(Review) The Summer I Wasn't Me

The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Pages: 346 (paperback) 

Genre: Young Adult 

My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: Lexi has a secret.

She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she's afraid that what's left of her family is going to fall apart for good.

Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and there's nothing she wants more than to start over.

But sometimes love has its own path...

My Review: 

This was my second book by Jessica Verdi, but definitely not my favorite. I had the privilege of reading What You Left Behind as an ARC and loved it. This one was kind of difficult for me to love. 

I guess it all begins when Lexi's father dies and her mother finds out she's gay. To appease her mother and save their relationship Lexi agrees to go to New Horizons, a summer camp that is supposed to "fix" her. 

We immediately meet a myriad of characters that become like Lexi's family while she's at New Horizons. Outspoken Matthew, shy Daniel, and beautiful Carolyn. 

The methods at New Horizons are, well, strange. The camp is incredibly religious and uses a lot of unconventional therapy to help their campers "move on" from their problem with same sex attraction. 

There are, of course, those campers that want to revolt against the ways of New Horizons. The relationship that grows between Lexi and Carolyn goes against what the camp is trying to do, but at the same time they can't deny who they are and what they want. I liked that part of the story a lot. Lexi and Carolyn bond over a book and their notes are sweet and innocent. 

Toward the end of the book drama ensues and that's where I get a little lost. What happens is terrible and is pretty much swept under the rug by most of the adults and the kids in the book. It was disturbing to read and even more so that nothing was really done about it. 

The ending wrapped things up, but there was still the lacking of judgement that bothered me. Not a bad read, though.