Review of Torrid Summer
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Review of Torrid Summer
Torrid Summer by Martha Miller is a coming-of-age novel with a dash of murder mystery that follows 18-year-old Jeannie as she deals with life, love, and sexuality. At her young age, Jeannie has been through a lot. Her mother walked out on Jeannie and her father when she was ten years old, while her father was murdered five years later. Jeannie has learned to cope with life with the help of her grandmother and girlfriend, Legs.
However, Jeannie is heartbroken all over again when Legs tells her she has to move away. Jeannie decides to go to her mom in Florida for the summer to get away from everything and perhaps mend their relationship. While there, Jeannie learns more about herself while landing smack dab in the middle of a series of murders by a killer haunting the patrons of a gay bar.
Torrid Summer by Martha Miller is a beautifully written novel. I loved the relationship Jeannie had with her grandmother. I initially found the book to be more of an LGBT education than a murder mystery and wanted an equal mix of both themes. However, as I read on, I understood that sexuality (and all its ramifications) plays a big part when writing about teenage angst, and Miller handles these themes expertly in this coming-of-age novel. With Jeannie’s complicated relationship with her mother, the book bears similarities to—and can easily be in the same league as—Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. I can see it being made into a movie.
I wish I’d first read the preceding book, Me Inside, which is about Jeannie’s life with her father before and after he was murdered. However, this didn’t affect my reading experience in any way, and Torrid Summer is immensely enjoyable as a standalone. I have nothing to criticize about this book. It was also perfectly edited, as I found no errors. As a result, I happily rate Torrid Summer by Martha Miller 5 out of 5 stars.
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Torrid Summer
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