Review: I'm in love with a book...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 10, 2014
Counting down to the new millennium, Tammy Maskala is hitting the road with her group of friends, leaving their sleepy Australian town behind and heading for the ultimate New Year’s bash at Point Shank.  Maybe.Feeling a little like an outsider among her friends, all cute couples and outgoing fun, she hesitates to join them, waiting so long to decide that they’ve already left without her.  Fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately — Chris planned on driving out later, so Tammy’s only choice if she plans on spending the holiday with her friends is to hitch a ride with the moody, always-serious bartender whose icy glares she usually scurries to avoid.But the next few days in the van with Chris don’t turn out nearly like she thought they would.  Their silences are actually comfortable, their conversations playful, and when he smiles…  Neither being much for long-winded confessions or wearing their hearts on their sleeves, the trip quickly becomes one of growing attraction, second-guessing, and a New Years Eve that none of them will ever forget.The Verdict...I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved every second of this book!  Remember what summer used to be like?  That time of year when everything was bright and filled with the promise of adventure, when little else mattered except friendships and secrets and whether your bikini would turn just the right boy’s head?  Put that magic into words, and you’ve got That One Summer.Author C.J. Duggan perfectly captures that incredible time during young adulthood when life is simple and romance is as complicated as young hearts can make it.  The quiet, moody Chris hides a sensitive, considerate side, more romantic with his simple words than a trail of rose petals could ever be.“You know that nice for me means ‘absolutely beautiful’, right?”Tammy, like any girl her age, doesn’t quite know how to read him, her insecurities and over-analytical nature causing her to question everything.  But for all his mixed signals and apparent hesitation to push things too far, sometimes he says exactly the right thing.I stared up at him, my mind whirring in maddening circles, fearing to hope.“What are you saying?” I whispered.He pulled me closer, circling his arms around my waist. “What I’m saying is I want to go to the ends of the Earth with you.”If you’ve ever wanted to revisit summer, go back in time, return to that place in memory where life was simple and love was just a few breaths away, you absolutely must read this book.  A simple story of love and friendship, every detail is placed perfectly in That One Summer, and you’ll be swooning over Chris in no time at all.  He’s that quietly beautiful guy we all secretly stared at once upon a time.  That One Summer is a fun, simple romance you’re sure to fall in love with.