Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Just for the Summer

I loved this so much. I love Abby Jimenez - I will pre-order all her books always - and this one was maybe my favorite ever. I am continually impressed and moved by how deep the character development felt in this, and how deeply and emotionally Jimenez deals with major trauma and mental health struggles; this book is probably the most vivid example of that and I thought it was just gorgeous. It is NOT light and easy - though I loved knowing that there would be an HEA (thank you genre fiction!!), I appreciated that the mention and dealing with the characters’ stuff wasn’t cursory. I LOVED the main characters and the ways they grew and changed, and also felt (as always) that the side characters were beautifully drawn. (Also love the mentions, big and small, of characters from Abby Jimenez’s other books - ones we love and ones we hate!! The various webs that intersect in her world building just feel so good!)

I loved the audio narration by Christine Lakin and Zachary Webber (both SO good), though the author Q&A was a little disappointing to me; I’ll add it to the content warnings but as someone who has major trauma from a house fire I found AJ’s giggles about the major fire plot point in the book kind of off-putting. As I said I will still for sure order her next one and can’t wait to read it - I drew this out for five days with much effort and it made me so happy. ❤️

Content Warnings

tannerlauren's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Content Warnings

lawoodworth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I decided to listen to this one through @librofm after hearing the “Reddit AMA” Jimenez shared on her reels. It was so great as an audiobook! I love a great dual-perspective and hearing from both Justin and Emma as they grow and develop and overcome hardships was so well done! I also love Jimenez’s Easter Eggs and connections, especially when she throws in a curve or two! Highly recommend this one! I am a big fan that Brad made the front cover ❤️

Content Warnings

briannawilson's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

MIND. BLOWN. It’s been a while since I have read an Abby Jimenez masterpiece, so the ending caught me completely off guard. I didn’t think it would be possible to love this book more than Yours Truly, but here we are. I’m obsessed, and now I want to go back and reread everything Jimenez has ever written for a third time. Her ability to make me feel every human emotion in one sitting is unmatched. 5,000 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content Warnings

brennacathleen's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

abidavisf's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

As I predicted, Just for the Summer had me bawling, laughing, blushing, and yelling at the sky.

Abby Jimenez has done it again. How she is able to create such beautifully complex characters and weave them all into this interloping Minnesotan family tree is beyond me. The time, effort and logic that must go into making these connections is astounding and I LOVE THEM ALL.

Emma broke me in so many ways. The life that was chosen for her was so unjust, and yet she fought her way to become this caring, empathetic and adventurous woman. Watching her accept and heal from her trauma through this tale was both beautiful and heart-breaking. No child should ever have to experience what Emma did. I am so proud of her but, most of all, I hope she is proud of herself.

Where to start with Justin? The unicorn symbolism woven throughout this book fits him so perfectly. He is available emotionally, a protector, a carer, but also deeply burdened by his own trauma. The juxtaposition of Emma, whose trauma began at a young age, and Justin, whose was given to him in his twenties, is so interesting. Emma was able to teach him how to handle the shock of his seemingly perfect and romanticised life turning inside out through her own experiences and her own empathy, which, as Maddy points out, is her strongest quality and yet also her biggest weakness. Justin deserves the world, and I hope that we can see him get that in later books. No doubt they’ll pop up again around Minnesota.

Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. She’s a real one. To be loved by somebody like Maddy is a beautiful thing, and something that everybody deserves. I’d love to see more of her and meet her moms, but I also think that I know enough about Maddy to know that she was so loved in her life that she has grown to have the ability to care incredibly deeply for those that she loves. She has a beautiful soul, loves fiercely, observes and tends for everyone she can, and is truly a gift to all who know her. She’s also hilarious. 10/10 would be her best friend.

Just for the Summer is a grilling tale of trauma, grief, friendship, and love. It encourages its readers to hold those they love best, to choose empathy over anger, but also to set boundaries when needed to protect themselves. You should always love you more.

Thank you, Abby, for another life-affirming read that I will be thinking about forever. I can’t wait to re-read already.

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