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The Lake Effect

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A funny, bracing, poignant YA romance and coming-of-age for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Beginning of Everything
lake effect | n.
1. The effect of any lake, especially the Great Lakes, in modifying the weather in nearby areas
2. The effect of elderly ladies, mysterious girls, and countless funerals, in upending your life, one summer at the beach
It’s the summer after senior year, and Briggs Henry is out the door. He's leaving behind his ex-girlfriend and his parents’ money troubles for Lake Michigan and its miles of sandy beaches, working a summer job as a personal assistant, and living in a gorgeous Victorian on the shore. It's the kind of house Briggs plans to buy his parents one day when he’s a multi-millionaire. But then he gets there. And his eighty-four-year-old boss tells him to put on a suit for her funeral.
So begins a summer of social gaffes, stomach cramps, fraught beach volleyball games, moonlit epiphanies, and a drawer full of funeral programs. Add to this Abigail, the mystifying girl next door on whom Briggs's charms just won’t work, and “the lake effect” is taking on a whole new meaning.
Smart, funny, and honest, The Lake Effect is about realizing that playing along is playing it safe, and that you can only become who you truly are if you’re willing to take the risk.

"Vibrant and smart . . . Perfect to tote around on vacation."
 —Bustle 
“Every word glows with brilliance."
 —Francisco X. Stork, author of Marcelo in the Real World
"Dazzlingly hilarious . . . Erin McCahan is the reigning queen of summer YA reads."
 —PopSugar
“Observant, sarcastic, compelling, and very funny.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Summer romance at its best."
HelloGiggles
The perfect smart, beachside read. . . . Unforgettable.”
—Stephanie Elliot, author of Sad Perfect
"Elegant and touching." Publishers Weekly
“Refreshingly honest and real. . . . An absolute must-read.” —Elise Allen, co-author of Elixir
“Funny and poignant." —PureWow
"Thought provoking—and at times hilarious . . . A great summer read." 
SLJ

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 8, 2017
      Eighteen-year-old Briggs Henry spends the summer after his high school graduation in South Haven, Mich., as live-in help for a strong-willed 84-year-old Serbian widow, Mrs. Bozic, in this elegant and touching coming-of-age story. Briggs is well aware of his family’s high expectations for him (“We achieved. We catalogued our successes, and we never needed our hair cut”) and has big plans for his own future: namely becoming a successful lawyer who never has to worry about money. His summer with Mrs. B—which includes funeral crashing, encounters with a secretive neighbor named Abigail, and revelations about his family—prompts Briggs to reexamine his goals and his definition of happiness. As chronicled by McCahan (Love and Other Foreign Words), Briggs’s growth is realistically sobering, and many readers will identify with his increasing awareness of his own markers of success. Briggs’s genuine relationship with Mrs. B and her words of wisdom from a life well lived are heartwarming, illustrating the ways that family can expand beyond blood. Ages 12–up. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from June 1, 2017
      Future millionaire Briggs Henry has his course mapped (law degree and MBA) until an eventful summer as live-in caretaker and handyman for an elderly Serbian widow in a Lake Michigan resort town upends his plans and the bedrock assumptions they rest on. The white teen has learned to work hard and aim high, to adopt his dad's relentlessly upbeat demeanor, always remembering that "failure is not an option." (His hardworking mother mostly keeps her views to herself.) Only grim Grandma Ruth, his dad's mother, makes time to attend Briggs' baseball games (until the bottom of the third inning). Rooted in a stressful past, the family work ethic and mandatory optimism take a toll on Briggs. They've cost him his girlfriend and given him digestive troubles. Now, between chores for eccentric Mrs. B., his new employer, and escorting her to funerals, he succumbs to laid-back, resort-town life and to Abigail, an intriguing white neighbor who questions his goals and expectations of success. Life is unpredictable, she knows; events beyond our control can change everything. All we have is now. Relinquishing his grip on what lies ahead allows Briggs to appreciate this truth--it's an ability he'll soon need. Observant, sarcastic, compelling, and very funny, narrator Briggs is entirely convincing and--ably abetted by an abundance of diverse characters--never less than good company. This thoroughly enjoyable read is a seductive invitation to relax and let life happen. (Fiction. 12-17)

      COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 2017

      Gr 9 Up-A coming-of-age story about love, life, and creating one's own expectations. Briggs Henry is ambitious and goal-oriented and always meets his family's high standards. He graduated as one of the top students in his high school; he was president of his class and the captain of the baseball team. In the fall, Briggs will attend Michigan State University. The summer before he leaves for college, the teen takes a job as a live-in assistant for an eccentric elderly woman who lives in a large house on the shore of Lake Michigan. He slowly befriends a unique and captivating array of South Haven locals. Briggs's relationships with the various townspeople, including the beautiful and mysterious girl next door and his hilarious employer, have a profound effect. For the first time the protagonist is able to think about what life is really all about and what he, not his family, truly wants. Thought provoking-and at times hilarious-this book is filled with effective imagery that makes it a great summer read. Teens can almost hear the waves of Lake Michigan lapping against the shore in the background of the characters' dialogue. Some moderate drinking and discussion of sex make this novel more appropriate for mature readers. VERDICT Recommend this title to those who enjoyed Cara Chow's Bitter Melon, John Green's An Abundance of Katherines, and Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of a Funny Story.-Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville Public Library, IL

      Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2018
      Ambitious Briggs Henry is spending the summer before college on Lake Michigan, working for an eccentric, elderly Serbian woman while living in her huge lakeside home. In between odd jobs and accompanying Mrs. B. to funerals, Briggs makes beach friends--including a sharp-witted girl with a chronic illness--and deals with his overbearing father. A warm and diverting coming-of-age story.

      (Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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