Just for the Summer
Ratings221
Average rating4.4
I really loved this book, and I don't know why I am hesitating to rate it 5 stars, my fingers won't let me.
It was sweet and funny and sad. It dealt with complex mental health issues in a compassionate way.
Our main MMC was extremely loveable. And our FMC was flawed but very likeable even with the emotional baggage she had to carry.
10/10 experience; I would dine here again! The song that resonates the most with the ambiance of this book is To Love by Suki Waterhouse
So soft, sincere, and dreamy—just perfect for a summer beach romcom read. It's rare to find such heartfelt, genuine romance (except for Emily Henry, of course). Abby, you can bet I'll be reading your other books now!
The book's plot summary hooked me - the pair meet via a Reddit "Am I The Asshole" thread, and it turns out to they are both similarly cursed with having their exes immediately found "the one" right after their breakup.
As well as the romance itself, there's a side plot surrounding some mental health issues and unresolved drama with their family.
I think what makes a good romance for me is the buildup and the "pining" stage but it's mostly skips that and instead the main complication is the character's childhood trauma and issues with forming relationships with other people which is kinda meh to read about (sorry).
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.
If you came here looking for the third instalment of [a:Abby Jimenez' 18446724 Abby Jimenez https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1651706989p2/18446724.jpg] “Part of Your World” funny and fluffy romance series, you'd be both right and wrong. While starting out on a fun premise, “[b:Just for the Summer 195820807 Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3) Abby Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1727946234l/195820807.SY75.jpg 197775193]” evolves into areas that are anything but fun and light, and—for me—Jimenez pulled it off really well. Justin and Emma both feel “cursed” - they date someone and once it's over, their respective ex meets their “soulmate”. When they realise they share this, any romance's direction is clear: they have to date each other to “break” the “curse”, and, afterwards, meet their respective soulmate.During the early parts of the novel, they meet, they like each other, and proceed to date—it's all nice, light, and (mostly) easy...»I dropped to one knee.She sucked in air. “Uh, what are you doing?” she said, her eyes darting around.“Romance.”“Justin, stop it,” she whispered. “Get up! Get up!”I took her hand and did my best to make my face straight. People were already stopping to watch. I made my voice low so only she could hear it. “Emma, would you do me the honor of delousing my family with me?”«Emma is a travelling nurse, taking temporary jobs all over the US with her best friend, Maddy, always at her side. From early on, there is a feeling of unease about her—something feels not quite right...Justin seems to lead a successful professional life, has a good relationship with his mother and his siblings—but there is also some avoidance, much anger, and a lot of hidden tension... The typical romance would have gone on to scratch the surface of these issues, create some drama based upon them, thrown in a few common tropes, and secured a happily-ever-after (HEA). This is what I expected and came for.When times are difficult, romance with its guaranteed HEA is my refuge.Instead, Jimenez takes time to explore Emma's constant travelling and detachment, as well as Justin's own issues of a different kind. She does incorporate a few typical romance traits like some (very short-lived) miscommunication, a third-act breakup (even though it's very different from the usual annoying ones), but, towards the middle of the novel, she really starts exploring her characters. And that's where my perspective and expectations were turned upside down.»She shrugged. “You don't have to forgive [...]. You can still love someone that you've decided not to speak to anymore. You can still wish them well and hope for the best for them. Choosing a life without them doesn't mean you stop caring about them. It just means that you can't allow them to harm you anymore. But if you don't think your life would be better without them in it, then accept that they have cracks. Try to understand how they got them and help fill them with something that isn't ice.” She peered at me. “If you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy, Justin. It's so much healthier than anger. For both of you.”«Slowly and sensitively, Jimenez lets her story evolve, and I realised that my coveted HEA was far from assured. From the moment of this realisation onward, I practically became glued to my Kobo. I became immensely emotionally invested in both Emma and Justin as well as their families. Because the author carefully depicts not only our heroes but also the secondary characters. Especially Justin's family was so relatable and likeable that I couldn't help but root for them as well.Just like them, I simultaneously hated and understood Justin's and Emma's third-act breakup. It was the mature and sensible response to their respective discoveries about themselves and, thus, a departure from the usual crap a third-act breakup is. Both of them took their responsibilities to themselves, their respective families and each other very seriously and Jimenez found a great way to show us.“Just for the Summer” with its carefully handled issues of panic attacks, anxiety, PTSD, depression, depictions of undiagnosed mental health issues, a toxic mother, and past child neglect is not typical for the romance genre and especially not for Abby Jimenez. It surpasses its roots and while I understand the criticism “not a romance”, I applaud this successful attempt to create something that expands on the traditional romance genre—a romance, though, it is.I also happen not to agree with those who reject this as “depressing chick-lit”: While parts are certainly not fun at all, the approach Jimenez chose is consistently and coherently life-affirming, though not always easy on the reader.Furthermore, I take issue with the term “chick-lit” as it is dismissive and condescending. It trivializes its targets, by framing them as light, insignificant, or less valuable than other books. Plus, it assumes these books are only for women, which I find completely unfair. As a man, I've read and enjoyed many novels that get slapped with this label, and it frustrates me how it perpetuates gender stereotypes about storytelling and readership. It discourages diverse readership, and marginalizes stories that center women's experiences, unfairly implying they're frivolous or less universally meaningful.Just like love is love (between consenting adults), a good story is a good story, regardless of who writes it or who reads it.I would have loved to read a little more about what happens after the ending and at some points, I wished for a slightly faster pacing. On the other hand, the writing was good (albeit not great) and, ultimately, for daring to rise beyond the usual confines of its genre, while also having to apply slightly more rigorous standards for that reason, I award this four stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam
man what the hell. this was perfect, so cute, so funny, so sad but in a good way. i love them so much
When you think this is going to be just a lighthearted funny romance and then you end up crying for the characters. But don't worry, there is a happy ending.
I likely wouldn't have even come across this book if it hadn't been nominated for the 2024 Choice Awards but I managed to finish it just in time to vote for it in opening rounds over the handful of others I read.
The premise caught my eye because I've lived through my own version of a dating “curse”. I had quite a streak where the next girl my exes would date would get pregnant. It even rubbed off on a couple guys I friend-zoned and never even dated. Really helped solidify my belief that birth control of all forms should be handed out like candy and we all need universal healthcare.
“Just for the Summer” has received rave review after rave review. And I'm trying to figure out why.
Sure, the initial premise could have gone somewhere cute, but instead it went to insta-love (after a few DMs), endless trauma unpacking, etc. It was truly exhausting and annoying instead of a fun summer romp.
This barely made the cut for my “Summer of Smut” reading. . . NOT because it was a bad story (it was terrific) but because it was low on the smut scale.... and HIGH on the plot and characterization scales.I adored [b:Just for the Summer 195820807 Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3) Abby Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1692118145l/195820807.SY75.jpg 197775193]!! I kept hearing about this book and Jimenez's writing while perusing literary agents who represent what I write. So many asked for writing “like Abby Jimenez,” so I thought I should check her out.I love the concept of this book. Two people who seem to be the person dated just BEFORE the soulmate comes along. Emma read Justin's description of “the curse” on reddit. He explained how every girlfriend who broke up with him went on the marry the next guy she met while he remained unattached. Emma realized this was happening to her as well, so she commented on his post. In the end, they schemed that if they dated one another, and then broke up, they would both go on to find their soulmates. So started the summer of their discontent. Unfortunately, instead of just having the month or six week long affair, with the required 4 dates and one kiss, they ended up starting to like each other which wasn't the plan. . . but who didn't know that would happen?What does happen is both character have obstacles placed in their lives that do two things: - Help them learn what each is really made of - Discover that they really can't be together. . . wrong place/wrong time/wrong lifeWhat happens next is a fascinating story of self-discovery (and the tiniest bit of smut) that leads them both on a new path. And because it's essentially a romance, you might guess that the HEA will happen, you just won't guess how.If you want to read about how family dynamics can totally mess with your love life, read this book. You'll find the storytelling a grade above most romances. In fact, the romance is really secondary to a fascinating tale.
Just for the Summer mengikuti kisah Justin dan Emma, dua orang yang memiliki masalah serupa: mantan-mantan mereka selalu menemukan jodoh sejati setelah putus dengan mereka.
Karena utas reddit, cerita kutukan Justin menjadi viral di internet. Setiap wanita yang pernah dikencani Justin, menemukan jodohnya setelah putus dengan Justin. Ketika Emma mengirimkan DM ke Justin, mengatakan kalau dia mengalami masalah yang sama, mereka punya ide yang sama : mereka berkencan lalu putus, dengan harapan setelah mereka putus masing-masing akan menemukan jodoh. Sepertinya ide yang bagus, bukan?
Emma dan sahabatnya Maddy yang berkerja sebagai suster tidak pernah merencanakan pergi ke Minnesota. Tapi tawaran bertemu Justin dan bersama-sama mematahkan kutukan terlalu bagus untuk dilewatkan.
Untuk seleraku premisnya menarik namun eksekusi terlalu biasa. Bagusnya, ada beberapa pelajaran hidup dan kutipan-kutipan sarat makna dalam novel ini. Namun aku tetap merekomendasikan novel ini kepada penggemar genre romansa kontemporer
Soft DNF @ 72%
I am shocked that I'm DNFing this one, at least for now. Part of Your World and Yours Truly were so good, I flew through them in a couple of days each and were instant 5 stars, however this one just felt completely different and I can't force myself to carry on reading it at the moment.
For one thing, so much of the plot just seems so implausible - two travel nurses decide to stay in a cottage on an island in a lake with no access apart from a tiny row boat? In what world would people who have to go to work daily choose this? And the mysterious owner of said cottage just happens to be their boss, how would they not know this? And then her largely absent mother just happens to show up after 2 years to that exact cottage? ON A YACHT? I mean it's just absurd.
I've seen other reviews mentioning that a lot of things seem to have been lifted from TikTok, but I actively avoid TikTok like the plague so I'm not aware of those, but I will say that there was a lot of repetitive things (the Toilet King?), brand names mentioned over and over, cringey moments, etc.
I also really didn't get on with Emma, I get that she's been through trauma and that has changed how she approaches relationships but her attitude was just so selfish, her expectation that Justin should be happy with casual sex and form no attachments, whereas Justin thought he was being selfish in wanting more from Emma but he was not! He was totally valid in feeling that, especially in all the things he had going on in his life.
I don't know if I'll return to this at some point, or I'll just enjoy the first 2 books as they are and forget this one.
premise • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
prose • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
plot • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
personae • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
it was such a lovely read(!) but hoo, boy, was it a heavy one
This must be one of my favourite romance reads yet. Perhaps it's because the characters for once are not special snowflake oh-look-at-how-unique-I-am-with-my-purple-highlights-and-unicorn-sweaters characters but people with more real life jobs? Or perhaps it's the genius premise or the proper depiction of with mental illness or the relatability,... there were so many things to love about this book and it's a deserving 5 read for me!
Well that's two Abby Jimenez books in a row for me and I'm hooked! I loved this one as much as Yours Truly. I knew it was going to be a good one from page 2. When does that happen? Her writing and the banter between characters is top notch. The relationships that she describes feel so real, even the ones that aren't healthy ones. Read this in less than 24 hours. Love love love
(3.5 stars)
+1 star for: working thru trauma and falling in love!
+1 star for: brad the ugly dog, i don't think human brad got enough smoke for abandoning justin like that id be PISSED if my roomate left me like that
+1 star for: the GIGANTIC amber 23andme plot twist i was SAT, could NOT stop listening!!
+1 star for: protective best friends, maddie was my absolute favorite character
-0.5 stars for: kind of insta love... i was so thrown off by the timeline of this book because what do u mean you've known this girl for 6 weeks and you're already saying i love you and having ur whole life ruined because of her
4/5 - The drama and the trauma in this book were a lot, however, I enjoyed the book. EVERYONE needed therapy. The FMC (Emma) had issues from her childhood that she needed to work out through therapy while she was younger, not as a full-fledged adult. But better late than never. I related to her process of going “small” to the point you isolate yourself from everyone when in despair. I enjoyed the MMC (Justin) as he came off very sweet and caring. Shout out to him for stepping into the role of caretaker for his family while his mother was “away”. Deciding to be a caretaker is a huge life change that is not for the weak, so I 100% identified to what he was going through. Emma's mother = TRASH. Nothing about her was worth Emma making excuses for and I was able to make the connection with her from the “Part of Your World” book early on, but watching how it unfolded was nasty work. Also, what is up with all the men having dogs in each book in the series? Are they ESAs? LOL
A few missed opportunities I noted that would have completed the story:
1. Emma should've open hand slapped her mother, Amber. The unnecessary trauma she inflicted on Emma was disgusting. Clearly the mother had issues and should've been sent to a mental institution for help, so that was a missed plot.
2. I would've appreciated a deeper conversation between Justin and his mother to understand her mindset as to why she chose to do what she did knowing the possible consequences. Her decision impacted her family tremendously. While the baby raccoon story was cute, that could've been replaced with a serious conversation.
3. A conversation with Emma and her foster parents was needed. They seemed to love her very deeply and did what they could to make life easier for her. It almost felt like Emma didn't appreciate what they did for her.
Lastly, shout out to Doug!! He was constantly getting rejected when he pulled out his guitar to sing to the women at the bar, but it finally worked! Good for him and Maddy. It would've been cute to get a quick epilogue on those two.
Dammit, this is the second Jimenez in a row that's made me cry during the third-act breakup. She's SO good at this.
Emma and Justin are wonderful, both separately and together, but better together once she gets some real help for the trauma responses that she lives with, understandably. As usual, the text message dialogue is excellent, as was Justin's creating questionnaires for dates (I do love a good nerd). Neither of them has an easy life, and Jimenez really excels at portraying complex people who fall in love despite/in spite of all the hard things that happen in life.
Both Briana/Jacob and Alexis/Daniel from the previous two books in the series play roles in this one, and it all comes full circle and made me immediately want to re-read Part of Your World. Maybe I will.
Also there's an ugly dog that Justin names after his best friend, who moves out to get married. Is he the asshole? lol
CW: childhood abuse/neglect, mentions of foster care (past), death of a parent (past), parental instability, second family
The male love interest was a little too cinnamon roll for me (prob says more about me than the writing itself lol) but I really enjoyed! Yours truly was my fave of the 3 though.
I almost didn't pick up this book because typically I can take or leave romcoms. Just for the Summer was nominated for The Global Book Nook's group read at the beginning of the summer and I only picked it up in the last day or two of that month because I was waiting for a library hold to come through. Three or four chapters in, I ditched the library book and purchased my own copy because there was no way I wasn't going to pour my emotions into the pages. What begins as a comical ploy to break a ‘curse' when their internet presence and sorry dating records align, Emma and Justin agree to date for a little while, check some boxes, and then break up so they can move on to meet their soul mates. It seems foolproof, at least in the beginning. If nothing else, a bit of fun and a story to laugh about later. What they didn't anticipate were genuine feelings. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if not for Justin's life being uprooted by a family emergency. Emma, too, finds herself dealing with family drama as well. Even a couple of months later as I'm finally writing my review, I still cannot believe how much I fell in love with this book. I only wish I had picked up one of Abby Jimenez's books sooner! I felt so connected to both Emma and Justin despite not sharing the same life circumstances as them. Before even finishing the book, I shared it with one of my best friends because I knew she would love it as well (and she did). I'm so looking forward to backtracking in the series and (hopefully) reliving these emotions all over again.