There were two things I was really hoping for in this book: a nostalgic look at the sun soaked days in the 1970s in the San Fernando Valley and a fun story. What I got was a somewhat flaccid tale of 12 year old kids copping drugs, alcohol and smokes, being stupid, and trying to get laid. I think the author was going for Dazed and Confused vibes but instead we got a bunch of characters we didn't really care for or want to follow. The story just didn't go anywhere interesting.

Story: Middle schoolers Douglas and his friends just want to enjoy the Summer. Their parents don't mind if they smoke or do alcohol and the boys are hoping to catch a girl who will go all the way. Sure, there are rivalries with some other kids in the area but there's always a lot to do.

The story takes place in upper middle class area of Los Angeles, along the Sherman Oaks/Encino/Tarzana area of the San Fernando Valley. There are some fond remembrances of the various things the kids do - from seeing movies, taking the bus various places, and hanging out at the local parks. But almost all of the activities seem so pointlessly outrageous for 12 year olds that it is hard not to feel like the kids are constructs and not actual characters. Those who lived through the era will remember the abundance of smoking of cigarettes and pot but with the older teens and not preteens. I would have liked to follow those kinds of kids, not these.

I am not sure why but even having grown up in the Valley in that era, I was never transported there in the story. The kids were not very interesting, the locations chosen more for reasons of outrageous behavior rather than slice of life moments, and it felt more like a playbook of the late 70s rather than an organic story in that milieu.

But yes, the references are there: from rain lamps to head shops. I just wish the characters were more interesting, more likable, and especially, filled with more heart than stupidity and pointlessness. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I grew up in the same place and at the same time as the setting in this book, and I appreciated all the familiar details mentioned. While the book was great at depicting this specific time and place, not much actually happened, at least until the very end. It felt like I was reading a detailed account of my younger brother’s life, which wasn’t especially interesting to me. I suppose I’m much older than the intended audience, though. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.