The Last Summer (of You & Me)    by Ann Brashares Order:  USA  Can Riverhead, 2007 (2007) Hardcover      Reviewed by Kerrily Sapet The story begins with a woman waiting for a man on the dock of a ferry. Alice has always waited for Paul, ever since they grew up on Long Island's Fire Island, spending their summers together. Alice, her sister Riley, and Paul were inseparable, creating a well-worn path between their houses. While Riley and Paul were true best friends, complementing each other's personalities and zest for life, Alice's relationship with Paul was always more complicated. Now that they are adults, their feelings have become even more complex. In The Last Summer (of You & Me), Ann Brashares offers an arresting tale of three friends. As Alice and Paul struggle to understand their feelings towards each other, Riley also has begun to change. But the story is more than just a tale of a beach-community friendship triangle. To suggest so would be doing an injustice to Brashare's ability to weave a heartrending page-turner. Rather, the novel incorporates other elements that give it depth. Now that each character is in their twenties, they try to cling onto the summers of the past. However, new love, a sudden serious illness, and a deep secret collide. The three are launched into an adult world in which they must face true problems, from which their summer world cannot shield them. Ann Brashares has hit another homerun, creating a story that leaves the reader unable to put the book down. One would expect no less from the author who created The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Although this is Brashares' first novel for adults, she proves herself adept at appealing to both teens and adults. The Last Summer (of You & Me) is an enchanting novel that promises to win its author many more fans. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews