Book Review: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

“Unhealed trauma is a crack. And all the little hard things that trickle into it that would have rolled off someone else, settle. Then when life gets cold, that crack gets bigger, longer, deeper. It makes new breaks. You don’t know how broken she was or what she was trying to do to fill those cracks. Being broken is not an excuse for bad behavior, you still have to make good choices and do the right thing. But it can be the reason. And sometimes understanding the reason can be what helps you heal.”

Abby Jimenez, Just for the Summer

Review:

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. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The discourse on trauma and how different people handle it.
• How real Emma and Justin felt. Their situation was ugly and real at times. And it made their relationship even more impactful.
• Witty writing.

What I didn’t like:

• There were a few plot holes that I would have liked to have seen resolved.
• The last few chapters happened so quickly I literally felt dizzy.

Afterthoughts:

This unintentionally turned out to be a buddy read more for me than participating in the group read.

Where to buy the book: