Spring Break by Katherine Applegate

book cover of   Spring Break Reunion    (Summer)  by  Katherine Applegate
Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 211
This is the sequel to the omnibus Beach Blondes, also by Katherine Applegate, and you should definitely read Beach Blondes before reading this one otherwise you will probably get confused with the majority of the plot. Also this review may contain some spoilers if you have not read Beach Blondes.
Summer Smith is traveling back down to Florida from Minnesota so she can hang out with her two best friends Diana Olan (who is also her cousin) and Maria Marquez (who likes to go by just Marquez). Summer is also meeting up with her boyfriend Seth, in the hopes that this short week of Spring Break can help rekindle their relationship, to the amount of lust and love they felt last summer.
The entire party will be spending a week on a yacht which Diana’s mom kindly borrowed from one of her friends and is lending to the girls.
On a connecting flight to Florida, Summer meets a guy named Austin Reed who jumps off the plane at the last minute, for no apparent reason. He leaves behind a book of lyrics and poems that he wrote and Summer jumps off the plane too, to go find him. By the time Summer has found Austin her flight has already taken off (with all her luggage on board) and she is stuck at the airport with Austin until later that night, which is when she can get another flight. 
Austin suggests they go to DisneyWorld instead of waiting in the airport and Summer reluctantly agrees. This is where I start to question Summer’s judgement. Wandering off to DisneyWorld with a guy just because he’s cute? That’s seems a little sketchy, and something someone with a lot of sense would NEVER do. Also, he pays for her ticket; what a gentleman. But DisneyWorld tickets are expensive, so that’s a little unbelievable too. Not to mention getting a cab to DisneyWorld and back to the airport? Austin must be very rich if he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart for Summer, but I digress.
The couple, who is not really a couple, has fun at DisneyWorld and they exchange a kiss, which Summer feels she simply cannot resist, even though, again, a girl with a lot more sense would say no firmly and declare that she has a boyfriend. Although, in Summer’s defense she did say that a few times and Austin kept coming on to her, however if a strange man you just met could not understand what “no” meant then I’d be hightailing it out of DisneyWorld back to the airport if I were her. 
Once the troublesome twosome come back to the airport they land in Florida and take a cab to the marina where the yacht it docked. No where in the story is there a discussion about picking up the luggage, or luggage being lost, which would have been my number one priority. It all seemed a little to easy and perfect if you asked me. 
Summer, of course, insists that Austin stay on the boat with her and Diana (because Marquez has run away in the meantime to God knows where) and he agrees. Beats staying in a motel which was his original plan. However, that night he tries to kill himself and Summer miraculously saves him (from drowning) and brings him back to the yacht and finally asks him what is wrong. Austin confesses that his father has Huntington’s; a genetic disease which slowly kills the person it affects. Austin is also unsure if he has the disease himself and is supposed to be tested for it during his time in Florida but is too scared; he’s also too scared to visit his dad in the hospital. All very understandable, and Summer soothes him by letting him sleep in her bed. 
What. What the heck. Summer you have a boyfriend! 
Then the plot thickens, and her boyfriend Seth shows up a day earlier than he was supposed to and almost catches the two of them in bed together but Diana saves the day and pretends that Austin is HER boyfriend, even though Austin makes it extremely obvious to everyone, except apparently Seth, that he is in love with Summer.
After a few days Summer tells Austin he has to leave the yacht and never come back. Before that though she goes to the hospital with Austin to visit his dad, which is very kind of her. Austin becomes too close to her again and she demands that he leave. Conveniently, Seth see’s the pair making out in a parking lot and mopes, cries, and accuses Summer of cheating. Seth is sort of a hypocrite though because last Christmas he got stuck in a truck with Diana and was making out with HER. Although Seth never tells Summer this. 
By this point I was rubbing my hands together manically and producing evil laughter with all the twists and turns these teens were taking.
The rest of the story…well you’ll have to read that on your own to figure out what happens next. Although it is a little predictable. I do love this book, it’s just a little too perfect and predictable sometimes. It’s one of those guilty pleasure books for me and I can not wait to read Tan Lines which is the next omnibus in the series. 
See you soon!
Paige

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