Not Our Summer

by Casie Bazay

Overview

Two estranged cousins struggle to overcome a family feud as they travel together on five vacation trips that will change their lives forever.

It's bad enough that estranged cousins Becka and KJ see each other at their grandfather's funeral, but when he leaves them a bucket list of places to visit together over the summer, so they can earn their inheritance, it seems like things are about to get much worse.

However, with each trip the cousins complete—like riding mules into the Grand Canyon or encountering a bear and a hot tour guide at Yellowstone—they steadily learn about and begin to trust one another. That is until the truth behind Grandpa's bucket list, and their family feud, is revealed, testing Becka and KJ far beyond their limits.

Will they find a way to accept each other or will their grandpa's wish to mend his divided family end up buried alongside him inside his grasshopper green casket?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762472291
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Casie Bazay is former middle school teacher who now works as a freelance writer and editor. In her spare time, Casie enjoys exploring the great outdoors, spending time at the barn with her horses and goats, reading, and watching movies (especially young adult novel adaptations). She lives on a hay farm in northeastern Oklahoma with her husband and two children but loves traveling to new and exciting destinations whenever she can. Not Our Summer is her first published novel.

Editorial Reviews

"A poignant family drama that realistically explores the growth of a complicated relationship."—Kirkus Reviews

"Bazay’s debut is enjoyable realistic fiction, and believable, relatable heroines K.J. and Becka will appeal to anyone with heavy family histories."—Booklist

"This engaging debut packs authentic dialogue, strong personalities, and fabulous destinations into a heartwarming tale of family drama and personal growth."—School Library Journal

"Not Our Summer is a heartwarming debut that tackles coming-of-age, family, and navigating through everything that comes with them both with deep insight and plenty of laughs along the way. This thoughtfully-crafted story with its relatable heroines will stick with you long after you finish it."—Emma Lord, author of Tweet Cute and You Have a Match

“A heart-stealing debut, Not Our Summer maneuvers through broken family bonds, healing, and the painful truths we all must face with a brilliant fusion of humor and genuineness. Casie Bazay delivers a summer adventure that readers will find impossible to forget.”—Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions

A satisfying blend of light-hearted adventure and a deeper enemies-to-family story. I loved every mile of KJ and Becka’s road trip through their grandfather’s bucket list—battling whitewater rapids, a rodeo bull, and each other. This delightful book will leave you feeling sunny-warm and excited to spend summer vacation with your least-favorite relative!—Carrie S. Allen, author of Michigan Vs. the Boys

"In her debut, Not Our Summer, Casie Bazay offers a heart-y, fast-paced adventure between cousins from opposite sides of the tracks. Their hate-to-family, grandpa bucket-list road trips will leave you feeling like you've just come back from your own vacation. Bazay is definitely an author to watch.”
 —Deborah Maroulis, author of Within and Without

"You’ll get swept away in this sweet and touching road trip story as Becka and KJ learn all the ways family can both hurt and heal each other. The perfect summer escape.” —Sonia Hartl, author of Have a Little Faith in Me and Not Your #Lovestory

From the Publisher

04/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—Although they are cousins, high school seniors KJ and Becka, who are white, have been strangers most of their lives, until they meet again at their eccentric grandfather's funeral and learn that they must fulfill his bucket list of adventures…together. The two have lived separate and very different lives as a result of a feud between their mothers, but their grandfather wanted them to be friends despite the rift, so he forces them to go on five exciting trips. All of the experiences were meticulously planned before his death, and the girls and their mothers will not receive their large inheritance unless they fulfill each one. As they ride mules to the bottom of Grand Canyon, hike through Yellowstone, whitewater raft in the Chattooga River, and scuba dive in Key West, the cousins reluctantly find that they have more in common than they thought. Their fondness for each other predictably grows, until they learn a shocking fact about their past that threatens to sabotage their trust. The girls' distinct personalities are revealed through alternating first-person chapters, and letters that arrive from their grandfather throughout the summer disclose why he has gone to extraordinary lengths to reunite the girls. The descriptions of their experiences are enough to tempt a traveler, but they remain a backdrop against which the plot and characters evolve. VERDICT Although there are many unanswered questions, this engaging debut packs authentic dialogue, strong personalities, and fabulous destinations into a heartwarming tale of family drama and personal growth.—MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY

School Library Journal

2021-03-13
Two estranged cousins are thrown together by their agoraphobic grandfather when he leaves detailed travel plans for them to carry out following his death.

Following the example set by their respective mothers, 18-year-olds K.J. and Becka loathe one other. The same family secret that drove the sisters apart poisoned their daughters against one another, leaving them virtual strangers throughout their lives, though they’ve lived relatively nearby in Oklahoma and Arkansas. However, K.J. and Becka find themselves spending the summer together as a condition of receiving an unexpected inheritance. Alternating narration allows for introspective character development as they ride mules in the Grand Canyon, hike around Yellowstone National Park, go whitewater rafting in South Carolina, try diving in Key West, and compete in a rodeo event. K.J.’s adventurous, impulsive personality initially clashes with that of the more image-conscious Becka, but there’s never any real doubt they’ll find common ground. Still, this novel is an engrossing example of the journey, not the destination, being the point. K.J. comes from a markedly less privileged background, and this raises the stakes for her in a way that Becka doesn’t have to face, but readers will easily empathize with both young women. Main characters are White.

A poignant family drama that realistically explores the growth of a complicated relationship. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews