Just for the Summer
Abby Jimenez
Read and Reviewed: April 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow

Abby does it again with this one.
Another easy 5 stars from me!!!!

I loved EVERYTHING about this book!

The premise of this one is so so sweet -

Justin has a 'curse' when it comes to love. Whenever he breaks up with a woman he's been dating she then goes on to meet her soulmate. He's getting fed up with it. It happens every.single.time & he's so over it.

Emma, unknown to Justin, sees a post Justin posted on Reddit about said curse and feels like she has the exact same problem. His post is all to familiar to her. She shows her bestie, Maddy and egged on by her she comments on his Reddit post and the two start messaging back and forth.

Sounds like a sweet little online meet cute right? Two people meet online and start dating each other to break a curse??

It is all of that ... but it is so much more Guys.

Abby's books always have a lot of real life and realistic topics - she's the furthest thing from a cheesy romance writer you could find and this book is no different from any of her others in that regard.

This one deals primarily with family trauma. It is a love story but is an emotional one with real characters and it's just so genuine and raw.

Emma is such a complex character who carries such a lot of pain from her childhood. She ended up in foster care as a child. Her mother neglected her all her life. Emma was lucky enough to get placed with a lovely foster family when she was small who had a daughter her own age - Maddy (who is still her best friend to this day).

Emma and Maddy, both Nurses, travel around the different US States working 3 month stints in different hospitals at a time so they can travel and experience new places - while still working. They take turns picking what US State to go to next.

Emma decides to choose Minnesota (where Justin lives) as their next destination so she can meet Justin in person and see if they can break their mutual 'curse' by dating each other.
But of course true loves course never runs smoothly - Emmas mother shows up in Minnesota and reopens old wounds (while Justin has his own stuff to deal with) - I wont say much more, I dont wanna spoil anything! But I was rooting for the pair of them through every obstacle they encountered. I was that invested in them ❤️

Trust me when I say this story was just so good guys!

I loved Abby and Justins story from the get go. There was so much chemistry between the two of them and it was just so pure. The perfect balance of romance and yet filled with real life obstacles real life relationships encounter.

Emmas past trauma from her childhood was heartbreaking at times but the overall emotion felt while reading this incredible book was one of hope, friendship and love.

**It's hilarious too guys! (As if it needed anything extra to make it any better LOL)
I Iaughed out loud many times 🤣**
(and cried....obvs!!!)

I was utterly captivated in this story until the very last page.

As always, Abby handled the topics of childhood trauma and mental health issues like the queen that she is. She balances humour, romance and emotion perfectly.

I'll leave it at that guys cos I could waffle on here for another 10 paragraphs (I love her books that much 🤣) but I adored this one!

Go. Get it!
Read it!
Read all of her books!
You wont regret it!

The easiest 5 stars!
(I'd rate it higher if I could)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adored this book! I loved everything about Just For The Summer, from the depth of characters, the Easter Eggs to the tie backs to previous books in the series. I felt so much for our characters, and I love how they had real issues, not just a bit of miscommunication.
Abby Jimenez, you've done it again. Incredible

4.5⭐️

Damn you, Abby Jimenez, making me cry once again. I'm fairly sure this is the only romance series I've ever read where I've loved all the books. The way they work the comedic aspects in with the emotional is so well done.

I love that you can feel the romantic potential before they even meet. You can feel Emma falling not just for Justin but for his family, too. It's definitely a very quick development, but in a way, that works in favour of Emma being so unsure about it.

I'm a sucker for a single parent/ guardian romance read, so that aspect worked for me. Cute moments of her dying, his sisters hair and checking scraped knees, yes please. I will say of the 3 books this is the one I related to the least when it comes to the characters' issues but i tried not to let that affect the rating .

I was certainly not expecting a twist to come in this book around certain relatives, but my lord did it make for a good time as a fan of the series. I have knocked off half a star purely because I felt we spent a little too much time on her mom and Neil. At the beginning, it almost made me dislike Maddy with the way she spoke to Emma over it, which is sad because she's a very good friend, really. I do wish we had gotten a little more at the end of the book of them happy together given how the storyline goes.

Overall, I loved the book and the series as a whole. Highly recommend to everyone, everywhere.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

A really cute romance with a lot of heart and which covers some topics that I was surprised to find in a romance novel - a great read.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I liked it but didn't love it like I have loved the other ones by Abby. I think I just didn't buy into the plot.

Abby Jimenez keeps writing these perfect men and I keep falling in love with them. I fear this might eventually become a massive problem, LOL.

The meet-cute is just adorable, through an AITA Reddit post. Justin and Emma figure out they're both "cursed" and decide to help lift the curse by dating each other. What follows is a perfect summer romance.

Both Justin and Emma are dealing with some heavy stuff in their life. More so than seeing them get their HEA in their relationship, I just really wanted everything to work out for them individually. I was gobsmacked when I realized where Emma's story was going, but it was absolutely a great ending for her story.

I don’t think Abby Jimenez can write a book I won’t love. ‘Just for the Summer’ is definitely a 5-star read for me. This book had it all; witty banter, charming and entertaining dialogue and really well-rounded main characters and side characters. The plot was also unique and engaging. I was sucked in from page one with the ‘Am I the Asshole?’ Reddit thread. I think this book is right up there with my favourites, Life’s Too Short and Part of your World.

This was so much more than a romance. It tackled some heavy issues like poor mental health, child neglect and toxic relationships but did so sensitively. The difficult sections in the book were interspersed with light-hearted ones.

The progression of the relationship between Emma and Justin through both positive and not so positive moments around family and life changing events was beautiful. Their chemistry was palpable and believable. There were so many laugh-out-loud and tear-jerking moments throughout the book that made for an enjoyable reading experience.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see cameos of characters from Part of Your World and Yours Truly. Even though this book was a standalone, it was nice to see how Emma and Justine fit into the Part of Your World universe. That was the icing on the cake for me!

Overall, I really cannot fault this book. I think ‘Just for the Summer’ is hands down one of Abby’s best works. I highly recommend reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Abby Jimenez NEVER FAILS to write a romance that feels so real and raw, yet will simultaneously, have you giggling and kicking your feet.

I was obsessed with Emma and Justin as both individuals but ESPECIALLY together, and not every romance author can accomplish that for me. I adored the family elements, the summer atmosphere, the stakes and the friendship dynamics! Undoubtedly, an auto-buy author for me... EVERYBODY should read ALL of Abby Jimenez's work!

I always love Jimenez’s books. I get so caught up in them and every word makes me fall more and more in love with the story. Captivated from start to end - always waiting on more books!

I very rarely feel like the romantic books that I read are perfect. This was as close to it as I have gotten in the past couple of months. Few books have been as fun while also having emotional depth.

The book begins with a Reddit thread. I am not someone who uses the website and have personally googled the abbreviations used multiple times because I keep forgetting what they mean! Going back to the story itself, one man talks of his bad luck of going out with women and when they split up the woman always finds her happily-ever-after.

Emma has had a rough life but even with her relatively stable situation, she is restless. When her best friend decides to get Emma interested in the Reddit thread because she is the female version of the very same issue, the two decide to test it out on each other.

Obviously we know where the story is going, and so do they as they start to communicate and continue to do so in entertaining ways. The communication throughout the book varies in the format and that adds to the reading experience as a whole.

I have not read the other books by the author and especially not where some of the characters previously appeared. That did not bother me much, but after reading the author’s note, I wished I had read those other books as well.

The emotional quagmire both find themselves in are things that are worked out slowly but surely. Everything has a systematic and serious approach while being presented in light and fast moving writing. I would highly recommend this book to fans of the genre.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Having read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was so excited to see what would happen in the next book and after hearing so many incredible reviews I knew I had to save it for summer.
However, now that I've read it I'm a little annoyed at myself that I waited so long.
This is easily one of my favourite Abby Jimenez books and I've been a fan of every single one that I've read.
It did what her books usually do and balanced the lighter and fluffier moments with more serious topics. But it was just so well written and captivating from the very first page.
I liked the chemistry between Emma and Justin and was rooting for them to make it, even with all the obstacles in their way.
I normally despise third act breakups but this one felt so realistic and made a lot of sense.
I loved watching Emma grow towards the very end and seeing Justin's life with the kids work out.
I also loved Maddy! I could see so much of myself in her, which maybe doesn't make me the most empathetic but was she right all along? Yes.
I will say, you don't need to have read the first two books in this series to enjoy this one but obviously it just adds to the reading experience and I was shocked by the DNA reveal at the end and how that related to previous characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just for the Summer follows the story of Emma and Justin who both have a curse where when people break up with them, the next person they date is always their soulmate. The two of them decide to 'date' and plan to break up in order to break the curse and allow them to find their soulmates.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved that the protagonists both had their own lives outside of the romance and had fully developed back stories. Friendships are portrayed amazingly in this book and I liked that every side character felt very realistic. On the same vein, I thought the family dynamics explored in this book were interesting and added so much depth to the characters. Usually I am not a fan of children in books however I thought the kids in this book were depicted in a very realistic manner and I liked that the teenagers acted like teenagers and not adults. The author clearly did a lot of research into mental health and childhood trauma and I appreciated that she didn't shy away from included the uglier sides of these topics.

When I requested this book, I didn't realise that it was the third book in a series so there were some Easter Eggs that I missed and I wish I had read the rest of the 'Part of your World' series first. As someone who hadn't read the other books, there were some points where it felt like we were bombarded with characters names however I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue if you had read the other two books. The main reason that I didn't rate this book 5 stars was because the ending felt quite rushed.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be going back to read the rest of the series!

My first Abby Jiminez book after being highly highly recommended, and it lived up to the hype! This was a really solid beach read, summer holiday read, it had that heat to it that made me actually sad I didn't read it on holidays. I will definitely be diving into this authors back catalogue!

Just for the Summer is my second Abby Jimenez book, after Yours Truly. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books, especially if they’re on the same wavelength.

I am loving the batch of authors who can write love stories about sexual relationships but also friendships, family connections and the breadth of human experience. Emily Henry, Jasmine Guillory and Abby Jimenez definitely lead the charge in this.

Just for the Summer follows Emma as she finds a reddit thread about a dog and a best friend who are both called Brad, a giant bathroom billboard and taking a chance on a new place. She and her best friend are rotation medical staff, they move hospitals every few months, taking it in turns to choose where they go next. Based on the calibre of the beaches and/or nightlife, it suits them both to live with a suitcase of stuff and relocate regularly. Just the two of them.

Justin and Emma connect over their shared experience of being the good luck chuck – every breakup they have goes on to find their soulmate. They hatch a plan to meet and be each other’s good luck chucks. No prizes for guessing what happens next – it’s a good book, it’s not a mystery.

Although Just for the Summer is subtitled as Part of Your World number 3, I haven’t read them all and I didn’t feel like I lost anything as a result – it’s more like you have a bunch of friends who you like hanging out with and want to know more about.

While Justin and Emma’s relationship is a main part of the story, it also focusses on generational trauma, about how your relationships with your family and those close to you affect your adult relationships. Anyone who’s struggled with any family and friends will recognise this, and Jiminez handles it so well and so gently, it’s a kind read.

The other part of Abby Jimenez’ writing is the online support she has – facebook groups, Instagram and tiktok – it’s a supportive and kind place full of readers. While the books are the important part, I think it’s a good indication of a great person to encourage that kind of online safe space. Additionally, Abby fans broke Netgalley when it went up for request (sorry tech team!) – she’s popular, and popular for a reason.

If Abby Jimenez writes it...I'm reading it. I actually did really enjoy the romance between the two main characters, I thought they were really well suited and I loved their relationship. I really recommend this

I really enjoyed this and I loved Justin. I didn’t connect to Emma as much as I wanted to though. She rubbed me the wrong way.

I was very excited to get approved for a copy of Just for the Summer. Abby Jimenez is easily one of my favourite authors and I have loved every book of hers that I have picked up but have to say Just for the Summer is absolutely my new favourite! I loved Justin and Emma and was invested in their relationship, there was lots of funny complications along the way but also some serious ones and I think it was perfectly balanced out. I thought the family dynamics for both characters were represented really well, I really felt for both Emma and Justin. Just the right amount of spice in this book for me as I preferred that there was so much more to the characters and the building of their relationship rather than every chapter having some amount of spice. Abby Jimenez can do no wrong in my eyes, this book was *chefs kiss*!
Thank you for my copy!

Always a wild ride with an Abby Jimenez book, but loved the premise of this one right from the start and it just kept getting better!

I loved Yours Truly and Just for the Summer is just as good. The main characters, specially Justin, were funny and sweet with a pinch of childhood trauma, which was a big part of the plot, so proceed with caution. Great representation on Parent-Children relationships, if unrealistic at times. I also really enjoyed all the side characters. Just a good romance, perfect for our little millennial hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the mental health representation was done well, and I laughed out loud for a few parts of this book. It is a heavier book, and I would have liked to see more of Emma's healing journey. We don't see much of it thanks to a time skip, but I would have liked some scenes between her and her half brother or some of her therapy. But I understand also why it was done that way.

Overall I really liked this book and I already cannot wait for the next Abby Jimenez.