Melissa Wray, Summer Change, Rhiza Press, October 2023, 240 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761111211
When Shae’s parents shockingly announce the cancellation of their dream holiday to New Zealand and send her to stay with her cousins over the summer, she is left befuddled. With no explanation for their strange behaviour, Shae is determined to spend her holidays finding answers.
However as Shae digs deeper, she discovers the enormity and complexity of her family secrets as she receives an image of her father embracing an unknown woman in the mail and gains a mysterious stalker tracking her movements. In addition, she is challenged with noticing a major change in her cousin Lexi, who is suddenly interested in alcohol and boys, as well as avoiding her compelling new neighbour, Callen. The only thing clear to Shae is that this summer is going change everything.
Melissa Wray’s contemporary YA novel aptly delves into the dramas of adolescence, coupled with a more in depth exploration of family secrecy and betrayal. Teen readers are certain to enjoy the fast pace and short chapter style to swiftly uncover the novel’s enthralling mystery.
Reviewed by Olivia Sammut