Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
The summer before college - the last summer of innocence, of being together, of the magic pants. Carmen, Tibby, Bridget, and Lena face their biggest transition yet.
Spoiler Warning
This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion if you haven't finished the book yet.
Overview
Girls in Pants is the third summer with the Traveling Pants, and it's the most bittersweet yet. This is the summer before college - the last time they'll all be together, the end of childhood, the beginning of everything else.
What Makes This Book Special
Brashares captures the unique emotional landscape of that last summer before college with stunning accuracy - the mix of excitement and terror, the desperate desire to freeze time, the knowledge that everything is changing.
This Summer's Stories
Carmen
Working at a theater, she falls for someone unexpected and deals with her father prioritizing his new family. She's learning that relationships evolve and she has to find her own path.
Tibby
Staying home, working, and falling in love with Brian - then experiencing devastating loss that forces her to confront grief and accept help.
Bridget
Coaching at soccer camp, she finally processes her mother's suicide and begins genuine healing through connection with her coach and facing the past.
Lena
Home for the summer, painting and working, still tangled in complicated feelings for Kostos while learning to take risks with her art and her heart.
What I Loved
The Bittersweet Tone
This book perfectly captures that feeling of summer before everything changes - every moment is precious because you know it's ending.
Tibby's Story
Her experience with loss and grief is handled with such sensitivity and emotional truth. It's heartbreaking and necessary.
Bridget's Healing
Finally seeing her confront her mother's death and begin real healing is powerful and cathartic.
The Friendship Depth
The girls' support for each other - especially rallying around Tibby - shows how deep their bond has become.
The Honesty
Nothing is wrapped up neatly. Change is scary, grief is hard, and growing up means accepting complexity.
Key Themes
The End of Childhood
This summer marks a clear before and after. They're saying goodbye to who they were and don't yet know who they'll become.
Loss and Grief
Tibby's loss teaches all of them about grief, support, and the fragility of life.
Healing Takes Time
Bridget's arc shows that healing isn't linear - it takes years, backslides, and finally facing what you've avoided.
Relationships Evolve
Carmen learns that her father will always love her, but their relationship is changing. That's painful but okay.
Holding On and Letting Go
The central tension - how do you hold onto what matters while also moving forward?
The Emotional Weight
This book made me:
- Cry harder than the previous two
- Remember my own last summer before college
- Appreciate my own friendships more
- Think about how we handle change and loss
- Feel grateful for the people who know us completely
Most Powerful Moments
Tibby's loss: Absolutely devastating
Bridget visiting her mother's friend: Finally getting answers
The four of them together: Every scene feels precious
The ending: Perfect, bittersweet, hopeful
Why 4.1 Stars?
This is a beautiful, emotionally resonant book that perfectly captures a specific moment in life. The writing is strong, the character arcs are satisfying, and the emotional truth is powerful.
It's slightly less than 4.2 stars because the pacing feels a bit uneven in places, and some plot threads feel rushed while others are deeply developed.
Who Should Read This
- Anyone who loved the first two books
- People facing major life transitions
- Those dealing with grief or loss
- Anyone saying goodbye to a chapter of life
- Readers who appreciate emotional honesty
- Anyone who's ever had that one group of friends
The Series Arc
Watching these four grow from 15 to 18 has been remarkable:
- Book 1: First time apart, first real challenges
- Book 2: Deeper issues, more complexity
- Book 3: Facing loss, saying goodbye, moving forward
Final Thoughts
Girls in Pants is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful conclusion to the high school years of the Sisterhood. Brashares doesn't shy away from the pain of change and loss, but she also shows the strength of true friendship and the courage it takes to grow up.
This book is about:
- The last summer of innocence
- Facing devastating loss
- Beginning to heal old wounds
- Accepting that change is inevitable
- Holding onto what matters while moving forward
The pants are still magic, but the real magic has always been the friendship - the knowing and being known, the support and honesty, the shared history and uncertain future.
Whether you're 17 facing your own transition or 40 remembering that pivotal summer, this book will make you feel deeply, cry freely, and appreciate the people who've walked beside you through every change.
A fitting, emotional, beautiful end to their high school journey. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Notes & Takeaways
The End of an Era
Girls in Pants captures that bittersweet summer before college when everything is changing and you're desperately trying to hold on to what matters while also ready to fly.
The Final Summer Together
Carmen: Working at a theater, falling for someone unexpected, and struggling with her changing relationship with her father.
Tibby: At home, working, and facing a devastating loss that changes everything.
Bridget: At soccer camp as a coach, finally processing her mother's death and starting to heal.
Lena: Home for the summer, painting, working, and still navigating her complicated feelings for Kostos.
The Weight of Change
This book feels different because the stakes are different:
- This is their last summer together
- They're about to scatter across the country
- Childhood is definitively ending
- The future is both exciting and terrifying
Growth and Goodbye
Facing loss: Tibby experiences devastating loss and must learn to grieve and accept support.
Finding closure: Bridget finally confronts her mother's death and begins real healing.
Letting go: Carmen learns that relationships change, and that's okay.
Moving forward: All four girls learn that growing up means letting go of some things while holding tight to what matters.
Why It Resonates
This book captures the specific pain and beauty of that transitional summer:
- Wanting time to stop and speed up simultaneously
- Knowing everything is changing but not knowing who you'll become
- The terror and excitement of the unknown
- The desperate desire to memorize moments
- The realization that some goodbyes are necessary
The Emotional Core
The friendship remains the heart, but there's an added layer of urgency and poignancy. Every moment together feels precious because they know summer will end, and when it does, everything changes.
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