Forever Summer by Jenny Oliver

Summer term and the heat is rising ...

It's summer term at Chelsea High, the most exclusive school in town! The weeks ahead are filled with glamorous events - including a variety show AND a trip to a tropical island! But a shock revelation has new girl Norah Whittaker rethinking everything she thought she knew about herself. With family, friendship and romance up in the air, studying at Chelsea High is NEVER straightforward!

---

This is the follow up to Chelsea High which published just over a year ago. In that book Norah and her mother had to leave their home when Norah's father is accused of fraud. His parents enroll Norah in super snobby, super expensive Chelsea High, kicking off the rest of the plot.

In this one, Norah's father is serving his prison sentence. Norah is dealing with her boyfriend being on another continent, the local Mean Girl still trying to take her down, and an arrogant new schoolmate, along with all the normal issues teens have. Norah goes through a lot in this book, and despite the ultra exclusive setting, it never feels less than completely relatable.

Personally, I didn't agree with a decision Norah makes right at the very end. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that while she can of course make up her own mind and do whatever (her author) wants, I would not have made that choice, and I feel vaguely disappointed in her. It's got to be a good sign when a book has me this involved, right?

If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend starting with the first one, but I definitely recommend these as fabulous novels for teenagers, and for anyone else!

Forever Summer publishes on the 8th July, 2021. I received a free copy and am writing an honest review.