Last Summer by Rebecca A. Rogers

Today I am the stop for the Last Summer blog tour and I have a lovely review for you all! Hope you enjoy it!
*Please Note* Last Summer is a NEW ADULT book, not a YA book*

Author: Rebecca A. Rogers
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: July 18th 2012
Pages: 230
Format: Paperback
Source: Received for author in return for review
Add It: Goodreads, Amazon

Summary:

All Chloe Sullivan wants to do is get through the summer. Her life has been in disarray for more than six months, and she knows the only reason her parents made one final trip to Sandy Shores is because of her. They are, after all, two seconds away from filing for divorce. When Chloe stumbles upon a boy in one of her childhood hangouts, she’s in for more than just a relaxing summer vacation.

Logan Andrews is exhausted, famished and, quite frankly, kaput. His parents kicked him out when he refused to attend a rehabilitation program for his drug addiction. Now, he wishes he would’ve listened; he’d be receiving appropriate medical care rather than living in a dingy, godforsaken shack, holing up from money-hungry drug dealers.

Logan’s godsend arrives in the form of Chloe, who can’t hold her tongue when it comes to matters of the heart. They’re both in for a rude awakening when Logan’s past catches up to them, though. Can they escape the drug dealers showing up at every twist and turn, or will things end much worse than they ever imagined?

WARNING: contains strong language, drug use, and sexual situations, including an explicit sex scene and a near-rape scene. Mature audiences only. 17+

three out of five hearts

The Journey Begins
I have been waiting to read this book for many months now. Ever since I saw it and read the synopsis I was desperate to get my hands on the book. Luckily the book did not disappoint as I read it. It was a good, easy and quick read that was entertaining and one that I enjoyed. There were a few problems I had with the book, but nothing that fully deterred me from continuing the book and liking it. It dealt with a lot of issues throughout the book and was therefore a little stronger then some of the other books I have been reading lately but I still liked it. It is one that kept me interested and kept me intrigued in the characters and everything that was about to happen.

An Unexpected Turn
The plot of this book was really interesting. It was always full of something to keep you interested and there was never a truly dull moment. Everything fell apart to be able to fall back together again. It was nice to have the split POV as it helped to get inside of the characters’ heads a bit more. To understand what they’re both going through and why. In that ways it made their characters’ a little bit more believable as well as the interactions that they had. It had all the workings of a climatic novel, starting out slow, getting more tense until the final showdown scene where things catapult. Rebecca did a great job of leaving the reader unsure if certain things were going to end in certain ways or not.

Unfortunately, there were places in this book that were also slightly stilted. Some of the dialogue seemed a little rough around the edges, as did some of the emotions. The book was fast-paced and sometimes it was hard to see how far the characters have come because you haven’t personally witnessed the relationship come together in that way. There were times when the characters would behave as though they’ve known each other for weeks or months when they’d only met a few days before. Luckily though, this wasn’t a major problem for me but it may not work for you, or it could be one of the best things about the book for you.

Players Lining Up
I liked Chloe and I could completely understand her settlement. For the past six months her parents were on the brink of disaster – she knew and they knew a divorce was on the way but they were all too willing to play pretend happy family for her for one last summer. While this hasn’t happened to me persay, my parents are divorced and so I could sympathise with her predicament. She doesn’t want to stick around in this world of lies and so she tries to find something to keep her mind at bay and that is when she meets Logan, a teenager addicted to drugs and she promises to save him. I liked that she said what was on her mind without worrying about the consequences and I enjoyed that she was still unsure about things. But there were still some things that annoyed me about her. I didn’t like how easily she let Logan in. As a character who had never had a boyfriend before, it just seemed a little unrealistic but that could just be my thoughts.

Logan is a different ballgame altogether. I’m undecided as to whether or not I like him. I did at the beginning because I understood him. He was the bad boy who was the drug addict, he made some poor choices and this is who he became. I think if he had been a little more rough around the edges for longer than I would have liked him a bit more. As it were, he seemed to be able to give up his addiction too quickly for my liking. There were few side effects to his withdrawal and then he just seemed fine without it. It all seemed a little too unrealistic to me. Which is fine, I was able to look past it but if you’re looking for a realistic style book on drugs, this book will not be the one for you. I did, however, like how Logan ended up at the very end of the book and think that if there was more of this in the earlier parts of the novel I’d be able to like his character a bit more.

The Final Whistle Blows
All in all this was an enjoyable and entertaining read. It should definitely be noted, however, that this will not be a book for everyone. Some people will truly love it but I can see that others may find it extremely dissatisfying. I found it to be a quick and easy read and, despite it’s flaws, I found myself pulled into the story by the end, wanting to know exactly what had happened. I will say that even if I hadn’t been posting this for the tour or even being sent it for review, I would have continued reading the book to the end. I was hooked to the words. I may have cringed from time to time but I still needed to know more, wanted to read on. As a writer there were a few things that I would change but really, this book was a decent read and one that I am entirely glad I got the chance to read. Here’s hoping that you find yourself enjoying it too!

Faye