Sunday 2 August 2015

The Boys of Summer (Summer #1) by C.J. Duggan


Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.


Kindle Edition, 321 pages
Published December 17th 2012

Terri's Thoughts

As a blogger I often discover authors that I say I would like to discover more of their work.  One of the pitfalls of being a blogger is that I have so many books lined up to read that this often turns out to be lip service and I don't have time to go back and read the other works.  I am going to try to correct this and read and offer up my thoughts on the Summer series by C.J. Duggan.  The reason behind this is that I am anxiously awaiting her next installment of her Paradise series and want to get a good fix while I wait.  I am going to do my best to review the entire Summer series over the next little while.  Since I do have some other commitments my reviews may not be consecutive however I am committing to myself that the series will be completed within the next month.

How appropriate to be reading a story that occurs during summer break when I am curled up in thirty plus degree weather, sunglasses and SPF on hand and a nice cold bevy.  The timing was completely appropriate for this read.  Although it is currently July as I read this and the story takes place in December, after all it is Australia and it is their summertime.  Needless to say my frame of mind was just right.

I have to say that Duggan has a way of capturing the attraction between two characters.  The unspoken chemistry between Tess and Toby was riveting.  In particular the way she captured Toby had me in love instantly.  The way just a look from him could make Tess swoon (and myself as a result) was so subtle yet so impactful.  It made me recall the days of when a look from a boy I liked used to keep me going for days. It also reminded me of all of the insecurities that come with young love and attraction.  It kept me glued to the pages.

I also liked how Tess grew as a person throughout the story.  She went from being a shy wallflower to blossoming in to her own and embracing who she was as a person.  I literally laughed out loud in many parts when her personality would shine through.  The banter between Tess and Toby, and Tess and all of the Onslow boys in fact was priceless.

This is a story about summer fun, sun and water, summer love and first love.  I do not think there is a better formula for a good summer read.  Yes the age difference between Tess and Toby was a little awkward for me at first but I got over it quickly.  I loved the fact that there is a story remaining in all of the characters, particularly the Onslow boys.

Since this is a series I expect to hear more about some of these secondary characters.  I have not read ahead to see who stars in the subsequent editions however I really look forward to it.  I was particularly drawn to Sean and I hope there is a story featuring him.

I look forward to the next book and I already have it purchased, downloaded an ready to go.  I think I have found a new author to enjoy!



About the Author

C.J Duggan is an Internationally Number One Best Selling Author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia. When she isn't writing books about swoony boys and 90's pop culture you will find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos. The Boys of Summer is Book One in her highly successful New Adult Romance Series.
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