Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Just For The Summer

I'd like to thank Ms. Abby Jimenez for delivering me my first 5-star read of the year (yes, I know it's the end of May😭). Now, I rarely place 5-star predictions on books, but I had been in a such rut to the point where I was ITCHING, BEGGING, PLEADING for a 5-star read. I had read my first Abby Jimenez book, Yours Truly, about three months ago and I rated that book a 4.75/5 and it quickly became my favorite book of the year so far. I love Yours Truly with every fiber of my being, but there were a few tiny details keeping it from being a 5-star. As mentioned previously, I was in a bit of a reading rut so when I remembered Just For The Summer was coming out I got very excited. However, I was really trying to dim my expectations because just because I loved one book by her doesn't mean I'm gonna love the next one, but despite me trying to be pragmatic I still had it in the back of my brain that this was going to be a 5-tsar and MY GOSH was I happy that I was right. This book was phenomenal! It was perfect!

Things I loved:

I really appreciated Emma as a character. She really gave me the complexity that I wasn't expecting. Usually, when I enter romances, I kind of self-insert when it comes to the female character. So, if I feel like their behavior isn't something that I'd do I tend to not vibe with them which is what was happening with Emma in the first quarter of this book. I liked her, but her overly positive attitude toward bad circumstances and the "if you're gonna choose anger over empathy, choose empathy" attitude wasn't really my cup of tea and I feared that this book wouldn't receive a high rating because of how I felt towards the FMC. And this is when I really had to take a step back and realize that this book is partly about a FMC named Emma, not about me. Emma possesses self-destructive qualities, she has a forgiving heart, she is nomadic, and she has a fearful avoidant attachment style. That is what made her character dynamic and I shouldn't harp on that just because she doesn't behave in the way that I would behave. Emma is not a bad person at all; she is human and has dealt with a lot of things which in turn made her the person that she is. Throughout this story, we really do get to witness Emma's development as well as understand why she operates the way she does and it was honestly such a delight to read about. Honestly, I ended up loving Emma in the end so kudos to Abby Jimenez for being able to create such a realistic character.

Okay, like I stated previously Yours Truly was my favorite book of the year for a long time and that is partly because I absolutely ADORED Jacob in that book. He was literally everything I wanted in a book boyfriend and he still is don't get me wrong, but Justin has now taken that position. As I was reading I wondered how Abby was gonna top Jacob and feared that I had set my expectations too high. Well, she did! Justin is LITERALLY the STANDARD. No joke. He's literally chef's kiss! He's everything I would want in a real boyfriend to be quite frank. I'm not into tropes, but Justin is a prime example of "boy falls first" and boy does he fall. He's so sweet and attentive and the things he does for her just right off the bat
he literally creates surveys for her to complete when going on their first few dates. I kid you not when I read that scene for the first time I literally squealed and had to pause the book cuz I couldn't believe it. I looked forward to seeing the surveys every time they popped up. If a guy did that for me for our date, I'd fall in love immediately. Hands down. And later in the book where he literally uses a unicorn floaty or whatever to get to her when she's sick. That literally took him over an hour but he was DETERMINED to get to her. I just about melted. He also goes out of his way to make her food for lunch cuz he knows she's had a long day at work. Ughhhhhhh, there's so much more!
He would literally drop everything for her and literally just enjoy being around her company; it's literally the sweetest thing ever. I also love Justin's personality. I love how kinda shy, awkward, witty, and charming he is. As well as how respectful he is too. I love how consent is valued in this book and both characters display it beautifully. I love seeing his relationship with his family as well as an onlook between his character and the things he's struggling with. Although he's not as dynamic as Emma, I'm glad there's more to him than just being the love interest in this book. Again, I can literally go on. He's literally my favorite MMC of hers and that's saying something because I LOVE Jacob. I plan on going through her backlist and reading the rest of her books and I just know that none of them will match up to this Justin hangover that has been bestowed upon me, I just LOVE him so much!🥹❤️

Emma x Justin! Beautiful! Gorgeous! Precious! Meant to be! Just everything! I loved them individually but I also LOVED them when they were together. The banter, phenomenal! The way that they also matched each other's energy was so great! I love the way Abby Jimenez captured their relationship and their dynamic in this book. I think she displayed beautifully the urge that one has when they've encountered someone they feel romantically tethered to. They missed each other and when they didn't they always wanted to be around each other and when they were around each other they couldn't get enough of each other. I couldn't help but relate to that feeling while reading this book because she illustrates perfectly just how one feels when feels like they've found their person.

The feelings that I had during this book should be criminal. I was giggling, kicking my feet, going crazy over how cute it was. As well as tearing up a few times over how emotional it got. As well as audibly laughing cuz there were so many funny parts. There were literally so many times when I was just smiling because I loved witnessing the characters interact with one another. I really FELT for this book and all the characters in it.

The development - As someone who used to experience a heavy case of fearful avoidant attachment style I knew after the first quarter who I was dealing with and I honestly felt so seen. I actually think this was the main reason why I wasn't too fond of Emma in the beginning. Certain behaviors that she displayed reminded me of my past self and it was really jarring to see that in the form of a fictional character.
I did a good amount of self-sabotaging in my day however, I moved passed those types of behaviors, which is why it really hurt me to my core that Emma rejected Justin the first time. I think I even teared up during that scene because I knew all she wanted was to be loved; she just didn't know how to handle it. I was hurting for him and for her because I can relate to her thought process of feeling detached from almost everyone and fearing getting close to someone in fear of abandonment.
Her "getting small" tidbit was also so relatable. As well as seeing the depiction of her relationship with her mom. Witnessing that really goes to show just how much your upbringing can affect the rest of the rest of your life. I really admired how Abby Jimenez handled Emma's character, especially in concerns about the conflict they face later in the book. I felt like everything was handled responsibly and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

the friendship(s) - Emma's friendship with Maddy was chef's kiss! I loved them together. It was sooo abundantly clear that there is love there on both sides and throughout the entire book Maddy has been team Emma's happiness and I really like the way it was depicted. I also liked the friendship that Justin had with his friends. They were so sweet and understanding of him and his predicament. It was so heartwarming to read!

i felt like this book was a little genz-coded in a way and it was really funny to read about it
like the bit with the J names was funny; seems like Abby Jimenez has made it her mission to redeem guys with the J names and you know I'm not mad about it; and the "if he wanted to he would" bit was also very funny

I really liked how the characters from her previous two books connected in this book. It made me wish that I read "Part of Your World" just so I can get the satisfaction of seeing all the characters, but that's okay I'll go back cuz I think Abby Jimenez might become an auto-read author for me. Can't wait to read "Part of Your World"!
I wonder in Part Of Your World if they mentioned who Daniel's mom was and that he was raised by his grandparents and that he was trying to find his mom. I feel like maybe the people would've guessed who Emma's brother would be if they read the 1st book but I didn't sooooooo. Also, I'm guessing Neil is in the 1st book, but because I didn't read that I didn't hate him. I actually thought it was pretty interesting to see how he was in the 1st book considering how they talked about him in this one.
Also, I find it so cool how this series is centered around doctors. I wonder if Abby Jimenez has any connection to that world in her personal life.

Additional notes (some critics):

wished we got more of emma doing things for justin; something that i really valued in yours truly the fact that both characters went out of their way for each other, not saying that emma didn't do that for justin, but i don't think the scales were evenly balanced when it came to that aspect
there are certain phrases
"being small" and "am i the asshole"
that are used repeatedly that kinda irk me a bit, but that's just a personal qualm of mine cuz I kid to cringe at certain things
also like i stated previously i kinda wish justin was a bit more dynamic and we got more of him

Overall, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I'm so happy I read it. Honestly, I remember when I finished it I was dumbfounded cuz I didn't know what to do with myself afterward. I kid you not after I finished the book, I lowkey wanted more. I was so connected to them that I honestly could've read an extra 100 pages. And I never say that. THAT'S how much I absolutely adored this book! Again, I'm so happy I read this. I had been in such a rewarding rut and a 5-star read was just what I needed to get back into the swing of things. This book really holds a special place in my heart now and I genuinely hope that I'll continue to remember these characters because they really are precious to me!

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5/5

Content Warnings

gabypinata's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

theladydetective's review against another edition

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emotional

4.0

There was a lot to like about this book: fun premise, great writing, and a wonderful golden retriever type book boyfriend. I think Justin is my favorite MMC from this author.

However, this story tackles some really heavy topics such as abandonment, child neglect, abuse, and mental illness, and overall left me feeling a bit down. I also felt like the author went really hard during the 3rd act, but then tied everything up too easily? Almost like using short term therapy as a magic wand?

Overall, this is a great story that I would recommend with some content warnings ⚠️ but probably would not read again.

Content Warnings

adlane22's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

disabledchloe's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really enjoyed this book though the pace of the ending felt a bit rapid. I think Justin was overly perfect and idealized. I felt like the ending was sweet. I feel all of these things at the same time!!

Content Warnings

herbookarchives's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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