Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream.

This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow"—as Samantha Jones dubs her— to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined.

With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.

Review:

After the scandalous and juicy The Carrie Diaries, I was eager to re-enter Carrie's life as she made her way in New York. Therefore, when Summer and the City appeared in my mailbox, I was excited beyond words. Thankfully, Summer and the City was even better than The Carrie Diaries.

Summer and the City begins just a day after The Carrie Diaries ended. Even though Carrie's welcome into the city was everything but warm, she's excited to start her summer there in style, and as it begins, everything is simply fantastic. She's meeting real, live writers she can't help but admire and love; she's making the friends she always wished she had; and she's accomplshing great progress in her writing class. Better yet, this summer has also turned out to be one full of possible romance. Carrie is quite possibly having the time of her life. However, after a visit from a past friend and reunion with her family, she's beginning to wonder if she can ever go back to being plain old, prior- New York City Carrie. Faced with plenty of questions, Carrie wonders if she will ever figure them all out. More importantly, when given the chance to stay in New York, will she leave or go? Only more time and pages can tell!

In this addition, Carrie truly steps up her game, becoming not only an empowering and headstrong young woman, but someone I also could not help but relate to and root for as she makes her dreams come true. What I love most about her character, though, is that she is real. She has the same worries and questions about life and love and friendship just like any person has, and more importantly, she accumulates her own fair share of problems as this novel continues. Better yet, I adored the friendships she made in this one with hilarious and scandals Samantha as well as feminist, mouthy, yet lovable Miranda. Both friendships played an important role in not only Carrie's coming to age but also making this novel the great and enjoyable thing it was.

The plot in this was also a high point. Full of twists, turns, and swoon-worthy male characters, there was not a moment where I wasn't dying to know what would happen next to Carrie and her friends. Romance also played an important part- a part I enjoyed and loved, because it also caused suspense, as I wondered whom Carrie would end up with. Better yet, Candace Bushnell's also stepped it up a bit with her writing, as she truly brought the characters and the setting off the page and to life with this one.

Full of secrets, romance, and characters you cannot help but love, Summer and the City will leave nearly any fan of Carrie's begging for yet another addition to this series.

Highly recommended to say the least…

Grade: A

Summer and the City is now out!

Source: Publicist at DLK Communications- thanks Laura!