Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss? 

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive.... 

Not your typical beach read. -via Goodreads

The Review

I'll start off by saying that Hannah is one of my favorite authors right now. I've only read Gone, Gone, Gone and Invincible Summer but I loved them. They both touched my heart and gave me a lot to think about. I'm excited to get Break soon, and read Zombie Tag!

Back to Invincible Summer. I adored the characters. We only got to see them for the summers but I felt like they showed their true selves when they came "home" to the beach house. It was kind of hard for me to relate to Chase because I'm an only child and he has a really strong bond with his older brother, Noah. So at first it was a little hard to get into the story, but once I did, I was completely absorbed in the family drama of the McGills. Once the strain between his parents was thrown into the mix, I could relate and it made me upset when [highlight for spoiler ->] their parents did get divorced. They were ripping the kids apart when they were so attached to one another. But, it reminded me, things like this can't be controlled. It also scared the s$%# outta me, too considering how my parents are at times.

Ah, then there's Chase's struggle with growing up. I can't express how awesome this was: 

    "Camus-boy, you're always going to be the same you, just older. It's not like there's a moment when you wake up and go, Shit, I'm grown-up, I don't feel like myself anymore."

    I don't tell him, but this is the scariest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life. Being grown-up should feel like a big transition. It can't be something that, despite my best efforts, I've been drifting closer and closer to every summer. It needs to be a shock. I need to know what point to stop holding on. And that moment will suck, and probably every moment after that will suck, but at least I'll know that everything that came before really was valid. I really was young and innocent. I wasn't fooling myself. 

Every person on Earth must have had these thoughts at one point or another, I'm not even exaggerating. I still haven't had the revelation that, yes, I'm going to feel like the same person when I'm all "grown-up". I'm scared, scared as Chase. And I want to remember my innocence, too.

The beach descriptions, they reminded me of all the times my family came down and we stayed in a hotel on the beach. Everything was so perfect, I felt like I was there again. It made me want to jump in the car and pay the ocean a visit. 


This book is not predictable. It adds a whole new level to real. We don't know how people are going to take things. We can't group all boys into one bunch! Each character was unique and authentic. Chase isn't your typical teenager, so what? What is a typical teenage boy? One who blows off his responsibilities, doesn't have any feelings, and can't have a heart to heart with their siblings? I read a few reviews touching on the fact that he doesn't act "normal". What??? He's an individual. All male characters can't be the same. I loved him for not being that typical teenage boy. 


In conclusion, I'd like to say that Invincible Summer is not your typical read. There's so many places this book goes. It's profound. Be prepared with some tissues and this is not a light, fluffy read you're going to blow through, don't be fooled by the cover. 

4/5 stars