Not the best novel I've read it 2014. The entire thing seemed a little too short in my opinion and a little too cliche. Not a lot to keep you guessing on, just simply straight forward writing where you basically can know what going to happen next. Not the best, yet I'd probably of been more drawn in if I was younger. ( )

Fifteen year old Toni Chessmore has it all, a family that loves her, a best friend who lives right next door, but nothing in life is perfect right? Her best friend has to go to California for summer due to some sad circumstances, Toni falls for the boy that her best friend was crushing on, and finds out a family secret that has been buried for years.

This book was very short, in fact it's under 200 pages. I feel like maybe if I read this book when I was younger like 12-13 I probably would have enjoyed it more, but because of the fact that i've read so many more complex novels before this one, it feel short for me. Norma Fox Mazer was a favorite author of mine growing up and After The Rain, is one of those books that stick out in my mind that made me fall in love with reading from the beginning, and It won a number of awards to boot.

I think the younger audience would really enjoy this book, it's a light-hearted, summer read, that deals with issues that probably anyone could be able to relate too or have been through similar situations when they were younger. Norma Fox Mazer will continue to be an author I check out but this book was a little too basic and lacked complexity that i'm used too. ( )