Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, nostalgic book
Review: This book spans the relationship of two girls -- the wealthy Caitlin and the underprivileged Vix. This follows them from the summer of 1977 to the summer of 1996. Cait and Vix meet in school when Cait asks Vix to accompany her to her father's house in the Vineyard. After that, Caitlin's life was never the same again. Vix is smart, observant, maybe even a little shy while Caitlin is vivacious, outgoing, and opinionated.Most of the book is told from Vix's POV with subchapters from some of the supporting characters POV. However, Caitlin never gets a subchapter. We're left to figure her out from Vix's reactions to her and the reactions of the other characters. Caitlin gets a lot of reaction for her "don't care" attitude. This book is about so much more than the relationship between two friends. It also focused on the complexities of relationships between women, women and men, between parents and children, etc. And then, there's the usual growing pains mixed into this story making it an excellent read. A few things that annoyed me with this story was the contrived ending. It seemed almost as if Blume was trying to make her readers feel sorry for Caitlin. I didn't. I felt more sorry for Vix. And another personal grievance was the way that Vix kept on forgiving even when Cait did the unthinkable. I think this irked me because I know firsthand what it's like to keep forgiving a person who keeps breaking your heart. Other than that, loved this book. I read it in one sitting. This book made me nostalgic for some of my own friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Gorgeous! Terrific!
Review: Once I started reading the book, I simply couldn't put it down.Can't we all remember the feeling that our best friend supposedly always was on the greener side? Everything she had was better than what we had? Everything she did was supposedly so much cooler than what we did? That she supposedly looked sooo much better than we did? I believe that's all very familiar to us. However, the question remains who was really the coolest, the "baddest", smartest, sexiest and so on. Read this book and you will once again learn that things are not necessarily what they seem to be.And after reading it, you might be raving about it as well ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Is it Fall Yet?
Review: "Everyone wants edge these days. You tell them it's edgy, they love it." So writes Judy Blume on the first page of Summer Sisters. This quote is the only explanation I can think of for all the high ratings that this book has received. "Summer Sisters" I assume, is Blume's attempt at being edgy. We are introduced to a meek girl Victoria who is selected by the school's miss popularity Caitlin to jet away to Martha's Vineyard for the summer. It soon becomes a yearly ritual. They spend their summers lusting over brain dead beau hunks and experimenting with their "powers" (sexuality for those who have passed the 6th grade sex ed class). Was this book edgy? No. Was it attempting to be edgy? I think so. I can only assume that people who like this book haven't taken the sex ed. class yet. Aside from the obvious. Blume's writing style is extremely simplistic and is better suited for the young adult novels that are her claim to fame. Furthermore, there is a serious lack of development and growth in both plot and characters in "Summer Sisters". The characters remain distant and shallow throughout the entire novel and the plot just kind of drags on. As a reader I did not become attach to any of the characters nor did I even care about their outcome. The only positive thing I have to say about "Summer Sisters" is that it is an exceptionally quick read, that is, if you don't decide to give up on it altogether.
Rating:
Summary: You'll never hear "Dancing Queen" again without remembering!
Review: Blume follows two friends, Vix and Caitlin, from sixth grade, when Caitlin impulsively invites Vix to spend the summer with her, throughout adulthood. "Chapters" alternate between their perspectives, as well as those of their parents, siblings, and others, giving the reader an omniscient view of things the other characters only think they know. The author does a great job with Vix and Caitlin's progression through the decades - even if you didn't live through or were too young to recall the '70s and '80s, you'll feel like you did after reading this...
Rating: 
Summary: Blume should stick to writing books for children
Review: I was excited to read this book. As a child I had read Ms. Blume's books and recall really enjoying them. This book left me with nothing. I did not care about the characters. The story was predictable and contrived. The main character could have chosen her friends better and I should have chosen a better book.
Rating:
Summary: So Good, I Read It Twice!
Review: I read this book when it was first released a few years ago. When I found out that Judy Blume was publishing a new book after many years, I almost ran to the bookstore! I truly believe that Judy Blume is a voice for my generation. I grew up reading her preteen books and I am still a fan! I think she says what we are all thinking, but afraid to say. She writes about things that we keep hidden, thoughts that we didn't even know we had. Summer Sisters is just another work of art from this talented writer. I recently read this book again when it was chosen for my book club. I was not disapointed the second time around. Reading it twice gave me even more insight into the characters, each one more interesting than the next. The book focuses on Caitlin Summers. She's self centered and spoiled and looking for trouble. The story starts when she is just a young girl of 12, and follows her and the whilrwind she creates until she is 30. She affects everyone around her in some way, and readers get a chance to hear the story told in each characters point of view. The one point of view we don't get, is Caitlin herself. Her motives, thoughts and inner thoughts remain a mystery. The most intriguing character that is affected by Caitlin is her "Summer Sister" Vix. She's shy, quiet and introverted. She comes from a dysfunction family with little money, but she blossoms when is invited to Martha's Vineyard with Caitlin. She gains a new family, and new way of life, and most of all, and best friend. This book is amazing. The mystery of the ending and Caitlin herself will keep you flipping pages late through the night.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I have read in awhile
Review: I felt this was a great book it took only 1 day for me to read it. I could not put it down. It was a little hard for me to follow at first but it didn't last long. When a friend handed me this book, I was thinking of superfudge. I read that book in elm school. Didn't think it would be a great book boy was I wrong. Hard to believe it was the same author. I highly recommend this book but it is not for everyone. It is very sexual and if you are offended by that type of stuff, then this is not the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: A tale of two friends
Review: SUMMER SISTERS by Judy Blume The story of a rather one-sided friendship is told in Judy Blume's SUMMER SISTERS. Victoria (Vix) meets Caitlin as young schoolmates, and for some reason although the two of them are worlds apart, Caitlin chooses Vix as her guest to summer with her family on Martha's Vineyard. Vix has always been the quiet one, and Caitlin is the wild and crazy one. And despite their differences, Vix seems to be attracted to Caitlin's life, including her family and Caitlin's' rather eccentric ways. The story opens in the present (1990), with Vix receiving a call from Caitlin, saying she's inviting Vix to her wedding. The brief prologue sets the stage, with Vix a bit perturbed by the phone call and torn between being angry with Caitlin, but also thinking "summer sisters forever". It is obvious that there is a love-hate relationship between the two, or at least that is how Vix feels about her long time friend Caitlin. Their summers together on Martha's Vineyard are full of fun and laughter. But as they get older, Caitlin's selfishness starts to show. Vix however takes it all without too much complaining, always finding reasons to forgive Caitlin. Caitlin's selfish behavior is not obvious to all, but are subtle and often times happen in shocking ways. As the two start to meet and date boys, Caitlin's behavior in this department is directly opposite in the way Vix handles herself with the boys, and on one night, Vix celebrates her birthday with Caitlin and the boys and it ends up a disastrous moment for Vix. (Caitlin, on the other hand, sees nothing wrong with what she has done, and thinks it's all in good fun). As the two girls become young women, their differences tear them apart. Their friendship, which Vix always treasured, seems to be on a rocky road to disaster. Caitlin's father and his new wife are taken by Vix and try their best to mend the friendship, but Vix has been hurt enough. She goes off on her own, and cuts her ties with Caitlin. Or so it seems. SUMMER SISTERS was a great summer read. The plot kept my interest throughout the book, and the characters felt real and I cared about what happened to them. Judy Blume did a good job with the story of two friends and their ever-changing relationship from childhood to adulthood. It was also a good character study about two girls from different backgrounds, and the events and people that can shape a child into the adult she is today.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading (glad I did) but not amazing either...
Review: The story is a good one. You can (and I did) get caught up in the relationship of these two girls. I loved the fact that there were so many little stories going on inside the big (or main) story. It made it more intresting. But the plot is a common one and the story, did in fact, become predictable. Beautiful, rich friend, as everything she could want and more. Ugly duckling friend, poor, wants to be like Beautiful friend. The roles end up reversing. Same old story. But told in a different way I must say. I will tell you I LOVED the ending. Very fitting for the book. I will check into some more of Judy's "grown-up" books now.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I love this book. I first read it when I was nine and browsing through my mother's bookshelf, and didn't understand half of it (which was probably a good thing). Five years later when I was sixteen I came across it again, picked it up, and read it in about an hour flat. It was fabulous and engrossing, and the novel seemed so realistic in its depictions of the people - Judy Blume really knows what she's doing when she writes about teenagers. So 'Summer Sisters' might not be Austen or James but it sure as hell is a gripping, wonderful story, which I'm sure will be reread again and again by adolescent girls everywhere and any woman who grew up in the early eighties. Blume knows the music, the attitudes, the times, the place - she's just so good at what she does. I love this book.
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