Description: What if friendship cost you everything?
Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common sense and sells the family house. But plane tickets cost money—something Olive gravely lacks.
With the help of Brander, the fussy youth group worship leader, and Jazz, a mysterious girl with a passion for all things Hawaiian, Olive lands a summer job at the Shave Ice Shack and launches a scheme to buy a plane ticket home before the end of the summer.
But when Jazz reveals a painful secret, Olive’s plans are challenged. Jazz needs money. A lot of it. Olive and Brander are determined to help their friend but, when their fundraising efforts are thwarted, Olive is caught in the middle. To help Jazz means giving up her ticket home. And time is running out.
My Thoughts: Have you ever read a book that transports you into a summer mood? Porch Swing Girl is set in a sunny city, with beach and shave ice, as well as jewelry making and summer jobs. It made me long to be there with Olive and her friends, enjoying the sun and sand.
Admittedly, I did find some issues with the story. It took me a few chapters to figure out Olive's age (whether she was an older or younger teen), who certain characters were to each other, and what exactly happened to Olive's mother. And despite the fact that Olive is reacting in a believable way to her lose and subsequent abandonment by her father, other characters behave as though she is missbehaving without reason, instead of trying to talk through the situation with her.
Yet once Olive begins her friendships with Jazz and Brander, she begins to see how she can turn her memories to joy instead of pain. At that point, she shows a lot of character growth, perhaps even despite her family, and sees how she can use her past to better motivate her to help others. While the Christian elements might have been a little too preachy, there was still a good message as to not blaming God for what befalls us and instead trusting him through future pain.
I think that this a great book for Christian girls looking for that perfect summer read, especially those who want a Christian message that makes up the bulk of the story. I look forward to the next book and to what comes of Brander's comments at the end of this one.
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