Title: Until Next Summer
Author: Allison Ashley
Genre: Young adult, romance, contemporary,
Tropes: love triangle (ish), adoption of stray animals, there’s a new guy in town, interacting with childhood crush,
Thanks to the publisher for the e-arc via Netgalley
Blurb:
A teen starts to fall for the boy she and her best friend agreed was off-limits while building a relationship with the new guy in town at the same time in this seaside teen romance perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Amelia’s summers in Cape Cod have always been about three spending as much time in the ocean as possible, hanging out with her best friend Kat, and crushing on Myles Ford, her and Kat’s forever dream boy. But this summer, Kat’s leaving their little beach town to get a head start on tennis training at her new boarding school. Kat’s always been the social one in their friendship, the one who made things happen, and Amelia’s just been along for the ride. Without Kat, Amelia’s…adrift.
Amelia’s job at the local seafood joint keeps her busy, and Pearl’s just so happens to employ the one and only Myles. As Amelia and Myles get to know each other, Amelia realizes there’s more to him than she thought, which complicates things when Myles starts to show interest in her. Because ever since Amelia and Kat decided Myles was the epitome of crush-worthiness, they agreed he was off-limits so no boy would ever come between them.
And when another boy comes into Amelia’s life—a newcomer in town who makes Amelia look at life differently—Amelia will have to risk her closest friendship for a romance fit for a Nicholas Sparks novel or take a chance on a boy who might not stick around for long?
I’m trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but be warned.
Blah, blah, blah…summer on the ocean…working with a childhood crush…hanging out with the new guy in town…
Whatever. This book is a whole whatever. Not that it’s necessarily bad, but it’s not the type of young-adult story I like. For the most part, I think it’s missing something compelling in order to keep me interested.
Sure, Amelia reminds me a lot like myself. I’m shy (despite trying my best to grow out of it). I’m a follower, probably known for my friends rather than by myself.
However, there are a few main story lines to remember throughout the book:
- Best friend (Kat) leaves.
- The promise between Amelia and Kat to not get with Myles.
- Amelia working and getting close with Myles.
- Amelia meeting Gregory.
- Gregory’s dad is dead.
- Myles likes Amelia. Amelia likes Myles.
- Gregory likes Amelia? Amelia likes Gregory??
- Amelia and Gregory find and raise cats.
Okay, okay. Yes, Amelia is in a little bit of a messy situation. Does she choose the reliably charming (and lowkey rich) Myles Ford or the new guy Gregory McLoughlin? Not that either of the boys were terrible, but I’ll tell you I was rooting for Myles as endgame.
Initially, I thought Myles was going to be revealed as a bad guy, making Amelia hate him, and she’ll end up with Greg. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
It’s not that the story was bad or unrelatable…It’s just, when I am reading a book, I want to be transplanted into the mind of the main character as they navigate a conflict in their life.
Amelia’s conflict is how she doesn’t know how to survive without her best friend Kat leading the way. Before Kat leaves, Amelia is very anxious. At the “going-away” party, Kat abandons her. However, shortly after Kat is out of the picture, Amelia’s resent toward her grows. Both of them dodge each others’ texts and calls and she, despite their promise, gets comfortable with Myles.
What truly grinds my gears about this book are the pop culture references. Some books can get away with subtle references to popular things. But if you bring up Weezer, Benson Boone (my animosity toward Mr. Boone is pretty reasonless), or whatever Millennial-core band (sorry Millennials) out there, I’m going to get mad.
Side note: I did enjoy the reference to Milwaukee’s Summerfest. I had the joy of attending in 2023.
It’s not exactly that the references themselves are the issue, it’s just that the whole book feels like the author is too old to be writing about a junior in high school. Being only a few years removed from Amelia’s age, it just felt unnatural. Given that it’s the author’s first YA romance, I’m sure she will get better at writing for a younger audience.
Also, the ending was somewhat abrupt. Everything explodes and it’s only repaired in the very last chapter. It’s almost like this was only half a book. I’m betting there’s going to be a second book.
Quick notes:
- There’s a love triangle (but it’s not a love triangle)
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