The Summer I wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

The summer I wasn't me made me so sad, angry, hurt, and then happy in the end. The story follows the summer of four gay teens, narrated by 17 year old Alexis (Lexi). When Lexi's mother finds her sketches of the girl she was infatuated with (and who broke her heart) she is furious and scared for her daughters soul. Personally, this made me extreamily upset as the starter for the story, and I wasn't sure I would like it at all. Pray the Gay away is not something I like-In fact, it makes me quite angry to hear someone talking about themselves like that. Honestly, it hurts and makes me want to cry. 

Her mother sends her to a De-gayaffying camp, where she desided to do her best to become straight. Her father passed away resetly, and she is scared that If she doesn't come out straight after the summer, her family will fall completely apart. At the camp she meets scared Daniel, who just wants god to love him, heart broken Carolyn, and resistant and comedic Matthew. As soon as she sees Carolyn, she is in love. I thought the romance moved at just the right pace, and the denial and resistance was perfect. They both were heart broken-Caroyn because of her ex-girlfriend, and Lexi because of the one she never had. 

As the summer goes on every one (except Mathew, who just wants this over with) tries their bests to 'become straight' and though Lexi wants it desperately she finds herself still wanting to be with Carolyn. With some pushing from Mathew (quite literally) she confesses her feelings, only to be turned away at first. 

The camp soon reviles to be more menacing then they previously thought when Mathew is ausalted, blackmailed, and abused by the supposedly 'cured' camp director, Jaramiah Martin. This part had me nearly tearing my hair out and yelling, especially when it continued after Matthew had gotten away. Mr. Martin had an 'exorcism' preformed on Mathew, who couldnt tell his parents as they would kick him out, and he had no where to go. This horrific prosidure included physically hurting him to 'despell the demon of homouality'. I almost put down the book and cried fr him. No one could do anything. 

Later Carolyn and Lexi come together again in their want to help Matthew, and gradually fall in love. Their younger friend, Danial, rats tem out in the end, but not before they have found out enough to a) get Mr. Martin jailed, and b) fallen too deeply in love to stop. 

They are sent home, and her mother decides to tell her everything; she loves her no matter what, she doesn't have to change, and thater father lays knew. 

I was so happy at the end, because though the book was sad and maddening it also had a happy ending, and I loved it. One thing that rlly got on my nerves was how most of the characters had iligial pasts (ual abuse, parental abuse, drinking, ext...) but no one ever dealt with it, which made me so Mad. Children were being threatened and hurt, but everyone seemed reasonably fine with it. Therwhere're only police called at the END of the eight week camp, and only some of the cases were dealt with.