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    Five Summers
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    Five Summers
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    Five Summers
    Audiobook10 hours

    Five Summers

    Written by Una LaMarche

    Narrated by Abigail Revasch

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summers is a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Ann Brashares' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants  and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters. 

    Four best friends, five summers of camp memories

    Emma, Skylar, Jo, and Maddie have all come back to camp for a weekend of tipsy canoe trips to the island, midnight skinny dipping in the lake, and an epic game of capture the flag-boys versus girls. But the weekend isn't quite as sunwashed as they'd imagined as the memories come flooding back. . . .

    The summer we were nine: Emma was branded "Skylar's friend Emma" by the infamous Adam Loring . . .

    The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth . . .

    The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle . . .

    The summer we were twelve: Skylar's love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us-except Skylar . . .

    Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie's secret. Skylar did something unthinkable . . . and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart.

    A young adult book with a friendship story that will last long after the last s'more is gone.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 14, 2015
    ISBN9781101925591
    Unavailable
    Five Summers
    Author

    Una LaMarche

    Una LaMarche is a writer and journalist whose work appears regularly in the New York Observer and on the Huffington Post. She is the author of Five Summers, a young adult novel, and UNABROW, a collection of humorous essays based on some of her more questionable life choices. Una lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. Find out more at unalamarche.com or follow her on Twitter @sassycurmudgeon

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    Reviews for Five Summers

    4/5

    29 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I read this book in one night. I didn't fully know what to expect from this book and it surprised me right away. It's an extremely difficult thing to do to write from various view points, but Una LaMarche did it. And very well. I just love books that have well developed characters. And Five Summers had just that. Jo, Maddie, Skylar, and Emma--four girls who come back together after years of being separated. But is this reunion weekend at their old summer camp going to be enough to air all the secrets and betrayals from summers past and heal them?It kind of reminded me a bit of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Fours girl, summer time, and life tries to separate them and they fight their way back to each other. Pure gold.What I loved most about this book was the element of real friendship. I don't read enough books that just are about friends. But I'm happy I changed it up.If you like books about summer and friendship and ones with great writing, then Five Summers is for you.
    • 4/5
      There's nothing like a summer camp book in the summer! I really, really enjoyed Five Summers by Una LaMarche - I was definitely in the mood for it while reading it. And the setting was so brilliantly done! I felt like I was back at summer camp while reading it. I almost wish I could have been! Full review to come.
    • 4/5
      A very nice little story about friends remembering why they were friends in the first place. Predictable but enjoyable. The relationships were very realistic for the ages of the characters.
    • 4/5
      Five Summers is a light, fun read that gives an experience much like watching a girly movie at the theater with your best friends. The multiple POVs were very clear and distinct and the dynamics within the friendships were relatable and true to those of real life female friendships. An enjoyable, summery story that fans of The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants will be sure to love!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book so much! It really is similar to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, and I absolutely adored those books! I feel like there's so much to learn from the characters and they're so easy to relate to! I was really sad when it was over!
    • 5/5
      I never went to summer camp when I was younger, so anything summer camp interests me. Anyone watched Bug Juice on the Disney Channel? I loved that show! Five Summer definitely reminded me of Bug Juice (so much so, that I ended up watching the whole first season of Bug Juice on YouTube after finishing the book). I'm happy I got the chance to read Five Summers early, because I really enjoyed the book. Five Summers starts with the four girls, Emma, Skylar, Jo, and Maddie, all meeting up for the camp reunion. Skylar and Jo have been been coming back to the camp as counselor's (Jo's dad owns the camp), and Emma and Maddie haven't seen them since they left camp 3 years ago. The book alternates between each girl, but it's in 3rd person. It also alternates between what's happening at the reunion, and a certain time during one of their five summers at camp. 3 years has gone by since all four of them have seen each other. They're some things that have been left unspoken between the girls, so there is definitely a ticking time bomb as the reunion goes on. I felt like I was watching some reality show, because I was eating up all the drama that unfolded. Is it bad that I really enjoyed reading the girls friendship fall apart? It made a good story! I can't help it! This is a great summer book. It's a very easy and fast read, that had me glued to the book. I loved that each girl had their own story, and it's somewhat of a girl power book. I really enjoyed Five Summer and definitely recommend it if you're looking for a summer read.
    • 3/5
      Five Summers looks at the friendship between four girls who met at summer camp. Each girl tells part of the story and the chapters jump between them in the present day as well as memories of past summers. Each girl grew and changed throughout the story, becoming her own person. The conflicts experienced between these girls were believable and written in an entertaining way. The camp experience was something I never had growing up, but I enjoyed reading this.
    • 5/5
       Friendship, love, and fun are everything you look for in a summer, and in Five Summers you will get exactly that! It starts out at a camp where four girls, Jo, Emma, Maddie, and Skylar become best friends. During the summer’s there’s romance, drama, and lies that all comes back to haunt the girls at their reunion. There’s a new conflict every chapter that will make you want to read more. You ell be out of your seat by the first chapter.This book was overall amazing. The story related a lot to me and I think it would for other people too. The author did an amazing job describing all of the girls and their unique personalities. The camp the girls went to seemed like a really pretty place and I know this because the author describes the scenery perfectly. It was like a clear movie right in my head, and I never wanted to press pause. Five Summers is filled with emotion, comedy, and romance; it’s a great read for the summer or anytime. I would definitely recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Starting my summer reading pile, picking up this story is the best way to start.1. Plot. This story is told between 4 best friends. There are enough point of view switches for the reader to gather all of the information needed with out feeling lost. It’s paced nicely and pulls you in quickly within the first few chapters.2. Characters. Each girl is defined nicely. You have the innocent girl, the quite girl, the party girl and the shy girl. The author did a great job in creating a different voice for each character, each of them facing their own share of battles and life questions.3. Drama. OMG! I totally loved the drama in the book. The build to secrets revealed, the hurt and lies that the girls thought they knew each other and they didn’t. Not to mention some of the lines made me want to grab some popcorn! CAT FIGHT!!!4. Boys. There are several boys that get involved with the girls lives. The boys changed their lives forever in both good and bad ways.5. Ending. I did not like how it ended. Okay wait, let me backtrack here. It ended fine, but what disappointed me was having the story build up to such a big girl fight for it to all come together so quickly, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! (insert sarcasm here). Yeah, I would have much rather have girls leave on a bitter, sad note then come back a few years later and then make up. Know what I’m sayin’?Overall, this is a great summer read. The feel of the summer camp fire, the splash of water and the summer games. It takes me back when I went to camp. Perfect for those who want a summer read to start off with a bang, Five Summers is great.
    • 4/5
      Jo, Emma, Maddie and Skyler (the JEMS as they refer to themselves) have been best “summer” friends for the last several years. The girls all live in different parts of the country and met during summer camp one year. They’ve been inseparable ever since. Each summer, the four of them have been able to pick right up where they left off, and every summer before they go home, the four of them perform a ritual meant to cement their bond. But then comes the last year of camp for the girls, and though they intend to keep in touch and remain close, life happens and they grow apart. But then comes the time for their camp reunion, right before the girls all go off to college. This summer, the girls will meet again after three years apart. Friendships will be rekindled, secrets will be revealed and their once solid bond will be tested.While I never went to summer camp myself (I grew up in the country so pretty much every summer was like my own, personal summer camp), I do love a good book focusing on them. While this book was pretty predictable, I liked how it was formatted. The book goes back and forth between time and alternates between all of the characters. We see the girls as young women, about to go off to college, and we get to see them reunite after years apart, and we also get to see them as young girls as their friendships are forming. A story told in this fashion can sometimes be a bit jarring because it jumps around so much, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this one actually flowed pretty well for me. The only thing that really bothered me was that the dialogue between the girls when they were pre-teens felt very mature and unnatural.This is a very character driven book, and Ms. LaMarche captures each of the character’s voices perfectly. Each of them were distinct, and matched the girl’s individual personality. While the characters each fell into a specific (and somewhat cliche) type (Jo is the tom boy, Skylar is the hottie, Emma is the smart one and Maddie is the sweet one), I still managed to connect with them. I think I was most touched by Maddie’s story. It was unexpected and I really felt for her.Even though it’s a bit predictable and the characters aren’t wholly original, I still enjoyed this one. It’s a fun, light story that, to me, was surprisingly touching and left me with a smile on my face.
    • 4/5
      Disclaimer: All I know about summer camp I learned from a one day visit where all activities kept being called on account of snakes infesting everything on the tour and a lot of fiction, the most memorable of which was probably Salute Your Shorts. So maybe reactions from people who actually went to camp will be different. (You never know, right?)Five Summers bounces around in time to tell the story of four summer camp best friends: Emma, Skylar, Maddie, and Jo. As always seems to be the case, this foursome can be broken up into two sets of best-best friends, with Emma and Sky being one twosome and Jo and Maddie being the other. Also as always, one friendship always seems to be given more time in the spotlight, and as you've probably guessed simply by reading the book's description, Emma and Skylar are the focus of Five Summers.Which is where the book falters for me. I'm actually more interested in both Jo and Maddie and not so into the drama between Skylar and Emma over Emma's longtime crush and Skylar's longtime hookup, Adam. Emma's the type of friend who, on paper, sounds awesome. Sweet without it being sickening, smart, and funny but not the type to get you arrested. In reality she cannot go five minutes without apparently droning on (and on, and on, and ON) about her crush. I suppose she gets points for it being the same guy across every chapter but it's clearly annoying to her friends and probably her bunkmates, seeing as they mention it each time she blows them off to hang out with Adam. Or talk about him. Or talk about talking about him. Mix this with Skylar's guilt over hooking up with Adam to begin with and oh, yeah, the fact that she might have actually developed feelings for him (which I don't really see beyond Sky trying to convince herself that this is the case so as to feel slightly better about stabbing Emma in the back) and things are bound to blow sky high. What saves this storyline from being just another "guy comes between best friends" storyline is the way it's written and the fact that each girl is more hurt about the damage potentially being done to their friendship than the guy in question. On the flipside, we've got Jo and Maddie. Jo is the daughter of the camp's owner who takes camp very seriously, even as she realizes just how unpopular this makes her. I love that Jo knows who she is and doesn't spend a ton of time angsting about the fact that everyone sees her as a miniature version of her father (even going so far as to call her Mini-Mack behind her back). Instead, Jo struggles with the revelation that her best friend (and no mention is made that I recall of Jo having a best non-camp friend, so Maddie might legitimately be Jo's best friend) has been lying since the day they met. Hurt, Jo is left to figure out whether to bring up the deception at all, or try and live with this secret between them.Maddie has spent the last five summers inventing reasons as to why her family never sent a care package or hell, even a letter. Why no one's ever even met her parents. To add insult to injury, Maddie's just found herself on the wrong end of a lie told by a friend, which ups the guilt and wish to free herself of her own creative liberties taken with the truth but also the fear that she can't be forgiven.There are other twists thrown in for good measure, but Five Summers works best when focusing on the friendship that's held these girls together since the first day they met. Even when they find themselves doubting each other, the moment someone else steps in and picks on one, the others rush to their defense. I found myself wishing for more of these glimpses and really enjoyed the way the book ends at the beginning of their story.Ultimately Five Summers turns out to be a love story for best friends.
    • 3/5
      For many Americans, summer camp is a childhood rite of passage. Whether it was only one week of your life or it was the main event every summer, the experiences at camp tend to leave a mark. Camp is especially fraught because it’s filled with so many new experiences for young people: first time away from home for an extended period of time; making camp friends who don’t know the “real you” from back home; learning how to survive and enjoy the wilderness; and memorizing every dirty version of your favorite camp song. For the four girls who narrate Una LaMarche’s Five Summers, going to summer camp is all these things and more, and most of their camp stories ring true, from the experiences that help them forge their close bonds (boys, mean girls, missing home), to how hard it is to keep that feeling of closeness when you only see people for such a short time every year. If one were to draw comparisons to some other chick lit for young people, Ann Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is an easy mark – four best friends go off to lead separate lives but keep coming back to find strength and support in each other; however, Brashares deals with some weighty issues in a more meaningful way, fleshing them out to become important plot points for her characters. LaMarche touches on some – unsupportive, belittling parents, poverty, domestic abuse, date rape – but for most of these issues, she stays on the surface. The details readers might want are instead drawn out to the nth degree in the dramas of first loves, first crushes, and boys (and frequently girls) who say one thing but really mean another and the confusion and first-love heartache than ensues as a result. But its tendency toward glossy subject matter doesn’t necessarily have to be seen as a failing of the book – anyone picking it up should know it for a beach read. The one glaring flaw that was off-putting to this reviewer who reads teen books almost exclusively and who interacts with actual teens on a daily basis was the language used by the characters in this book. No complaints about the subject matter, but rather the way LaMarche wrote their conversations; they sounded more appropriate to characters in their late teens and early twenties. Even more jarring was the fact that there is no distinction between the characters’ language when they are eleven from when they are seventeen. A couple of examples: [when the girls are eleven]: “I could give you a mullet if you want to go emo . . . then the back would still be long.” And when they are seventeen: “’So . . . did you need to talk about anything?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I guess I just don’t really feel connected lately. Does that make sense?’ ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Although that’s a little vague. Where’s the disconnect?’” Both an eleven-year-old and a seventeen-year-old can be well-read, well-spoken, thoughtful, introspective, and funny. But the first example would be more likely with a group of seventeen-year-olds contemplating a necessary hair-cut (gum was involved); it just seems comically unrealistic in the second example for a teen boy to be worried (and verbal to a girl) about relationship disconnects.Overall, though, a fun romp through summer camp as the characters come of age.
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: This was a cute book filled with lots of drama, heartache and love.Opening Sentence: There are some things that seem like they’ll just never happen.The Review: Emma, Skylar, Maddie, and Jo met at camp when they were nine years old and they soon became best friends. They went to camp together for five years and through that whole time their friendship grew and they were inseparable during camp. During the year they lived across the country from each other but that never affected their friendship during camp. Then the unenviable happened — camp came to an end. They slowly drifted apart through the years and lost touch. It is now time for a camp reunion and the four girls will be together again for the first time in 3 years.First there is Emma. She is the Ivy League bound college student. She is currently interning for a magazine in New York for the summer. She tried to stay in touch with the girls but something always seemed to get in the way whether it is her family or school. She can’t wait to go back to camp and try to reconnect with all the girls. Also Emma has regrets from her last night at camp. She had a huge crush on Adam Loring for years, but she was always too shy to say anything. She planned to tell him the last night of camp but she chickened out, she is hoping that maybe she will get a second chance at the reunion.Skylar is the beauty of the group, but she is also the one that has the loose morals. She is very artistic and would love to be a painter one day, but her family isn’t the most encouraging. She stayed in touch with Jo, but only because they both became a counselor at the camp for every summer since the girls left. She had her reasons for not keeping in touch, she did something on her last night of camp that she really regrets and she has felt guilty ever since. Now that she is finally going to see her friends again she knows that she will have to come clean, but she doesn’t want to ruin the fragile friendship they have left.Maddie has never really been honest with her friends. She has come from a broken family and they have very little money. She hasn’t really ever been honest with her friends about her real family life. She has never told them that all the years she attended camp the owner let her come for free or that her mom and step dad fight so much that she doesn’t feel safe at home. She wanted them to like her and she kept her distance after camp because she was afraid she would let something slip. She is tired of the lies, but she doesn’t know if her friends will forgive her for being so dishonest with them.Jo is a total tom boy, but she has grown into quite a beautiful girl. Her father is the owner of the camp that they all went to. She has always been the one to follow all the rules and she has never kissed a boy. She has never really had a lot of girl friends until she met Emma, Skylar, and Maddie at camp that first year. She hates that they drifted apart and she really hopes that this reunion will help to reunite them, and she makes a vow that it will stay that way no matter what. She also wants to have a little fun and let loose a little bit.This was a cute book filled with lots of drama, heartache and love. You get to see all of the girls grow up and see how camp and their friendships have affected their lives. It is a sweet story and it reminds me a little of what life was like for me growing up. You get to read from all of the girls’ points of view and it switches back and forth between the present and the past. I will be honest, it was pretty predictable and I had a little bit of a hard time getting through it. Overall, thought it was an okay read and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a story about coming of age and trying to grow up.Notable Scene:Maddie threw her arms around Jo’s shoulders. “Don’t worry-I’ll be there,” she said. “Unlike some people I have no handsome prince to whisk me off into the woods for a romantic tryst.”“Neither do I,” I said. “I might as well be wearing a shirt that says ‘I Had a Crush on Adam Loring for Five Summers and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.”“That would certainly break the ice,” Maddie said, this time throwing her arms around me. “But he likes you. I know it.”“Then where is he?” I groaned into my hands. If Adam did like me, wouldn’t he be just as eager to find me, to take his shot, to squire me off to a moonlit clearing like Zeke had done to Skylar? He’d probably forgotten about the hoodie. Maybe it had just been an excuse to ditch me.Jo’s head popped up like a bloodhound, her spine suddenly as straight as her jet-black ponytail, which reached almost to the waist-band of her shorts. She held her finger to her lips. “I think I just heard a zipper,” she said, horrified. Then:” This was a bad idea.”“Oh relax,” Maddie said. “It’s probably just some guy, you know, watering the wildflowers.” I smiled, but Jo didn’t seem to get the joke. She leaped up and marched off toward the tree line brandishing her whistle.FTC Advisory: Razorbill/Penguin provided me with a copy of Five Summers. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.