THE SUMMER I REMEMBERED EVERYTHING

South Carolina teen Emily Chen-Sanchez isn’t enjoying her summer.

Her best friend, Heather, is partying in London (while supposedly on a “study abroad/mission trip”), her friend Matt made things awkward by kissing her while drunk and then dating someone else, and her parents have grounded her over a bad grade. To avoid being stuck at home with her parents and irritatingly perfect older sister, artistic 16-year-old Emily responds to an ad seeking a companion for a woman who’s “nearing ripe old age—but not quite ripe yet.” Leila Granucci is sweet and energetic, but she requires assistance due to her weakening memory. On the weekends, Emily does chores with the help of Mrs. G’s “smoking hot” great-nephew, Ezra. When she’s with the two of them, Emily finds a sense of acceptance that she doesn’t feel at home, where it seems there’s always something for her parents or sister to criticize. As the days go by, she has to contend with stressful news at home as well as troubling signs of Mrs. G’s increasing dementia. Emily’s frank, conversational tone draws readers in as she reflects on her complicated feelings toward her friends, family, and Mrs. G, whose insistence on keeping her condition a secret puts Emily in a difficult position. Emily’s multicultural family—her dad is from Panama and her mom is from Taiwan—lives in a predominantly white town; explorations of race and culture are naturally woven into the narrative.

A gentle, emotionally astute coming-of-age story.