Summer and the City - Candace Bushnell

Summer and the City brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow"—as Samantha Jones dubs her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined.

With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.

 

This was a fun and bubbly read about Carrie discovering NYC.

 

I really loved that this was set in the 80s. Reading this was different than reading about other stories about girls trying to make it in the city because it lacked the technology that so often colours it all. Getting the little cultural tidbits was just so much fun, from the very beginning.

 

Seeing Carrie struggle through her writing process felt very real, and at the same time her confidence was highly entertaining to see. She knows that she can be a brilliant writer and isn't afraid to brag about it, but she has several pegs knocked down over the course of the book.

 

I loved the relationship she gets involved in. Or rather, I hated it, but I loved hating it and seeing how it developed and how Carrie and her friends viewed it was so much fun to read.

 

This could definitely be classified as new adult, but lacks the tropes NA is usually guilty of, and I highly recommend it for all older fans of YA.