The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland

Release Date: May 10, 2012
Publisher: Speak/Penguin
Pages: 250
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

My Thoughts:
The best thing about this book is probably its idyllic setting. There's something about summer in a small beach town that automatically sets a book up to be enjoyable. So I loved the setting, and I also loved Elizabeth Margaret's (Em) Gilmore Girls-eque family. The cast of characters in the small town were awesome as well, although I wish we could have gotten a deeper look at them.

This book has a good message about finding yourself and being true to yourself, and it also contains a cutesy romance, though I would have liked more romantic moment between Em and Cade in order to lead up to the ending. This book also had some cringe-y moments, though. The "reveal" was obvious, and the writing was more telling than showing. The ending was especially bad because it was so pitch perfect with everything wrapped up in a bow -- it just didn't seem realistic or necessary. Still, a cute read overall and definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a lighter story.

The Cover:
Not amazing, but okay.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.