Swede Dreams by Eva Apelqvist

Swede Dreams by Eva Apelqvist
Students Across the Seven Seas
Published by Speak; February 15, 2007
Paperback, 224 pages
Borrowed from library

Swede escape! Calista Swanson has begun her study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden, and she couldn’t be happier! There’s finally some distance between her and the constant piano-playing of her annoying sister Suzanne. Calista and Suzanne are twins, but the only thing they have in common is their birth date. Suzanne is a focused and gifted pianist, but a social dud. Calista isn’t at all focused, but she always has her friends, and a boyfriend, by her side. And that goes for her time in Sweden, as well. Jonas, who’d been an exchange student at her high school in Wisconsin, lives in Stockholm. He’s the main reason Calista is studying in Sweden, and she knows he’ll be in tow as she explores everything Sweden has to offer, from visiting Swedish castles to learning more about the Viking era, to sampling treats from a smörgåsbord, to strolling the cobblestone streets of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan. Calista loves Sweden from the moment she arrives, but . . . why hasn’t Jonas called?

- Description from Goodreads.com

Ever since stumbling upon a S.A.S.S. novel in my school library, I've been hooked. I love travelling and I love books so you can imagine how awesome the two of them combined would be for me. And after reading five or six, I can confidently say that Swede Dreams is the most culture-centric. None of the other S.A.S.S. novels I've read have put such a large emphasis on the country where the girl was visiting and that's fantastic! I mean, the entire series is about studying abroad so why don't you show us more of the 'abroad' and less of the 'boy'. So I really appreciated the change in this book.

The only thing is that we didn't get to know much about Jonas. And from the blurb, it seems like Jonas is a very integral character to the story. If it weren't for him, Calista wouldn't be in Sweden! So even though he may not be a part of Calista's Sweden trip, I would have still liked to have had some more information on him. 

Other than that though, this book was great! I loved the characters and the boy and the setting was especially amazing.