Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl - which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. He was born and raised in Southern California. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. What could possibly go wrong? Frank Li has two names. I don't want to spoil anything, but I must have sobbed for 20 minutes at the end."ĭescription from Bookshop: "Two friends. "It's about a teenage boy who struggles with his relationship with his father. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance with family, with friends, and with love." As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they're more aware than ever that they're battling a ticking clock. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend - and he's much cuter at 17 than he was at 12.
And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven't actually gone anywhere. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. Then, Taylor's dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
"I knew it would at least be a little sad, but I didn't expect the ending to make me cry uncontrollably and truly feel like I was there with the characters."ĭescription from Bookshop: "Taylor Edwards' family might not be the closest-knit - everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled - but for the most part, they get along just fine.