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Meet Me at the Boardwalk
A sweet and frothy ode to summer romance on the beach and on the boardwalk, as only hip and hilarious POOL BOYS author Erin Haft could write it!
Growing up in the resort town of Seashell Point, Jade, Megan, and Miles are best friends, and spend their summers working at the Clam Shack, making fun of the snooty summer people, and chilling on the boardwalk. But this summer, everything's different. Not only does Jade have her house to herself -- can you say parties? - but there's that tiny little issue of Megan's giant crush on Miles. Then there's the mysterious new girl who catches Miles's eye, and the threat that their beloved boardwalk will be torn down. This is one summer the friends will NEVER forget!
Growing up in the resort town of Seashell Point, Jade, Megan, and Miles are best friends, and spend their summers working at the Clam Shack, making fun of the snooty summer people, and chilling on the boardwalk. But this summer, everything's different. Not only does Jade have her house to herself -- can you say parties? - but there's that tiny little issue of Megan's giant crush on Miles. Then there's the mysterious new girl who catches Miles's eye, and the threat that their beloved boardwalk will be torn down. This is one summer the friends will NEVER forget!
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 21, 2023
Really could be 1 star
September 29, 2015
To celebrate my summer vacation I grabbed my old ARC of Meet Me at the Boardwalk from way back in 2008. I never got around to reading it and there's no time like the present! Unfortunately it wasn't as enjoyable a beach read as I had hoped and I was left wanting more.
My main disappointment with Meet Me at the Boardwalk was the huge plot inconsistencies. There were many references to previous hangouts or occasions that were never fully explained and as a result I was confused about everyone's motives for a huge chunk of the book. I also never knew how much time had passed. I assumed everything happened on a day-by-day basis until "two weeks ago on the porch" came up when I thought the porch scene happened yesterday!
Nothing was really accomplished in the book. The boardwalk scandal, the house party, and Jade's Grandma's visit all seemed fabricated just to give the characters something to do rather and a way to further the romantic relationships rather than to establish setting or give the reader something to sink their teeth into. I would've loved more emphasis on the environmental repercussions of tearing down the boardwalk but instead they were highlighted in a brief statement in the last few pages. Just as the climax arrived and I was all geared up to see how things would turn out, the book just ended. The ending was extremely abrupt and left far too much unsaid for a standalone.
On a positive note I was pleasantly surprised by the relationships between the 3 friends. You have your typical girl-likes-guy-best-friend scenario but all of a sudden everyone was kissing and dating other people I had never imagined! In Twelfth Night fashion everyone eventually found their way back to their original match but it was cute to read about who everyone thought they liked. I also appreciated how Megan's ethnicity wasn't stereotypical "smart-Asian", "immigrant-Asian", "adopted-Asian", or "my-grandparents-are-really-strict-and-traditional-Asian". Instead she was a normal teenager who happened to be Asian. Bravo Erin Haft for breaking boundaries!
My main disappointment with Meet Me at the Boardwalk was the huge plot inconsistencies. There were many references to previous hangouts or occasions that were never fully explained and as a result I was confused about everyone's motives for a huge chunk of the book. I also never knew how much time had passed. I assumed everything happened on a day-by-day basis until "two weeks ago on the porch" came up when I thought the porch scene happened yesterday!
Nothing was really accomplished in the book. The boardwalk scandal, the house party, and Jade's Grandma's visit all seemed fabricated just to give the characters something to do rather and a way to further the romantic relationships rather than to establish setting or give the reader something to sink their teeth into. I would've loved more emphasis on the environmental repercussions of tearing down the boardwalk but instead they were highlighted in a brief statement in the last few pages. Just as the climax arrived and I was all geared up to see how things would turn out, the book just ended. The ending was extremely abrupt and left far too much unsaid for a standalone.
On a positive note I was pleasantly surprised by the relationships between the 3 friends. You have your typical girl-likes-guy-best-friend scenario but all of a sudden everyone was kissing and dating other people I had never imagined! In Twelfth Night fashion everyone eventually found their way back to their original match but it was cute to read about who everyone thought they liked. I also appreciated how Megan's ethnicity wasn't stereotypical "smart-Asian", "immigrant-Asian", "adopted-Asian", or "my-grandparents-are-really-strict-and-traditional-Asian". Instead she was a normal teenager who happened to be Asian. Bravo Erin Haft for breaking boundaries!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2016
Stuck at the library and found this book! Picked it up and finished it. It was okay but definitely not my favorite.
May 7, 2023
Two stars for the potential, I guess. It was WAY too short for the plotlines and relationships presented. I felt like everything was rushed. I never really understood why Jade's sister Turquoise went from being a straight-laced dedicated student to a flower child hippie (that was literally never explained, just that boom, she appeared to be just like their dad when she came home). Also the book ends without proper resolution to the boardwalk plotline which felt like a cheat. All in all, I wanted a lot more than I got. The only real resolution was the plot line between Miles and Megan (which is pretty obvious from the word go). In spite of being inside the three character's heads, I still felt very distant from everyone. It was pretty disappointing, but a quick summer read if that's your thing.
September 4, 2018
I couldn't connect with the characters. This novel is definitely targeted at a younger reader. However, the character's lack substance which makes it more difficult to change between them so rapidly.
August 16, 2012
Not THE GREATEST of books, but one you can crank out in a few hours type of read.
The book is written from the viewpoints of 3 major characters: Jade, whose father is going away for the summer to leave her in the capable hands of her sister Turquoise, (the names!). Megan, Jade's best friend who is beautiful, quiet and secretly in love with Miles. Miles: surfer dude who is best friends with Jade and Megan. Got into a surfing accident a year prior and is now afraid to surf and skateboards.
So these 3 are on summer break before their senior year and they live in a very touristy area. There are talks of the Boardwalk being shut down to be replaced by another tourist attraction. And these kids don't like it and want to stop it. In between there's drama, secrets and a few funny chapters. A good, fast beach read with very little substance. It's one of those books that in a month I'll remember I read it from the cover but have no idea what it was about.
The book is written from the viewpoints of 3 major characters: Jade, whose father is going away for the summer to leave her in the capable hands of her sister Turquoise, (the names!). Megan, Jade's best friend who is beautiful, quiet and secretly in love with Miles. Miles: surfer dude who is best friends with Jade and Megan. Got into a surfing accident a year prior and is now afraid to surf and skateboards.
So these 3 are on summer break before their senior year and they live in a very touristy area. There are talks of the Boardwalk being shut down to be replaced by another tourist attraction. And these kids don't like it and want to stop it. In between there's drama, secrets and a few funny chapters. A good, fast beach read with very little substance. It's one of those books that in a month I'll remember I read it from the cover but have no idea what it was about.
November 11, 2012
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
To a community like Seashell Point, the boardwalk means everything. It's the special meeting place for three best friends and the essential component to the town's posh resort status.
However, a man comes to town who wants to change all that.
And with the arrival of tourist season, other things also begin to change.
Jade and Miles have a secret from their other best friend, Megan. Megan begins to feel left out of their group due to her crush on Miles.
Can the three friends find their footing once again in a town whose change threatens their friendship?
MEET ME AT THE BOARDWALK combines summer love, tourists, and friendship to create a great summertime read.
To a community like Seashell Point, the boardwalk means everything. It's the special meeting place for three best friends and the essential component to the town's posh resort status.
However, a man comes to town who wants to change all that.
And with the arrival of tourist season, other things also begin to change.
Jade and Miles have a secret from their other best friend, Megan. Megan begins to feel left out of their group due to her crush on Miles.
Can the three friends find their footing once again in a town whose change threatens their friendship?
MEET ME AT THE BOARDWALK combines summer love, tourists, and friendship to create a great summertime read.
September 20, 2017
The local library is going to be getting a hefty book donation pretty soon... I didn't hold high hopes for this, but I got this in a box deal on ebay, and I figured I might as well try it before I chuck it. It wasn't necessarily a bad book, but the plot was cliché, the characters flat; it was forgettable and nothing I haven't read before.
Just your typical teenage, "Woo-Hoo, no parents for the whole summer, let's party and hook up with hot boys" kind of novel. Sigh...I'm getting too old for this. :(
Just your typical teenage, "Woo-Hoo, no parents for the whole summer, let's party and hook up with hot boys" kind of novel. Sigh...I'm getting too old for this. :(
August 11, 2009
This was a very enjoyable summer book. But as someone who lives in Maryland, the way Haft describes the fictional town of Seashell Point (a tourist town on the Eastern Shore), seems a little off base. However, the town is fictional, so what can you do? The dialogue was great and the storyline was predictable, but overall a nice, quick read.
February 1, 2011
This book was really good. It's about these three friends, Miles, Megan, and Jade and they grew up together. This summer is a big change because it is their last summer together, Jade has the house to herself, and the boardwalk might get torn down, and Megan has a big crush on Miles for years. There is a lot of dilemmas, in this book but I love how it ends!
June 20, 2014
The only reason I finished this book all the way through was to find out what happens to the boardwalk which was the main topic throughout the book, along with the very boring, predictable character development. I really just wanted some nostalgic boardwalk talk. However, in the end, you don't even find out what happens to the boardwalk for sure and I almost cried. Thanks for nothing.
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April 11, 2015It's sad that I couldn't finish this book. It's maybe because the book I read before this is a deep one with life lessons and symbolism that when I read this book which is about beaches and boys and first kisses and young love, I just didn't feel like finishing it. Maybe once I'm in the mood for cheesy love stories then I'll probably pick this up again. But for now, just... no.
March 4, 2016
Meet me at the boardwalk by Erin Haft was very good. It is about a group of 3 friends who's town boardwalk and they do what it takes to save it. The book really showed what true friendship was. I could also relate to some of the characters including the main character. She is funny and she has a strong opinion. In all this was a good book
May 6, 2016
Meet me at the Boardwalk by Erin Haft is a really good book once you get into it but it starts off kind of slow. The book has a lot of character and is worded well. The ending although was rough. It ended With the type of ending where you aren't exactly sure what happened but you have sort of an idea how the story would have ended if there was one. Other wise I really enjoyed the story.
March 22, 2009
The stroy is told by 3 different viewpoints of 3 best friends, Jade, Megan and Miles. I felt that there should have been a prequel to this book. It felt like I jumped in the middle of the story.. good read, but felt like I started reading in the middle of the book.
February 8, 2013
I think my elder daughter will like this book. Light, entertaining, brimming with friendship, puppy love and all. The strength that lies in this book is the author’s writing talent, which provided this simple story a veritable amount of credibility, humour and fun.
April 1, 2014
This story was just okay. I really couldn't connect with either of the three main characters because the POV switched so much. The story was cute, but I think it was written for a crowd younger than I am. It wasn't that great of a summer read. It was very short and ended kind of abruptly.
April 21, 2015
I thought this book was overall pretty good, although the character development was poor and it felt like the story was rushed. There really was no climax. Just a series of events that end the story. And there was no suspense. I did enjoy the the tension between the eat friends though
August 16, 2022
Nothing like finally reading a book published in 2008... in 2020. I know I’ve had this book for a while, but that’s a long time to not have read it. It was alright, mostly a simple summer themed quick read that’s a good change after reading a couple fantasy books.
July 8, 2008
Yet another cute summer young romance book. How can you not love them? =)
August 15, 2008
A very cute, quick read which deals with the dilema of liking your best friend, who likes someone else. A tangled web of likes and a problem dealing with a certain Boardwalk.
December 20, 2008
This book is great!!
June 18, 2009
good!!
July 6, 2009
Cute but predictable. Enjoyable for me anyway, because I'm a boardwalk chick myself. :)
September 26, 2009
this book was great i just finish the way they handle there friend ship is amazing and i was so relived that megan and miles got together i was about to have a heart attack haha :)
June 12, 2010
LOOKS GREAT AND IT IS SET AT A BEACH!! (BOARDWALK) I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! READ IT IN A DAY!!! GREAT AWESOME BOOK!!!
June 13, 2011
interesting story!
June 25, 2012
Cute YA story. Probably ok to lend to Sara.
June 30, 2012
it was predictable, but it was ok.
December 30, 2014
Cute summer read for teens written from three points of view.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews