A Summer Lasts Forever
Tamar Anolic
Independently Published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8289421388
Reviewed by Stephanie Elizabeth Long for Reader Views (09/2025)
Ginny (Virginia) Edmunds is miserable after learning she will spend her summer in Bennington, Vermont, as her father has a fellowship at the local college. She desperately misses her high school friends (and her crush, who’s probably forgotten all about Ginny) back home in Harrisburg. Still, the summer isn’t a time to mope around, so Ginny vows to make the best of it. Things start looking up when she makes some friends and meets Sam at the local store. Something about his smile and his inky brown eyes intrigues Ginny.
Sam Morton wishes his dad would get off his back about the store. If he had it his way, he would get as far away from Morton Family Organic as he could and follow his passion for art. However, his father expects Sam and his brother, Ben, to carry on the generations-long legacy of taking over the family business. So much for his dreams. When Ginny comes into his store, he immediately feels a connection.
The two face similar obstacles—family drama, fractured relationships, and heartache. Will Ginny and Sam persevere or break under pressure? One thing is sure: this summer will change everything.
A Summer Lasts Forever by Tamar Anolic is a compelling young adult novel that explores the complexities of growing up. Written in the first person and alternating in perspective between Ginny and Sam, Anolic illustrates the struggles the two face. Ginny navigates a new town and the volatile relationship she has with her mother. Sam is desperate to forge his own path, which is met with much resistance from his father, whose only interests lie with the family business.
Despite being disappointed by some of Sam’s choices, the author has done an excellent job of illustrating the naivete and self-absorbed nature of many young adults. Sam’s recklessness with others’ feelings gets him into some hot water, and he learns some tough lessons. Ginny’s unwillingness to see things from her parents’ perspective, particularly her mother’s, creates friction in an already challenging situation. But that’s what transitioning from child to adult is all about—making mistakes, persevering through adversity, and self-discovery.
Readers who enjoy novels that are character-driven and explore gritty family dynamics will love A Summer Lasts Forever. The novel prompted me to reflect on my younger years, not with judgment but with curiosity, and I was transported back to those days of restlessness and hope.