Plenty of Teenage Angst in the Summer of Broken Things

Book Review: Summer of Broken Things

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Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Avery Armisted is athletic, rich, and pretty. Sixteen-year-old Kayla Butts is known as “butt-girl” at school. The two girls were friends as little kids, but that’s ancient history now. So it’s a huge surprise when Avery’s father offers to bring Kayla along on a summer trip to Spain. Avery is horrified that her father thinks he can choose her friends—and make her miss soccer camp. Kayla struggles just to imagine leaving the confines of her small town.

But in Spain, the two uncover a secret their families had hidden from both of them their entire lives. Maybe the girls can put aside their differences and work through it together. Or maybe the lies and betrayal will only push them—and their families—farther apart.

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First Sentences:

“We need to talk,” Dad says. He’s got his hand on the door to the garage when I walk into the kitchen for breakfast. He’s wearing his Important Business Deal suit, with the power tie I gave him last year for Father’s Day. (Mom picked it out. Of course she wouldn’t trust my fashion sense.) And, yes—there—he glances at his watch.

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My Thoughts:

I want to be fair. This book is meant for middle school students, which I am not. I’m rather a jaded woman in her mid-40s who happens to be raising a middle school student.

The Summer of Broken Things happens to be one of the many books that my daughter brings home from her school library every few weeks. Sometimes a book-loving mother stumbles upon said books and decides to see what they’re all about. I feel it’s important to say this upfront, because I highly believe that if I were my daughter’s age, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.

The book is written in first person, with the chapters going back and forth between the two main characters, Avery and Kayla. Avery is a 14-year-old, self-absorbed, spoiled rich kid. Kayla is a 16-year-old, shy and awkward girl from a poor working class town whose only friends are the elderly patients that inhabit the local nursing home her mother works at.

The two girls were close during their early childhood years, but ended up drifting apart as they got older. Avery’s dad, Mr. Armisted arranges a summer trip to Spain and—not only forces Avery to go on the trip — but also invites Kayla to go as well. Avery, being the self-centered teenager that she is, is furious that she has to give up soccer camp to go to Spain. She’s even more furious that Kayla has to go with her instead of her friends from school. 

The story starts off super slow. By that, I mean it’s over 80 pages into the book before they even get to Spain. The amount of chapters spent just getting through the airport and turnover flight is a little much. 

I felt the big secret that came out was over-dramatized. As soon as I read it, I thought “That’s it? What’s so bad about that?” Both Avery and Kayla take the big reveal as if it’s the dirtiest, most immoral secret in existence. Perhaps some people might think of it as taboo, but I certainly don’t. In the story’s defense, had the girls had my reaction to the news, Haddix would have failed at writing the characters to be true to their age. What teenager doesn’t make a mountain out of a molehill at some point? It’s just part of growing up. Ironically, that is the same argument the Armisteds liked to make to excuse Avery’s unacceptable behavior: “She’s only 14”.

On whether the characters are likable, Avery was bratty and just outright annoying. She comes across as a selfish, whiny drama queen throughout the entire book and I had a difficult time feeling any sympathy for her at all in her darkest hours. Kayla was much more likable, though there were several times in the story when she also made me roll my eyes and say “Seriously?” Kayla had the most character growth by the end of the story, and I admit I was proud of her for it.

I loved Dragomir and Andrei, despite the fact they didn’t get a lot story time. They were a refreshing break from all the school-girl drama when they appeared. Unsurprisingly, the character I could relate to the most was Avery’s dad, Mr. Armisted. I sincerely felt so bad for the guy from the beginning to the end. He was the one that suffered the most through the book and he was the one that got the bleakest outcome. 

Avery’s mom, Mrs. Armisted is a lot like her daughter, which shows the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in this case. A majority of the stress and heartache in this book is both a direct and indirect result of her own personal demons, and she’s only a minor character book. Overall, a majority of the characters failed to truly move me. 

The best part of the book for me was learning a little about the history of Spain. Haddix did a great job painting a clear picture of Madrid and Spanish culture. As a middle-aged adult, I did not connect with this book. If I were still a teenager, I am certain I would have liked this book a lot more.

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Favorite Quote:

“Sometimes you need to get away from people who are just living their ordinary lives. Because you don’t belong with them. Because your life is too strange. Or you need to figure out some things.”

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