There’s something about First Summer that feels perfectly attuned to this time of year, especially being blessed with this recent sunshine – longer, hazy days and the quiet intensity of becoming pending...
At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story exploring loneliness, identity, and the soft, complicated edges of first love. When Clara arrives for the summer, the narrator finds a kind of connection she hasn’t felt before, one that slowly unfolds through shared afternoons, conversations, and that particular closeness that exists just before you have the language for what you’re feeling.
The story is interwoven with chapters from a fictional sci-fi series loved by the girls, which adds an interesting layer to the narrative. While these sections didn’t always feel as immersive as the central storyline for me, I could see what they were reaching for, reflecting the girls’ inner worlds and the way stories help us make sense of new feelings.
It’s a reflective, slightly dreamy read, and one that leans into atmosphere over plot. I think for some readers, that will be exactly its strength, a soft, nostalgic exploration of a formative summer and the kind of love that quietly shapes who we become.
While it didn’t fully stay with me in the way I’d hoped, there’s a gentleness to this book that feels well-suited as we edge into summer reading season.
If you’re drawn to coming-of-age stories that centre emotion, memory, and the tenderness of first connections, particularly through a queer lens this is a thoughtful one to add to your TBR when it comes out this month.
Written by
Amy @inkwells_bookshelf
A thirty-something, bookish, gingham-and-gaudy-mug-obsessed girl - and a firm believer that the best stories are read under a cosy duvet, with a strong coffee and a sleepy dog at your feet.
