As you can tell from previous reviews, I enjoy reading all year round, but I know that for most – who are busy with work or school – the summer is their time to relax with a good novel. Because I have just graduated university and haven’t found that “dream job” yet, I have been indulging in books and will be sharing my thoughts on my summer reads with you- both good and bad.

The first novel of summer 2011 is Ann Brashares’ The Last Summer (of You and Me). The author of the Traveling Pants series has branched out into adult fiction and, to be honest, it was kind of a “meh” attempt. It was as good as most beach reads- it’s a page turner filled with romance, family and dreams for the future – but with all the themes Brashares covered, she didn’t delve deep into any.

The story is about Alice, a 21-year-old living on Fire Island for the summer with her 24-year-old sister Riley and their parents. Their beach house neighbour is Paul, 24, a friend since childhood who mainly inhabits his family’s mansion alone since his widowed mother has devoted her life to spending an extravagant amount of money. Since there are two girls and one guy, you know a love story will occur- and in this case it’s between Paul and Alice, with Riley being Paul’s BFF.

Things get hot and heavy between Paul and Alice pretty quick, but Brashares tries to veer away from making The Last Summer a trashy romance by giving it some substance with the character of Riley. Despite between the healthy, athletic lifeguard whose thirst for adventure rivals Paul’s, Riley is suffering from rheumatic heart disease and needs a new heart. Riley doesn’t want Paul to know she’s sick and instructs Alice to stay quiet, which causes a wedge between Alice and her new beau.

The Last Summer (of You and Me) was okay- I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t discourage reading it either. In theory, it has the makings of a good summer read – childhood friends destined for each other, sisterly love, weakening health, a summer spent on the beach – but Brashares just didn’t dig deep enough for the reader to feel invested. I really didn’t care about Alice or Paul or Riley, because they just didn’t feel real to me.

Maybe the movie (which is currently in development and will be directed by Julie Anne Robinson) will be better?

Tweet me your favourite summer reads: @LAMcEachran