The Summer I Wasn't Me, by Jessica Verdi

The Summer I Wasn't Me, by Jessica Verdi, is a story about a teenage girl named Lexi who hasn't come to terms with her sexual orientation. Growing up in a conservative town and being raised by a single mother doesn't help her case at all. Lexi's urge to mend her family constantly conflicts with pursuing her forbidden love interest. In an attempt to change her thoughts for girls, she attends a Christian gay conversion camp called New Horizons. However, the camp doesn't advertise the horrors the kids go through in order to "turn straight" and soon, events take a turn for the worst.

Coming from a queer teenager who is going through Lexi's struggles, this book honestly made my eyes bawl out. Over the news, you hear all these horror stories of gay conversion camps (which are often scams). The description of Lexi's thoughts and feelings at the camp made me shiver and made her story feel very real. Reading about each day in that camp made me feel hopeless about not only Lexi's situation but also the lives of teenagers around the world who don't feel safe by being who they are. The ending was also quite chilling and not what I expected. I would recommend this book to those who do identify as part of the LGBT community but also parents of those kids. This is because no matter what a teenager is going through, their parents should be informed about those feelings many teenagers have.

Reviewed by AH, Grade 10

Downtown Central Library