two of the best feelings in the world: 1. being a teenager on the first day of your 6 week-summer break with nothing to do and no responsibilities 2. reading a book in one sitting, ignoring all your responsibilities :') this book really did something for me. i read it in one go and that was almost like a small holiday! the story is really simple: a family takes the same vacation every year, then one year is joined by two boys, and everyone falls in love with one of them. the twist with this book though: we don't know the gender (& name) of the narrator! i've never read a book like that, and it's an interesting experiment. we think about gender so much, we put people into neat boxes because of it a lot of the time, and reading this, i sometimes didn't know what to do with the main character. though i had a very solid image of them while reading, even without being told their gender - but then i also found myself looking for clues within the story, thinking the author must be leaning in a certain direction....right? well, it's up you how you want to read this story. there's no right or wrong way to read it - although i feel confident in my interpretation! other things about this book that should be noted: its gorgeous writing, complex family dynamics, how it looks at relationships & power, and the perfect summer mood it puts you in. i recommend reading it in one sitting on a too-grey summer afternoon!