That Summer Night on Frenchmen Street

by Chris Clarkson

In this modern-day young adult take on Breakfast at Tiffany's, two teens from vastly different worlds discover that sharing their strengths, including the love of their friends and family, may just be the path to finding wholeness within themselves.

Being there for her family is the most important thing to Jessamine Monet. And her family is complicated. Her twin brother Joel has a secret boyfriend, and her transgender cousin Solange is flourishing, despite the disapproval of Solange's dying mother. Yet Jessamine doesn't mind being caught up in family drama. Being busy keeps the water at bay -- the water of memories, of Katrina, of past trauma. So when Tennessee Williams -- a rich white boy named after the writer -- asks her out, she hesitantly says yes. He'll be like a library book, she figures, something to read and return. Falling for him is another burden she can't afford to carry.

Tennessee has always lived his life at the mercy of his mom's destructive creativity and his dad's hypermasculine expectations. Jessamine's caring and aloof nature is a surprisingly welcome distraction. While she fights her attraction to him, Tennessee is pulled into her inner family circle and develops a friendship with Joel's boyfriend, Saint Baptiste. Together Saint and Tennessee bond over the difficulty of loving the emotionally unavailable Monet twins.

As senior year progresses, old traumas and familial pressures rise higher than hurricane waves. Can this group of friends make peace with each other, their families, and most importantly, with themselves?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

400 pages, Hardcover

Published June 13, 2022

Reviews

[kim baccellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What worked: I totally was engrossed in this contemporary tale set in New Orleans with the Monet twins. It starts off with a fight between Tennessee's parents during Jessamine's dying aunt's luncheon. Jessamine's own family still has a hard time accepting Solange. Later, Tennessee finds himself at the coffee shop where Jessamine works. Little by little they reach out to each other. I loved the slow burn between these two characters. Both carry secrets and burdens.

Jessamine's attempts to hold it all together are slowly whittled away by those close to her. She fights against the attraction to feels to Tennessee. She also carries within her sadness and guilt about what happened in her own past. The author gives readers glimpses of what happened that fateful day until at the end it's revealed.

Tennessee is a complex character. Even though he comes from privilege, he also has vulnerabilities like his hatred of how his racist father acts in public. Add to that his emotionally distant mother. He comes alive when he meets Saint, who is outgoing and vibrant. Even Joel helps him out when Tennessee is at his lowest point.

I love the New Orleans backdrop and how we see the characters grow from the beginning of the school year to Mardi Gras. There's revelations, hard truths, and stepping out of comfort zones.

Modern-day take on Breakfast at Tiffany's where two unlikely characters meet and learn that it's okay to take that first step. Highly recommend.

[Karina Sykora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! I loved the characters and the way the author invokes new Orleans through their descriptions. I really liked the LGTBQ representation and I felt the author dealt with the inner pain of teenagers who have gone through trauma, whether something monumental like hurricane Katrina, or the trauma of being neglected and bullied by your parents.

Lovely book that should have a higher rating. There are a couple of edits that should have happened (the odd word missing in a sentence, a repeated word) but it isn't that important. The book is mostly very well edited and I'm sure they'll catch it on another printing.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost didn’t keep going with this one. The beginning did a little too much of checking all the boxes for a modern YA coming-of-age love story in a specific city and I worried it was going to just be that, forcing box checks and not actually flowing with the story. Can’t have a book about New Orleans and not include Katrina, beignets, magazine, and Mardi Gras, right? But it actually turned out to be well done.. and I do actually love the location-specific mentions.

[Roha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the concept of the satsuma (sobbing over the last few pages). They are so sweet but I feel like Tennesse wasn't given much background and character like Jessamine was. Most of the time he felt like a supporting character instead of a love interest to me, but nonetheless, it was a rich and vibrant story.

[Lorin Blackburn Thierfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great summer read or back to school read. Transitioning from summer to school with new town and old problems.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this dual perspective romance set in New Orleans. Great characterization and LGBTQ+ representation, and the charm of New Orleans was woven in nicely.

[Linda Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was cute, but hard to believe that teenagers act and speak the way the writer depicted them. Also, very immature writing style. Learn a synonym.

[Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books rocks! Also Louisiana rep lol