Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

1153 reviews

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

I liked the backstory of the main character and felt her journey was very well crafted. The man is the definition of “too good to be true” which took me out of it. 

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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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: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

Abby Jimenez once again delivers a heartfelt and engaging romance, but what sets Just for the Summer apart is her ability to seamlessly weave in difficult, real-life themes. The novel explores the long-lasting effects of childhood neglect and postpartum depression (PPD), showing how trauma can shape relationships and self-perception. Jimenez handles these topics with care, balancing the emotional weight with moments of humor and warmth.

One of the highlights of this book was revisiting characters from previous installments in the series. It always adds an extra layer of depth when familiar faces pop in, creating a sense of connection across Jimenez’s fictional world. Fans of her past books will appreciate these cameos.

While the story is emotionally resonant and the romance compelling, a few moments strained believability. For example, Emma’s sudden departure from Neil’s place - somehow with her luggage, despite it logically being stuck on the island - felt like a plot hole that pulled me out of the story. These inconsistencies didn’t ruin the book for me, but they did keep it from being a full five-star read.

Overall, Just for the Summer is another winner from Jimenez. She continues to craft romance novels that are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional hopeful relaxing 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

This was a really sweet book. It does deal with heavy subjects like loss and child abuse, which the characters navigate and learn to grow and cope with the trauma. I enjoyed the banter and the relationship Emma had with Justin’s family, along with her friendship with Maddy. If you have a Maddy in your life you never let them go 💕

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

quickly becoming one of my favorite romcoms.

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funny lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Did not like Emma for most of the book. Justin was a strong character and I liked his banter, sweetness and affection towards Emma. Learning what Emma went through with her mom was a lot, and I did have empathy for her.
What happened to her was disheartening and I was angry on her behalf when she went to confront her mom about the lies.
She definitely handled that situation with more grace than I would have. 

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