This novel was the first published by Sarah Dessen, and it shows. Over the last decade, her writing has undoubtedly improved. That’s not to say the book isn’t good, and it is most definitely in Dessen’s style. The summer she writes about hones in on the time in Haven’s life when she has no choice but to grow up. She finds herself becoming a moody teenager. It’s interesting to see the turning point in a teen girl’s life pinned down so exactly. Looking back on my teenage years, I don’t think I could point to a specific time when I suddenly felt like a teenage girl as opposed to a child. Dessen does a fantastic job at getting her readers to think about things like that though, and her characters are so easy to empathize with. It makes for great reading.