace spectrum and that would have been really lovely, in my opinion. My other biggest complaint is just wishing that something had actually been done about Alex's father and the way he abuses his family. I know these situations are often unresolved in real life, but I was really hoping for something to be done here. Just left me feeling all sorts of off.
Overall, though, this was a really lovely, really speedy little summer romance that I think lots of people would enjoy! It hits all the right spots.
August 21, 2023
El calor y la brisa del verano no se comparan en las emociones que surgen al descubrir el amor sin palabras de Alex y Ryan. Un chico misterioso, taciturno y frágil, fruto del maltrato de un padre poco ausente. Ryan, un chico que ha descubierto su homosexualidad en uno de los tantos veranos aislado de Manchester. El descubrimiento y el amor de una caricia despierta en Ryan un sentimiento de amor y pasión por Alex, que lleva a revolucionar su mundo por completo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2017
I believe this is Matthew's first novel and it's plain to see his skill at writing has always been there. I always enjoy a good teen romance and as always Matthew has created two amazing characters who grow closer over the Summers they spend together. And as always when I read a Matthew Metzger novel I was barely able to stop reading once I had started.
June 23, 2018
Good story. Excellent character development, even if Alex is a bit broken. The writing was apt and elegant.
October 4, 2019
This would work very well as a first book in a series. Sweet, dark and light all at once. I love the way this author writes.
August 4, 2016
I'm too tired to really write much, but I'll just say I feel really conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I did really love Alex and Ryan together, seeing their very slowly growing intimacy. I like first love stories, and reticent characters, though some may find them frustrating. But I had so many issues. This story deals with the issue of physical abuse. It's already a hard topic to read about, and I just kept getting angry So while it wasn't an emotionally heavy or angsty book, there was a pervading sense of gloom throughout the story. I felt depressed, frustrated, and helpless. So I can't say it was an enjoyable book, even if I enjoyed the parts of Alex and Ryan discovering love together, and the tentatively hopeful ending. I felt it could have been more polished, as I was left with many questions. I love the author's writing and I will be faithfully following him, but I liked and would recommend his other book, Vivaldi in the Dark, much more. But at the same time, this book will be staying in my mind for a little awhile.
May 7, 2014
Another beautiful book by Matthew J. Metzger. It's the third of his books that I read, I loved them all and this one is his best story in my opinion. As with the other two, this book started slow for me, but a lot of emotions crept up on me page after page. I finished it tearing up.
Our Last Summer tells the story of Ryan and Alex. Ryan goes to his grandmother's every summer, when the school year ends. It's usually boring for him, because there's basically nobody his age around, but one year he meets Alex, who moved there with his family. The two develop a friendship, which starts as a summer thing but ends up as a love story forever. For a moment it seems like the problem on the path to their happy ending is the fact the relationship started as a summer thing and they never see each other during the rest of the year. But then it becomes clear that the real problem is Alex's issues, namely the abuse he suffers at the hand of his father and the lack of self confidence that plagues him.
I liked both characters, but Alex in particular stole my heart. He has some of the most heartbreaking quotes I've ever read. My heart ached for him and I was so very happy to see Ryan not giving up on him.
This author has now become an auto-buy for me, because he really knows how to write beautiful stories that touch me deeply, without being melodramatic and over the top as it often happens when characters have difficult lives and issues. He really knows how to write about sad, difficult situations in a way that feels real but never exaggerated.
Our Last Summer tells the story of Ryan and Alex. Ryan goes to his grandmother's every summer, when the school year ends. It's usually boring for him, because there's basically nobody his age around, but one year he meets Alex, who moved there with his family. The two develop a friendship, which starts as a summer thing but ends up as a love story forever. For a moment it seems like the problem on the path to their happy ending is the fact the relationship started as a summer thing and they never see each other during the rest of the year. But then it becomes clear that the real problem is Alex's issues, namely the abuse he suffers at the hand of his father and the lack of self confidence that plagues him.
I liked both characters, but Alex in particular stole my heart. He has some of the most heartbreaking quotes I've ever read. My heart ached for him and I was so very happy to see Ryan not giving up on him.
This author has now become an auto-buy for me, because he really knows how to write beautiful stories that touch me deeply, without being melodramatic and over the top as it often happens when characters have difficult lives and issues. He really knows how to write about sad, difficult situations in a way that feels real but never exaggerated.
September 22, 2015
This was a wonderful story but until the very last page I couldn't let my guard down (of my heart). Ryan I understood - Alex was a whole other being - I just prayed Ryan would finally get through to him. This is one of those stories that remind you abuse is real and for all the fictional Alex's there are there are real ones enduring such things. I simply don't understand such things. Our children should be our treasures. Yeah, there are years for children to be "know it alls," to be snarky, uncommunicative - but despite that façade deep down there is (should be) abiding love and need for parents who support, protect and accept them. I can't say enough good things about this story. It was beautifully written and very different, not the typical trope.
January 28, 2026
A cute-yet-angsty romance between two older teenage boys who only see each other in the summer time. Both boys had stuff going on with them, but could find peace and happiness (for the most part) with each other, which I liked. I didn't care too much about Ryan's non-Summer months though lol, but I know it was necessary and luckily never took up too much time.
August 16, 2016
4.5 stars
July 4, 2023
A tender love story with a lovely narrator and a lovely conclusion.
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