2006-12-04 Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Cassidy Jones has her summer all planned out; she and her BFF, Larissa, have jobs lined up at a super-trendy clothing boutique and her gorgeous, surfer boyfriend, Eric, wants her to spend time in the sand with him. Sadly, her ultra-organized and goal-oriented parents have decided she should spend her summer in an intensive language program at a university.

Once classes start everything starts changing. Larissa is too busy to make time for her friend. Eric is suddenly jealous of everything. Cassidy is suddenly finding Zach, the worldly college boy, attractive, and she starts to question everything. The reintroduction of her childhood best friend, Joe, into the equation makes life even more interesting for her, even if he is all the way across the country. Throughout the summer she expands her horizons, but begins to wonder if she really knows anything about the real secrets of boys and life in general.

The thoughts and feelings that Cassidy experience will likely be familiar to readers. Abbott uses believable dialogue to help tell her story. Readers will be envious of the amazing wardrobes Cassidy and Larissa have access to. Some of the events seem a little unlikely, but they do not distract from the important lessons that Cassidy learns while finding herself. In the end, things wrap up in a satisfying way even if it is not what readers may hope for. There is a feeling that life is just starting to get good for Cassidy Jones.

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