this book is an AMAZING book about friendship and the last summer before collage

Most to least favorite arcs in the third book:

1. Lena - FINALLY Lena gets a plotline that doesn't involve romance, specifically, the Greek guy she can't be with. It was so refreshing to read about her actual character, instead of only reading about who she was pining for. I loved the message of learning to "draw the chair," especially how it was applied to her family. It's kind of sad that she wasn't more developed until the third book, but this was by far the best her character had been written.

2. Bridget - I didn't like her arc with Eric in the first book, and I'm glad they addressed that was inappropriate in this one. I wasn't super happy with the ending, but I got some closure from the beginning of Bridget's story.

3. Tibby - Tibby's arc was so frustrating, even though I understood her motivations. I think this could have been better, especially considering the mental turmoil she went through, but so much of her story was just sulking and avoiding people. It was really dull and I wasn't invested in her moping around.

4. Carmen - I really feel like the romance plots are the weakest of all the arcs, and that's still the case when Carmen is torn between her "good" and "bad" self for a guy. I think this also could have been written better to deal with Carmen's self image, but it's only revolving about how this guy sees her. Also, I really hated that when they were sharing dark secrets, the guy's was that he used to be fat. It came off as super dated and fatphobic, probably even back when it was first published.

Overall this was my least favorite book of the series so far - the only arc I really liked was Lena's, and everyone else's was so-so.

Yey! Finally! Book no.3 did it for me. This is what I was hoping for.

It was exciting to see girls actually growing up and becoming more mature. At least most of them… I did not like Carmen. For various reasons. I understand why author has decided to portray her like she has. I believe there are lot of selfish people like her around us. The thing is, I would never want a friend like her.
Anyway, I was rooting for all other girls. Their challenges felt little too easy and too much “happily ever after”, but that did not bother me, because they were actually learning from their paths and growing up.

I. Does it represent/portray and do it well?

One of the protagonists and some minor characters are characters of color. Another character is heavily immersed in her culture. Grief/suicide/mental health is covered throughout the series, and done well. Elderly issues are explored.

II. Does it teach me something or make me think?

It definitely inspires reflection. It’s the kind of book that makes you analyze yourself.

III. Does it perpetuate healthy ideals?

Absolutely! Carmen, Lena, and Bridget all struggled with overcoming their past unhealthinesses (yup, that’s the word I’m using). Tibby struggled in the area the most, but even she was attempting to shed past ideals and behaviors. This book FOCUSED on the development of health.

IV. How was the writing itself? (Style, plot, characters, ease of reading, pace, world-building.)

Brilliant. There is not a single unnecessary sentence. The characters are relateable and likable and their struggles are reflections of our lives. The ease of reading is perfect, especially because I consider this YA literary fiction. I cannot praise the writing style and the chosen words enough. I also love that Brashares is tackling typically final book issues in the middle of a series!

V. Did I enjoy reading it?

I struggled to get into it because it hits with emotional intensity from the get-go, but once I got into it, I read until completion.

Why am I crying

Not as good as the first two, but I still love these books and really liked the ending in this one! I felt this book showed more of the "coming of age" story and that it is inevitable that we all at some point grow up and move on. Now on too the next book ! :)

I am really enjoying this series, and love getting to catch up with these four ever summer.

• Lena really took charge of her future, and I was really proud of her.
• Tibby finally admits something that everyone else already knew, and though she was a bit frustrating, I liked seeing her finally taking a leap.
• Bridget really reflects a LOT on that first summer, which shows how much she had grown. She makes an effort to be kind and help people shine, and gosh darn it, her romantic storyline was great.
• It was amazing to see Carmen admit all her shortcomings, but she really stepped it up in this book. Brashares gave her the most adorable love interest, but knowing Carmen, it will go nowhere.

This was a big summer for the girls, and I shed a few tears as they said goodbye, and went their separate ways. I also saw them grow up quite a bit, and look forward to seeing how their first year of college worked out.

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I was inspired to re-read these books because one of my friends is re-reading Harry Potter and wrote in her review that she consumed them voraciously, just like she had as a kid. Revisiting the Travelling Pants series was much the same for me, and I was not disappointed.

This one might have been my least favorite out of the three I've re-read so far, but it was still very good. As I've said in my other reviews, there are pieces of each person to which I can relate. I think this is probably even more true now that I'm in my mid-twenties and as the characters further develop. They become broader, so I have more pieces of them to pick from.

Okay, Brashares, you should have quit while you were ahead. The plot is thin. The story is anti-climactic. I love the descriptive writing style, but it doesn't make up for what's lacking.

It seems as if Brashares was forced to write this book in a limited amount of time. There's very little development, and frankly, it's boring. Relationships are built-up and there's no follow through. The characters get what they want with very little effort, the events are predictable and too much is said instead of shown. I could go on.

The first book in this series is absolutely worth reading, but the rest are not. Really, nothing so incredible happens to the characters that a reader is missing out by skipping the rest of the series.

Ik vond dit boek opeens in de kast bij een vriendin! Zo fijn om weer te lezen over de vier vriendinnen, maar tegelijk lees ik ook veel herhaling en dingen uit de film en het laatste boek dat ik al wel las. Desondanks was het een heerlijk boek dat ik wederom snel uit had!

November 2021: I remember this being my least favorite, but yeah it maybe because Eric is back

June 2016: wow I forgot a lot of this one in comparison to the first two, but it had been my least favorite of the original books so I'm not surprised it's my least favorite so far in my reread.

I think this one was my favourite (after the first one) when I originally read them. But being much older now, I'm more judgmental of them. I really don't love how Bridget and Eric handled their shared past...Bridget took most of the blame but at the end of the day, Eric was the older one in the position of power and really should have owned up to it without making excuses. I also have no sympathy for people like Lena who expect their parents to pay for school and all expenses without at least trying to contribute.