... opting for non fiction now as an adult, but the characters in this novel were compelling. Judy Blume has a knack for getting readers involved in the characters she creates. When I still had 100 pages left I couldn't help reading the last chapter to find out what would happen to them. That knowledge didn't make the last chapter the second time around any less emotional. I found it interesting that the choice Vix made at age 12, to spend the summer with Caitlin on Martha's Vineyard, changed her future completely. Also that the fate of a character I didn't care for left me profoundly touched, says something about the quality of the plot and characters. I am only ranking this story with four stars because I don't think I will read it again the way I repeatedly reread Judy Blume's children books when I was a child. I cannot put my finger on why I won't read it again though..