This post may contain affiliated links, which means if you purchase an item I will earn commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I must have been on a reading spree this past summer with 8 books to share. We have already gone ago the first 6: here and here. Now let’s chat about the last two books. These last two books were heavy in material and required your full attention. But each one has an important lesson on life, relationships, and oneself. They make you think. Make you look back on your life and see how you have grown. Here are the last 2 books of what I read this past summer.
In the spring of 2020 the world shut down. Lara’s three daughters return home to their farm for the time being. While they spend their days picking cherries, Lara tells them the tale of her life as an actress at Tom Lake. Telling the story of how she shared the stage and a romance with the famous actor Peter Duke. It’s a tale of youth and of love. How each stage of our lives requires a new version of yourself. How young love is different from a love within marriage. Tom Lake is about relationships; with our family, friends, lovers, and ourselves.
4/5 stars
Review
I have to be honest, this book was sorta hard to get through. There were moments I couldn’t put it down, and times when it couldn’t keep my attention. I am glad I stuck with it to the end. It’s one of those books where you appreciate it more when thinking back on it than while reading it. There is so many nuances to the book to uncover; mother/daughter(s) relationship, what it means to live the life you want, and being content with living a simpler life. I found once we got into the thick of it, her time with Duke doing the play, to be the most interesting. In a way it made me wish I was there at Tom Lake as an actor or dancer with a care-free life. A tribute to our youth. But we eventually we grow up. The book really captures the essence of life. How everything strings together. How we meet people who greatly impact our lives but are not meant to stay forever. You see it with every character and in every relationship.
It’s the second semester of sophomore year and Sav Henry is still trying to figure out who is she. As a bisexual, she is starting to make friends in the LGBTQ community. Starting to feel comfortable in her own skin. That is until her childhood best friend Izzy gets engaged. The two of them used to be inseparable. Now they feel more like strangers. Especially after what happened between Sav and Izzy’s older brother. Sav has to now face the trauma she thought she buried long ago, all while trying to figure out where she fits in the queer community. Old Enough is about stepping into your true self, growing apart from friends, and being a survivor.
5/5 stars.
*trigger warning: this book deals with sexual assault.
Review
This was one of my book club picks. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel when getting into it. I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy book, but am so glad I read it. Although it deals with emotional and physical trauma, I still found it to be somewhat light hearted. There were so many great moments of laughter and fun. I loved seeing Sav open up to her new friends and becoming comfortable with herself. I thought every aspect of this book was interesting and relatable. Even though my life is so different from Sav’s, I know what it’s like to grow out of the person you once were. We all can relate to that. I can relate the pain, the grief, and the confusion of no longer being close to childhood friends. I thought her and Izzy’s relationship to be the most heartbreaking. This may be a controversial opinion but I do not think Izzy is a bad person. I think she just doesn’t fully understand this new world Sav is in. And to be in the middle between her best friend and her brother, that is a very difficult position to be in. Even if your brother is the monster. No I do not think she handled the situation well, but she was also a teenager– teens react then think. But I am glad Sav decided to step away from the friendship and not go to the wedding. It was the right thing, the healthiest thing, for her to do. I also enjoyed the conversations between Sav and her friends, and in the classroom. I know at that age I was not discussing societal norms. It was a different time. I think the book perfectly captures the young gay community in this day and age.
*Don’t forget to read part 1 and part 2 of what books I read this past summer.