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Peter L. Harmon
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The Happenstances at the Yellow County Community Swim and Racquet Club the Summer Before Last Paperback – June 20, 2015

by Peter L Harmon (Author), Kellie Emery (Illustrator)
4.4 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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"Don't worry, as long as I'm alive and raising h-e-double diving boards those rat bastards aren't gonna touch us, trust me. I love this place too much not to fight for it." Set the summer before last around a series of happenstances at a community swim and racquet club in Yellow County, The Happenstances at the Yellow County Community Swim and Racquet Club the Summer Before Last is a bittersweet, nostalgic, but comic novella about a team of misfits, including a loser who secretly lives in the guard house of the club, a struggling artist with webbed toes, a timid teen with a concave chest, and the beautiful heiress of the Comfort Inn fortune. They have to win the impending Tri-County Relay Race and save the club from being run by a management company that only cares about money. The management company hires an opposing relay team of ringers including a girl with a prosthetic dorsal fin and a man named Carmichael Schmelps who looks suspiciously like a certain Olympic gold medalist.

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  1. Print length
    106 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    High Dive Publishing
  4. Publication date
    June 20, 2015
  5. Grade level
    2 - 7
  6. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    163393148X
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1633931480
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Amazon Editors' favorite summer reads Amazon%20Editors%27%20favorite%20summer%20reads

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Full of wit, charm, hilarious one-liners and clever digressions, Peter Harmon's Happenstances plays in a landscape of Americana reminiscent of John Hughes, but with tongue planted in cheek, pokes fun at familiar tropes and archetypical comedic characters while at the same time valuing all the elements enough to deliver a fresh and enjoyable summer read. Poppy - and full of pop-culture references that'll have Millennials giggling out loud and sharing the text with their friends - Happenstances doesn't take itself too seriously while still respecting its readers, resulting in the perfect poolside read (and not only because it takes place at a pool!)" - Jason Stefaniak, award winning filmmaker "A sheer wave of nostalgia hits me in Peter Harmon's book. I am filled with both laughter and tears. Based on our childhood community pool, I am reminded of the pure joy of being a kid and figuring it out. Our pool was an idealistic dream for the American kid. The place where we had our first jobs, our first kiss and most likely our first sloppy joe. It was just happenstance that I happened to be there, and I would not change that experience for the world. Thank you Peter for taking me back to the good ole days! This is a book that I recommend to anyone looking for an endearing summer read." - Gabrielle Christian, actress/ activist "Forget what you think you know about the perfect summer break and allow yourself to high-dive into the heartbreak, exhilaration, and sheer madness that's waiting for you at the YCCSRC. Peter Harmon's charming storytelling will make you believe for the first time in your life that the jerk, babe, nerd and outcast can actually come together to fight in the name of justice -- and, even more surprisingly, make you catch your breath when you realize they might possibly stand a chance." - Jamie Petitto, writer and YouTube personality at Gurl.com "The Happenstances... has a ton of hilarious fun and underdog spirit. You'd be a fool not to add it to your summer reading list!" - Barbra Dillon, Fanboy Comics Managing Editor

About the Author

Peter L. Harmon is a screenwriter and producer, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife Ashlea, their son Christian, and their pug Summer. He studied Electronic Media and Film as well as Creative Writing at Towson University in Baltimore. He also spent the best summers of his life working and playing at the Cheverly Swim and Racquet Club, the pool where the idea for The Happenstances did its first cannonball.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ High Dive Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 20, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Signed By Author
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 106 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 163393148X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1633931480
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.9 ounces
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 18 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 2 - 7
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

About the author

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Peter L. Harmon

Peter L. Harmon

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Peter L. Harmon is an author, screenwriter, and producer. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Ashlea, their sons Christian and Calvin, and their pug Summer. He studied Electronic Media and Film as well as Creative Writing at Towson University in Baltimore. He also spent the best summers of his life working and playing at the Cheverly Swim and Racquet Club, the pool where the idea for his first novel The Happenstances at the Yellow County Community Swim and Racquet Club the Summer Before Last did its first cannonball.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
25 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book highly entertaining, particularly as a fun summertime read. The character development receives positive feedback, with one customer noting its perfectly whimsical personification.

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HumorCharacter development
7 customers mention "Humor"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly entertaining, particularly as a fun summertime read for young adults, with one customer noting it's packed with nostalgia and laughs.

"This is a fun, light summer read perfect for lounging outside with an ice cold beverage of your choice...." Read more

"...Harmon himself says of the book that it's "a quick, fun read" and intended "for summer fun."" Read more

"...I highly recommend this book to anyone for a fun summertime read or even a winter time read by the fire while you look forward to summers ahead!" Read more

"Very well written and highly entertaining. Made me LOL many times. “And my Sloppy Joe was only an Unkempt Joe. I want my Joe really disheveled...." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting its perfectly whimsical personification and another describing it as charming.

"...Filled with a unique and memorable cast of characters that pull you into their happenstances...." Read more

"...; sets the tone on the first page with a perfectly whimsical personification nestled in a conventional and comfortably familiar scene...." Read more

"I thought this book was very funny, and charming. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Summer, Summer, Summer-time. Summertime." - The Fresh Prince
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a fun, light summer read perfect for lounging outside with an ice cold beverage of your choice. It's the story of a group of misfits biding their time in the transitional period between teenage and adulthood. It has a traditional story of acquaintances becoming a team and then becoming friends, for the younger readers. It has some cheeky double entendres, for adult readers. It has geographic nods to various locations in the suburbs of the nation's capital, for the Capitol Hill insiders. It even has some "only '90's kidz will remember these" style pop culture references, for jaded millennials.
    One of the characters in the book has aspirations of being a screenwriter and some of the scenes are described using cinematic language. It made me think, what if this story was a told in a movie? Then I thought, "Hey, I'd watch that!"
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Ruth McLaughlin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Summer is a bum deal.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    School is over and time to start your summer job, or at least try to work somewhere before college starts. Florence, little rich miss, summer is working your community service hours at a community social club rather than folding clothes at the thrift store. Rogers is trying to socialize without displaying his intelligent ability and poor physique. Charlie is bidding from a summer of mailroom duties at his father's office. Jonathon is sleeping in the guard room at the pool. Judas, a drunken narcissistic jock, prefers to watch everyone else work. This combination will find their places defined by summer jobs and a relay race to save the community center and themselves. How many will really reach the end line?
    Helpful
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  • Tina Loves to Read
    3.0 out of 5 stars Fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2022
    Format: Kindle
    I enjoyed most of the book, but there parts of the book that jumped up in time without any notice. That leave the reader wondering what was going on for a little bit. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
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  • christine emery
    5.0 out of 5 stars loved that the author is the one reading the story
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2016
    Format: Audible AudiobookVerified Purchase
    loved that the author is the one reading the story, that really makes the book come alive. Filled with a unique and memorable cast of characters that pull you into their happenstances. Looking forward to reading or listening more from this author.
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  • P. Dean Robertson
    4.0 out of 5 stars We All Remember These People: A Light, Nostalgic Read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I was first attracted to this book by its unlikely title, and the book continues with that kind of humorous and nostalgic language. It was the author's obviously tongue-in-cheek attitude toward his characters that kept me reading. "The Happenstances" sets the tone on the first page with a perfectly whimsical personification nestled in a conventional and comfortably familiar scene. The novel's third sentence is, "Clouds puffed out their chests, hoping to be noticed later by sky-gazers and compared to doggies or ducks or whatever general shape the wind had gently sculpted them into." Harmon then tells us, with a straight face and an eye for ordinary detail that "green shrubs lined the chain-link fence that surrounded the compound."

    One of the great strengths of this charming book is that it succeeds in painting a picture of a community swimming pool in a small town which will ring bells in the memories of so many readers. I don't know about anyone else, but I remember this pool and this community and this summer.

    Harmon creates characters who are just outrageous enough to evoke a belly laugh and an eye-roll but still reminiscent of folks we all knew.

    All in all, I'd say grab this one and run. Give yourself a lovely afternoon in the sun with Peter Harmon's youth and your own. It's a winner.

    Harmon himself says of the book that it's "a quick, fun read" and intended "for summer fun."
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Emily J. Lewis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious easy read for young adults or old adults
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Hilarious easy read for young adults or old adults. It reminds me of summer camp in my youth. I highly recommend this book to anyone for a fun summertime read or even a winter time read by the fire while you look forward to summers ahead!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Loveto Travel
    5.0 out of 5 stars A “swimmingly” good read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Very well written and highly entertaining. Made me LOL many times. “And my Sloppy Joe was only an Unkempt Joe. I want my Joe really disheveled. I need more Joe sauce.”
    One person found this helpful
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  • Peter Harmon
    5.0 out of 5 stars I like this book a lot
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I like this book a lot, lol! Check it out for a fun summer read for young adults of all ages.
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