Review: Summer's Kiss (The Boys of Ocean's Beach Series Book 1) by Angel Lawson

Summer's Kiss by Angel Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Richly Intelligent NA RH

I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This is the first book in the series and could almost work as a standalone as there isn’t a huge cliffhanger.

Summer has just turned 18 and her life has taken a swerve off course. She was supposed to spending most of the Summer in France with her friends and boyfriend but her breakup means she feels she can’t go as it would mean forcing them together, something she can’t face. Instead of France, she is going with her mother to Ocean Beach, staying in an Airstream in a trailer park.

Summer’s mother is a writer, who writes true crime books. She wants to write about a serial killer who was local to Ocean Beach and has gone there to do interviews and in-person research in local archives. It’s not the first time Summer has been her research assistant, so her mother doesn’t object to the change in plans. She knows something is wrong but doesn’t push it as that is not the kind of relationship the two have.

When they arrive in Ocean Beach Summer finds out that there is more to her mother’s selection of location and murderer than she realised as her mother is more familiar with the place than Summer knew. During the course of her stay, she finds out more about her mother than she realised there was to find. She also makes new friends, which surprises her as she doesn’t find this easy normally.

This is a story about self-discovery as Summer finds out about her family’s history and her need for a happy life. She learns to connect with her mother and how to become part of a tight-knit group of friends. It’s incredibly well written, with a subtle unravelling of the story and though there were no great surprises during the revelation sections it was interesting in a different way.

The secrets simply provided a framework for the characters to be revealed layer by layer during the course of the book. Though a lot was revealed I still feel like there is much more to learn about the characters which is why I’m happy this is the first book in a series.

I really liked that Summer may have made stupid decisions but she understands that and wants to work on making changes in her life in a sensible way. She’s open to new experiences and doesn’t judge herself for the way she moves forward in life. She’s got a good head on her shoulders for an 18-year-old, which is explained well. She’s not been traumatised by her childhood but she has been shaped by it.

The other characters in the book, including her mother, are equally interesting. They are all well rounded and have interesting backstories that are not fully revealed but give an impression of them being fully formed characters who can be slowly revealed in the same way Summer’s story has been in this book.

The place of Ocean Beach is obviously central to the story of the book, but it also stands as unique as one of the author’s characters. She conveys the magic of a coastal small town, where life is spent on the beach and water, with a deft and elegant hand. I’ve never been somewhere like Ocean Beach, but I can still visualise it and all its nuances. The place shapes the story as much as the people.

I really enjoyed this intelligently and warmly written book. The author obviously loves her characters as her respect and warmth shine from the pages. It’s rare to find a writer who invests so much in all her characters, not just the main ones. I always like it when I find writers like that and can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

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