Summer and July by Paul Mosier (review)

Twelve-year-old goth kid Juillet has been dragged away by her doctor mom for a month-long residency in southern California. Juillet is terrified of sharks, the ocean, and the thought that she won’t be able to repair things with her best friend Fern, and it doesn’t help that Mom is always at the hospital and Dad has recently run out on them and found a supermodel girlfriend. Then a chance encounter pulls Juillet into the kind of lifechanging adventure her mom had hoped she might have: she meets local surfer girl Summer, her seeming opposite, and their friendship slowly allows Juillet to overcome her fears and both girls =to heal from their respective traumas. This novel is as much a love letter to California as it is a fish-out-of-water, new-friendship-or-budding-romance tale. Rife with surfer lingo and mini lessons on boogie boarding and yoga, Juillet’s narration is frequently an easygoing masterclass on learning to surf as much as a story. Juillet is often mercurial, and Mosier doesn’t shy away from preteen outbursts and lashing out at her parents during moments of insecurity. Savvy readers will be quick to notice that Juillet’s appreciation of Summer is a sign of more than platonic feelings, but the girls’ eventual kiss (and promised relationship) still feels fresh and well earned. For readers longing for escapade and sunshine, as well as those struggling with their own demons, Juillet and Summer are sure to bring companionship, understanding, and the urge to catch a few waves.