Book Review: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Let me first start by saying … this may be one of the best books I’ve read all year. Abby Jimenez, to quote Emily Henry on the front cover, “is a true talent!” Her books, especially the books in this Part of Your World series, is truly immaculate. I will accept no criticism on this book and any of the books in this series. (Still not over Yours Truly!)

Synopsis:

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea... and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

My Review:

What can I say about this book? How can I put my love for this book into words? To start things off, I loved the main characters: Justin and Emma. In the first two books of this series, Part of Your World, I was really drawn to the male main characters (MMCs). I really loved Dr. Jacob Maddox (Yours Truly) and specifically how he talked about and internalized a lot of his anxiety, particularly social anxiety. (I also loved Alexis from Part of Your World!) In this one, I loved Justin! He suddenly had to take care of his three siblings, and he quickly did so, because that’s just the type of person he is. He struggled, but with the help of his friends and loved ones, he swooped in and became the hero that his siblings needed. I loved Justin, but the character I was really drawn to is Emma.

Emma was a character I didn’t really warm up to at first, but her inability to truly love (her avoidant attachment style) was something I could not put down reading for. Her journey of letting other people in and working through the trauma from her childhood (something that didn’t come until the end of the book) was really incredible to read. To think, the story started out with a freaking Reddit post about Justin’s dog and now it took Emma to move to Minnesota, where Justin lived, to “try this relationship curse” out. (Please read the synopsis above for details.) But through it, we learned about Justin and him assuming responsibility for his three siblings, and Emma with her mom Amber, who swoops into Emma’s life whenever she feels like it. We see Emma navigating those feelings and the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with her mom. I don’t read a lot of avoidant attachment relationship styles in books, specifically romance books, and I thought that was a refreshing, different way to write a female main character.

Apart from the characters, the story ebbed and flowed naturally. Well, sometimes. The story took me for a rollercoaster—which, thinking back now, I think it was a great way to portray Emma’s emotions and anxiety about letting people, especially her loved ones, down. Emma described her anxiety and fears about her mom coming into town only when her mom needed her, as a rollercoaster. The rollercoaster of the entire book, with its many ups and downs and twists and turns, mirrored the rollercoaster of emotions Emma felt whenever her mom came into town and Emma felt those feelings of being abandoned, forgotten about, and the pressure of her mom only talking to her when she needed her. It may not have been the way author intended, but I see the vision. As I’m writing this, I can’t help but play “The Archer” by Taylor Swift, which would be Emma’s theme song throughout this book.

Speaking of Taylor Swift songs, I don’t normally pair songs with books (I’m just not good enough at that!), but if I had to pick a Taylor Swift song to pair with Justin and Emma, it would be Daylight.

“I once believed love would be burning red, but it’s golden, like daylight.”

I could be wrong, but that’s my sense with Justin and Emma.

Each scene was written with such care. The author intended every detail to matter to the characters and the plot. This slow burn romance gripped me til the very end and I did not want to put this book down. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me want to stare at the ceiling with tears streaming down my grinning face.

Honestly? I don’t think I have anything major that I didn’t like about the book. I would’ve thought Maddy frustrated me, as someone who wasn’t very supportive of her best friend, but the more I got to know Amber, Emma’s mom who neglected Emma her entire childhood and only waltzes in Emma’s life whenever Amber feels like it, I could understand Maddy more and more. Maddy was not the supportive best friend that I read in a lot of romance books. She knows Emma through and through and stuck by her in anything, even in the “isolated moments” that Emma puts herself in when she shuts down. Maddy wasn’t quiet about her bitterness (and low key hatred) towards Emma’s mom. Emma grew annoyed at Maddy for this, and tbh, I did too, but the more Amber moments I saw, I could understand Maddy’s resentment more and more.

So, really? I don’t have anything that I didn’t like about this book. What I thought was going to be a fun, summer romance, turned into a gripping, heart-wrenching, romantic book about two people who have had their worlds turned upside down—for different reasons—and somehow navigated their way through it, either with help and support from loved ones and/or lots of therapy. And somehow, they found love in difficult circumstances.

I highly, highly recommend this (and the rest of the Part of Your World series)!

Rating: 5/5 (infinity stars, but Goodreads only allows up to five)

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