Book Review: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

Pages: 304

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: May 3, 2016

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source:  Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.  These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.  Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.  But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself."

Sloane and her twin brother, Penn, spend their school year in Seattle with their father and then they spend their summers in Hawaii with their mother.  Sloane has pretty much lived a charmed life until one day she finds out her longtime boyfriend, Tyler, has cheated on her with her best friend.  So, what's a girl to do? She punches Tyler in the face and consequently, she breaks her hand as well as Tyler's nose.  She escapes to Honolulu to put this huge betrayal behind her and is hoping the Hawaiian sun will cure her blues. She meets charismatic Finn, whose father owns a popular hotel on Waikiki beach, and Sloane thinks that this guy might be the perfect way to get over Tyler.  Except that Tyler and her best friend, Mick, continuously email and text her apologizing, but Sloane deletes each message.  Things get serious with Finn, but as things heat up, she realizes she can't run from her past anymore.  Can she truly forgive Mick and Tyler? Erin L. Schneider's debut, Summer of Sloane, is a full-of-drama beach read that I loved to get lost in. 

At first Sloane was a bit intense for me in Summer of Sloane. I mean her boyfriend and best friend betrayed her BIG TIME, and I secretly love that she kicked Tyler's butt, but you can't really go around punching people in the face.  Her violent tendencies (pushing, etc) came out from time to time, which I found to be a bit troubling. However, she's a passionate girl and I wanted her to realize that she is better than Tyler and Mick.  But she kept running from the betrayal and not facing it. I knew that eventually she would have to and I was hoping she would be strong enough.

Her new relationship with Finn was everything you could want in a summer romance. It was fun, it was sexy, and the backdrop of Hawaii only made it even more appealing. Although I didn't always agree with how she handled Finn, it was a great distraction from the drama she left behind in Seattle. 

My favorite part of Summer of Sloane was obviously the setting of Oahu.  I love Waikiki beach and reading this novel took me right back to the beautiful location. The gorgeous beach, the hotel pool, the nearby waterfalls, the surfing, the fantastic restaurants... all of it really added to my enjoyment as well as my Hawaiian daydreaming. It should be noted that Waikiki (at least beach front) can be an expensive place and both Finn and Sloane come from well-off families.  Sloane's mother gave her and Penn a convertible to drive around in (as well as other presents!) for the summer. So, be forewarned that you are dealing with gorgeous rich teenagers in a gorgeous and wealthy location. 

Summer of Sloane has a ton of drama, but at its core it examines forgiveness. Can Sloane ever forgive Tyler and Mick? Does she need to forgive in order to move on? Can she ever be friends with Mick again?  So, even though it seems like a frothy beach read, there were some deeper themes throughout the novel.  Overall, a fun read--perfect for armchair traveling.