OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Juts a Monumental Summer" by M. Schneiders.]

Just A Monumental Summer is an engaging historical fiction/ romance novel written by M. Schneiders. Set in 1989 Romania, this book follows Mona, a young woman in her twenties who has the amazing opportunity to work with a popular radio personality at a well-known beach vacation destination for the summer. While she is there she ends up meeting an up and coming band. Things start to get complicated when she realizes she is attracted to two of the band members. What started as a carefree summer for Mona, ends up being much more complicated than she anticipated.

I gave this book 2 out of 4 stars. The one thing I will always remember about this book is how extraordinarily well-written it was. I found myself highlighting witty quotes almost every few pages. Just to give an example,

"Showing your real thoughts, frustrations, fears, desires, your darkness to someone else, ultimately showing my demons, it takes courage. I can do that, but these things you have heard will always burn in your brain. They cannot be undone. That means there will be no way out for me. You will own me forever."

Throughout the novel, the characters debate certain political, psychological, and philosophical topics which were really a treat to read. It opened up my eyes to how it felt to live in a communist country on the verge of some drastic changes. However, I do not think this book had enough historical elements to be classified as historical fiction. The only time 1989 communist Romania was brought up was when certain characters felt the need to debate something. If you took those few conversations out, you would not be able to tell what exact period of time this novel is set in.

There were a few things I had a hard time with regarding the plot. For one, I found it hard to like the main character Mona. She seemed like a stereotypical mean girl, it was not until almost the end of the book, when we start learning a little more about her past, that I could feel sympathetic towards her. But even then, I found it hard not to judge her for her actions.

Secondly, throughout the whole novel I was waiting and waiting for something to happen but nothing really did. The story lacked any definite climax. I also felt like there was no character development, this book was supposed to be about a monumental summer but everyone ends the summer as the same exact person they were in the beginning. Great summers are the ones that change you, the ones that you remember for the rest of your life.

In conclusion, Just A Monumental Summer by M. Schneiders is a good summer read. It is interesting and fast-paced enough to enjoy while reading on the beach. I would recommend this book to any fans of romance or anyone looking for an easy/light read. I also feel I should mention that on the author’s website it is mentioned that this book is the first in the series and that two more books will be written, so it will be a trilogy.

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Juts a Monumental Summer
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Thank you for the honest review. The storyline sounded a little too shallow for me. Good review!

Thank you and yeah that's what I thought about the story line at first, but towards the middle and until the end, it really gets more sophisticated.

That was a very honest review. It seems like the backdrop is the best part of the story. Good job on the review.

kimmyschemy06 wrote:That was a very honest review. It seems like the backdrop is the best part of the story. Good job on the review.

Thank you