The Summer Remains by Seth King

About the Book:

This is a New Adult/Coming of Age story with both main characters in their middle 20’s. The story is loosely based on the authors brother Martin who passed away during a surgery.

“Twenty-four-year-old Summer Johnson knows two things. The first is that due to a quickly worsening medical condition, she faces a risky surgery in three months’ time that may or may not end in her death. The second is that she would like to fall in love before then.

As spring sinks into her namesake season on the Florida coastline, Summer plays the odds and downloads a new dating app – and after one intriguing message from a beautiful surfer named Cooper Nichols, it becomes clear that the story of what may be her last few months under the sun is about to be completely revised. All she has to do now is write something worth reading.

Tender, honest, devastating and triumphant, The Summer Remains explores a very human battle being waged in a very digital age: the search for a love that will outlast this temporary borrowing of bones. In an era when many feel compelled to share and re-share anything about everything, prepare to feel a love so special, you will want to hug it close and make it yours forever.”

My Five Star Review:

I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled across this book or Seth King but I am forever changed. Real, true emotions were leaking out of every sentence he wrote and some of those sentences were 20 miles long. But isn’t that how we feel sometimes when our emotions are stuck inside of us trying to get out and when they finally do, it’s a long drawn out exhale. I read this book in one sitting because I could NOT put it down. I will admit, it started a bit slow for me. I don’t usually read rip-your-heart-out, use-an-entire-box-of-tissues kind of books but once I started learning about these two young people, I was hooked. Part 2, of the book titled, Cooper Rising just about killed me. It was extremely hard to read through all the tears running down my face. All I wanted to do was jump into the book, grab Cooper, and hold him forever. These two characters, Summer and Cooper, in my eyes, saved each other and fell so deeply in love it was amazing to read. One of my favorite things about the book was all the song lyrics, which Seth King wrote himself, and the individual quotes from the lyrics throughout the book.

Anyone who really knows me knows, I try to stay away from the really emotional books, which is why it took me forever to read, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. And the only reason I did was because my 14 year old daughter, Katie, begged me to. The Summer Remains was an emotional roller coaster as well but it was NOT a book about Cancer. *winks at Summer* I think I need to turn the tables on my daughter and beg her to read this book.

I would highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more by Seth King.

I leave you with one last thought and my favorite quote from Cooper:

“Life is brief but love is long. Somewhere between anger and love is an ocean of eternal tranquility. It is there that I will see you again.”

Thank you Cooper and Thank YOU, Seth.