The Summer My Life Began

Description (from Goodreads): Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

Review: If you are looking for a breezy, fun beach read then look no further than Shannon Greenland's The Summer My Life Began. With likable characters and a familiar storyline, it was easy to sit back and enjoy the story without thinking too much.
  Em plans on enjoying her summer of freedom before her internship at a law firm and first semester of Harvard begin. She has always followed the rules and become the daughter they always wanted. One of Em's biggest fear is disappointing her parents. Em is a sweet character. She had the good balance of being mature yet also had a child-like aspect to her, especially when she is given the freedom to do pretty much whatever she wants while visiting her mysterious Aunt Tilly. I liked how she got along with everyone, especially her sister. I also admired her passion to cook and learn more about cooking various dishes, which allowed her true personality to come to life. Though I liked Em for the most part, I thought she was just a bit too perfect and well..wholesome. There wasn't any meat to her character.
  What I enjoyed the most about the book was the romance between Em and Cade, which starts off slowly and then deepens. Em and Cade were cute together and shared some sweet moments. Cade had the potential to be an interesting character as he struggles with his family issues, but these issues weren't fully realized.
  Like Cade's issues, there are a lot of underlying tension throughout the book, particularly around Aunt Tilly's relationship with Em's immediate family. I kept waiting for this to develop more, but it only simmered to the surface and quickly died out. Without these tensions, there isn't really any conflict in the book. If you're looking for a cute book where you can turn off your mind for a couple of hours, I'd give The Summer My Life Began a shot but don't expect it to blow your mind. I'd recommend it to tweens and parents who are looking for a clean, sweet, contemporary romance.   

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly, The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper, The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill Alexander