Jeanne Thornton's "Summer Fun" explores identity, music, and the complexities of self-discovery. In the New Mexico desert and the vibrant 1960s music scene, Thornton weaves a narrative that captures the essence of longing and the search for meaning.

The novel follows the correspondence between Gala, a transgender woman living in the present day, and B----, a reclusive musician from the 1960s. Through these letters, Thornton delves into the topics of gender identity and music's profound impact on one's life. The dual narrative allows the reader to get to know each character's inner thoughts and learn what drives them.

The pacing was occasionally slow, and the switches in timeline and perspective were sometimes confusing. Despite its challenges, "Summer Fun" offers a fresh and unique perspective on identity and belonging. While it may not be for everyone, those who are willing to embrace its unconventional style will find much to admire and reflect upon.

“…the chords have changed. You couldn’t play them now the old way if you tried.”

SUMMER FUN is an introspective and original novel about music, trans identity, and the lineages we carry: of abuse, of shame, of creativity, of bravery. Gala is a disaffected lesbian trans woman (“What was actually the purpose of my life, except as a brackish pond where bills and wages exchanged places?” is such a vibe) living and working at a hostel in the remote town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. She writes letters to B----, the lead singer of a surfer music band, the Get Happies, who were massively popular in the 60s. The letters describe B----’s life through Gala’s eyes, while breaking open Gala’s life as well. The book also covers the evolution of the band, inspired by real-life events and mythology surrounding The Beach Boys.

There’s much to appreciate about this novel: the epistolary format and how it highlights the significance of queer ancestors; the interesting use of perspective (alternating first- and second-person), showing the power of our projections onto others’ imagined lives; the subtle dissection of interactions between trans women and cis women, rich with nuance, by turns cutting and fortifying; the way Thornton plays with naming and the impact she achieves at key narrative points; the mess and beauty of friendships between trans women; fandoms, and how we can both lose and find ourselves within them. Gala and B---- are both complex, compelling characters, and I really enjoyed how their arcs paralleled and came together (though I wish there was a bit more time spent with Gala). I personally didn’t care much for the deep dive into music or band stuff, or the witchy elements, though others certainly will love all that. While the writing is quite beautiful, I found it dragged for me at parts. It’s a heavy story, one that in retrospect made me feel trapped, an echo of the external oppression and depressed rumination that B---- and Gala experience. “…because we are poison women, Diane, because our bodies do all turn what enters them into poison, and we make poison and spread poison, because we are sadness itself. There is no way for us not to be that.” But Thornton doesn’t leave us alone or hopeless, weaving in humor and resilience and joy throughout.

SUMMER FUN is an undeniably unique novel and a powerful addition to the trans lit canon. Thanks to Soho Press for the review copy!

Content warnings: transphobia, gender dysphoria, dead naming, family rejection, lesbophobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, gaslighting/emotional abuse, child abuse, intimate partner violence, gun violence, forced hospitalization

Couldn't get into it given personal taste, opted to DNF. I don't think there's anything wrong with this title and would recommend picking up if it sounds like your vibe.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The book has a great plot and Thornton is really talented but I couldn't really get focused on the reading, looking foward to reading more of the author

SUMMER FUN by Jeanne Thornton is far more than a book about fandom; it's a hefty look at what it can cost trans women to live as themselves--and an exploration of how we need people who can understand us. This epistolary novel does require some patience at the beginning. The writing is beautiful, but the use of "you" and the fact that Gala tells B--- about B---'s life requires a bit of time to settle into it all.

Many of my advanced creative writing students love the epistolary novel form and often cite THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER as a favorite. It's these students I especially want to have read SUMMER FUN as it's a more complex approach to the form and will be a good challenge for them to further their skills.

Love surf music and the concept. I did find all of the letter writing a little grating. I wish the book was set up differently because parts felt flat to me, possibly to the style. I did like the parts about music and the character but it was a too much of a mixed bag for me to love.

Love a good epistolary novel, and this one was excellent. Explored trans identity, fandom, and self-discovery so well.

This is a delicious romp told through letters that brings music, trans lives and a world of creative experiences together. Gala, a trans woman is a the biggest fan of the 60’s pop band, the Get Happies. She is also harboring an obsession with their lead singer B_______. In Gala’s letters to B_______, the mysteries of B______’s life and of Gala’s unfold. Filled with tender and often heartbreaking moments, a bond is formed with one another and with the reader. This is a unity and one that only a deep connection and self-discovery can bring.
Jeanne Thornton opens doors, reveals truths and through her beautiful prose a bright light shines as the reader becomes immersed in this unique novel.
Highly recommended.

I cannot get through this book. This is a writing style that is painful for me to read. Sorry. This is a ding for me

I agree with other reviewers that it takes a minute to get into the flow of this novel, but once I got a handle on the timelines, I was hooked. Epistolary novels are a favorite of mine and this one did not disappoint.

This just wasn’t for me. Phew the style was just making me cringe. The letters were strangely worded and felt like some kind of test text. Words just strung together with no context or meaning.

3.5 stars!

This book was not what I expected but I enjoyed it nevertheless. It is entirely told through letters from Gala, a trans women, who is writing to B—/Diane who is part of the 1960s band „The Get Happies“.

I liked the the non-linear story telling (even though it felt confusing at times) and loved Thorntons beautiful writing. Summer fun explores themes like friendship, being (a) trans (woman), internalized transmisia and many more in a interesting and thought-provoking way. The letters made it hard for me to connect to the characters at the beginning and at times I felt like as if I missed important details while I was trying to piece together the plot. I think I‘ll need/want to re-read it at some point because the story contains so much that I want to spend more time with it. The way Galas letters are written makes it feel like a conversation even though it‘s entirely one sided and that was brilliantly done in my opinion. Overall I enjoyed the book even though it was no easy read (please look up content warnings) and think I might enjoy it even more after having read it a second time.

This takes a bit of patience at first = it's an epistolary novel- but once you've settled in, it's an interesting read. Gala,. a trans woman, is obsessed with the 60s surf band Get Happies but even more so with its lead singer B-. She writes letters, many letters, telling B all about her life but then she starts to tell B's story as well,. I admit to being a bit confused in parts (suspend logic occasionally) but this is, on the whole, a worthy read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

It’s the fall/winter of 2009 and Gala, the narrator, has an obsession with a ’60s era band. Through her one way letters to the person who fronted the band, we learn the band’s inner workings which are a mash-up of Captain Beefheart, The Freshies, and The Twyborn Affair.
Add a dash of Beach Boys. 

This isn’t a book where I felt a visceral, intimate connection to any of the characters and I don’t know that many people will feel that. The characters are burdened with internal conflict that’s not communicated or dealt with in healthy ways. Yet there’s something compelling about the people in this story. An animal magnetic force, or maybe magic, pulls the reader through the non-linear storyline and the fractured relationships and the narrator’s apparent dissociative disorder. In the end, it’s a good book. Thornton is a good writer, her imagery is evocative.

Not Summer and Not Fun but Good.

Thank you #SohoPress and #Netgalley for the free ARC.

The prose of this book is so beautiful, but following the plot lines took some dedication at first. Once the non-linear, epistolary form became familiar, understanding the two timeliens told by Gala, the trans narrator became much more clear. Gala is a dedicated fan of recording stars, the Get Happies, who rose to stardom in the Sixties and dominated pop charts for years. The band does not release their final album, "Summer Fun" and rumors has long been a fascination with fans, including Gala. When she meets a woman connected to a song writer of the band, they become obsessed with finding the family of the Get Happys and finding more about what happened to the band and its members. Again, the writting is just beautiful: descriptive and evocative. The plot is engaging and involvng. Highly recommend.

During a “Book Buzz” I attended, SUMMER FUN was billed as an epistolary novel exploring the nature of fandom. Based on that description it seemed like a book I should love. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s accurate to describe a novel as epistolary if the “letters” are only one-sided and never mailed. Secondly, the book is really more about the tortured souls of three transgender characters. One of them, Gala, is obsessed with a band called The Get Happies, the front man ( woman) of which, called either B or Diane, is also transgender. I think the book does very well in depicting the stark realities that transgendered people have to deal with, both internally and externally. I applaud that. But, this is not a book about fandom, which implies community, friendship, and bonding around a shared interest, but there is none of that here. Furthermore, I spent the whole book trying to figure out if Gala was some version of B, because if not, how would she know all the intimate details of B’s life? If she IS in fact B writing to herself then that needs to be made much clearer. Ultimately, this book was a disappointment because I was never entirely sure what I was reading.

This sounded like such an amazing book! And it is, in a way. It sheds some light on things I - and many with me - have not experienced, and on many things I - and many others with me - have experienced (the being obsessed with a band comes so close!). It gets deep into relationships between people, and Gala's relationship with herself.

The format was not for me, probably because as I said being obsessed with a band comes so close, and I clearly have some unfinished business with my own insecurities feeling a kind of secondhand uncomfortableness from Gala writing those letters. That is totally on me, but also made that I could enjoy this book less.

I want to thank Netgalley and Soho Press for the chance to read 'Summer Fun'.

Not the right book for me, unfortunately. I failed to notice that the novel is told entirely in letters, which I dislike, and this narrative style makes it very difficult for me to get my bearings in a story. I couldn't get into it and didn't finish. I'm sure there are lots of folks who will very much enjoy this title and I will still recommend it to readers who I think may like it.

Summer Fun tells the story of Gala, a young transgender women that is obsessed with the 60's band, The Get Happies. She communicates with her favorite member B----- through a series of letters. In the letters, she tells what is happening in her life but also narrates B----'s life. This is where the book lost me. I really could not follow how Gala knew everything about B----, especially since a lot of the book was about the fact that B---'s life was a mystery. How did she know everything about B---- then? And why was she just repeating B----'s life back to B'--? The narration of the book was kind of off and made it really difficult to follow. I was also very excited to read this book because I wanted to read a book that had a transgender main character to diversify my reading choices. I would proceed with caution in this book as the treatment of transgender individuals is harsh and traumatic. The violence is overwhelming which is something I was not expecting. This really looks like a fun and light book. It is NOT! It is heavy and a lot to handle. It ultimately left me sad and confused. I think that the book had three separate story lines that could have each been taken in a cool direction. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the direction that the book took when those three story lines were combined. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.