The Summer of Everything

by Julian Winters

Overview

Adulting is hard. Just ask Wes Hudson. An avid comic book geek, Wes excels at two things: slacking off and pining after his best friend, Nico. Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren't helping much with his secret crush. And his dream job at Once Upon a Page, the local indie bookstore, is threatened when a coffee shop franchise wants to buy the property. To top it off, his family won’t stop pestering him about picking a college major. When all three problems converge, Wes must face the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781945053917
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	505,947
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Julian Winters is a best-selling and award-winning author of contemporary young adult fiction. His novels Running with Lions, How to Be Remy Cameron, and The Summer of Everything (Duet, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively), received accolades for their positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. Running with Lions is the recipient of an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award. How to Be Remy Cameron and The Summer of Everything were named Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and received a numerous starred reviews. A former management trainer, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta where he can be found reading, being a self-proclaimed comic book geek, or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer. His next novel is Right Where I Left You from Viking Children’s/Penguin in 2022. He was also a contributing author to Black Boy Joy (Delacorte, 2021), a NY Times #1 bestselling Middle Grade anthology.

Editorial Reviews

"I always smile my way through a Julian Winters book. Remy's story of self-discovery is empowering and lovely." —Adam Silvera, NYT bestselling author of What If It's Us on How to Be Remy Cameron


"Winters does it again: a book about friendship, love, community, and the sometimes meandering path to adulthood, all in a great bear hug of a book that will keep your summer going." —L.C. Rosen, author of Camp


"Endearing...Wes’s problems are lifelike, and he’s surrounded by eccentric, supportive, and inspiring friends who challenge and encourage him." —Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews


"This appealing book is hipper than hip (if it’s still hip to say hip), replete with au courant words like dope, noob, rad, chill, and sick, and boasts–er, hella likable, no, make that lovable characters, who are complex and beautifully realized. Winters (How to be Remy Cameron, 2019) clearly covers his bases ethnically and sexually—Wes is Black and biracial and Nico is Mexican American, while other characters identify as lesbian, aroace, and bisexual—but believably and welcomingly so. The resulting combination of rom-com and coming-of-age novel is an absolute delight from beginning to end and is highly recommended." —Michael Cart, Booklist


"VERDICT Hand this book to fans of realistic fiction looking for a quick, mostly light read that is full of heart." —Mindy Rhiger, School Library Journal​

"As always, Julian Winters is here to tug at our heartstrings with a wildly endearing ensemble cast of lovable queer geeks. ... If you’re looking for an achingly relatable coming-of-age love story (with Empire Records vibes for days), look no further." —Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, NY Times bestselling authors of What If It's Us?

From the Publisher

09/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—Winters' latest novel is a coming-of-age romance that follows Wes during the summer between high school and college. Wes has no idea what he wants to study or do in the future, but he knows that he likes his life as it is. He loves living in Santa Monica, CA, his job at a local indie bookstore, his diverse group of friends who work with him, and he (secretly) loves his best friend Nico. He knows that falling in love with your best friend is a bad idea, especially since he does not know if Nico is gay or bi/pan. When Wes finds out that his beloved bookstore is likely closing at the end of the summer, he and his friends rally all their efforts to save the store. This novel is full of bookish, geeky pop culture references. While the characters' musical choices from the '90s and earlier may not be familiar to teen readers, the social media references place this book firmly in the present. The lovable cast of characters, their friendships, and their love for their bookstore make this a great choice. Discussions of race (Wes's mom is white and his dad is Black), privilege, and stereotypes about gender and sexual orientation come up naturally in the story as the characters support each other through whatever happens. VERDICT Hand this book to fans of realistic fiction looking for a quick, mostly light read that is full of heart.—Mindy Rhiger, Hennepin County Lib., MN

School Library Journal

2020-06-16
The summer before college is one to remember.

Recent high school grad Wesley Hudson, 18 and gay, is home in Santa Monica after a few weeks in Italy with his parents, a noted chef and a successful YA author. Wesley now has the summer to work at an indie bookshop, hang out with his co-workers, and spend quality time with his best friends, caustic, proudly fat Ella and skater Nico, before entering UCLA. Or does he? Wesley’s not really sure about college, leaving his home-away-from-home job, and being hours away from Nico, on whom he also has a crush. When Ella discovers the bookstore might be closing, it’s up to the gang to save the day while Wesley pursues Nico (and is pursued by hunky Manu). Wesley is biracial with a white mom and light-skinned black dad; Ella is white, and Nico is Mexican American. The inclusion of a range of ethnicities and queer cultures enriches the novel; however, the identity of an aromantic asexual bookstore friend is mentioned without much development. One weakness is teen characters who reference Madonna, listen to music produced before the year 2000, and love Empire Records and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—in short, they feel like, and will appeal most to, Millennials. Fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will enjoy the amusing voice.

A sweet beach read for adults but may not be as popular with teens. (Fiction. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews