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bookwitch 's review for:
Just for the Summer
by Abby Jimenez
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
The way I just LOVED this book. It is the second one I picked up this year because I saw my other two besties read it around the same time and both give it 5s. Abby Jimenez is becoming a must read author (and now I am going to have to go and get all her backlist books aren't I?)
We love a fake dating trope, and a summer romance. I loved the premise for this one too, though I do believe it has been done before; both characters seem to have this terrible curse; the people they break up with finding their soul mates right after. When the male MC posts about his dilemma on Reddit, and it goes viral, the female MC slides into his DMs to say the same thing happens to her all the time. Convinced that dating each other and then breaking up will solve this problem for the both of them, the female MC convinces her best friend and fellow traveling nurse, to change their next assigned location to Minnesota, so that she can give this a real shot. Some may find this cringey or cheesy but I just loved the cute little pre and post surveys he sent her, and the really stupid call back to the ugly billboard outside his window. The unhinged mother tearing through her temporary life here in Minnesota like a hurricane was a nice touch of drama that kept the story moving.
The way Abby weaves genuinely funny and cute romance into sometimes pretty serious, and real, issues is so refreshing. Let's face it, real life is not as picture perfect as the movies. Sometimes it isn't as dramatic either. Instead there are some very real problems that good, healthy relationships have to figure out to navigate, and I love that that is something that plays out for us in her books.
We love a fake dating trope, and a summer romance. I loved the premise for this one too, though I do believe it has been done before; both characters seem to have this terrible curse; the people they break up with finding their soul mates right after. When the male MC posts about his dilemma on Reddit, and it goes viral, the female MC slides into his DMs to say the same thing happens to her all the time. Convinced that dating each other and then breaking up will solve this problem for the both of them, the female MC convinces her best friend and fellow traveling nurse, to change their next assigned location to Minnesota, so that she can give this a real shot. Some may find this cringey or cheesy but I just loved the cute little pre and post surveys he sent her, and the really stupid call back to the ugly billboard outside his window. The unhinged mother tearing through her temporary life here in Minnesota like a hurricane was a nice touch of drama that kept the story moving.
The way Abby weaves genuinely funny and cute romance into sometimes pretty serious, and real, issues is so refreshing. Let's face it, real life is not as picture perfect as the movies. Sometimes it isn't as dramatic either. Instead there are some very real problems that good, healthy relationships have to figure out to navigate, and I love that that is something that plays out for us in her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury