Summer, in Between

Summer, in Between by Holly Cardamone (Hawkeye Publishing) PB RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781923105591

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Caterina (Cat) Kelty is a determined seventeen-year-old girl about to embark on her final year of high school. She is looking forward to spending her summer holidays studiously reading and preparing for year 12, and, as her best friends are away, this plan seems feasible. That is, until half of her school booklist doesn’t arrive, and the local heartthrob comes to help her dad with a renovation at her house. 

Despite wanting no distractions, there is never a dull moment in the Kelty household. With two younger brothers, an interfering Nonna, a dad who has hired a distractingly gorgeous apprentice, and a mother who just wants her to have fun, Cat’s summer is far from what she had planned.

Summer, in Between is a humorous young adult novel set in a small coastal town. It is suitable for readers aged 15 years and older who enjoy coming-of-age romance narratives. However, it must be noted that it contains coarse language. The book’s themes include first love, trust, family, identity, misogyny, feminism, stereotyping, and casual racism.