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slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Abby Jimenez, I owe you an apology. I was not familiar with your game.
I was deeply impressed with this! The relationship between Emma and Justin develops in such an organic way. I love that Jimenez takes us through this slow growth scene by scene, letting us in on their text messages and phone calls and eventual dates. There are no short cuts, we see how they go from something silly and fun (let’s break a ‘dating curse’) to something profound. I got such giddy ‘kick my feet, twirl my hair’ feelings from the build up to their first kiss! It was cute!
I wasn’t sure how the emotional elements of the story were going to play out but I think Jimenez wrote Emma’s trauma and coping mechanisms really authentically. Her thought process, while flawed and frustrating, seemed accurate to someone with that kind of abusive upbringing.
I was deeply impressed with this! The relationship between Emma and Justin develops in such an organic way. I love that Jimenez takes us through this slow growth scene by scene, letting us in on their text messages and phone calls and eventual dates. There are no short cuts, we see how they go from something silly and fun (let’s break a ‘dating curse’) to something profound. I got such giddy ‘kick my feet, twirl my hair’ feelings from the build up to their first kiss! It was cute!
I wasn’t sure how the emotional elements of the story were going to play out but I think Jimenez wrote Emma’s trauma and coping mechanisms really authentically. Her thought process, while flawed and frustrating, seemed accurate to someone with that kind of abusive upbringing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content
Minor: Grief
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the second book of Abby’s that I’ve read. She is a very funny writer and creates awesome character banter. The leading man, Justin, is incredibly lovable whereas the leading woman, Emma, has many flaws. At times it made her hard to like but there’s a lot of character growth and a twist towards the end that I definitely hadn’t predicted. Her friend Maddy is also sometimes unlikable but overall a good friend and necessary character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
Just when I thought I could not love Abby Jimenez and her writing more, along came this story. The symbolism, world building, attention to mental health, and grounding in reality, made me love these characters and this story in an immeasurable way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Have been staying away from romances recently but this one didn’t trigger me to the point of putting it aside. It dealt with tough real-life situations, with believable, relatable, and hilarious characters!
There are times where I want pure heart-fluttering romances, but there are times like this one where I need them to be more hard-hitting, serious, and more intentional.
It’s also really nice knowing that the author consulted with mental health professionals to properly and accurately depict the mental health aspects of the book with utmost sensitivity.
This is my first Abby Jimenez book and I’m already looking forward to the next ones!
There are times where I want pure heart-fluttering romances, but there are times like this one where I need them to be more hard-hitting, serious, and more intentional.
It’s also really nice knowing that the author consulted with mental health professionals to properly and accurately depict the mental health aspects of the book with utmost sensitivity.
This is my first Abby Jimenez book and I’m already looking forward to the next ones!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment
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
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5 / 5
My Summary: Emma is a traveling nurse who never spends long in one place. Justin is about to have his life turned upside down when he takes custody of his younger siblings. But what do they have in common? They're both cursed. Every time they go on a few dates with a person, that person finds their soulmate on their next date. Emma and Justin find each other via a Reddit thread Justin posted, and when they start talking, they decide to try and cancel out each other's curses by going on a few dates together and, hopefully, find their soulmates afterwards. But suddenly, Justin's guardianship of his siblings and Emma's toxic mother find themselves worming into their (fake) relationship, leaving them both to deal with more than what they bargained for. Can they work through their issues and find a way to address the very real feelings they have for each other? Or will the obstacles simply be too much?
My Thoughts: Just For the Summer is a fun conclusion to Abby Jimenez's Part of Your World trilogy. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Emma and Justin and how they were able to truly help each other work through their traumas. Though they struggled with different toxic family dynamics, they were both able to see the other person's difficulties and be there for one another in some of the hardest moments.
I find myself yet again thanking Abby Jimenez for advocating for and bringing awareness to mental health issues, like CPTSD, in her novels. Having this kind of representation is so important, and I'm grateful for authors who bring it to the forefront through their characters.
Even though there were quite a lot of them, I did enjoy the callbacks to Part of Your World and Yours Truly. It was fun to revisit those characters I loved. I wish Emma and Justin didn't have as much of an "insta-love" connection, but as I watched their relationship with themselves grow, the better their connection got.
This is one of the few romance trilogies that I'd suggest reading in order so you can fully understand the shock value of the twist in this novel, but even if you're a romance fan who's reading Just for the Summer first, you'll still definitely have a great time.
My Summary: Emma is a traveling nurse who never spends long in one place. Justin is about to have his life turned upside down when he takes custody of his younger siblings. But what do they have in common? They're both cursed. Every time they go on a few dates with a person, that person finds their soulmate on their next date. Emma and Justin find each other via a Reddit thread Justin posted, and when they start talking, they decide to try and cancel out each other's curses by going on a few dates together and, hopefully, find their soulmates afterwards. But suddenly, Justin's guardianship of his siblings and Emma's toxic mother find themselves worming into their (fake) relationship, leaving them both to deal with more than what they bargained for. Can they work through their issues and find a way to address the very real feelings they have for each other? Or will the obstacles simply be too much?
My Thoughts: Just For the Summer is a fun conclusion to Abby Jimenez's Part of Your World trilogy. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Emma and Justin and how they were able to truly help each other work through their traumas. Though they struggled with different toxic family dynamics, they were both able to see the other person's difficulties and be there for one another in some of the hardest moments.
I find myself yet again thanking Abby Jimenez for advocating for and bringing awareness to mental health issues, like CPTSD, in her novels. Having this kind of representation is so important, and I'm grateful for authors who bring it to the forefront through their characters.
Even though there were quite a lot of them, I did enjoy the callbacks to Part of Your World and Yours Truly. It was fun to revisit those characters I loved. I wish Emma and Justin didn't have as much of an "insta-love" connection, but as I watched their relationship with themselves grow, the better their connection got.
This is one of the few romance trilogies that I'd suggest reading in order so you can fully understand the shock value of the twist in this novel, but even if you're a romance fan who's reading Just for the Summer first, you'll still definitely have a great time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
Love a Minneapolis set book! Cute tom com moment, love the more serious parts of the book that give the characters more depth. There were a few times I found myself rolling my eyes at the improbability of the story but the tone and humor overruled
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury