How My Summer Went up in Flames, Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is a light and amusing summer read. It tells of a perfect road trip that is relatable and will make the reader feel as though they are part of the story. This book is complete with an entertaining narrator and a plot that is inspirational.

❀ Road Trip Book

How My Summer Went Up in Flames is an epic road trip novel! I am a huge fan of any travel/road trip books, so I really enjoyed this one. After the main character, Rosie, is served with a temporary restraining order, for accidentally setting her new ex-boyfriend’s car on fire, she is sent on a trip with her neighbour and his two friends in a tiny car. They visit places like the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, which are well known and make the book more relatable. The way the book is written makes the reader feel like they are part of the trip as well.

❀ Rosie is an Enjoyable Main Character

I really liked Rosie as a main character for How My Summer Went Up in Flames. She brings a lot of humour to the book. Her actions are not very well thought out, but it makes the book even more enjoyable when they backfire. She understands that what she does is wrong and attempts to fix it. She is a realistic character, because not everything goes her way. Rosie does have moments that are immature, but in real life, nobody’s perfect.

❀ Unlikely Friendships

The plot of How My Summer Went Up in Flames isn’t just Rosie trying to get her ex back, which I really enjoyed. When she goes on a road trip with the three boys, she slowly changes and becomes very mature. This book is mostly about unlikely friendships and how sometimes, you just need to get away from an issue.

❀ Light Summer Read

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is a nice, light summer read. It contains many famous landmarks and tourist stops, a spunky main character, and a great message. This novel is the perfect debut.

About Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of the YA novels, HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES, FAMOUS LAST WORDS, a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year, THE SUMMER AFTER YOU & ME, a YALSA Teens' Top 10, and AUGUST & EVERYTHING AFTER.

Her first paid writing gig was as an editorial assistant for the North Jersey Herald & News, where, in addition to developing a life-long passion for coffee and news, she wrote obituaries for eight months. She also worked as a speech writer, bank teller, ghostwriter, bookkeeper in a lampshade factory, pet shop clerk, and music zine editor.

She lives with her family in New Jersey and spends her summers “down the shore,” where everything's always all right.

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About The Candid Cover

Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.