Rowena’s review by Pulled Under by Michelle Dalton.
A shy teen befriends an attractive beach town tourist in this refreshing summertime romance, in the tradition of Sixteenth Summer and Seventeenth Summer.
In the small town of Pearl Beach, Florida, Izzy Lucas needs only her surfboard and the water to be completely happy. She wants nothing to do with parties, popularity contests, or showing her face around the clichéd touristy hangouts. Izzy’s tight group of coworkers at the local surf shop have tried relentlessly to break shy Izzy out of her (sea)shell. But Izzy isn’t interested…until the day Ben Barker walks into the store.
Ben’s from the city. He’s cute, charming, and wants her help adjusting to beach town culture. As the weeks of surfing lessons and pizza shack visits fly by, Izzy and Ben realize their attraction goes beyond mere friendship. But Ben is only in town for three months, and Izzy wonders if this amazing guy is worth stepping out of her comfort zone for what might be the perfect summer romance—or her first heartbreak.
I read both Sixteenth and Fifteenth Summer and enjoyed both books so when this book came up for review, I was excited to jump right in. I’m a fan of the summer romances stories and this was one of those that I was sure I would enjoy. I wasn’t wrong. This was a cute read that made me smile. It was adorable getting to know both Ben and Izzy. Seeing them become smitten with each other and then eventually take that fall into love with each other.
I loved that Ben ran all those miles with Izzy’s father after they kissed. I loved Izzy’s parents and their highly competitive board games. I loved Izzy’s friends and I absolutely adored Ben’s way of getting Izzy’s attention.
This book takes place over the course of one summer and of the three books that I read by this author, this summer romance had my favorite ending. It was a cute, contemporary beach read that hit all the right spots. Too cute for words and one that I definitely recommend.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
This book is available from Simon Pulse. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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