bookreviewsbyalake 's review for:

Until Summer Ends by N.S. Perkins

4.75

emotional reflective slow-paced

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When Cassie has to return to her hometown years later to settle her grandmother’s estate, she immediately runs into the boy next door, Eli. The two haven’t seen each other since the night she left, after years of them being best friends. They were on the cusp of something more, but Cassie needed safety. Eli knew he couldn’t give it to her then: what if he can now? He still lives next door to her grandma’s, yet he isn’t alone. He has a daughter, which is hard for Cassie to process, especially after what she just left behind. Will the hurt from the past with her family resurface? She has a month to work through years of silence with him and her family. Just when she has to leave, she realizes she needs more time to heal her relationships. I love that she offered him an out on babysitting, and he didn’t even consider it. You really go on a journey with these characters, from growing up to where they are now; with the heartbreak of first crushes to leaving and growing up and dealing with grief, these two did not have it easy, but maybe now is their time? Have their losses led to something more?