The Summer of Broken Things

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Genre: Young Adult
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 387
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
First Published:
First Line: "We need to talk," Dad says.

Book Description from GoodReads: Fourteen-year-old Avery Armisted is athletic, rich, and pretty. Sixteen-year-old Kayla Butts is known as “butt-girl” at school. The two girls were friends as little kids, but that’s ancient history now. So it’s a huge surprise when Avery’s father offers to bring Kayla along on a summer trip to Spain. Avery is horrified that her father thinks he can choose her friends—and make her miss soccer camp. Kayla struggles just to imagine leaving the confines of her small town.

But in Spain, the two uncover a secret their families had hidden from both of them their entire lives. Maybe the girls can put aside their differences and work through it together. Or maybe the lies and betrayal will only push them—and their families—farther apart.

My Rating: 3/5 stars (aka 'a good read')

My Review: The Summer of Broken Things is a coming of age/family drama about two very different teen girls who are forced to spend the summer together in Spain.

The descriptions of Spain will transport readers to this beautiful country and I enjoyed that the focus is on the family dynamics instead of teen romance.  The story is told with the alternating points of view of the two teens, Avery and Kayla. These two are like night and day - Avery is the spoiled and trendy, yet sheltered ‘city mouse’ and Kayla  is the lackluster, not as cool ‘country mouse’. 

While the premise was intriguing, the character development was lacking leaving the two girls as one-dimensional characters. And while I liked the family dynamic with a side of mystery, I didn't find the secret that big of a deal unlike the characters who seemed to have over-the-top, long-winded reactions which didn't feel believable and slowed the pace of the book. 

Overall, this was a light, entertaining but the plot was predictable and the characters too clichéd for my liking.  It would probably be a better choice for people who want a light, clean read (no swearing or sex) and would be a good beachy read for readers in middle school to early teens.

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.