The Summer Of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Title: The Summer Of Skinny Dipping

Author: Amanda Howells

Publisher:Source Books Inc.

Pub. Date: June 2010

Pages: 304
Series: Summer #1

Summary (from amazon.com):

While spending summer vacation with her family at her cousins’ fancy beach house in the Hamptons, Mia, 16, wants to join the popular crowd. Instead, she feels like the “frumpy relative”; in fact, even her own mother is a class snob who thinks Mia isn’t slim enough to be part of the “in” set. Then she bonds with gorgeous Simon, the boy next door, and they meet secretly at night on the beach, drink vodka, and skinny-dip in the wild ocean waves. The details about what the kids wear and their conversations about what is trendy overpower the story, especially because much of the fashion will date. But many teens will appreciate this first novel for how the dialogue not only captures the dynamics of Mia’s standoffs with her peers but also reveals her surprising discoveries about adults. Mia’s first-person narrative is right on about wanting to be “cool” even as she despises much of what “they” stand for.

This book made me laugh and cry. It was basically the closest story to perfect I've ever read. The cover and title makes it seem like a light summer read, but its not really. Its more than that. It has depth and shows that everyone, especially the 'mean girls', are real people with problems of their own. The idea isn't exactly original (there are so many books about girls going to the Hamptons or similar places and find the truth about themselves and their lives), but like I said: I loved this one. Mia's voice is perfect, real, and easy to relate to. That's what sets this book away from all the others and makes it worth remembering.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, to anyone and everyone.

♥SarahLydia