Review: The Summer Before

The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been years since I've read a BSC book, and this one brought it all back. It takes place the summer before the original series began, and it explains how the BSC almost never became a club because of all the dynamic shifts with the friendships of Mary Anne, Claudia and Kristy. It also introduces Stacey into the mix, even though she's not yet a friend of the rest of the group.

I don't think the BSC series necessarily needed this prequel, but I found it interesting as I already started reading book #1 that this whole book is summed up in one long paragraph in the first chapter, like the story had already been written thirty years ago, just not published until 2010. And I found it really interesting that the book is careful not to give away any clues as to what year it really takes place in, keeping the series just as timeless as it has been.

Personally, I would have liked to see a fast forward instead of a prequel, because I cannot imagine what all of these characters are doing as adults, and I would be interested in finding out.

View all my reviews