Preview
  • Last Summer Boys

  • A Novel
  • By: Bill Rivers
  • Narrated by: Michael Crouch
  • Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (440 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Last Summer Boys

By: Bill Rivers
Narrated by: Michael Crouch
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.00

Buy for $20.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In this rapturous coming-of-age debut, a naive-yet-determined Appalachian boy will go to any length to save his family over the course of one life-changing summer.

“If you’re famous, you don’t have to go to war.”

Summer 1968. When thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot overhears the barbershop men grousing, he devises a secret plan to keep his oldest brother, Pete, from the draft. If famous boys don’t go to war, he’ll make his brother their small town’s biggest celebrity. Jack gets unexpected help when his book-smart cousin Frankie arrives in their rural Pennsylvania town for the summer. Together, they convince Jack’s brothers to lead an expedition to find a fighter jet that crashed many winters ago—the perfect adventure to make Pete a hero.

But with a greedy developer determined to flood their valley, a beautiful girl occupying his middle brother’s attentions, a wild motorcycle gang causing trouble in town, and a disturbed neighbor setting fires, Jack realizes it isn’t just Pete who needs saving.

Set during a single, tumultuous summer, this beautifully told tale is a heartwarming tribute to innocence, first love, and the unbreakable bond of brotherhood.

©2022 William J. Rivers III (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing. Inc., all rights reserved.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“This well-woven novel will keep you captivated and immersed in the politics and family struggles going on at that time. I recommend this book to anyone interested in beautifully written coming-of-age stories or in Vietnam-era fiction set in the US.”Historical Novels Review

“A wonderfully evocative coming-of-age tale about a young boy’s determination to hold on to all he holds dear during the tumultuous sixties in rural America. The setting and the time period are perfectly captured, but it was the characters in Last Summer Boys that really pulled me in. I found myself rooting for these boys from the first page to the last in this unforgettable debut novel that’s sure to capture your heart, too.”—Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Every Now and Then and Whistling in the Dark

“Over the course of one life-changing summer, one boy will do whatever it takes to save his oldest brother from the draft. But when other hurdles arise that threaten his family, he’ll summon every ounce of his courage and strength to try to protect them all. Part coming-of-age tale, part adventure narrative, this heartwarming and uplifting debut is perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land or the beloved film Stand by Me (adapted from Stephen King’s The Body).”—Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell and The World Played Chess

What listeners say about Last Summer Boys

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    316
  • 4 Stars
    88
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    313
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    290
  • 4 Stars
    80
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heartwarming and real!

As the mother of boys, who are now grown men, I can tell you this novel is the real deal. It doesn’t have a forced relationship in it. The boys are endearing, earnest, and funny as only that unaffected age group can be. Read this book! Not only will you love the characters, but the storyline is amazing as well!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pure Excellence!

Excellent, nostalgic, wonderful book that is so well performed it comes alive with characters with a world class narrator who really gets it!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great summer read!

This was like a memoir. It's a sweet story of a young man coming to age during the 1960s in the rural mountains of PA. The narrator brought it to life! I felt like I really knew Jack and his whole family.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Summer listen

If Kindle hadn’t proposed it, I doubt that I would have found this treasure. Good balance of laughs, a few tears, and sweeps of nostalgia.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely

Nowadays, the values once held dear, are so often being trampled on. The Last Summer Boys gave me a sense of peace. It was beautifully written. I could feel the worries and joys of a country boy growing up in the 60s, a boy who learned that everyone has worth. Thank you, Bill Rivers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The summer of 1968

The author does a wonderful job of capturing the innocence of small town Americana at the time of the Vietnam war. He captured the bittersweet moments of 4 boys on their way to adulthood. It reminds you that real family values did exist. Life was sweet. Life was good- even through some very dark moments. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great coming of age story

I enjoyed the story, characters, the time in history the story took place and this narrator. At times I felt the story dragged, but this was minimal.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story telling

The author has a great understanding of vocabulary and makes for an entertaining and enjoyable time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

last summer boys

I wasn't sure about the book when I purchased it. But I surprisingly loved this book. The summer of 1968. This book had me giggling, laughing and feeling the love these brothers had for one an other. I have recommended this book to several family members and friends. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

This was a beautiful, awesome and heartwarming book. Between my laughs and tears I did not want it to end. I am looking forward to listening to it again. I will definitely share it with my friends.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful