Book Review: Every Summer After and He's Still Falling for You

“You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” Sam says to Percy as they sit on the small motorboat 12 years after their split in the book “Every Summer After.” Readers are suddenly hit with the realization that Sam never truly stopped loving Percy.

The teen romance book, “Every Summer After,” displays a heart-wrenching story of two teenagers falling in love, but abruptly forced apart by a secret, changing the course of their story.

Romance books are everywhere and are a popular choice among Aurora’s student body; however, it can be hard to find one that speaks to you. This book did just that for me, and I am positive it will for you.

In the book, the main character, Persephone, develops from a teenager to an adult. Throughout her teenage years, she meets her best friend, Sam, at her summer cottage, where they build a close relationship. Percy and Sam become glued to each other’s hips despite their profound differences.

Percy is into horror movies, swimming, making friendship bracelets, and writing fictional stories, while Sam is into studying, playing video games, running, and reading medical books in preparation for his dream of being a heart surgeon. They support each other's dreams with Sam reviewing and critiquing Percy’s stories, and Percy supporting or at least trying to support Sam’s studying. 

Hanging out on the dock all day behind their houses was their favorite thing to do. They swam in the lake, took Sam’s boat out for ice cream, and did somersaults off his raft.

As they spent more time together and got older and more mature, they started developing feelings for each other. Soon enough, one thing led to another, and Percy and Sam fell in love.

They are head over heels with each other for a moment until a secret from Percy breaks off their relationship and separates them for many years. 

A decade goes by before they speak to each other again, reunited with shocking and unfortunate news. Regardless of their years apart, their love has not vanished in the slightest. As forgiving as Sam is, the readers wonder if he will ever forgive Percy for her past mistakes. 

After reading this book, I can confidently conclude that this book is anything but boring. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what Percy did to break up their fairytale love story.

As someone who is also not a huge fan of romantic novels, this book did in fact interest me, making me root for a fictional relationship and crossing my fingers that they would find their way back to each other. 

I recommend you give this book a chance and allow it to take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. On some days, you’ll feel sorry for Percy and may even be able to relate to her messiness as I did. On other occasions, Sam will win you over with his soft words and generous heart. Either way, it’s the perfect summer read!

So pick up this book from your local library or order it from Amazon and find out for yourself the question that kept me up until 2 AM reading: Will Sam and Percy try to rekindle their relationship, or will they blow it out like a sparked flame?

By: Anna Grummitt