Book Review - The Summer We Fell by Elizabeth O'Roark

The Summer We Fell by Elizabeth O'Roark

This was my first time reading an Elizabeth O'Roark book and it definitely won't be my last. I loved the way this book was written, with each chapter switching from past to present. This layout made it very interesting to read because it was almost like two stories being told simultaneously, but each one provided context to the other. 

The main character of this book is Juliet, a girl who was taken in by a Christian family after escaping from an abusive household. Danny is the only child of the Allen family, a good Christian boy who's kind of boring but has been dating Juliet for several years. Luke is Danny's surfer-boy best friend who despises the way the Allen family has reduced Juliet to essentially an indentured servant and decides that he's going to be the one to show her that there is more to life. This is the most simple way I can explain it, but it's more complicated and way more interesting than that. 

My favorite character in this story was Luke. He's basically the stereotypical hot guy who can relate to the girl and finds himself being extremely protective and possessive of her even though they're not an item, but we love him for that. I did also like Juliet as a character, but I did feel a bit confused by her backstory and reasons for leaving Rhodes at some points throughout the story. Despite this, I still felt that the characters in this book were pretty well written, as were the conflicts and plot. 

Although The Summer We Fell was a little predictable and kind of stereotypical, I also thought it had some really unique characteristics that made it a very good book. I'm glad I read it and I'll be reading more Elizabeth O'Roark in the future.