The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: YA Coming of Age

Book Description:  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.



My thoughts: Bitter-sweet would be a good description for this book. Avery and Kayla are teens who have serious issues to work through. They are very different personalities with insecurities and preconceived notions of who they are and their place in society.

This book deals with some hard emotional issues. The girls learn and grow, they also learn respect and the value of someone who is different from them. I think in they end they realize that they aren't as different as they first thought.

The book is a coming of age story. It is emotionally driven. I appreciated the growth and learning of the two girls. They dealt with the grief of a secret that had been kept from both of them very differently, but both reactions were realistic.

I would consider this clean, but because of the emotional impact I would say that it is suitable for a more mature reader.

This book will be released on April 10th.  Pre-order your copy today!

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About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads)  Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois. 

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