Jesse spends every summer with his family at a summer home on a small Pennsylvania lake. Ava and Chloe also live on the same vacation home cul-de-sac and the three of them have been friends forever. Of course, Jesse's in love with both girls, which is bound to cause problems.

I guess every once in a while I a nice angsty young adult novel, and this one runneth-over with teen angst. Not only do things blow up in Jesse's face when he messes things up with one of the girls (which of course messes it up with both girls) but his parents aren't speaking to each other. It turns out they're getting a divorce, which is setting in motion other calamities in Jesse's life. But this isn't just a 'summer at the lake' kind of novel, but all this happens the year before Covid-19 shuts down the rest of the world, which adds yet another king-size calamity on top of the rest.

It's hard trying to see your parents as people, because then you might have to realize they are not doing the world's best job of people-ing.

So, yeah, there's a lot going on here (maybe even a kitchen sink or two). But kudos to Jordan Sonnenblick for juggling all these things and making it all work so well. He also mixes in a music theme and uses to good effect. And I think teens whose lives were interrupted by Covid will especially appreciate the story (my younger daughter missed her high school graduation and spent her first year of college online because of it). I'm not sure the ending worked out quite the way I wanted it to (I guess I'm not sure what exactly I wanted, however) but I really d the story and how (mostly) real if felt. I also appreciated that it was basically clean and had minimal profanity. 4.5 stars for me, and I waver between rounding up or down, but for now I'm rounding up. (Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance copy.)fiction-teen-ya first-reads-etc5 s Melanie Dulaney1,697 89

Another winner by Jordan Sonnenblick for junior high readers! Jess, Chloe and Ava have been vacation/weekend best friends for years but things are getting more and more difficult as Jess tries to sort out his changing feelings towards the two girls. As he does in so many of his books, Sonnenblick draws heavily on his own life experiences as a somewhat awkward teen to keep readers laughing, squirming as Jess flounders his way thru a few kisses and many mistakes, and sighing with satisfaction when the last page is turned. The three main characters’ personalities are distinct, likable and absolutely mirror those seen at schools everywhere. The losses and difficulties experienced are realistic and tug a bit at heartstrings without getting mired down in sadness. But there is so much laughter as awkward Jess handles a close friendship with two girls that seems to going towards something else. The fights between Jess’ parents are painful and so true to what kids all over deal with and the death of both Chloe and Ava/Annie’s moms demonstrate the importance of connection to supportive friends. All the while, laughter. Even amid a truly sad zoom funeral service that brings each of us back to the days of pandemic when we were all forced to stay away from those we love when we needed most desperately to be physically close. While there is some kissing and maybe a whole lot more, there is nothing graphic and the humorous way things are described is actually so vague that maybe there wasn’t much action in that treehouse or on that catamaran after all. Absolutely outstanding book. No profanity or violence.

Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss.3 s Kate884

Thank you to NetGalley for the E ARC. Every summer for as long as they can remember, Jess, Chloe, and Ava have spent blissful summers at their summer homes in Pennsylvania. This 2019 summer though, things change dramatically. Jess starts to get feelings for both girls, especially Chloe, his parents are having marriage problems, and his dad, a doctor, isn't eating and has lost a ton of weight. Unfortunately, for Jess, his parents head back to New York so his summer is cut short, leaving things open-ended with Chloe and Ava.

What I d: I loved Jess's relationship (at times laugh out loud awkward) with the two girls, Ava's little sister, Annie, and with his sister Leah who actually was betting on Jess's love life with her boyfriend. Many of my students have dealt with their parents divorcing and will relate to Jess going through this, and there are even funny parts throughout the divorce. The pandemic adds another twist to the story, but the author even manages to find some humor in that.
What I didn't : Absolutely nothing; this book is fantastic. My only problem, ironically, is that since Covid, my students really aren't drawn to stories this--they want horror, mystery, romance, and graphic novels. I am going to hand sell this book crazy though and I'll also recommend this to my 8th grade teachers as a read aloud. This book is just too fantastic for students to miss out on.
CW: death of a parent and grandparent, divorce, the pandemic. There was some kissing and a vague night with Chloe (Did something happen? We'll never know).20243 s Jordyn Roesler | Sorry, Booked Solid735 229

This book started off really strong with characters I felt an immediate connection to. The tone of the book makes it clear that they're going to go through a lot and the book would address several serious topics. While this is true... after a while I really started to struggle to get through this book. There's just no. plot. It is a very, very character-driven story about high school students going through tough times but honestly not doing a lot. That might be the point, and this book might certainly resonate more with readers who can relate to the specific hard times mentioned. But to be honest I got a bit bored and started skimming just to get to the end of the story. Content warnings for death of a parent, death of a grandparent, COVID, and divorce/parental issues.2024 contemporaries2 s Jade36 1 follower

I love a good coming to age story and teenage angst. It's been a long time since I've been in my teens and reading about Jesse and the things he experiences day to day was another loud reminder about how old and out of touch I am. But the author perfectly captured the emotions a young persons goes through regardless of age or gender.1 Marguerite Yoder Zook65

4.5

this book is the feeling of sun on your face and teenage angst1 Adelle120 6

This book was wonderful, as was expected from this author!It was really interesting to see how the main character and his relationships were able to grow and develop, even through a really tough situation. I thought the miscommunication between the main character and one of the girls was especially funny. Overall, lovely book, would definitely recommend!1 Ms. Yingling2,467 497

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Jesse is at his family's home in Tall Pines Landings, everything seems better. Un his life in Long Island, where he commutes into Manhattan for school, his life in Pennsylvania includes good friends, fun activities, and a feeling that "the real world isn't real". That's the slogan for the community, but also something that Jesse holds onto tightly when he is in New York. His long time best friends are Ava and Chloe, and since he is heading into his junior year in high school, he's trying to reconcile his feelings of friendship with the romantic attraction he feels... to both girls. On some days, he thinks that he wants to be involved with moody Ava, whose younger sister Annie he coaches in tennis, but on others, he prefers the sunny, carefree Chloe. Lately, though, his attention has been taken off of his friendships and his musical interests by his parents constant bickering. His mother, a high school teacher, and his father, a busy doctor, fight over everything, and have started to avoid being in the same place at the same time. Feeling that maybe his mother is hiding a new relationship, Jesse reaches out to his grandparents, who come to visit from Florida to assess the situation as well as spend time with Jesse and his sister Leah, who is in college. There's not much the grandparents can do, but his grandmother does leave him with a freezer full of matzo ball soup. When Ava's mother dies, her grief distracts the teens from relationship problems for a while, but also distances them from each other. Jesse and Chloe finally connect after a romantic evening on the lake, but when Jesse is called back to New York suddenly, he doesn't know where the relationship stands. He doesn't want to say anything to Ava when he can't talk to her in person, and this upsets his remote support network. He starts the school year, but everything seems off. He has a good friend, Carson, but things just aren't right. He tries to visit Chloe, but that doesn't go well, and it's hard to deal with his parents being separated, especially with Leah off at college. When March of 2020 rolls around, the Pandemic causes lots of changes. Jesse's father has to work at the hospital and retirement facilities, so doesn't want Jesse to be exposed to him. For a while, Jesse and his mother live in her apartment, but eventually decide to head out to Tall Pines Landings. Eventually, Chloe and Ava's families come as well, and Jesse has to come to terms with the fact that his world of refuge has suddenly become his "real world". He has to deal with remote schooling, family members getting ill, and Chloe and Ava needing answers. As the lockdown continues, will he find a way to figure out both of his lives?

Sonnenblick always does such a fantastic job of writing young adult books that also speak to middle grade sensibilities, and is one of the few authors writing realistic, sometimes humorous fiction for adolescent males. I think that adults forget how all encompassing the desire for romantic entanglements is in high school, but Sonnenblick has not. Jesse's attraction to both girls is real, compelling, and utterly confusing to him. Getting a whiff of Chloe's hair can almost make him faint. He doesn't want to hurt either girl, but s them both equally. This will sound all too familiar to high school readers, and will be a tantalizing peek at the future for middle school ones.

Jesse has other interests, of course. He works at the Tall Pines recreation center and is very sweet with Ava's sister Annie. He plays guitar, and composes songs for his friends, some more successful than others. He attends a very competitive math and science school, and the depiction of his grades falling when he is struggling with family issues is all too realistic.

The family issues are something I would love to see come into play a lot more in realistic fiction. Young people spend a lot of time with their families, and when things are stressful, it can affect every aspect of their lives. It's good to see that Ava does take some solace in being with Jesse and Chloe after her mother's death, and also that Jesse and his sister are able to remain friendly when their parents are squabbling. Jesse's grandparents felt so utterly real to me, and their experience during the pandemic was painfully close to home.

The best part of this book might just be the portrayal of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. I've read several books set during that time, but none of them seemed quite right. Perhaps it was too soon. When Jesse describes the days at school leading up to Friday, March 13 as having "a weird, day-before-Christmas-if-Christmas-were-a-nuclear-holocaust vibe in the air", that's exactly what it felt to me. I didn't see anyone in person for months, and didn't hang out in stained sweatpants, but somehow Jesse's pandemic felt very much my own. The fact that we were involved in his life for quite a while before the pandemic hit made the contrast all the more poignant.

I've been a fan of Sonnenblick's ever since Notes from a Midnight Driver, which is about the same age as Jesse now, and never quite believe that the books are as good as they are. How can they be such a fantastic mix of "awkward multiplied by heartbreak" and still be so funny? I don't know, but I am glad to see this new title, and will hope for many, many more. 7 s1 comment Honestly Yours141 1 follower

I would to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review..

This book is a young adult title suited for young high school aged readers. I guess you can call it a “coming of age” story of sorts. Beyond that I am not sure what the book aims to be.

It’s about a young man, Jesse who is entering his junior year of high school in the Fall of 2019. He spends the summer in a vacation community in Pennsylvania with his two female best friends of whom he has crushes on both of them, not knowing which one he truly s.

The story goes through his summer with the girls and talks about his parents deteriorating marriage. Other life hiccups take place as well. He starts his Junior year and it takes us to 2020 and the CoVid-19 Pandemic.

The book overall was fine. I d the fact that it was a teen male protagonist who detailed the ups and downs of being a teen. In that aspect it’s a decent enough story for young men to identify with. The challenge is it doesn’t have enough of a hook or a riveting storyline for said teen to want to connect with it right off.

The biggest issue I had was the retelling of the Covid part of the book. The author rewrote a bit of history in the time line aspect. For instance it was roughly late January or the start of February and Jesse was contemplating shut downs and wanting to visit him grandparents in case he wasnt allowed to. He wanted to get them supplies to know they would be ok. However his feelings didn’t make sense for the timeline of the book. So it took you out of the reality of the story as it appeared that Jesse was a bit clairvoyant to have the thoughts and feelings he did. However, most could probably get past it.

Overall I recommend this book for younger readers as it’s always good to have teen male characters to identify with.1 comment Alyssa634 7

Jesse is living his best summer life with his two best friends Ava and Chloe in Pennsylvania. He's just not too eager to go back to school in New York and face real life. But it seems his happiness might stop in the Summer of 2019 when he notices his parents are not talking anymore, his best friends are blurring the lines of friendship, and there's more to come as the world shuts down.

Jordan Sonmenblick has done it again! I started reading his books when I was a teen, and my adult self got so excited when he released another YA book.

I read this book not knowing what it's about and I might have been more patient if I have read the book description because this book was so slow in the beginning. It picked up for me a third of the way. But now that I finished the book, I think that was intentional. The way that Jesse was written, I think he's the type of guy who would savor the joy that he has.

his other books, this book was full of the realities of life, and heapings of jazz music and bass playing. It's the author's signature now. And as a long time reader, it's a welcome back to his books.

Truly. this book touched on so much emotions and feelings and the way it was written was so real. Gentle but would also smack you in the face.

Just a side note: it was a bit funny for me that I wanted to know more about Jesse's parents. LOL! This just shows that I'm an adult myself. But also maybe, I'm more conscious now that parents are people too with problems and feelings that you never thought of as a kid.

Again. an amazing book. I'm happy I got to read another Jordan Sonnenblick YA novel and I'm pretty sure I'll be in line to read the next one (if he ever decides to write another one).

* I have recieved an eARC of this bookarc net-galley Julia Pika714

Thanks to NetGalley & Scholastic Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a rollercoaster of emotions! You think this book would just be about a love triangle but it's more about how messy human connection is. Jess is trying to navigate life, love, and friendship, when everything keeps going wrong.

My favorite part of the book is how involved the adults are in the story and how their mistakes are shown--but they grow and learn from it. They're not one dimensional parents that just ground their kid every five seconds, they're human beings with flaws. The grandparents were really sweet to read about too.

Definitely recommend for anyone interested in realistic fiction with characters who feel as real as you and me. Tara1,938 12

Jesse lives for summer when he goes to the Pennsylvania house with his two best friends Chloe and Ava. It does hurt (or maybe it does) that he's desperately in love with them both. The Pennsylvania house is the perfect escape from the "real world," especially with his parents' impending divorce. When the Covid-19 pandemic generates chaos for everyone, can the Pennsylvania house still be the refuge it once was?

Sonnenblick is often our go to author for high school humor, although this one has a more serious tone. Definitely belongs in our realistic section despite some light humor. Probably doesn't have widespread boy appeal, although it gives Jared Reck vibes.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.2024-copyright Honey Beth Kropp16 2

For anyone who was fortunate to have a childhood summer escape, a place where they could be a different version of themselves and create memories that shaped them, this book is for you. Stepping Off resonated with me and, I think, will resonate with teenagers. I especially love that it fills a growing need -- it's engaging for my eighth graders, but "clean" for those parents who aren't ready for the R-rated scenes so much of YA now includes.2024-books1 Laura904 4

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