In the summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the 8th grade social food chain. Then, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all - beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn; Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable.
My friend, Tammy recommended this book to me and I recommended it to my book club who read it this month. It was very easy to settle in to this book and be taken back to the days of my own childhood. I loved how the author brought in songs to the story as she took you through each decade. Songs can definately take you back to a time and place as soon as you hear it. Certain songs remind me of summer laying in the pool, high school dances, and as a child hanging out at my older sister's house listening to her records. So many spots in the book required a box of kleenex close by. The author included many twists and surprises throughout the way. I loved how the story flowed and traveled through each decade. I was sad when the story was done because I knew I would miss Tully and Kate and their friendship.
Some of my favorite parts of the book were:
"It was funny how a single garment could remind you of years together - slumber parties and makeovers and breakfasts spent watching Saturday morning cartoons."
"Soon, Tully had Kate laughing. That was the thing about best friends. Like sisters and mothers, they could piss you off and make you cry and break your heart, but in the end, when the chips were down, they were there, making you laugh even in your darkest hours."
"To the world at large, perhaps this was an ordinary moment in an ordinary day, but to Kate it was extraordinary. This was the reason she'd chosen to stay home instead of work. She judged the meaning of her life in nanoseconds, perhaps, but she wouldn't trade this instant for anything."
A wonderful story of family and friendship. I give this 5 stars!
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