"Tell me i don't look like a frosty cone."

"i'm as white as a frosty cone--sort of shaped like one, too! If that doesn't make me a nerd in Newport Beach, i don't know what does." And so begins the first book in Robin Jones Gunn's Christy Miller series.

The series, geared toward 12-to-16-year-old girls, begins with Summer Promise, a charmingly realistic tale of the fictional Christy's first summer in California. Nearly fifteen years old, Christy has ventured away from her familiar home in Wisconsin to join her affluent Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob in their beach home for the summer. Christy's anticipation quickly wears off, however, once she finds herself the outcast in this California community. "They're all a bunch of snobs!" she cries in regards to the beach kids she has attempted to befriend.

Marti, who believes all life's problems can be solved with a shopping trip, offers her niece a makeover of massive proportions: new makeup, new haircut, new wardrobe! Thanks to Marti's presents and a resolution to try harder, Christy's self-esteem slowly begins to to grow. On a return trip to the beach, Christy finally discovers what she's been wishing so desperately for: friends. Under the coastal sunshine, Christy gets acquainted with Alissa, a beautiful, blond seventeen-year-old who has traveled the world; Todd, who matched exactly her description of "the perfect guy"; and Shawn, Todd's surfer friend. Within days, she has been unofficially inaugurated into "Todd's group," which include the easy-going Doug and cute, perky Tracy.

Don't do anything this summer that you'll regret later. With her parents' words ringing in her mind, Christy suddenly finds herself in the midst of complications. A house party full of beer and marijuana taunts her and mocks her naive upbringing, Aunt Marti's sophisticated lifestyle begins to clash with Christy's simplicity, and no one seems to have the answers to any of her questions about God. On top of everything else, Christy has developed an immense crush on Todd and struggles with bouts of jealously whenever another girl so much as lays eyes on him.

Many of Christy's new friendships are as volatile as the ocean tide, constantly rising and falling, gentle laps of water one moment and harsh, slapping waves the next. As Christy's time in California wears on, she comes to grips with her tangled emotions and streaks of envy and finally realizes what it means to truly be a Christian.

Summer Promise encompasses many of the problems of teenage girls: trying to fit in, being compared to others, facing drugs and alcohol, falling in "like".... Robin Jones Gunn manages to wrap all of these issues into 161 pages of easy-to-read, vividly-written storyline. Her characters come across as deep and realistic; each one of them is so average, and yet they all contain such life that it's hard to believe they really don't exist. i remember that, several years ago, i marveled over the way Christy's life resembled mine and how her thought processes nearly equalled my own.

Gunn paints this story realistically and convincingly, even subtly tossing in an evangelistic element that flows into the story naturally, never seeming pushy or overt. Rather than blatantly spelling out the story of salvation or explicitly stating, "Christy needs to believe in Jesus!" Gunn allows Christy to find the answers to her questions from her experiences at the beach and gentle prodding from Todd and Tracy.

Though some of the story may be a bit predictable, Gunn manages to keep Summer Promise's suspense level a little higher than that found in subsequent books: just when it seems as though Christy's life is beginning to level out to "normal," the road begins to twist and turn in a new direction. Summer Promise captures the essence of the fourteen-year-old life in its carefree, innocent form. It lacks the shallowness of many other novels that focus merely on the emotion of teenage life, drawing into a well of refreshing truthfulness and believability. Though written for teenage girls, i highly recommend Summer Promise for any woman looking to get in touch with her inner teenager...and any guy who desires to delve into the mind of the opposite sex. Summer Promise holds promises for all.

A second opinion: my mom says, and i quote, "It's good."