Smart, funny and oh-so real, Holly Cardamone nails the complexities of coming of age in this beautifully drawn debut. I wish I could’ve read this book when I was 17!

– Gabrielle Tozer –
Award-winning author of The Unexpected Mess of it All, Remind Me How This Ends, Can’t Say It Went To Plan and The Intern 

Holly Cardamone’s Summer, In Between is a dazzling debut which explores the joys, tensions and transience of life lived navigating the edge between adolescence and freedom, while tumbling head first into womanhood. The story is told through the intoxicating point of view of Cat, a kind-hearted, passionate young woman, working hard to carve space in her life for Year 12, the life beyond, and the ache and pull of a summer romance. While finding her feet in this new exciting space, Cat’s life is coloured with the richness of her Italian-Australian family, delivering laughs, plenty of trouble, and just the right amount of hand pressed to heart moments. Summer, In Between feels like it will deliver this generation a fresh bitey take on the Italian-Australian life Melina Marchetta’s Looking For Alibrandi gifted us in the nineties.

– Jenna Lo Bianco –
Author of The Italian Marriage, Love & Rome, Venetian Lessons in Love and Love, Al Dente

Summer, in Between is a nostalgic time capsule of youth—a beachside summer that captures the thrill and heartbreak of first love with pitch-perfect authenticity and whip-smart laugh-out-loud moments. It’s a portal into your own experience of first love, except the love interest, the protagonist’s family, and the setting are better than yours were. Cat knows her own mind but needs to get out of her own way—and yet, she never compromises her dreams for love. This book will make you wonder why you don’t read more YA

– Anne Freeman –
Multi award winning author of Returning to Adelaide and Me That You See

It’s summer and seventeen year-old Caterina Kelty, future lawyer or doctor, is all in her head about her final year of school — she has to make sure she doesn’t waste the opportunities her clever brain can afford her. Enter Paul Lightwood, surfer god, and the chippie Cat’s dad just hired to build the flat underneath their house for her Nonna to move into. Yep, summer just became very confusing. This book is a delight! A coming of age tale full of romance and humour. Firecracker Cat and her noisy Italian family will win your heart, while the charming and often misunderstood Paul finds his way into Cat’s.

Sarah Todman, author of New Year’s Eve 

Through a strong sense of place, Holly Cardamone perfectly captures the tender moments of adolescence and the teenage angst between girlhood and womanhood, while deftly exploring deeper themes of identity, cultural heritage, and anticipation for the future. Summer, In Between is a sweet and wholesome romance brought to life with writing so evocative you can feel the heat of the sun on your shoulders, the grit of sand between your toes, and the salt encrusted on your eyelashes.

– Camille Booker –
Award Winning Author of The Woman in the Waves

Summer In Between is a heartfelt, humorous, and deeply relatable story that captures the bittersweet transition from adolescence to adulthood. Holly Cardamone’s writing pulses with emotional clarity, vivid storytelling and wit. A standout coming-of-age novel. I couldn’t put it down!

January Gilchrist – Author of The Last Chapter

A heartwarming, often hilarious, thoughtful exploration of the intricacies of young love, teenage girlhood, surfer culture, and staying true to oneself. Summer in Between explores the world of seventeen-year-old Cat, a funny, feisty, girl with a beautiful, loving family. With her besties away for the summer break, she resigns herself to a quiet one, studying, and hanging with family, totally unprepared to have her world rocked by the last person on her meet-up list.

This is a brilliantly told, soulful, unputdownable novel for the young and young at heart. It is entirely captivating from the first sentence, laugh out loud hilarious, relatable, and at times, heartbreaking. A truly touching story with depth. Absolutely wonderful.

– Lorena Otes –
Author of Solo Mum by Choice 

“Summer, In Between is an absolute joy of a book, brimming with voice, humour, romance and a huge amount of heart. Cat’s journey through all the complex trials and triumphs of a small town teenage summer is beautifully told, and will leave you nostalgic for beach days and hot summer nights. I fell in love with Cat’s firecracker of an Italian family and swooned over her first love. I devoured this gem!”

– Miranda Luby –
Author of Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over and The Edge of Everything

Summer in Between is a coming of age tale that will make you feel the sun on your back, the sand between your toes, and the dusting of sea salt on your lips. Perfect for a mental holiday, this is the kind of book you might finish in a week but will keep you coming back to Batter’s Cove all year.

Gabrielle Davis, Author of Road to Freedom and Pirates and Courtiers 

Holly Cardamone’s Summer, in Between follows Cat, a soon-to-be Year Twelve student who, to her irritation, has to spend her summer in a lovely seaside town with her family rather than buried in her books and obsessively preparing for the upcoming school year. But wait, it gets worse – her dad has employed the hottest surfer boy in town to help renovate her house. So not only is Cat spending her summer by the beach, but she’s constantly in close proximity with a hot guy – the horror! I hugely enjoyed Cat as a character – I loved how authentic she was as an Australian teenager with Australian teenage problems that she would blow out of proportion. I loved that she was moody and flawed and stressed out, and how well Paul’s calming energy balanced her out. Their relationship hit the sweet spot with a perfect blend of realism and that special dreamy romance that only seems to exist in the novels where a happily ever after is all but guaranteed.

– Bek Diskett –
Reviewer