If you’re looking for a book that basically feels like summer, from the laid-back days to the descriptions of relaxing on the beach and pretty much living in a swimsuit to playlists of obscure but fun music and songs referenced throughout the book, then I suggest you pick up my current favorite YA book These Bodies Between Us. This book has a lot going on and although it’s not chaotic, all of the young characters do have something they’re working through and some of it is kind of big. Callie seems to be falling for a boy she’s had her eye on for quite a while, but they’re taking things slow while Talia has some serious boyfriend drama taking her attention. Cleo is just trying to be a good friend juggling it all and inviting her shy friend, Polly, from back home along to the beach for the summer, where three easily becoming four. The first three girls have their summer routines memorized and it doesn’t take long for Polly to fit right in since the roller-skating rink where the original girls have worked at every summer in high school can always use an extra hand and the beach is their go-to hangout spot when they’re not working. 

It starts when Cleo brings up something wild that she discovered online. Weird videos of teenage girls practicing some sort of meditation or ritual that eventually turns them invisible. Cleo thinks it sounds like the perfect summer project for this year, a goal they can all get behind and have some fun with. Talia and Callie aren’t quite on board yet, but they have no solid arguments against it, and Polly seems to be interested in the idea, so one night after their shift is over at the skating rink, they all roller skate down to the ocean. 

Callie seemed like the one most wary to give the invisibility thing a try, but it’s clear she’s trying to be supportive of her friend’s idea even though she has some major doubts.  And somehow, it works! All of the girls are amazed and pretty pleased with themselves, but what seems to worry Callie the most is how effortless and soothing it is to be invisible. Like the universe is encouraging it, tempting them to stay for just a little longer. Callie is of the mind that this is something they can’t do too often or they’ll get caught, and how do you explain the ability to just fade away to your parents? From the first try, things start to escalate quickly and the girls stop being so careful about their new ability to disappear. At first it’s just fun, but then Polly begins to choose to be invisible more often than she is present and none of her friends can convince her it’s best to take a break for a while. 

The flow of this story and the way the author has of describing what could be a fun summer on the beach had me craving some warm sunny days. Of course, there are some tough subjects and it’s not all easy breezy for the girls, but in my opinion that just makes this book more true to life and shows that not everything in life is fair. Sarah Van Name did an excellent job of making me as a reader feel like I was just part of the group of friends, skating home after a shift at the rink, dreaming about what the rest of the summer might have in store. 

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy from Penguin Random House

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 46 religious exclamations; 3 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 2 derogatory names; 21 scatological words; 12 anatomical terms; 49 F-Word derivatives.

Violence/Gore: A minor almost gets hit by a truck; a reference is made to a situation minors had to deal with involving a man talking down to a woman he is with; a minor decides to be and stay invisible rather than continuing to live her life and asks her friends to tell people she drowned; a minor boy is angry and punches a wall; verbal altercation.

Sex/Nudity: A minor mentions that she identifies as bi-sexual; a reference is made to a boy being a girl’s secret love; a boy is mentioned to pay attention to a girl; a girl mentions that she likes boys and girls in a romantic way; a brief scene occurs where a girl is mentioned to jump into the arms of a boy she likes and kissing him (both happen to be in swimsuits); a girl observes how a boy looks shirtless; a girl mentions being invited into a boy’s house and his bedroom with sexual innuendo implied; a boy is overheard telling a girl she looks good and then kisses her; a mention is made of a boy staring at girls boobs; a reference is made to an opposite sex couple having hooked up; an older couple is seen making out and dancing suggestively; skinny-dipping is referred to and a brief scene occurs later where a boy and a girl skinny dip; a girl thinks about what kissing a girl might be like; a group of girls have a brief conversation about relationships and sex and not wanting to have sex on their period; a girl thinks about her first kiss; a drunk boy gets weird with a girl and a friend intervenes and has a verbal altercation with the boy; a mention is made of boys sometimes being creepy and staring at or ogling girls; a brief scene occurs where girls and their parents talk about sex and condom use; two girls have a brief mature conversation about sex; a brief scene occurs where a boy and a girl begin to kiss each other and touch over clothes which eventually leads to them being practically on top of each other and the girl having an experience where she feels sexy; a drunk boy is mentioned to kiss a girl messily; a reference is made to a minor couple having sex; a brief scene occurs where a boy and girl make out and it is mentioned that the boy reaches under her top and his hand skims the back of her bra; a reference is made to a couple making out for nineteen minutes; a girl mentions having sex for the first time in the back of a car.

Mature Subject Matter:

Exploration of sexual identity; death; cheating; eating disorders.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

A mention is made of parents trusting that their kids aren’t out doing drugs; spiked drinks are mentioned; an adult is mentioned to smell like alcohol and act like she’s drunk; a minor is mentioned to have tried a sip of wine or beer at family gatherings; a minor is mentioned to be drunk in a brief scene after a flask is passed around a gathering at the beach; an adult is mentioned to smoke; a party is broken up by police and minors are taken into custody for underage drinking.