Author: Katherine Grace Bond
Source: Copy provided for an honest review. All thoughts are honest and have in no way been persuaded by anyone.
Published: August 2012
Synopsis & Cover:
This was the summer that would change my life.
No more being what everyone expected. No more doing what everyone else wanted.
So when Luke came into my life, I decided to keep him a secret. Maybe he as a dead-ringer for notorious Hollywood bad boy Trent Yves. And it was possible that everything he told me was a lie. And yes, I was probably asking for trouble. But all I saw was Luke–sweet, funny, caring–someone who would let me be the real me.
But which was the real him?
Thoughts:
I remember seeing a lot about this book last summer when it was released, but I never got a chance to get it and read it. I was happy to see a tour for it this summer to give it a new life! I jumped at the opportunity.
Brigitta is our main character. She lives in the middle of nowhere on the west coast. She doesn't attend school, as she is "homeschooled" by her mother. She tried her local high school for one year, but did not like it. At all!
She is a very different girl. With her parents and their free-spirited ways, she really has no other choice. They've let her and her sister, Mallory, live their lives how they've wanted. They could attend public school if they wished. They had the right to choose their own religion and more along these lines.
Brigitta's best friend, Natalie, has Hollywood fever! She thinks she sees stars all of the time in their sleepy little town. Brigitta plays clueless and acts as if she has no idea who these people are, all while hiding her gossip magazines and running a gossip blog.
Brigitta has a sort-of-kind-of boyfriend/ex-boyfriend/best friend with a boy named Devon. Devon's a dufus! I'll just leave it at that. :) The highlight of their relationship for me was that they participated in NaNoWriMo! That's a fun shout-out to the writing world.
In walks the new neighbor, Luke. Luke has an uncanny resemblance to the movie star, Trent Yves (pronounced Eve). They bond after a cougar nearly ate Luke. After word got out about the cougar, it was hunted and killed. Come to find out, the cougar had a couple of cubs close by. Brigitta and Luke decided to take care of them since they felt responsible for their mother being killed.
Luke pulls a lot of vanishing acts and they frustrate Brigitta. Essentially, that's what the whole book is: Brigitta and Luke hanging out and then Luke disappearing and Brigitta trying to figure out where he's going and if he's really Trent Yves. I couldn't decide if I liked Luke or not! Alas, I will let you read and find out on your own about Luke and Trent and what happens with Brigitta.
I felt that I understood Brigitta, Mallory, Natalie, and even Brigitta's parents. These characters were written really well and given their own identities that were easily distinguished. Overall, Katherine told a good story.
Rating:
Katherine Grace Bond is the author of THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS (Sourcebooks, 2012) and of
Extra News:
If you liked The Summer of No Regrets, you will like Luke’s Journal, where Luke gets to have his say. Where did he go the times he disappeared? What was he really going through at home? The book is available as a .99 download from July 18-29. 
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is new to me, but it sounds like a pretty good one. Glad you enjoyed it. :) Great review.
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