I’ve always loved Judy Blume’s books for their honesty, and the way they tackle ‘taboo’ female issues. Her books speak straight to young women, and this one certainly wasn’t afraid to tackle issues head-on.
‘Summer Sisters’ is about Vix Leonard, a girl living in Santa Fe at the end of the 1970s. Her family life is hard, with a disabled brother and stressed-out Mum, and their lives are constantly burdened by their financial worries. So when Caitlin Somers, the popular, rich, mysterious girl in school, asks if she’d like to spend the summer at her family’s home in Martha’s Vineyard, Vix jumps at the chance to escape.
“All Vix could do was shrug then smile. She wondered if Caitlin heard the music, too, if music followed her wherever she went. From then on, whenever Vix heard “Dancing Queen” she was back in sixth grade on a sunny afternoon in June. The afternoon some fairy godmother waved her magic wand over Vix’s head and changed her life forever.”
Blume’s book recounts the lives of the two girls as they return to the Vineyard each summer, with Vix becoming part of the Somers family, practically being adopted by Caitlin’s crazy family.
Vix learns that, while these people are rich, this does not equate to happiness, and as she spends summer after summer on the Vineyard, she gets swept up into Caitlin’s crazy lifestyle. And then one summer everything comes to a head at a mysterious party on the beach.
The book starts when the girls are first hitting puberty, and ends with their fortieth birthday, showing the incredible progression of their lives. Blume maps each of their relationships and friendships, perfectly capturing heartbreak and disappointment along the way. Blume captures every teenage girl’s anxieties growing up, from worries about boob size, to when they will first lose their virginity.
Like in ‘Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret’ the author shows the way in which growing up is made into a competition by young girls. She speaks honestly and frankly about issues such as sex, female masturbation and orgasms, topics rarely tackled by young adult authors in such an honest way.
This was as much a story about two girls coming of age and finding out about their bodies, as it was a story of their lives. Their sexual experimentation, and the blurring of certain boundaries, also led to an interesting read about female sexuality.
I really liked the colourful characters in this book. Most characters got a little chance to narrate, except Caitlin, but it was Vix that narrated the majority of the book. Her voice was so down-to-earth and honest, and she was so easy to relate to.
While Caitlin was exciting and flighty, Vix was straight-forward, and her point of view was one which really appealed to me. I liked how she was both attracted to, and repulsed by, Caitlin and her lifestyle.
Vix benefitted from Caitlin’s rich dad and step-mum, but she always kept her head, whereas money, materialism and poor mothering led to Caitlin going off the rails. I found Caitlin difficult to like. She was intriguing in her lifestyle, and her thoughts were definitely interesting, but you could tell pretty early on that she was messed up, mainly because of her upbringing by a selfish, neglectful mother.
She had a very warped sense of relationships, love and sex, thinking love and sex should never be mixed up, leading to some unhealthy life choices.
“Why can’t you see me for what I am?” Caitlin asks. “A self-centered bitch who doesn’t give a flying fuck about anybody but herself, who takes off when the going gets tough, who lies and cheats to get what she wants… who lies to her best friend just to stay ahead of the game.”
I loved the descriptions in this book. I thought the things the girls did on the island sounded so cool, and their beach parties with Bru and Von, two hot boys living on the island, sounded so magical. The descriptions of Caitlin and her many travels were also interesting to read, and Blume definitely created a quick-paced book that kept me hooked throughout.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved its portrayal of these very real female figures, and the way in which Vix narrated her coming of age experience. Blume’s style is so easy to read. I read this book over a couple of days, while on holiday at the beach. I thought it was a fitting location to read it, seeing as a large part of the book is set on the coast! It’s the perfect Summer read.
If you want to know more about Judy Blume’s views on censorship, and the issues that are still prevalent in the publishing industry- check out this article from a few years ago.
Did you enjoy my review of ‘Summer Sisters’ by Judy Blume? Do you like Judy Blume’s young adult books, and have you tried her adult fiction? Which of her books have you read in the past?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below š
Happy reading x
Picture credits here
Not-So-Modern Girl 
Iām in the minority here of having never read a Judy Blume book! You make me want to read this one. Great review.
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I’ve read a lot of her young adult ones, as my mum loved them when she was younger, otherwise I’d probably be the same as you! I would really recommend reading either some of her young adult or adult fiction- both are brilliant, honest and really quick-paced š
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I read and liked this one as well. I also had a hard time liking Caitlin but ultimately thought Blume did a great job playing out the complexities of female friendships, especially coming of age.
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I completely agree! I think ultimately Caitlin has to be unlikeable, in order to show the complexities of her character… Glad you enjoyed it too š
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All of Judy Blume’s books are incredibly relatable and you’re right in saying that she tackles taboo issues very well. My favourite books by her, however, will always be the Fudge series. They don’t tackle any controversial issues but they’re a wonderful read.
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Thank you, I’m glad you agree! Omg, the Fudge series was my childhood- much more light-hearted, and so relatable to a crazy family lifestyle ahaha š
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I haven’t read Blume’s book. The first time I heard of her was through her testimonials of a children’s book (which was my first novel ever!).
Anyways, despite initially thinking that this will be just another average love story, it seems like he characters are deep and are portrayed really well! It’s been a while since I see a YA novel with realistic characters (though I don’t read that many YA lately.) š
Really interested in this. Awesome review!
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Ah wow, that’s lovely! YA can definitely offer some 2D characters sometimes. This book is brilliant, I would definitely recommend it š Thank you so much for your kind words š
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I haven’t read a Judy Blum novel either but this seems like a good one to start with.. Great review!
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I would really recommend it, and it’s such an easy and quick read! Thank you so much š
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I am yet to read any books by Blume but I do have a copy of this and Margaret. Your review has definitely made me want to read them soon. Fab review!
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Margaret is fantastic as well, I hope you enjoy them when you get round to then š Ah, thank you ā¤
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I read this book about a week ago. I’ve had it on my shelf for a while now, but I thought it would be perfect for a summer read – and it was! Several other bloggers/bookstagrammers have picked this up for their summer reads this month as well and I’m happy to see that it’s still making the rounds in the book world!
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I agree- perfect for a summer, reading it by the beach was lovely! Ah, I’m happy to hear that, I’d not heard of it before I read it, but I’m glad it’s getting a lot of much-deserved appreciation
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Fantastic review! I remember really enjoying ‘It’s Not The End of the World’ when I was a teenager, but I haven’t read any of her adults novel yet. I do like the sound of this one though.
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Omg I remember that one too! I think I made my way through all of Blume’s books when I was younger haha… I hope you like it if you try it š
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Hi, thank you for reviewing this book. It sounds like a really good.novel, and I would.like to read it one day.
I only read one book by Judy Blume. I think it’s called True Love or First Love or sth like that.
I always wanted to read Are You There God, its me Margaret but I never had a chance.
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Itās great, I hope you enjoy it if you do read it! All Judy Blume books that Iāve read are easy to read and brilliantly written, so Iād recommend any! Thanks for dropping by š
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This is one of my favorite books. If you haven’t read this, you are missing out on a brilliant story!
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I completely agree, thanks for dropping by š
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