Sunday Street Team: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

4/5 Stars ★★★★

Published by Disney Hyperion

Published May 3rd, 2016

Synopsis: Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

Sunday Street Team is a group of bloggers coming together to spread the love for a given book each month. This month, we will be sharing all the love for Summer of Sloane. Today, I am giving a review of the book in hopes that you find interest in it. Enjoy!

This book was so flippin' good! I was incredibly surprised by how invested I was in this story, and how much I took a liking to it. From the very first sentence in the synopsis, you automatically think this is going to be a happy-go-lucky contemporary, with a cute romance. However, that is not the case in this book. It's got real world problems that cut like a knife and strike close to home, relatable characters that carry some baggage, and a wonderful storyline development that features a change in the outlook on life and the growth as individuals. Erin L. Schneider did a great job of catching your attention with her writing style and straight to the point detailing. Summer of Sloane is a book I ultimately sped through in two nights, because of how smooth and easy to approach the writing was.

What I loved the most about this book, had to be the plot line and the development of the characters and story arc. It started off rocky with a terrible circumstance, but throughout the story, you really get to watch the characters grow out of their comfort zones. Sloane was a fantastic main character, who really took this time away from the drama at home to find herself, take some risks, and fall in love - which seemed an impossible task at the start of the book. She proves to herself that it's alright to restart from fresh; surrounding herself with the people she loves and never-ending good vibes. I loved her family and the chemistry between herself and her Hawaiian crew of friends. It definitely made me want to venture off to the island and find myself a swoony boy.

Right from the start, we are presented with a terribly uncool situation. From there on, I didn't really think there would be any other way around this problem that didn't involve Sloane sulking around and rolling in her own despair. Boy was I (thankfully) wrong. She goes about the situation maturely - taking time for herself to sort out the mess made by those closest to her. Hawaii was a place of discovery for her, and really set in motion her adventures in paradise. The plot unravels beautifully, with some twists and turns to add some fuel to the fire. I found that each event that took place, or each secret that was revealed, played nicely in the progression of the plot, and never once was unnecessary.

Summer of Sloane is the story of self discovery after a bad breakup, going after a brighter tomorrow, and the emergence of a new beginning. From this story, I can take away that it is perfectly alright to learn from past mistakes and try to forgive, but never forget. I loved this book a lot more than I expected, and am glad to have found a new favorite to brag about. If there is one thing I had a problem with, it is the very constant recurring theme of cheating. That, my friends, is not a cool thing to get involved with. Besides this, I had a fantastic time reading this book. When you get in the mood for a fast read, with a cute romance, and some deep-level life lessons, this is a book that'll do you some good. I cannot wait to see what Erin L. Schneider brings to the table next.

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Erin L. Schneider is native to the Pacific Northwest, attended college in Honolulu - and although Hawaiian - should never be allowed on a surfboard. With more than twenty years in corporate merchandising, she’s now a full-time writer living in Seattle with her husband, Neal; their baby boy, Kellan; a rowdy German shepherd named Ronin; and two crazy cats, Ono and Poke. She’s a member of both the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SCBWI, and is also co-founder of the YA Buccaneers.

SUMMER OF SLOANE is her debut novel, out May 3, 2016 from Disney-Hyperion. Visit Erin online at Erin L Schneider or on Twitter: @ErinLSchneider1.

Erin is represented by literary agent Lisa Grubka of Fletcher & Company.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/24w3Dl4