***REVIEW*** Summer of Seventeen by Jane Harvey-Berrick

A COMING-OF-AGE STORY 

It was supposed to be the endless summer of sand, sea, and surf. Supposed to be. But, Nick Andrews life is crashing out of control. His girlfriend and his best friend have declared war, his sister's constant interference in his life is driving him insane, and there are money problems that won’t go away. Being seventeen isn’t supposed to be this hard. 

When cool surfer Marcus arrives in town followed by a string of women, Nick sees that there are easier ways to live. But with his life falling to pieces around him, it’s hard to know who to trust. 

As the scorching heat of summer grows, events begin to unravel, reaching a shattering conclusion—and a summer he’ll never forget. 

In Summer of Seventeen, Jane Harvey-Berrick seems to have written a completely different style of book; however it did not stop me from enjoying the writing and story.

Jane Harvey-Berrick in my opinion is one of those talented writers, that puts her all into her craft and it shows in all her works. What is also noteworthy is the empathy she in everyone who reads her story and even more so in this book.

Nick the main character is a typical 17 year old, he wants to have fun., Nick’s passion is surfing, and any free time he has is spent out riding the waves.   Nick has an older sister whom he feels interferes with his life all the time.  I am sure anyone who reads this who has an older sibling will identify with their situation, I did LOL.

Tragedy strikes this family and everyone has to step up and take responsibility for all their actions which proves difficult to do.  “Didn’t you ever feel angry with the world, when you were 17  I loved this from Nick as to me it showed me exactly how he was feeling and a lot of people could probably relate to this.   Nick feels isolated and soon does not know who or what to trust, the new lodger Marcus is a breath of fresh air for Nick and for a while even helps keep Nick’s sister off his back, but soon Nick begins to realise that there is more to life than surfing, life goes on and it is what you do with your life that makes the biggest impact on you and others.

I feel if I write too much I will give the whole plot away but this story for me is about a young boy who has to grow up and fast, it is about life and how things happen in life that you do not expect but have to deal with anyway and about acceptance.  Nick has to learn to accept what has happened but instead of dwell in the sorrow of everything he has to grasp it and take from it what he wants and moves on but always remembering that life does go on and you alone are the only person who can make a difference.

Such a raw emotional story and I am happy to say I was a blubbering mess reading this.  The empathy, emotion and strength that Jane writes about in this book are amazing.  I loved how in this, there is some romance but the whole story is centred around life. Things can and do happen buthow you deal with them shapes your future.

A beautifully written story as always from an amazingly talented writer.

“Take what you can get and get what you can take, and then work your ass off to make a perfect moment because sometimes one chance is all there is” This to me sums up the whole book and is my favourite quote, you can take it whatever way you want but to me it just shows that yes life can be hard, difficult and frustrating but it is what we do and how we live that makes us who we are today.

 

I started writing contemporary romance two years ago. Before that, I didn’t think I could write a sex scene. Turns out I can!

My lucky number is 13 because I was born on the 13^th and live near a haunted castle by the ocean. My number one past-time is watching hot surfers get changed into (and out of) their wetsuits.

My husband doesn’t read my books.  My mother does.

Writing is my love, my hobby, my total addiction. All my characters are important to me and whisper their stories, even when I’ve finished writing their books. That’s why you’ll often find bonus chapters/out-takes from various books, because those voices just won’t be quiet.