Book Review: A Girl Named Summer by Julie Garwood

I'm finally catching up on my book reviews, yay!

I joined NetGalley earlier this summer. NetGalley is a book site where reviewers can request electronic copies of books and review them. Let's be honest: I've got plenty of books on my shelf. What's nice about NetGalley's books is that they're e-books, and I always need more books to read on the go.

One of the first books I requested, and was approved for, was Julie Garwood's A Girl Named Summer. Here's the Goodreads description:

Julie Garwood's tales always sparkle with the magic that comes from falling in love. Now her talent shines brighter than ever in an unforgettable tale about young love meant especially for younger readers.
Summer never meant to lie. She just wanted to keep the most perfect guy she ever met interested in her. She had been surprised when David began hanging out with her every day...and dizzy with happiness when he kissed her. David seemed to like her unconventional Irish family, even her eccentric Grandpa. Everything was going great -- until Ann entered the picture. She collected boys like trophies. How could Summer compete with someone like that?
Before she knew it, Summer was boasting to David about her passion for long-distance running. She never dreamed he'd enter them in a six-mile race. Summer dreaded the moment when he would discover the truth: she couldn't run six blocks. And the flirtatious Ann was already working on David. Then Summer's Grandpa came up with a plan that was just crazy enough to save the day....

This sounds like a good read, and I've always loved Julie Garwood's novels. But this one, originally published back in 1986, is not the caliber of novel I've come to expect from Garwood. The main character, Summer, is a likeable high school student with a crush. She'll do everything--including exaggerate the truth--to have the boy, David, like her in return. We've all been there. From that aspect, this is a very relateable story. However, there was really no substance to it. When it ended, I just kept thinking "that's it? What was the message of this story?" It was not super entertaining, had no moral to the story, and was flat out disappointing. This story will cause me to rethink picking up any of Julie Garwood's novels in the future.

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Girl Named Summer by Julie Garwood
Rating: 2/5         
Pages: 176          
Page Goal: 13,472/15,000