This book felt like a summer vacation. I really enjoyed following along with how Cat and Will's story developed over a decade of summers. But just because it's a summer romance doesn't mean everything is easy – it's a sloooooowwww burn. Almost too slow. It was frustrating at times to see Cat and Will face the same obstacles over and over with slight variation. I really enjoyed how the maturity of the writing shifts as Cat, our narrator, gets older. It starts off so simple and gets heavier as we watch Cat experience more life. The writing of the book itself mimics Cat's character development and how long she must've longed for everything to finally align, which I appreciated.

It’s 1983 and eleven-year old Cat Rossi watches the launch ramp at her father’s marina where dozens of trucks patiently wait to back their toys into the shallow water. They're out-of-towners, Paychecks, her brother likes to call them, because they bring the money, all of them attracted to the hot, dry climate of the Arizona desert and the venue for water sports that the Colorado River provides.

Cat’s used to the carousel of single summer friends, until she meets Will Henderson, the only son of a wealthy doctor. They bond over ice cream, boat rides, and pinky promises, and when August ends, Will vows to come back next year. Over the next decade, Cat spends the off-season waiting for Will to return for the summer, and every year their connection is tested as they wade the awkward waters of adolescence into adulthood in the 80’s and 90’s. Torn between family obligation and her desire to forge her own path, Cat must decide how much she's willing to risk for the greatest love of her life.

I couldn't get into the story and ended up dnf-ing it. Wasn't bad, the writing was good, it just not for me. I couldn't connect with the characters so I didn't finish it

This book made me relive my first summer as a teen. Slow burn, awkwardness that's unspoken, crushed, beach trips. It's like a live action version of Teen Beach Movie from Disney. Love

I received an advanced reader copy of For the Summer in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.

For The Summer was a wonderful book. I found myself engrossed in the lives of Cat and Will from their early teen years through adulthood. I love how the author really brought the marina to life with her descriptions. The characters were well-rounded and not one note. I did feel that Cat had more character development than Will but that may have been due to the story being told from her perspective.

As much as I did love the characters, there were times where I wanted to smack either of them for the way they acted towards each other. Maybe that is a good thing because it shows that the characters are human and make a connection with the reader. Cat let Will walk over her too much and it was like he expected her to do all the work to keep in touch. Other than that, I enjoyed their ending and found it to be very sweet.

For The Summer is a great read.

For The Summer is a fun summer read (even though I read this book in the dead of winter). In the summer of 1983, Cat, the daughter of the owner of a marina, meets Will. This one tender meeting sparks a life-long friendship between "Paycheck" and Cat. Both characters struggle with internal family issues: Will's dad wants him to be a doctor, and Cat's dad needs her to run the marina after her brother moves away. Cat and Will also have to deal with the fact that every summer Will leaves for a whole year, complicating their blossoming romance. Overall, this novel was equal parts heartbreaking, comical, and realistic.

Thank you Camille Harte and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story
It’s 1983. Cat lives on the marina that her dad owns on a rural river spot. She’s 11 when she first meets Will, a summer visitor from the Bay Area. Will’s mom has recently died from cancer and his doctor father brings him and the wicked stepmother to the marina on holiday. Each year, Dr Henderson and Will return. Soon there is a new stepmother and her two daughters, sometimes it’s their friends and later his girlfriend. Over the years, their friendship and shared bond of motherlessness and duty to their fathers and family grows into a deep love. Things are complicated by the absences the rest of the year and the real life that happens outside of the summers. Can the timing ever work for Cat and Will?

My thoughts
This is such a beautiful coming of age story. Set over a period from 1983 to 1999, we walk through the shared moments of Cat and Will’s lives year by year. I loved the three facts of each year at the start of each chapter that put you right back into the time period. I was a few years younger than Cat and Will at these times but they struck a chord in my memories. The details of clothing, listening to cassette tapes, getting cellphones and CD players felt familiar. I loved how the relationship between Cat and Will isn’t simple, the love is always there but there is anger, embarrassment, sadness, and so much joy. A beautiful read!

Plot ✍
It's 1983 and eleven-year old Cat Rossi watches the launch ramp at her father's marina where dozens of trucks patiently wait to back their boats into the shallow water. They're out-of-towners, Paychecks, her brother likes to call them because they bring the money. But just for the summer.

Cat's used to the carousel of part-time friends until she meets Will Henderson, the only son of a wealthy doctor. They bond over ice cream and pinky promises, and when August ends, Will vows he'll be back. Cat's not counting on it; things change, people do too, but when Will eventually returns to the marina, they quickly fall back into their easy friendship.
Every year, Cat waits for Will to return to the marina for the summer, and every year their connection is tested as they wade the awkward waters of adolescence into adulthood.

Thoughts 💭
This book is so good. It's cute and sweet. We start with Cat and Will being kids. Each chapter is a year and tells you what happened in that year. They show the Summer that they've had together. Each Summer they grow closer, or further apart. Their friendship is tested quite a few times. I love the characters. The character development was so good. You really felt the pull of her wanting to be with Will but not dosappoint her dad. It really encompassed the feel of Summer. If you're looking for a sweet feel good read then this is definitely the one for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and IBPA for the eARC!

I ended up not reading very much of this because there were so many spelling and grammar issues. I couldn’t get into the story because I couldn’t get past the writing. hopefully these were just e-arc issues and will be fixed for publication

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review...

Such a cute and fun story. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once i was hooked there was no letting go. Cat and Wills story is one that will stay with me for days to come. Watching them grow through the years made the story REAL. I enjoyed the slow burn of the relationship between the characters. it was a great pick me up read.

This book was well written and really enjoyable. It had me completely captivated from the start and I couldn’t help but get swept up in Cat and Will’s relationship. I loved the linear timeline that picked up each summer as you watched them both grow up from Cat’s point of view. You can see real character development from her and I felt that her complicated personality was really believable and relatable.

this was a sweet and precious book! i wish i could have read it during the summer, but other than that, it was flawless. cute characters. great storyline. great plots. all good.

It took me awhile to get through the book, I felt like it was extremely long. Some of the book felt like it could have been condensed. Overall I enjoyed and would recommend it to someone looking for something in this genre.

Yeah, I'm in love with this book. The "over the years" trope in books is one of my favorites Of All Time. At first I was worried about how the writing would progress since the beginning is supposed to be written from 11 year old Cat's point of view, but you could really feel her developing as she gets older. Books like these always frustrate me to all hell because the characters keep missing each other or making the same mistakes, but the payoff ALWAYS makes it worth it. You get to see the characters learn and grow and struggle with their feelings, and I cannot get over all the heartbreaking pining. Will and Cat are everything I wish I had, and I actually really love the importance all the side characters played throughout their story. Such a stunning debut novel, and I cannot wait to see what else Camille has up her sleeve.

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read! It took me a bit to get into the story but after a few pages, I was hooked.

I liked the premise of this book. Cat lives with her father and works in a lodge that rich families visit for the summer. She develops a crush on Will, another boy who quickly becomes her friend and promises her that he will return every year. I also liked how each chapter was a different year and had parts containing the different events that happened in that year.

It's a slow burn, swooney romance, where the relationship between the characters develops and flows in the most organic way imaginable. They're both relatable as children and as teenagers. It took me back to my awkward teenage years!

For the Summer is such a great read! The novel follows Cat and Will starting when they are 11 and 12 years old. Cat works at her father's marina and Will and his family vacation there every summer. They start out just hanging out like kids that age will do and every year their relationship changes. Set in the 1980's and '90's everything seems so simple without cell phones and social media interfering with your everyday life. You just cheer these two on and hope they find their way to each other. Perfect summer read!

If you spent your childhood summers holidaying at the beach, eating ice cream, getting up to mischief with other kids & enjoying long, seemingly endless days in the water, then this book will hit you with a lot of nostalgia.

This is a book that almost demands to be read in summer, by the pool with an ice cold drink as you live 17 summers through the eyes of Cat between 1983 (aged 11) & 1999.

I loved seeing the evolution of Cat & Will, from young friends to hormonal teenagers and then adults with a whole lot of history & a lot of feelings.

This was a slow-burn romance with a complicated romantic history & though I thoroughly enjoyed the ups & downs of Will & Cat’s relationship, I’ll admit that towards the last few chapters I really wanted the two to hurry up & get their act together.

This is a great book of perpetual summers, interesting & likable characters, with growing up & a sweet, friends-to-lovers romance at its core. Recommended reading this summer!

An absolutely wonderful and fascinating story that spans years of two kids from preteens to adults. Their relationship endures through friendship and love, yearning and growing. I thoroughly loved the complicated summers and seasons of Will and Cat.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For The Summer by Camille Harte is a slow-burning best friends to lovers and back again over time story. It makes you feel like you are apart of an endless summer that you never want to leave. Super cute story.

For the Summer by Camille Harte was a very slow, slow burn for me.

Maybe it is because I too was an eleven-year-old in 1983, and it felt like Cat Rossi took a very long time to grow up as the years progressed. She certainly had a lot more patience when it came to Will, and a few chapters (years) in, I mostly felt sorry for her.

I remember those days of young love and limited access to phones etc, but I would have well and truly moved on if I’d never heard from the person for the rest of the year! Especially as she got older. I don’t really know what she even saw in him in the end.

That being said, the story was well-written and I did love the intros of each paragraph, with the little trips down memory lane, and was at least (mostly) satisfied when I turned the last page.