The Summer of ’98

By: Jamie Steinberg

High school girl goes to college party. College party involves dancing and drinking. Guy meets high school girl and instantly falls in love. So goes the tale of the book The Summer of ’98 by Tay Marley. The long overtold tale of first love doesn’t get any special treatment or modern take in this story and sends its main characters into a cliched summer long adventure.

Ellie Livingstone is the daughter of a single mother who had her at a young age. Ellie and her BFF Amber head to a college party where they dance and drink the night away. Ellie sneaks off to the bathroom where her life will change forever…There she stumbles upon handsome Leroy Lahey – a up and coming quarterback from a well-off family. He instantly falls in love and offers to help Ellie and her friend home where the girls must (of course) sneak back in the house. Not yet ready to let the night end, Leroy and Ellie return to the party and get lost in their lust. Already caught up in his feelings, Leroy brings Ellie back “home” where he leaves a note in the mailbox noting his interest in staying touch.

We fast forward to where Leroy and Ellie have stayed in touch for a few weeks and now Ellie is coming to see him for a visit…for the rest of the summer. She’ll even be staying in his house. His parents are welcoming to her, but Leroy’s brother Noah (a full-on cliched bad boy) isn’t so friendly as he isn’t down for sharing this final summer as a family without his big bro’s attention. Not to mention Noah is known for his womanizing ways. Here enters mutual friend Cass who is one of Noah’s on-again and off-again love interest and Ellie’s new in-town gal pal. As you can see, there is nothing new to this love-at-first-sight time honored tale. Especially when something happens that effects the futures of Leroy and Ellie.

Unfortunately, Marley’s story involves too many cliched tropes. It begins with Ellie’s nativity in her willingness to get into a car with a guy she’s just met and then return (alone) to a party with him. There is also Ellie’s consent to getting physical with her new beau only hours after meeting him. The story may take place in 1998, but even then we knew better than to get into a car with a stranger let alone the idea of being willing to hook up with Leroy almost immediately. Not good. There are also Leroy’s cool parents who are willing to take this girl into their home for the whole summer, so assured that they’ll spend their evenings in their own rooms. Sure, Jan.

The tagline for the book reads “Every passion has its price,” and we only learn what that truly means eighty percent of the way into the book. Marley quickly presses fast forward on the relationship and suddenly this young couple who saw bright futures ahead of them are derailed. I won’t spoil what goes on between these two that creates this chasm, but I will say that it is easily predicted by the couples’ fast trajectory.

Can Ellie and Leroy’s love go the distance or will this deter their college dreams? If you care to invest the time in reading The Summer of ’98 you can find out for yourselves. Otherwise, I suggest picking a Molly Ringwald movie from the 80’s and pressing play rather than waiting to find out what befalls this besotted couple.