Cold Summer by Gwen Cole

Rating: ★★★★★

This. Book.

How do I even start? This is my first buddy read with Penny. She likes historical fiction and books about time travel, so I picked this out for us to read. The story was kind of confusing at first. I thought that Harper was a boy, and that Kale was an old man. Oh well. But then I started understanding it better. Harper turns out to be a girl. Plus, there are no old men in the book. The time traveling part left me bewildered, though. I have absolutely no idea whether Kale traveled physically or mentally. It was mentioned that he has PTSD, and this leads to his frequent time travels. However, every time he returns, there are new battle wounds on his body. I am touched by how the people around Kale love, support and understand him. If someone tells me they have the ability to travel through time, I definitely will not believe them. However, Kale's friends are willing to do that and are always there for him. Last but not least, let's talk about the amazing cover art. I am totally in love with the multi-colored watercolor splash depicting the present and the past. This is a really nice book, and I will definitely read more of Gwen's books in the future!