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The Square Root of Summer
by
This is what it means to love someone. This is what it means to grieve someone. It's a little bit like a black hole. It's a little bit like infinity.
Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:
To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the aftern ...more
Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:
To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the aftern ...more
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Hardcover, 295 pages
Published
May 3rd 2016
by Roaring Brook Press
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Start your review of The Square Root of Summer

“Yes, and imagine a world where there were no hypothetical situations.”
----Jasper Fforde
Harriet Reuter Hapgood, an English author, pens a heart-touching yet an analytical debut young adult book, The Square Root of Summer that revolves around a teenage girl who has gone through a lot of grief in her life and right when she is suffering from the heart break of last summer, her long time ago ex-friend cum ex-neighbor lands up in her life, with more love life drama, that forces this young lady to ...more
----Jasper Fforde
Harriet Reuter Hapgood, an English author, pens a heart-touching yet an analytical debut young adult book, The Square Root of Summer that revolves around a teenage girl who has gone through a lot of grief in her life and right when she is suffering from the heart break of last summer, her long time ago ex-friend cum ex-neighbor lands up in her life, with more love life drama, that forces this young lady to ...more

Mar 11, 2016
Irena BookDustMagic
marked it as to-read
I need this book in my life.
NOW!!!!!!!!
...more
NOW!!!!!!!!


May 04, 2016
Dana Kenedy (Dana and the Books)
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2016-release,
goodreads-first-reads
I just won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway! Can't wait to read it!
...more


Gottie has barely spoken in nearly a year, since her grandfather Grey died unexpectedly. Not that anyone has noticed her silence much. Her brother Ned has gone away to college, along with his best friend, Jason, the boy with whom Gottie had her first love affair just before Grey's death. Her father minds his own business, running the family bookstore while Gottie goes to school and puts her energy into her physics and math homework. Her best friend is in the arts program, and easily dodged. B...more

Jul 06, 2020
Aj the Ravenous Reader
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary,
romance,
fantasy,
physically-owned-books,
lol,
mystery,
sci-fi,
unexpectedly-good,
young-adult
3.5 stars
I find this really a really unique and refreshing YA contemporary. It's cute and geeky and science-y. There is actual science fiction involved, the kind that has something to do with wormholes, time travel, time loop, and the likes. That's about where my brain stopped processing. Lol.
But basically from my meager comprehension, time and space seem to be getting wonky on Morgan. Like time passes her by literally. One moment she's here, in a blink of an eye she's elsewhere and this sort ...more
I find this really a really unique and refreshing YA contemporary. It's cute and geeky and science-y. There is actual science fiction involved, the kind that has something to do with wormholes, time travel, time loop, and the likes. That's about where my brain stopped processing. Lol.
But basically from my meager comprehension, time and space seem to be getting wonky on Morgan. Like time passes her by literally. One moment she's here, in a blink of an eye she's elsewhere and this sort ...more

The word I'd use to describe this book is confusing. One moment, I thought I understood it and the next minute, I didn't. The romance was good-ish, and I appreciated that Gottie was interested in STEM subjects but the execution was as wibbly as the timeline!
...more

Time travel and physics and heartbreak and stars.
In THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER, our mathy heroine, Gottie, finds herself jumping back and forth through time in the summer after her grandfather's death. As she unravels the reasons behind her chronological challenges, the secrets of last summer's heartbreaks unfold, as does a wonderful new (old) love story. This novel is beautifully literary, with striking, memorable characters and gorgeous prose. It's winter here but I was drunk on love and summe ...more

In THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER, our mathy heroine, Gottie, finds herself jumping back and forth through time in the summer after her grandfather's death. As she unravels the reasons behind her chronological challenges, the secrets of last summer's heartbreaks unfold, as does a wonderful new (old) love story. This novel is beautifully literary, with striking, memorable characters and gorgeous prose. It's winter here but I was drunk on love and summe ...more

Initial reaction: That was lovely, more than I thought it would turn out to be. There's a huge curve to get into this book, however, and I had issues with how the narrative chose to pace itself. But I ended up enjoying the read.
Full review:
"The Square Root of Summer" is definitely a book that spoke to my science/math-loving/geekish contemporary heart, at the very least in the idea behind the novel. Gottie is a young woman who has a lot of things happening in her life at once: dealing with the d ...more
Full review:
"The Square Root of Summer" is definitely a book that spoke to my science/math-loving/geekish contemporary heart, at the very least in the idea behind the novel. Gottie is a young woman who has a lot of things happening in her life at once: dealing with the d ...more

May 10, 2016
Keertana
added it
Rating: DNF
I read more than half of The Square Root of Summer before declaring that I was fed up. Perhaps surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed this novel. Hapgood's debut is beautifully written, this small village coming alive with her prose as Gottie, our protagonist, struggles to breath with the sorrow sitting on her heart. Whether it be her grief over her grandfather's recent death, not even a year ago, or it be the ache she feels at remembering Jason, her first love who kept her a secret ...more
I read more than half of The Square Root of Summer before declaring that I was fed up. Perhaps surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed this novel. Hapgood's debut is beautifully written, this small village coming alive with her prose as Gottie, our protagonist, struggles to breath with the sorrow sitting on her heart. Whether it be her grief over her grandfather's recent death, not even a year ago, or it be the ache she feels at remembering Jason, her first love who kept her a secret ...more

As I'm only an occasional, and very picky, reader of YA and children's books, I feel they have to work extra hard to impress me. Unlike so many others, The Square Root of Summer not only impressed me, but surpassed any and all expectations I could have had: it's not just a decent YA novel, it's a fantastic concept and a warm, heartfelt story that works well for any audience. I also liked the way it sidestepped so many of the paths I'd expect a book like this to go down: main character Gottie is
...more

Mar 01, 2015
Stacey (prettybooks)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-my-twenties,
young-adult-fiction
I adore the cover for The Square Root of Summer – we have a huge poster of it in our flat! And in The Square Root of Summer, Harriet does an excellent job of combining time travel, science and romance (complete with little diagrams because physics = difficult).
It's been a year since Gottie's life changed; when her grandfather died and the boy she fell in love with stopped being the boy she fell in love with (aka the boy I dislike intensely). But it's a new summer, involving the return of her for ...more
It's been a year since Gottie's life changed; when her grandfather died and the boy she fell in love with stopped being the boy she fell in love with (aka the boy I dislike intensely). But it's a new summer, involving the return of her for ...more

An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.
So, I thought I was getting a book about time travel, and what I got was a thoughtful story about grief and loss and friendship. I'm not complaining. Some of my favorite books deal with these subjects. I just wish there were some way to prepare other readers for this book...and to make them stick with it when the going gets tough because it's totally worth i ...more
So, I thought I was getting a book about time travel, and what I got was a thoughtful story about grief and loss and friendship. I'm not complaining. Some of my favorite books deal with these subjects. I just wish there were some way to prepare other readers for this book...and to make them stick with it when the going gets tough because it's totally worth i ...more

Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:

Hi guys, today I'm excited to be part of the Canadian Blog Tour for The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood. This is a really unusual young adult novel, chock full of science and heartbreak, but with beautiful and quirky writing. Read on for a short Q&A with Harriet (about Dawson's Creek, because Harriet did her Ph.D on it!), and then my review!

Hi guys, today I'm excited to be part of the Canadian Blog Tour for The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood. This is a really unusual young adult novel, chock full of science and heartbreak, but with beautiful and quirky writing. Read on for a short Q&A with Harriet (about Dawson's Creek, because Harriet did her Ph.D on it!), and then my review!
Who is your favorite Dawson's Creek character and why?Harriet Reuter Hapgood: Jen Lindley. Without

This book was written in a really interesting way but it was oh so confusing! The timeline jumps around a lot and even by the end I don't think I really understood what was happening. I did love the drawings and diagrams, though - it was reminiscent of the extra media in Everything Everything!
...more

The Square Root of Summer is a fabulous debut from Harriet Reuter Hapgood, it's a story about first love, friendships, family, grief and heartbreak and how a death in the family can have such an incredibly huge impact on every aspect of your life.
Last summer Gottie's life was pretty perfect, she was falling in love for the first time, her family was all together and she had a great set of friends but it all fell apart when her grandfather died. With the rock of the family gone her grandfather's ...more
Last summer Gottie's life was pretty perfect, she was falling in love for the first time, her family was all together and she had a great set of friends but it all fell apart when her grandfather died. With the rock of the family gone her grandfather's ...more

Final star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
I would like to thank the publishers Pan Macmillian and the author Harriet Reuter Hapgood for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The Square Root of Summer is set in the seaside town of Holksea and follows the experiences and life of student Gottie who experiences some bereavement after her grandfather Grey passes away. The story takes place the summer after Grey's death in which Gottie looks back at the guy Jason who she fell in l ...more
I would like to thank the publishers Pan Macmillian and the author Harriet Reuter Hapgood for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The Square Root of Summer is set in the seaside town of Holksea and follows the experiences and life of student Gottie who experiences some bereavement after her grandfather Grey passes away. The story takes place the summer after Grey's death in which Gottie looks back at the guy Jason who she fell in l ...more

4.25-4.5 stars. What an excellent read! I don't profess to be any more knowledgeable about space and time, and how physics is used to theorize about it, but I loved how that was incorporated into it. It's clever! I also just found Gottie was easy to relate to, and her narration easy to fall into it. Really enjoyed it!
...more

This is a book that I fell in love with when it was still a first draft. I couldn't wait to reread its finished version, and am delighted to report that it's even more thoughtful, clever and sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic this time around. Harriet's prose is incredible, and the story she's telling is bittersweet and absolutely wonderful. Honestly, I think this is a classic in the making.
...more

Mar 10, 2016
Cody
added it
Such a fun book you guys, a great blend of real and alternative worlds/times. I actually learned some physics from this book, I never thought I'd see the day I would say that hahaha. *Review to come*
...more

*** I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ***
I have to admit, I am more than a little impressed. I really, really enjoyed this book. A lot more than I expected too, being someone who isn’t usually the biggest fan of the young adult contemporary or romance genres.
However, there is something altogether compelling about a contemporary that weaves a science fiction element into the story telling. And WOW, the story telling in this book is just beaut ...more
I have to admit, I am more than a little impressed. I really, really enjoyed this book. A lot more than I expected too, being someone who isn’t usually the biggest fan of the young adult contemporary or romance genres.
However, there is something altogether compelling about a contemporary that weaves a science fiction element into the story telling. And WOW, the story telling in this book is just beaut ...more

A clever and compelling story of love, loss and resilience.
When seventeen year old math savant Gottie H. Oppenheimer starts losing time, she never imagined she’d be traveling through wormholes back and forth between her past to re-live her most heartbreaking moments. Time jerks between past and present as she’s sucked into the true dark matter of her life.
Over the past several years, she’d lost her mother, her best friend, her heart and just in the past ...more
When seventeen year old math savant Gottie H. Oppenheimer starts losing time, she never imagined she’d be traveling through wormholes back and forth between her past to re-live her most heartbreaking moments. Time jerks between past and present as she’s sucked into the true dark matter of her life.
I believe in love on a Big Bang scale.
Over the past several years, she’d lost her mother, her best friend, her heart and just in the past ...more

A physics time travel love story! Ever since I heard about this I’ve been dying to read it, so I was very lucky to get my hands on an early copy.
Gottie is going through a lot of heartbreak, from the death of the grandfather who raised her, to her kind-of boyfriend refusing to acknowledge their relationship and moving on without her. Over the course of a summer, she struggles to deal with this while trying to force herself to enjoy the kind of fun holiday she had last year. She fails miserably, ...more
Gottie is going through a lot of heartbreak, from the death of the grandfather who raised her, to her kind-of boyfriend refusing to acknowledge their relationship and moving on without her. Over the course of a summer, she struggles to deal with this while trying to force herself to enjoy the kind of fun holiday she had last year. She fails miserably, ...more

A tad messy but altogether a very enjoyable contemporary read. It's got a hefty dose of physics and relativity talk in it, so I'm not sure it's quite the book for everyone, especially those who don't enjoy sci-fi technical talk, but it did have a very sweet romance and poignant themes of grief and heartbreak.
...more

"I know how to be without you. But life is so much more interesting with."
I couldn't put this down today, it intrigued me from the very first line and throughout. I loved the characters and the whole concept. I'll admit I probably didn't fully understand all the physics stuff but that really didn't matter. It was a great little read. I really enjoyed it. Perfect for a lazy Sunday!
...more
I couldn't put this down today, it intrigued me from the very first line and throughout. I loved the characters and the whole concept. I'll admit I probably didn't fully understand all the physics stuff but that really didn't matter. It was a great little read. I really enjoyed it. Perfect for a lazy Sunday!
...more

I love physics, but this book was too confusing. Smarter people would understand it better. XD RTC

May 12, 2016
Sinead
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
favourite-heroines,
romance,
romantic,
young-adult,
funny,
sad,
cute,
heart-breaking,
contemporary
3.5 stars!
This book made me so, so confused. Which is making writing this review very difficult. Because this book was well written but so confusing! I can’t even tell if I liked it or not. It was just… so maths-y. Just physics and wormholes and equations and time jumps… And coming from someone who despised maths with a passion in school, it’s hard to enjoy a book that had that much maths in it.
So what’s the story? Seventeen-year-old Gottie has spent the entire school year living in a shroud of ...more
This book made me so, so confused. Which is making writing this review very difficult. Because this book was well written but so confusing! I can’t even tell if I liked it or not. It was just… so maths-y. Just physics and wormholes and equations and time jumps… And coming from someone who despised maths with a passion in school, it’s hard to enjoy a book that had that much maths in it.
So what’s the story? Seventeen-year-old Gottie has spent the entire school year living in a shroud of ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Jun 05, 2016
Grace (LovingDemBooks) Z.
marked it as to-read
Buy this book HERE on Amazon
or buy this book HERE on BookDepository with FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
WATCH 'The Whisper Challenge' and a quick Q&A with author Harriet Reuter Hapgood here
I have yet to read this book. Full review to come.
My rating system: (I do use half stars.)
5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect.
4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through ...more
WATCH 'The Whisper Challenge' and a quick Q&A with author Harriet Reuter Hapgood here
I have yet to read this book. Full review to come.
My rating system: (I do use half stars.)
5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect.
4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through ...more

Dnf on page 52
Don't like the writing style. Can't continue. What a pity this awesome cover is used for this book! ...more
Don't like the writing style. Can't continue. What a pity this awesome cover is used for this book! ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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YA Buddy Readers'...: The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood - Restarting March 12th 2017 | 43 | 72 | Mar 22, 2017 03:49PM | |
Crazy for Young A...: The Square Root of Summer, by Harriet Reuter Hapgood → Start Date: February 10, 2017 | 18 | 13 | Feb 16, 2017 11:13AM | |
Crazy for Young A...: The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter → Start Date: September 21st, 2016 | 28 | 17 | Sep 29, 2016 07:44PM | |
Square In Wonderl...: The Square Root of Summer - (pages 1-74) Discussion | 6 | 15 | Jun 30, 2016 05:11AM | |
Square In Wonderl...: The Square Root of Summer - (pages 234-291/End) Discussion | 2 | 10 | Jun 27, 2016 07:24AM | |
Square In Wonderl...: The Square Root of Summer - (pages 152-234) Discussion | 6 | 13 | Jun 12, 2016 03:58PM | |
Square In Wonderl...: The Square Root of Summer (Non-Spoiler Discussion) | 4 | 15 | Jun 07, 2016 07:21AM |
Harriet Reuter Hapgood is the author of THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER and HOW TO BE LUMINOUS. Her first-ever professional writing credit was for Just Seventeen magazine, and she's been YA-obsessed ever since. She likes burritos, cats, Gwyneth Paltrow and young adult fiction, which she plans to write more of, though she's also considering a PhD in Dawson’s Creek. Her surname is Reuter Hapgood, not Hapg
...more
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“This is what it means to love someone. This is what it means to grieve someone. It’s a little bit like a black hole. It’s a little bit like infinity.”
—
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“And as he looks at me, I suddenly get it. This isn't the Big Bang. It's just summer. But it's still love. It's still something.”
—
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