Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It’s their getaway, their refuge. Rosie’s friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different.

The award-winning graphic novel has amazing artwork and…somewhat of a story.

As we’ve said, fifteen-ish (her age isn’t actually said) Rose and her mom and dad take a vacation to Awago Beach where she knows she can have a good time with her friend Windy. The two are older now and are curious about adult conversations.

There’s not much going on plot-wise. Rose and her family are on vacation and she needs to find things to do while her parents fight. She and Windy do stumble across some drama after they visit a convenience store and learn one of the workers may have gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

At times it was strange how they were spying on conversations, getting so invested in these kids lives, but then I remembered how nosey I was when riding the bus and can see where they’re coming from. It’s not like this lake has a lot going for it aside from a beach area. Rose and Windy use up their spare time watching R-rated horror movies and wondering how big their boobs will get.

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And yet, I was into the story. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen. It was just one summer in a young girl’s life, but I think because it was so normal and relaxing that I was invested.

Rose’s mom was having a difficult time while on vacation and I was curious to know why. I thought it was just depression, but there’s a lot more going on as you spy on her conversations through Rose as well. Hell, her mom barely leaves the house and won’t even get in the water.

Did I say how awesome the artwork is because it’s awesome. Give it that, if anything.

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Do I recommend this book? If you like stories where lots of things happen and a lesson is learned then this isn’t for you. There’s really no resolving lesson that Rose learns, but that’s okay because life doesn’t always give you one. She’s still trying to figure adolescence out and what’s right and wrong.

Yeah, I can see why some people would find this boring and it is at times. There are literally 3-4 pages of the characters just sitting in their house, not doing much, and we only know the day is going by because of the time.

Then again it is a quick read, over 300 pages, but without the dialogue and only pictures that tell you the story, it can be read in a day.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story that some people can resonate with. Don’t expect anything super exciting to happen, but if you want a simple story told from the perspective of a growing teenager, I say give it a read.