Book Review: September Girls

Title: September Girls.

Author: Bennett Madison.

Pages: 342.

Series: No.

Source: Me My Shelf And I (Review Copy)

Publisher: HarperTeen.

Published Date: May 21, 2013.

Links:

Goodreads.

Barnes and Noble.

Summary:

"When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him. Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here."

Cover:

I really like the cover. It gives off the perfect beach read vibe, with a little bit of romance...but not too much! So if you don't like too much lovey dovey mush gush, don't worry there isn't too much off that in here, but just enough!

My Thoughts:

Before I even begin, I would just like to say that I wish I wouldn't have read this book….on a rainy day in May, I wish I could have indulged and dived right into it on a sunny day in June or July, on a sandy beach! September Girls is the perfect beach read and should be on everyone’s ‘to be read’ pile for the summer of 2013! It hits the shelves in June, so don’t forget to pick up a copy!

At first glance I didn't really know what to expect from this book. And even though I’m always apprehensive about a male leading character, I went in reading September Girls open minded. Within two days, I was finished with the entire book, and was already considering if I should reread it right then and there. Bennett Madison confused me, broke my heart just to put it back together again, and had me laughing out loud (LOL).

September Girls takes place just a few months after Sam’s (the main character) mother decided to go to Women’s Land; leaving behind Sam, his older brother and his dad. After his older brother decides to also leave, and live his own life, Sam finds himself dealing with his broken down and depressed father alone. Until, that is, Sam’s father takes him and his older brother on a family and summer vacation to a small quiet beach town.

Upon his arrival, Sam notices that all the girls in this town are beautiful…beautiful and staring at him with flirty eyes. Not being used to this kind of attention from girls, Jeff tries to relax Sam, and explains to him that he just needs to get laid.

Everywhere he goes, the beach, the store, the restaurant, Sam sees these girls. All beautiful and all very similar looking; it’s hard for him to even tell them apart. Sam can tell the difference between the Girls, and regular girls. They’re blonde, beautiful, and have the perfect body (he doesn’t mind mentioning the size of their chest and bottom, and the length of their legs a few times throughout the story).

While many take the time to make it obvious that they are interested and staring at him, not one comes up to say hello. Until Sam stumbles into a room, during a party his brother dragged him to, and meets a Girl named DeeDee. After spending more and more time with her, Sam learns that these girls aren’t normal. They wash up from the ocean, naked and with no recollection of who they are. Each one of them is under a curse, that prevents them from leaving the town, they can’t swim, and at the age of twenty one they have the strong urge to go back into the ocean. Sam also finds out the reason why the Girls are staring at him, but I won’t be giving away that part! (Ha, you have to read the book to find out!!)

Bennett Madison introduces the reader to a great cast of characters, which really made the book for me. Sam is an average guy who hasn’t gotten too much attention from girls, and is uncomfortable of the overload he gets when he comes to the beach. Jeff, Sam’s older brother, is a live life to the fullest kind of guy, who loves partying, until he meets a girl that his heart belongs to. And their parents, who are a little bit corky.

Having not known what to expect from the book, I had no clue what the ending would bring for me. While it was like nothing I was guessing it would be, the ending was still AHH-mazing. We even find out the real reason as to why Sam’s father took them to this random beach; which is one of my favorite parts! I liked that it was happy, and that things worked out for almost everyone.

I’m not used to reading books from a male’s point of view, so when starting September Girls that was my biggest worry. But after finishing the book in less than 48 hours, it being in a male perspective quickly became my favorite part. The two brothers were hilarious! And I loved that they were realistic, and said things I know my guy friends would say too. (A lot of YA books don’t have male characters like September Girls did. There aren’t too many teenage boys, who would devote their life to a girl at that young age, and after only knowing her for a week or two. We girls can only wish…*sigh*).

I love September Girls, the characters, and the story! I hope to reread it during the summer but this time at the beach, instead of inside, during a rain storm. If you’re looking for something different from the average fairytale love story, and enjoy mermaids, this is it.