Book Review: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Rating: ★★★★☆(4/5)

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Introduction:

Released April 2024. Read January 2025.

This was another book that I had to patiently wait to become available at my local library (Thanks Libby App). It was released in April of 2024 and was almost instantly all over my social media. I did not realize that it was #3 in the series. I am currently waiting on #1 to become available so that I can read it. That being said, this was a lovely introduction to Abby Jimenez for me. I listened to the audiobook version because it was available first and I loved it.

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

Justin and Emma (Jemma) have a curse. Each of them have a Good Luck Chuck fortune where the person they date goes on to marry the next person they meet after they break up. Emma discovers she has a fellow cursed soul out there through an AITA thread on Reddit. They decide to meet up and try to break the curse for each other. Theoretically if they date and then break up, the next person they date will be their soulmate. Sounds simple. Add in Justin’s chaotic home life and Emma’s toxic relationship with her mother and this pairing gets more complicated. This is supposed to be a summer fling but will it spiral into more?

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What Worked for Me:

The plot idea. It’s cute. The idea that the two cursed people can break it for each other. It’s pretty obvious where it’s going to go but I liked it anyway. I am not always trying to read a book where I have to play guess the ending. Justin is a total book boyfriend. He takes care of his siblings, isn’t quick to anger, is thoughtful and kind, almost too good to be true. I love that in a RomCom. I don’t need overly flawed characters when I am just trying to read a romance novel.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

Emma on the other hand showed her flaws. She had a real inability to connect with people in her head and liked to point out constantly how aloof she is. She is smart and loyal to her best friend but she has to repeatedly make sure the reader knows that, although she likes Justin, her inability to keep people close will mean that they can’t work. She constantly drills home that they are “just for the summer” to the point I started to roll my eyes. It felt forced. While it did not deter me from enjoying the novel it did make me not as big of a fan of Emma as I was Justin.

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Final Thoughts:

I feel like it is a pattern with some authors to make one character almost too perfect and the other overly flawed so that if and when they do end up together it’s against all odds. I will see if this is true for Abby because I will for sure be reading more of her work. If you like easy to read RomComs I highly recommend this one. If you love audio books this is a great one too. It has both character’s POV voiced by different actors and makes it more relatable.