I just couldn't get into this. I tried a few times and even tried to audiobook, but it just wasn't for me. And that's okay - others have enjoyed it. Just wasn't for me.

I enjoyed this coming of age story set in New York City in the 1983. It's the story of four interns (although the story mostly focuses on Beth and Edie), and the summer they spend working at a newspaper. There's so much here - discovering the city, learning how to be a New Yorker, the snapshot of life in NYC in the midst of the AIDS crisis, privilege, family, and friendships that are not what they first seem. It's a fast read, and I loved being immersed in the lives of these characters. ( )

An excellent coming-of age story set in the early 1980s in New York City. Beth is the new girl, from out of town, and out of her depth. The reader gets to know her as she gets to know her new city, new internship, and new people who become part of her life. I thought all of the major characters (Dan, Oliver, and especially Edie) were written with enough detail and depth that they all seemed like real people. The story shines brightest when in focuses on the evolving friendship between Beth and Edie. It's so realistic, too; we've all known people like Edie. Ultimately, seeing how Beth grows (and grows up) as she faces her new life makes for fascinating reading. ( )

This grew on me quite smoothly. Two girls interning at a NYC newspaper in 1983. Beth is from Providence, RI, Edie from the city. Both with Jewish heritage, but completely different perspectives on it. Beth is quiet and serious, Edie the complete opposite. What evolves is a bell curve of friendship that has Beth at times mesmerized by Edie's manic aura. By the end of the internship, Beth has moved from a roach infested apartment, to live in comfort with Edie, then when the allure fades, back to the apartment. In the process, she matures in numerous ways while Edie doesn't, seemingly trapped in a web of narcissistic helplessness. Beth has learned a lot while experiencing in a quieter way, some of the same life lessons lost on Edie. A subtle historical coming of age story that I liked very much. ( )

"The summer of 1983" caught my eye in the blurb for this book. Back then, I was seven years older than main character in this book. (As it turns out, author Meg Rosoff is about the same age as me.) Beth is an eighteen-year-old from Rhode Island who's won a prestigious journalism internship in New York City. She's one of four interns, and soon becomes best friends with the only other female, NYC-native Edie. ( )