Pages: 234
Location: YA Fiction
Summary: Amy Nelson lives with her mother and tolerates her father on those very rare occasions when he calls her for five minutes or tries to see her. Basically, she's written him off and kept him out of her life, which doesn't seem to bother him one bit.
Then out of the blue, Amy gets a call from her father. He wants her to spend the summer in Israel with him so she can meet his side of the family. Of course, Amy doesn't want to go. Even though her father is Israeli and Jewish, she isn't so she doesn't want to waste the summer with a bunch of people she doesn't know.
However, after talking to a friend, Amy finally decides to take her father up on his offer. Israel is very different from Chicago, where Amy grew up. There is only one bathroom in a house full of people. Everyone has weird names. Her cousin doesn't seem to like her. It seems as though it will be a long summer.
But then Amy meets Avi. Well, she falls on him. And since he's friends with her cousin, he keeps turning up. Amy can't stand him and his arrogant attitude. She might even hate him. He's cute and every thing but...well, he's really cute...OK he's super hot, but a jerk, right? Right?
Amy's trip goes from being long and boring, to ending way too fast. Will she see Avi again? Does she really want to?
Review: This was a fun, fast read. For the most part, Amy is a really likable character. She definitely has her flaws and she can be a little too obnoxious or needlessly stubborn sometimes, but these flaws make her character seem more real and believable.
Reading about Israel was interesting, especially because had points of views from a westerner (Amy) and native Israelis (her family and their friends). The reader really does learn a lot about Israel and Israeli culture but none of it reads like a textbook or travel guide. The information is given in a natural way through conversation and observations.
And the slow building relationship between Amy and Avi will keep you flipping pages. There is definite animosity and dislike between the two at the beginning and right up to the end, even though their relationship has slowly changed, you still don't know if they are going to end up liking each other or totally hating each other.
Bottom line: If you like romance, foreign lands, and a fun, light reads then definitely check out How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles.
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