The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls [Book Review]

Genres: YA, contemporary

Length: 312 pages

Author: Jessica Spotswood

Summary: This summer is going to be life-changing for the four Garrett sisters, and they will end up surprising both themselves and everyone else.

Des, the oldest has been the boring, responsible one since their Grandma had her knee replacement. Des doesn't mind helping, but she'd like to make some changes, and have time to work on her art. Then she meets Paige, who's staying in their small town for the summer. Des starts hanging out with her, in awe of her punk style, and artistic talent, but everyone says Paige is a bad influence. That can't be true, can it?

Bea has her life all together: she has a boyfriend who she plans on marrying, she's interning as a journalist, and she's going to Georgetown in the fall. The only problem is Bea's not sure she wants any of that. She's always been the ambitious planner, so what's she supposed to do when she doesn't know what she wants, not to mention she doesn't want to let anyone else down.

Kat's always been the drama queen, who's known for her fiery temper, her diva tendencies, and her talents as a performer. So when her boyfriend, Adam, breaks up with her, and starts dating another girl, she hatches a plan with Mase, another theater student, who's boyfriend's just broken up with him, and put on the performance of a lifetime, to get their significant others back.

Vi's always been an introvert: happier reading, watching TV, writing fanfiction, or spending time with animals, than spending time with people. Aside from Cece Perez, of course. Vi's developed quite a crush on her. The only thing is Cece's Catholic, and she has a boyfriend, so it's not like she could ever date Cece, right?

My Thoughts: I'm not a huge contemporary fan, but I LOVE this book. I already started reading it again. There are so many things I adore about it, so here's a quick list of the things I loved the most.

-The sisters

They each had a unique voice, none of them were a cliche, and I could relate to all of them [I'm definitely most like Vi, though]. Also, their friendships with each other is so great.

-The small town

As someone who lives in a very small town, I love this trope so much.

-The fact that the sisters were all named after Shakespeare characters.

Des is short for Desdemona, Bea is short for Beatrice, Kat is short for Katherine, and Vi is short for Viola. It's a small detail, but I loved it.

-Really, all of the characters

This book has the best characters. Cece was my favorite secondary character.....or the girl's Grandma. She kicked some major butt.

-The diversity

As with Elysium Girls, this book was very diverse, but it didn't feel forced.

-The pop culture references

Sometimes this can be really annoying, but it's actually done well here.

All the girls like Star Wars, Kat loves Hamilton and various other musicals, Vi's a fan of The 100, and Riverdale, as well as numerous YA books. And Harry Potter is mentioned many times, as well.

Characters

Des

Des was a really great character. She was definitely the responsible one who did the laundry, cooked, cleaned, and worked at the family's bookstore. Des is always busy, but the book clearly shows that while she's the sweet, responsible one, she needs some time for fun, to work on her art, and do the things she likes, like dying her hair blue, and she's frustrated with always having to pick up the slack, and being yelled at when she wasn't, when her sisters always slack off. Des was a rare character in YA, and I loved her. 

Bea

Bea's the smart, ambitious one. She's an aspiring journalist, and class valedictorian, who reads nonfiction, and has absolutely huge life goals.

Bea was definitely my least favorite of the sisters. I just couldn't connect with her very much, and she made a lot of really bad choices. However, the book makes it clear that she's very sorry, and she learns from them. Also, she's clearly under a lot of stress, and I feel like that was written very well. 

Kat

Kat's the diva. The one with the bad temper. The actress, and former ballerina. The fashionable one. The one who's had the most boyfriends. Kat always makes a big deal out of everything, is incredibly contrary, and slacks off on work the most. Kat's storyline was definitely the most interesting, and I laughed a lot. I think she grows the most as a character, during the book, and learns a lot, and also she loves cats, so she gets points for that. 

Vi

Vi was easily the most relatable to me. She loves animals, she loves reading, she's kind of a nerd, she writes fanfiction, she has a quirky sense of style, she thinks parties are stupid, etc. I really could go on and on, but I won't. She's probably my favorite, since I relate to her the most [she's quieter then me, though]. I loved how she was quiet and kind of awkward, but unapologetically herself. She never pretended to be someone she wasn't. Also, she didn't fall into the 'shy bookworm' stereotype, so yay. Also, her and Cece's friendship was the cutest. I need a Cece in my life. Anyway, Vi's storyline was great [even if it is a little cliche].

So, anyway, I really love this book. It was as close to perfect as a contemporary can get, and I strongly suggest you read it.

Have you read The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls? Do you like it? Who's your favorite sister?