Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer by Nina Chapman
Release: April 1st 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Capstone
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
With equal parts humor and heart, Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer tells the story of twelve-year-old Micah as she embarks on the summer before middle school. More than anything, Micah hopes to undergo a miracle transformation. One that will bring with it new friends, a fresh start, and boobs . . . preferably the round kind. If that happens, then maybe she can finally forget about what happened in the past. About losing her mom, about losing her best friend, and about the disaster she became in sixth grade, when everything fell apart. She and her dad have just moved away from their old neighborhood, and Micah’s childhood home, to put some space between themselves and the secret burden they both bear, one that’s already changed their lives and has the power to do even more damage.
On her first day in her new neighborhood, Micah is greeted by the Water twins, Luke and Megan. Micah is surprised to find herself caught between their two worlds. In one world, there’s Luke and his band of neighborhood boys, who challenge Micah in feats of strength, crowning her The Big Kahuna at the local pool, and vying for her attention, even though she doesn’t quite understand why. And then there’s Megan, whose world is full of lip gloss and padded bras, where Micah dabbles in the fine art of being a girl. As Micah awkwardly navigates her way through crushes, friendship, and budding boobies, she discovers that the real transformation that needs to take place is in how she sees herself.
Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer Review:
A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Capstone Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer” for my review.
I honestly could not put this book down! It was funny, quirky, ridiculous, charming, sweet and many more! In a nutshell, it is a very cute romantic comedy with a middle grade charm to it. Micah is a great protagonist. She is the awkward, silent, flawed yet talented. I loved her entire personality and how she always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt. It was also interesting to see how she deals with growing up and puts herself out there through all her ups and downs before she reaches her teens. In addition, her friends, who are the supporting characters are wonderful as well. They also show what true friendship is to Micah. I loved Megan and Luke and Ryan and even Josh. He is hilarious! Of course, even the mean girls like Trish and Marissa were nicely written.
Also, in terms of the romance, I loved how innocent the author wrote the friendship and romance of the characters. As much as I liked Micah and Luke, I also like Ryan a lot. I also liked how the author added a serious topic like depression and suicide to make the characters more real. There are some pretty heavy scenes as they cover this topic, but I thought the author covered it really well with the plot.
I think this is the author’s debut novel and she has done a terrific job! Moreover, this is one of those books that I feel people of ANY age group would enjoy if they like these kind of charming stories. Can we have a part two to this book please? A continuation with what happens between Luke and Micah and Ryan in her teen years? I really want to read more about all of them! Overall, this book is a complete feel good entertainer!
