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A review by jourdanicus
Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm stuck on reviewing this book because on the one hand, Emma was so relatable, but on the other, her experiences were actually very triggering to me as someone who also had an emotionally neglectful parent. So I'm not sure if I liked this book or if it just made me feel things.
Emma says choose empathy over anger, but like... Sometimes anger can be justified. Sometimes you can be angry AND feel empathy at the same time. And ultimately, empathy doesn't mean having no boundaries and letting your abuser walk all over you and repeat the same mistakes over and over again. I literally said "thank GOD!" out loud when Emma finally started seeing a therapist.
This was NOT a light summer romance read 😂 I ugly cried toward the end, and didn't expect to need to talk to MY therapist about this one 🤣
Emma says choose empathy over anger, but like... Sometimes anger can be justified. Sometimes you can be angry AND feel empathy at the same time. And ultimately, empathy doesn't mean having no boundaries and letting your abuser walk all over you and repeat the same mistakes over and over again. I literally said "thank GOD!" out loud when Emma finally started seeing a therapist.
This was NOT a light summer romance read 😂 I ugly cried toward the end, and didn't expect to need to talk to MY therapist about this one 🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting