Fiction Fridays:Review of The Last Summer (Of You and Me) by Ann Brashares (Warning: You WILL Get Angry Reading It--in a Good Way!)

I am trying an experiment with my book reviews. I am writing a reaction to the first half of the book now, then I will write the rest when I finish. Let me know if you like this style or would rather me wait and review the whole book at the end.
PART ONE
I am about halfway done and mad as hell. The love story build up between two of the main characters, Alice and Paul, finally came to fruition only to implode because of lack of communication.
GRRR...
Maybe this bothers me so much because my husband and I struggle with communication (what couple doesn't, right?). Maybe because these twentysomethings were acting like teenagers instead of adults. Or maybe for the plain, simple truth that Ann Brashares got me INVESTED in these characters from the get go (yep, that's it).
This has become one of those books that I honestly am having trouble concentrating on anything else. I want to read the entire book RIGHT NOW, but alas, that ain't gonna pay the bills. So, instead I have to keep myself busy because I will make excuses to steal minutes (which turn into 1/2 hours) for reading "just one chapter" (yeah right!).
I have a soft spot for books about summers spent on the same beach with the same group of people, yet of course those people grow and change throughout the non-summer months. Books like The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Beach House by Jane Green (which I wrote a blog post about), or Forever by Judy Blume.
I am fascinated by these beach town tales. The small-townness, the scrutiny of everyone towards everyone else, the first loves and family dynamics. The beach house setting becomes a petri dish for self-examination because time is marked so poignantly and regularly. And the characters seem wistful of their childhoods even as they try to escape them. The ties made in these settings are so strong they both suffocate and support, allow one to grow independent yet creates unbreakable invisible ties.
PART TWO
Wow. This book took me through the entire spectrum of emotions, leaving off with anger in the middle and then total and utter heartbreak at the end (I'm talking sloppy, giant sobs and a desperate need for kleenexes). Now, I know some people might not enjoy crying when reading a book, and if that's the case, then you should NOT read this book.
For me, one measure of a good book is if it DOES make me cry. The arc of a story should mimic the range of emotions, thoughts, and experiences that happen in real life, and there are plenty of tears (and laughs!) in real life.
I read one negative review about this book when the critic claimed that Brashares told "too much" about the thoughts and feelings of the characters? Say what?! How can you know the characters too well?
Perhaps if they are boring, evil, or shallow, then yeah, why would you want to learn everything about them? But if the characters are both strong and fragile, hopeless and hopeful, stuck in the past yet surging towards the future, how can you not want to dive inside their minds and hearts and feel like you become the character?
This ability is a strength of Brashares in this novel. Your heart aches for these characters and perhaps a little for who you were as a child, teenager, and young adult. Sure, these characters are slightly
narcissistic, but if we are honest with ourselves, so are we. And yes, they are scared as hell of the future, but again, so are we.
Brace yourself for an emotional rollercoaster, and indulge in reminiscing about your first love. Vow to strengthen your own family ties and believing in yourself enough to go after what you really want, like Alice finally does.