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Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Summers After by Kara DeMaio continues the emotional journey begun in Summers Away, exploring the lingering trauma of loss through the eyes of Ayla, a young woman still reeling from her best friend Tate’s murder. Two years later, she finds herself numbing the pain with alcohol, straining her relationship with her boyfriend Jase, who is haunted by his mother’s addiction. As Ayla spirals and Jase wrestles with whether to stay or let go, the novel offers a deeply empathetic look at grief, recovery, and the fragile bonds that tie people together. DeMaio doesn’t shy away from the painful side of healing, delivering a raw, honest portrait of love, pain, and the choices that shape us.
Author Kara DeMaio's sequel flows naturally, picking up in an intense moment of pain right from the opening of a truly cathartic journey. DeMaio has a way of narrating characters that gets to their core very quickly, through telling dialogue and sharp, emotive descriptions of thoughts and actions that capture all the messy truths of trauma with striking authenticity. For a young adult novel, this one certainly pulls no punches, taking a mature approach to strong emotions that respects the intensity with which young people can feel them and giving a courageous and unflinching portrayal of grief, addiction, and healing from their perspective. Ayla and Jase are so relatable and real that they feel like friends whom readers want to help through difficult times, and that makes for an emotionally intense and beautifully written read. Overall, Summers After is a thoughtful continuation that delves deeper into the aftershock of loss that I would certainly recommend to fans of the first book. I recommend the series, in general, to fans of emotive and realistic dramas.
