- My Rating: 4.5/5
- Goodreads Rating: 4.35/5
- Year Published: 2024
- Page Count: 432
“Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.”
Synopsis
Justin is cursed. Every time he dates a girl, she finds her soulmate the moment they break up. When he posts about his curse on Reddit, he doesn’t know what he’s expecting, but it’s certainly not for Emma to reach out–a girl who has the exact same curse. They quickly come up with an easy solution: if they date and break up, their curses will cancel out, and they’ll both find their soulmates. Sounds simple, right?
Emma is a traveling nurse and chooses Minnesota as her next assignment, where she plans to have a quick fling with Justin and go on to find her soulmate. But things never seem to work out the way she plans for them to, no matter how hard both she and Justin tell themselves the romance is just for the summer.
The Quick Review (Spoiler-free)
This was a perfect romcom. I laughed and cried (a lot! I’m crying right now) and had the best time ever. I never wanted it to end. Justin is perfect in every way and his whole family was so adorable. Emma was so cute and her character arc was so important to me. Overall, I’m obsessed. I’m always going to fold for the found family trope and this novel did it so flawlessly. It made me believe in true love.
Those familiar with Abby Jiminez may realize this is the third installation in her Part of Your World series. I was not familiar, and therefore didn’t realize I had skipped the first two books. Luckily, it’s still an amazing book as a standalone! I have since read the first two, and if I could go back, I probably would start with Part of Your World. Just For The Summer may have been a 5 star read if I had simply used my brain a little more!
“Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I’m with you is eternal.”
The Long Review (Spoiler-Free)
Likes
Starting out strong, Justin and Emma’s romance was spectacular. They were realistic characters with human flaws, but Jiminez didn’t rely on overused tropes to keep the plot interesting. I was so delighted by each and every character–Maddy, Chelsea, Alex, and Sarah were all highlights for me. Upon reflection after reading the first two books in this series, certain moments felt like they were a little bit too fan-servicey. However, given that it’s a lighthearted series, I enjoyed them thoroughly.
The plot itself was highly entertaining, with a good balance of focusing on the romance and focusing on the story. I was never bored and read it in one sitting. I was so sad when I finished the book because it’s the type of story you never want to be over!
“The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life.”
Dislikes
I have almost no critiques. One is completely personal preference and is telling of my age; every time Emma sent a “long row of laughing emojis” I cringed and wished Jiminez had just written “Emma laughed in response”. The fact that my main complaint is so minor shows how amazing this book really is! My only other complaint is that Amber required some suspension of disbelief. I had trouble believing some of her actions. However, it served the plot well.
“You are not what happened to you. You are what you do next.”
Would I recommend?
I definitely would recommend this book to any fans of lighthearted romance! If you like Emily Henry, Lynn Painter, or Ali Hazelwood, you’ll love Jiminez. Just For The Summer is a quick read that is deeply enjoyable and fun!
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