Be True to Me

Kids!!  I read story set on Fire Island while I was at the beach in SC and it was amazing.  It's been on my To Read list since last summer, when my favorite blogger Jen Hubert at Reading Rants recommended it!  I knew I wanted to wait until summer to read it, so I kept it until this summer.

It is GREAT!  I recently watched Thoroughbreds...and though this book is no where near the same...The movie is a crazy murder movie and the book is about summer romance and a love triangle...the vibe is still the same...sort of.  Anyway, strange comparison aside.  This is a compelling read.

First, I love the setting.  Fire Island, NY in 1976, during the Bicentennial.  I found it incredible refreshing to travel to the seventies.  I loved the details Griffin included about music, politics, culture, and style.  Most, I really liked being in the 70s where there are NO CELL PHONES!!  I don't know...maybe it's silly but I even enjoyed a break from phones while reading.

The good thing is that the setting, while cool, isn't what really drives the novel.  It's the two different perspectives of the two main characters, Jean and Fritz.  Jean is from a wealthy family who summers in Sunken Haven every year.  She always lives in the shadow of her beautiful and perfect sister, Daphne.  This year, however, Jean is excited because Daphne will be in Europe and out of the way.  Jean can have her own summer.  One that she would like to spend with Gil Burke, who she met in the city before heading out to the island.  Gil and Jean shared an amazing New York night together, so she is ready to find him and share an even more amazing summer with him in Sunken Haven.

But, Gil sees Fritz O'Neill when he first arrives.  Fritz, who is a military kid, isn't from the same background as the old wealthy families, but she comes each summer to be with her friend who summers there, too.  Fritz is wild and cool and unlike any of the other girls.

Gil is stuck between Jean and Fritz, who both want and love him.  The book is set in three acts that build to an epic conclusion.  I loved this book because it was romance and thrilling.  The book deals with crushes and first love and first times.  The setting and characters are complex and engaging.  Each person has their own background that really affects how they feel about an interact with the others.  I feel for all of them, even when they are at their worse.  Loved it and excited to read Griffin's new books Tell Me No Lies soon.