📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Just for the Summer - Abby Jimenez

Thank you to @netgalley for an early advanced copy of this book.

Abby Jimenez is just a wonderful writer. Her books are filled with stories that hit you right in the heart. They capture heartache, love, joy and pain. I love how her stories are always unique and fresh and this one is no different.

We get two great characters in this book with Justin and Emma. They are both dealing with so much but are prefect for each other.

Justin's Reddit thread is all over the internet where he talks about his dating curse. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. But when Emma slides into his DMs claiming she has the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a crazy idea but one that could work.

Emma finds herself in Minnesota and gravitating towards Justin. Before long they are dating and having fun But could they have just found a way to break the curse?

It's a great book. I really like Abby's writing style. Her characters are so relatable, no matter what they are going through. I also appreciated the cameos from Jacob and Brianna ❤️

Great romcom and definately one to read.

#romcom #abbyjimenez #justforthesummer #greatread #netgalley #netgalleyread #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreads #kindlereader #kindlereading #lovetoread

‘Just for the Summer’ is a moving yet playful romantic comedy between Emma and Justin, who agree to a fling in the hopes of breaking their ‘curses’. As with many romances, the premise is largely unimportant to the heart of the story, which focuses on trauma, love, forgiveness, and responsibility.
This book is painful at many points but still remains hopeful throughout. Jimenez explores betrayals and childhood trauma and how these manifest in the characters’ lives and relationships. The characters grapple with feelings of resentment, anger, and loss, whilst learning how to live within their circumstances.
The romantic love story was surprisingly successful - the protagonists have the odds stacked so high against them I was at times doubtful that the happy ending would manage to be believable. I was pleased that it felt like there was a genuine connection between Emma and Justin, despite the fact that it develops very quickly. Their conversations brought humour to an otherwise difficult book, and I ended up feeling invested in their relationship. I also really enjoyed the execution of certain romance features, such as pining and care-taking. These made the book both tender and fun, which is exactly what I look for in romcoms.
One of my favourite elements of ‘Just for the Summer’ is how it provides multiple kinds of love stories. In particular, Emma’s relationship with Maddy, best friends/adoptive sisters, was very touching in how well Maddy knows her and is prepared to help when she is ready for it. Additionally, the developing bonds between both Emma and Justin and his siblings were lovely to read, full of understanding and care. On the lightest side, Justin’s friends (including the infamous Brad) were such a great cast of secondary characters, one of my favourite friendship groups that I’ve read recently.
Overall, I genuinely loved reading ‘Just for the Summer’. The world of the book is so vibrant that I felt completely immersed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc of this book. Oh Abby has done it again!!

Justin is cursed, and after posting a Reddit thread now the whole world knows. Every woman he dates goes on to date their soulmate as soon as they’ve broken up. Emma sees the Reddit post and slides in his DMs as she too feels she is cursed. They make a plan to date each other and then break up - maybe their curses will cancel each other out?

I adored this book so much. If he wanted to he would!!! I could almost feel the chemistry through the pages it made me weep. Abby’s way of writing makes me want to crawl into the book and be a character inside the story. One of my favourite romance writers out there, I need a book a month from you Abby!!!

Definitely recommend 🩷

I’m blown away by how good this was. Why is this the first Abby Jimenez I’ve read.

It was just such a well developed story that goes far deeper than its light hearted premise would suggest. You realise through the story that they weren’t “cursed” they just were not in places in their lives to be meeting anyone serious let alone “the one”.

I thought all the psychological stuff was handled very well (you could tell she had a psych advisor that she listened to). I believed and understood Emma’s problems and you actually saw her realise she needs to figure herself out before she can be in a relationship and is then given that time. All of this makes it believable to the reader that the couple will last. Justin goes through growth too and learning to be a guardian to his siblings, who were all great side characters believably the edges they were written as too.

Reading the authors note and Q&A really gave insight into her thought process in handling these more serious topics but still finding the humour. Someone who doesn’t get attached accidentally falls into it through events beyond their control. I loved how smitten Justin was, so determined even before the unicorn floatie incident. They were so open with each other it was refreshing not to see the miscommunication trope that often appears in third acts. Overall what was created is a meaningful believable romance between two people just trying to find their place in the world.

I will definitely be picking up Part of Your World and Yours Truly ASAP after getting glimpses of characters from them. They’ve been on my TBR but I stupidly hadn’t gotten to them yet.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The set up for this novel – a relationship “curse” and a summer fling with a deadline – was lighthearted and slightly silly. However, the story quickly rerouted to explore heavier topics when Emma’s toxic mother showed up and Justin assumed guardianship of his siblings after his own mother went to prison. This made for a very unconventional romance. Owing to the author’s skill, the tone didn’t feel conflicted and the plot balanced the characters’ family and romantic relationships well. The writing style was easy to read, yet didn’t diminish the issues discussed. The author showed compassion and thoughtfulness through both the characters’ actions and the overarching story.

As Emma and Justin were dealing with such major life events at the same time as (quickly) falling in love, it was difficult to see how their relationship could exist long term. Despite these challenges, I was still rooting for them. This was largely due to Justin’s obvious adoration of Emma. He put in so much effort into their relationship, even when he didn’t know how committed she was. At times, his level of heroism was possibly too unrealistic. Justin’s dedication to Emma was even more impressive considering he already had such a busy and unpredictable home life adjusting to looking after his siblings.

Emma wanted to be part of Justin’s charmingly hectic world, but she really needed to sort herself out first. Her maladaptive coping mechanisms for whenever her mother let her down or abandoned her had really crippled her ability to properly commit herself to someone. It was sad to watch, especially knowing how much Justin already loved her. Thankfully, Emma had a no-nonsense best friend in her life. Maddy acted as a voice of reason, one which Emma eventually started to listen to. The ending was a huge sigh of relief as Emma could finally bravely love Justin the way he deserved.

OVERALL: Quickly dropping its lighthearted set-up, this novel took a more serious turn by exploring complicated family dynamics. The heartwarming romance was a beacon of hope throughout.

Oh my god I absolutely adored everything about this book. It was written incredibly well and I loved how detailed each of the characters were. This book is one of those where the characters feel like real people and you wish you knew them in real life, which is a marker of how amazing this book was. I adored the setting and its impacts, and the love between the main characters felt genuine and heartfelt. I wish I could give six stars - I will forever be recommending this book!

Abby Jimenez can do no wrong. There's something about her writing that just hooks me in. She makes me fall in love, breaks my heart, and then put it back together. And Just For The Summer is no exception. I was obsessed from the get go. I absolutely adored Just For The Summer - I cannot even verbalise how much.

Kickstarting with a hilarious Reddit thread, Justin and Emma realise they have the same problem - when either of them dates someone and they end up breaking up, the other person finds their soulmate after. The solution? Date each other.

Justin gives off the biggest freaking "if he wanted to, he would energy". I truely love him so much, he's definitely a new favourite MMC of mine. I loved how he balanced out Emma and helped her grow - her character development was truly chef's kiss. Justin and Emma must be protected at all costs.

I also loved all the little easter eggs for other Abby books - I don't want to say too much, but I'm really glad I read her other books before reading this one.

Just For The Summer is truly a book I could just read and listen to over and over again.

I've never met an Abby Jimenez book I didn't like and this one was no different. I was sucked into Emma and Justin's story from the very first chapter and was rotting for them so hard, even when Emma wasn't rooting for herself. I particularly enjoyed the storyline with Justin's family; they really added to the development of Justin as a character and made you fall for him even deeper. Maddy was the tough loving but truth speaking best friend that everyone needs in their life!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Abby Jimenez does not disappoint! Absolutely loved this one- the main characters were both so lovable and so layered I truly enjoyed their evolution and their chemistry- the lack of miscommunication was refreshing for me as I hate that and I loved the way they would communicate and care for each other. Great read!

Thank you for the chance of reading this and lending me the ARC. I really enjoyed this book, the premise was great and very modern. The main character was quite troubled and it feels harsh to criticise her but it got a bit old at times hence the 4 stars and not 5

Abby Jimenez is such an amazing author - I love the way she writes conversations and banter. I’m not one who usually has many emotions while reading, but I was smiling so much during this, and also on the verge of crying during some parts. It’s a very deep, emotional yet sweet and funny book. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

Wow, Abby Jiminez does it again! I devoured this book. Everything about it was perfect. Emma and Justin’s characters were so realistic and I think thags one reason why I love her writing so much because her characters have so much depth to them.

The emotions they go through and the connections they make are so defined. Emma really works on herself and it was realistically played out the way it was written because people do often need to do things on their own to be able to fully get better.

Justin and his family were so admirable and I loved everything about it. Highly highly recommend this book for everyone!!

5 stars!

I went into this expecting a light romance…and it most definitely is not that. The focus of the story is the romance that develops between our two characters, but the emotional elements of this cannot be ignored.
Our two characters - Justin and Emma - meet online over a shared quirk. They each seem to date someone, only to get dumped and then their ex finds their soulmate. In the interest of testing the theory they decide to meet and date. Naturally, their experiment goes slightly off-kilter and they end up feeling like each could be the one.
That on its own would have made for an amusing story. However, what we also have to deal with is Emma’s upbringing. Her mum effectively abandoned her as a teen, having neglected her throughout her childhood. Emma sees this as something of a badge of honour, being resilient, but it is clear that she is incredibly damaged and still has a very toxic relationship with the person who has the label of mother. Her constant is her best friend, Maddy, who follows her as she travels continuously and uproots herself whenever things get tough.
Having been amused by Justin’s story, Emma decides to alter the travel plans she and Maddy made so she can meet Justin. They bond and get on well, with things pointing to a potential relationship. While Emma is dealing (or ignoring) her mother issues, Justin also is contending with the fact that his mother is about to go to prison and he will take on custody of his siblings.
If you met either of these characters in real life you’d be forgiven for running a mile. On paper, however, they get to share their flaws and we see how there’s a slim chance that things could work out.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this. It felt like two quite different stories melded - a little uncomfortably- into one.

Headlines:
Bad parents
No attachments
Past catches up

Just For The Summer took me a while to get into, it started with smatterings of interest but by half way I had invested in the characters and story. The romantic couple of this piece were lovely, Justin in particular was the quintenssential good guy and liked him throughout. While Emma was nice, her commitment issues were frustrating at times.

I think one of my barriers to enjoyment related to the mothers in this story and one in particular. Emma's mother was horrendous through her childhood and Emma was still picking up the pieces of her mother as an adult. Everyone could see it but Emma, but the reasons why Emma didn't see it were understandable. As I began to understand Amber's (mother) behaviour more for what it was, I settled into the story of this bad parent more and appreciated the representation of what was happening with this character. So I went from being irritated by the 'bad parent' trope to appreciating where Jimenez went with this story.

All told, I ended up more gripped by the mother-daughter-family story and the effect it had on Emma's adult behaviours than I did on the romance. Coupling that with the family issues that Justin had going on, I also LOVED his family and reading about their situation, how he adjusted and cared.

Overall, this book took an unexpected direction from what I'm used to with Abby Jimenez' books but I thought it was rich and valuable. I think if I had gone into it not expecting the more straight forward romance that I think she normally writes, I wouldn't have had the early frustrations. It shows that's on me for pigeon-holing this author when she did a great job with this.

Thank you to Piatkus for the review copy through netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book just as I have loved everything Abby Jimenez writes. I have read every book she publishes and they continue to delight me. The main character's banter and chemistry is so rich and they feel so real. I love how she blends the light-hearted romcom vibes with a deeper and emotional aspect. Simply perfect!

This book has made it into my top 5 favorite romances of all time.

I loved it from start to finish. I've been wanting to get my hands on an Abby Jimenez book for years now and oh my god was I blown away. If you like Emily Henry romances, you need this book in your life.

The pacing was amazing. The two MC started talking within the first few pages, there was no unnecessary set up of the story. The book is dual pov so we got to know both characters’ thoughts and what was going in their lives at the same time as they were getting to know each other.

That leads me to the characters. Both MC were fantastic. Emma is a strong independent woman with a lot of unhealed childhood trauma and Justin is the kind of man I want in my life. Book boyfriends like Justin are the reason why I will be forever single. I will not settle for anything less. And then there’s the side characters. The friendships in this book are one of the most healthy, honest and loving friendships I have ever read about. They’re the kind of people that will always be in your corner, no matter what. I loved Maddy for being Maddy, but I especially liked how this was represented in the male friendships because we don’t see it that often. And Justin’s siblings were adorable. I would gladly take care of them with him.

And then we have the romance. The chemistry was there, the butterflies were there, everything was there. But the most important thing was that the third act breakup made total sense. They needed to break up at that point. Everything was so real in this story, I don’t know how to coherently tell you how good this book was.

I guess the best way to put it is this: this was my first Abby Jimenez book and I will now read anything she publishes. It’s definitely my favorite book of the year so far.

This book is filled with all the Abby Jiminez goodness you could want! I enjoyed the characters and found the premise of this story unique when it came to the romantic plot.
I thought the side characters really added value to the story also.
There’s great rep when it comes to trauma/abandonment (trigger warning) however I felt the healing aspect could have been drawn/fleshed out a bit further.
The ending was kinda rushed - felt like the end of a romcom film where it was summarised and personally I would have enjoyed a little more to the ending.

Ah, I just loved this so much!

These two had quite the journey and I loved how real the characters were! I was rooting for them from day one and there were so many laugh out loud moments, as well as some really sad moments!

This covered lot of important topics and was a great, fun summer read! Beautifully done!

My only minor fault was that the MMC was just too perfect, I would have found it more believable if he was just an average looking guy! Such a minor thing but he just ticked every single box (spoiler, I loved him, I just didn’t believe he would exist!)

First off I just wanted to say that I really loved the cover and the title. Great job from the publisher with those, I do have to be honest and admit that I’m a bit hit and miss with Abby’s books, (she uses a couple of tropes in particular I’m not a fan of) and serious issues tend to get resolved easily or in some cases magically turn out not to be issues at all, despite the entire book being centred around them. I did enjoy this one, but I felt it was lacking a lot of the romance that Abby’s books usually have. She is great at creating lost characters and bringing them together in.a way that melts your heart, and she probes deep into mental health and traumatic issues in a sensitive way. Overall, this one was good, but not my favourite. Her huge fan base will adore it I’m sure! Thanks Netgalley and publisher.

I should have known that Jimenez would take me on an emotional journey, I just wasn't prepared for the angst and true heartache this book gave me. The only reason this wasn't a 5-star read for me is just that - it was a little TOO emotionally draining for a contemporary romance.

Don't get me wrong - Jimenez knows what's she's doing when it comes to writing a good love story. The MCs Justin and Emma quickly become very real people to the reader and as the story rolls on we end up caught in their unlikely meet-cute-turned-instalove. The two meet on Reddit when Justin posts about how he thinks he's cursed because everyone he dates meets their soulmate AFTER they date him. Emma has the same problem so reaches out and soon they're messaging. Emma takes a job in Justin's town so they can try and break the curse by dating EACH OTHER - but it's "just for the summer".

Unfortunately I felt that their romance was overshadowed by the other stories going on in their lives - Emma's mother is not only a horrible nightmare, she's an actual garbage human being and Emma's relationship with her forms a large part of not only her personality but the plot of the book. Justin has his own demons - his mother is "going away" and he finds himself suddenly having to take over guardianship of his 3 younger siblings which is very stressful and life-changing. (Side note: is it just me or is it never actually explained why a 29yo man has a 4yo sister? It was a weirdly huge agegap for siblings!)

Despite clearly being head over heels for each other, Emma and Justin have these bigger, complicated domestic problems to navigate throughout and to be honest by the end I was just completely over it. I usually like a bit of angst but the last 15% of the book just made me feel sad. Thank GOODNESS there was a happily ever after, is all I can say.

Recommended if you like a romance book you can really sink your teeth into. Content warning for parental neglect.