Perfect Summer

By: Katie Graykowski

Narrated by: Pam Dougherty

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

High school teacher Summer Ames is trapped in the nightmare morning from hell. Her alarm clock didn't go off, she accidentally backed over the rosebush her grandfather gave her grandmother right before he accepted defeat against prostate cancer, she's wearing clothes she picked up off the floor, and when she opens the door to her classroom, the lights from the TV cameras nearly blind her. She's won Teacher of the Year, but unlike the past winners, she doesn't get a new car or a Hawaiian vacation or even new school supplies, she wins an over privileged quarterback with a bright smile and questionable intentions.

Clint Grayson is an NFL quarterback in need of a reputation makeover. If he has any hope of landing a hundred million dollar endorsement deal, it will take some pretty impressive PR for the public to forget the photos of his battered and bruised ex-girlfriend. In an attempt to polish his tarnished reputation, Clint agrees to be a high school class mentor.

When these two get together all hell breaks loose.

©2013 Katie Graykowski (P)2014 Katie Graykowski

Awesome chick-lit read!!

I am going to start this review by clarifying a point in the book blurb. The hero did not beat his ex-girlfriend. Yes he is at the school to clean up his image, but he is not a batterer. This is a key thing that should have been noted in the blurb. I almost did not read it because of the way it made him seem like a domestic abuser.

I love the book!! Summer is hysterical, I was laughing out loud all the time. You would not believe all the great lines I bookmarked!! She is spunky and self deprecating in all the best ways. The banter between her and Clint is awesome!! It was a delight watching them fall in love.

There is a bonus romance her too, I love that this author gives twofers!! The supporting romance has just as much growth and depth as the main romance. I loved seeing everything come together and relationships healed.

This is a mixed narrative, which means we get several POV throughout the read. Mostly it is Summer and Clint, but we get Lily and Davis as well. This helps give insight into the intricate dynamics at play. You were also able to see both sides of the relationship with mother and daughter. You might want to hate Lily at first, but it is difficult when you get to know her.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pam Dougherty, who is delightful. Her Southern accent is spot on and a soothing melody throughout the read. I enjoyed the tone and texture of her voices, both male and female. She has a great pace in the read and delivers plenty of energy. She is definitely going on my list of narrators to watch for!! She was perfectly suited to this book and its sweet and sassy comedy.

While I was loving this book for the most part, I wasn't keen on how much Summer put herself down. She was mostly not caring about her wight, until it came to this guy. But that is the plight of curvy girls in comtempo romances.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

6 people found this helpful

Perfect Summer

Any additional comments?

Summer has won Teacher Of The Year!What is her prize,a car maybe?No,a football player who needs a boost in confidence.Listening to this audiobook and finding just whom,teaches who what was great!The narrator,Pam Dougherty, was a fab fit for this book.I now have the rest of the series in my wishlist!
I was gifted a copy through Audioblast for an honest review.

2 people found this helpful

Great Series!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would recommend this audiobook to a friend, as well as Katie Graykowski's other books. They are wonderful, humorous, and have a great story line. I loved the narrator Pam Dougherty, she is perfect for this book with her southern charm. I have listened to other books that were narrated by Pam and I just love her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really loved all of the characters, but I have say that my favorite was Summer's mother and her main/friend. They were fantastic and I loved them.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the whole book, but my favorite scene was when Summer's mom brought her maid/friend to the party and she was fussing about how itchy the dress was and cussing, i loved when Summer's mom made her pay money for saying a cuss word, and she then gave her some money and told her to hold onto it because she would be cussing a lot more before the night was over.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Non-stop laughter

Any additional comments?

I loved the book!

2 people found this helpful

More than just 'chick lit' ...

Would you listen to Perfect Summer again? Why?

I would absolutely listen to Perfect Summer again. Ms. Dougherty is the perfect narrator for books that take place in the South. She brings warmth to each of the characters in the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Perfect Summer?

When Clint made an honest from the heart gift of goodwill to one of Summer's students.

Which character – as performed by Pam Dougherty – was your favorite?

I loved Summer. I connected with the character immediately. I feel/felt the same way she did growing up and with her relationship with her mother. I understood where she was coming from. Many moments felt like they were out of my own childhood/young adulthood. She really touched me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At 11+ hours, listening to this book in one sitting maybe difficult unless you are on a long, long car ride. I broke it up into 2 1/2 days.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed Perfect Summer. I felt that Ms. Graykowski wrote an honest fictional story about body image and how it affects people. I've been thru many of the same situations that Summer had been in and I felt a connection with her. I would love to read more about Summer and Clint. A second book is needed!

2 people found this helpful

Big on romance and laughs!

Katie Graykowski delivers a great read with big romance, larger-than-life characters and plenty of laughs.
Sparks fly when heart-throb quarter back Clint Grayson is assigned to mentor the students of sassy teacher, Summer Ames. Summer is all about helping disadvantaged kids and Clint is all about helping himself to some good PR, but neither is quite what they seem on the surface. This book has plenty of yummy sexual tension and great banter between the characters.
Fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips are going to love Katie Graykowski!

4 people found this helpful

Didn't love

It was just too neatly wrapped up at the end. I thought the beginning and middle was funny and entertaining but didn't care for the end.

1 person found this helpful

Fun and flirty

It is a fun summer story with some funny moments, easy listening and a cool hero

1 person found this helpful

A bit too much for my taste.

When I first started this book I was pretty excited. Here was a heroine that was not rail thin. Summer is plus-sized, tall, intelligent, and funny. Finally, a heroine I could relate to! But then it all went downhill. She's disgusted with her body (I could relate), but within a few days she has turned it all around and her confidence is through the roof. No, I'm sorry, but the level of disgust she has with her own body would not be resolved in a few days (I should know). And the really weird subplot involving Summer's mother. I felt tricked having to read that. No where in the description is her relationship mentioned, and I really didn't care. It didn't add much to the main romance and would have been better suited to a spin-off book.

I feel like Pam Dougherty was one of the better parts of the book. She really brought a sense of humor to the book, along with more personality than was written. She was clear and her pacing was great.

A bit too much for my taste.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

1 person found this helpful

Narration ruined it for me.

This book was fine. The hot guy falls in love with the less than perfect girl, she can't believe anyone like him could love her because she's slightly overweight and there are a ton of ridiculous misunderstandings along the way. Again, the story is fine if you are in the mood for a predictable love story with some steamy scenes. What I couldn't get past from the first sentence though was the narrator, who is clearly an older woman, reading the part of 30-year-old Summer. The narrator sounds like she is in her 60s so it was really hard for me to picture Summer as a young woman. During the steamy love scenes, it really got awkward. Like your grandmother reading a dirty book out loud to you. The book would have been SO much better with a narrator the right age.

Don't get me wrong. The narrator was good, just wrong for this book. So wrong. And the fake TX accent was a little much at times too. So if you can get past that, the book is a solid 3 or 3.5.

Self deprecating Summer

This heroine hates herself so much. As a woman, I understand the mean girl inner monologue. Summer takes it to a new level. I don't think I enjoyed the 2 stories in one. I feel it took away from and also highlighted how the 2 women in this story hates themselves. I do like my heroines real but not so very self-deprecating. The narration is fine. The humor in the book is good too.

Great story

I love this author, and as this Is the start of what I consider to be a fantastic series ( wait till you get to number 3) I would say you are in for a real treat.