“Sun-drenched and deeply touching...I loved McGrath’s snapshots of the dilapidated nine-hole courses he likes to play on, which he describes with a deadpan relish reminiscent of Bill Bryson… McGrath eulogizes his summer friend in the very first chapter, then brings him to life on the subsequent pages with such vividness and palpable affection that the reader forgets his fate for long stretches ... When the end finally comes, in a chapter simply called ‘Dying,’ it lands like a gut punch…. McGrath’s book is an act of love, a fitting tribute to his old friend and a poignant reminder to all of us to squeeze every last drop out of the summers that remain.”—Tom Perrotta, The New York Times

"[An] affecting memoir...The book’s prevailing spirit is wholly life-affirming. It is in the fullness with which things large and small are rendered...in all their humorous specificity that makes memorable what might be called the moral of the tale—that “summer can happen almost anywhere.”—William H. Pritchard, The Wall Street Journal

“[An] ode to friendship and nostalgia...McGrath's memoir is as much about his childhood summers as it is about his summers as a grown-up, and he moves back and forth seamlessly between second person...and first person. That shift keeps the tone intimate but not overwhelmingly self-centered. These things I'm writing about, McGrath seems to say, are things we all understand... The poignancy of the final chapters is genuinely touching. Anyone who has lost a friend will understand.”—Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune