A Touch of Book Madness

I have to admit that even if this novella was good, it wasn’t as good as the rest of the series. I think maybe it was lacking a bit of the witty sarcasm I’m so used to and love. There was some, and there were moments that made me smile, but not as much as in the other books.

It was, nevertheless, an entertaining read, and I will read this book again when I’m re-reading the series. It was fun and sweet as it has become characteristic of the Summer Series. I really wanted to get to know Stan better and how things came to be with Bel, and I definitely got that.

I really appreciated that the author took this opportunity to tie some things up and sort of introduce us to what is going to happen next in the series, so it really feels like the story is complete. I also got some closure with the Stan and Ellie thing that seemed to have ended so abruptly before. I think maybe I would have appreciated this book a bit more if I had read it just after book 1, like it’s meant to be, still you can enjoy it if you read it whenever in the series.

Stan is the nicest Onslow boy, even if they are all nice and gentlemanly, because he has such a big sense of duty I could value. I really liked him, but I missed the playfulness we saw of him in The Boys of Summer (book #1). My main problem though, is that I couldn’t connect as much with Bel. I liked her in That One Summer (book #3), because she was different than the other girls and rather cool, but this time around she felt bitter and childish. Maybe it’s because she’s older in the next book, but I just couldn’t find all the bickering between the pair endearing, as I did with Sean and Amy.

Overall, this was a good addition to the series and it really allows us to get the whole picture; and even if I didn’t enjoy it as much, it still provides a fun read filled with the Onslow traits we have come to love so much.