What a comfort read! Absolutely beautiful and all heart! I love the premise of the two leads coming together to cancel out their dating curse. This book made me smile and hit all the right chords as it makes you feel for the characters. This is going on my list of top romance reads for the year as Abby Jimenez does it again!

I love Justin and Emma and how beautifully they have been written. Their exchanges are aww worthy but this is so much more than just a romance book with several underlying themes.. That's something I really loved about this book. The special characters add to the story and are well created. Absolutely recommend this!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group (UK) for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

4.5/5 stars 🌟

I absolutely adored the storyline of this new adult romance book by Abby Jiminez.

The meet cute of all meet cutes, Emma and Justin meet when Emma replies to his Reddit thread explaining his love life curse where every woman he dates then goes on to meet their soulmate after him. She experiences the same mysterious coincidence!! What a story to tell the grandkids, “we dated as a experiment to cancel out a curse”…

It was fun, it had me giggling. I was even tearing up at points as I travelled the emotional rollercoaster these characters went on.

Special mention to Emma’s bestie Maddy, we all need a Maddy in our life. That kind of ride or die soulmate friendship 💗

If you love a slow burn, with great banter and deep emotional backstories to the main characters, this is for you.

There are discussions of sensitive topics surrounding mental health, trauma and a difficult childhood, so please check online for detailed trigger warnings.

This was so beautiful. I didn’t know what to expect as this was my first Abby Jimenez book but all i’ve heard is amazing things and this didn’t disappoint. I loved the cursed dating premise of this book which led into fake dating which is a trope that has my heart !! I loved the way the two mmc’s met through reddit I haven’t read a book like that before. This was deeper than just a summery romance book it had family trauma and relationships, PTSD representation, friendship and love. I related a lot to Emma and how she always kept going back to her mum even though she has hurt her over and over again and i loved how she overcame the attachment she had to her towards the end of the book realising that she deserves better in her life. The romance was so sweet, I loved Justin he was so cute and the way he cared about Emma and his family had me swooning. The scene when he literally paddled to the island she was staying on in a floaty just because she was sit and alone is my new roman empire. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be reading more books by Abby Jimenez.

If you love romcoms, meet cutes, insta-love, fake dating summer romance then I must let you know that this book is not known as readers’ most anticipated release this year for nothing! With some heartfelt moments, found family, and inner healing, this book covered so much that I was not expecting and will not forget. A must-read! Perfect for the upcoming summer – you have no excuse, go read!

This is the first book I’ve read by Abby and honestly, I cannot believe I haven’t read her stuff sooner! I devoured most of this book in one day, which is when you can tell it’s a good one if you’re hooked that much. For those who have read Abby’s work before, you will be sure to recognise some of the character cameos here from Part of Your World.

I was only recently aware that Abby Jimenez tends to have bigger themes as part of her books and the romance tends to be more of a subplot. Thus, not knowing this, I was only expecting the summer romance to be the main element with probably some spice. I was very pleasantly surprised by how even the spice in the book was soft and sensual (crucial to the plot rather than being the plot), the amount of depth to the main characters Justin and Emma, the problems, the touching subjects, the vulnerable moments, and the mature realistic way in which they both grieve and heal. Everything about this story, in fact, was very mature. As well as the more serious notes, it was very amusing. Justin and Emma had great witty banter, there were some funny moments like when Emma and Maddy arrived at the cottage, the “proposal” on the bridge, and of course the Reddit posts. Also, the pun of calling a racoon George Cooney? Genius! The inside joke whenever they say “am I the asshole?”

I found nothing negative about this book. I can see why some people might find aspects negative: like if it felt too long, wanted more spice, or it simply wasn’t for them. But everything worked for me. I could argue the slowburn was quite slow.

I found Emma very relatable. She looks for the good in people, to a fault of course, and that is exactly what I’ve done too. I also love her caring nature. I was especially moved by Emma’s desire to be a better person so worked on herself.
Justin has my whole heart! He is so funny, a beautiful person both inside and out (dimples charm me every time), and I loved the quirky surveys and spreadsheets - always made me laugh as much as Emma! GREEN FLAG!
Maddy was the best! She sticks to her gut instincts and is pretty much always right about it. Especially when it comes to other people’s intentions. I related more to her than I did Emma. While I do try and see the best in people and hold onto false hope, I also know when to stop looking. I will also give people sage advice, and call things as I see it. I absolutely adored her!

I love Abby Jimenez' books so I was really excited to read this one. I was expecting a fun romance with elements of real life struggles like her other books, but this one felt completely different. Saying that, I did still enjoy it though.

I would say that the romance is more of a side plot in this book, which is fine, but I do wish I'd known that going in. The premise is that Emma and Justin are both cursed and their exes meet their soulmates after dating them so they team up and date so they can break up and break their curse. This sounded like a fun basis of the romance but it was barely mentioned other than when they initially meet, so I do wish it had featured more throughout the story.

Aside from the romance, there are a lot of plots going on in this book. Emma goes on a good journey and has a nice character arc which I was pleased about as she was very selfish at some points throughout the book. Justin was a great character and his dynamic with his siblings was nice to read. He was also such a good person for Emma and definitely the kind of person she deserved after what she had been through.

Tropes: single guardian, meet cute, sorta fake dating?

How DARE Abby Jimenez make me cry this much without warning??

The premise of this book is a super fun one - both the hero and heroine are "cursed" to be the partner people date and break up with before they find their soulmate. Unfortunately, this is where the fun ended. Abby Jimenez is known for having a lot of real life in her romance, and I think that often serves to make the characters feel like living breathing people. However, this one went slightly too far to be viewed as a romance in my opinion. It has a romance plot line, but it isn't primarily a romance. This is a book about family trauma, and it is heartbreaking.

That being said, there is a lot to love about this book! I felt all the topics were handled really well, and I loved the romantic relationship. I felt they were well suited. And Emma and Maddy's friendship was beautiful to read about. I also really enjoyed the quirky setting (I too would think an Island home would be great and not think through the whole boat thing). This book also features a lot of the characters from previous books which I liked.

Overall, don't go into this expecting a romance. But if you head into this expecting an emotional story with a lot of focus on interpersonal relationships, you will probably have a good time.

Thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group and Abby Jimenez for the free e-arc. All opinions are my own!

This felt really different to POY W & Yours Truly for me. I loved both of those, more than this for sure. Saying that this one scratched a part of my brain and hit me in a totally different place. If you've struggled with family issues/trauma I think this is one that will really have you in your feels. Whether that be in a good way or a bad way I think it depends, it had me feeling SO many emotions. It was a bit insta lovey I won't lie and the chemistry could have been stronger but I felt SO much for Emma and her struggles I felt like I really got where she was coming from.

Emma & Justin ❤️

🏥Emma’s a travel nurse with a difficult childhood and a crazy curse. When she sees a Reddit post that matches what she has experienced, her best friend Maddy suggests messaging the poster Justin.

💍They have both had multiple occasions where the person they date goes on to find their spouse and it’s getting a bit old. Maybe if they can date each other they can break the curse?

⛵️When Emma and Justin meet, it’s supposed to be just for the one summer in Minnesota, an unplanned stop in Emma and Maddy’s plans. Until it becomes so much more.

📚Abby Jimenez’s stories are so beautiful, I felt like I was holding back on reading this ARC until the last minute as once you have read it, you can never experience it for the first time again. You know that feeling? And yes, this gorgeous story was just as lovely as all her others. I adored Justin and Emma’s characters, the way they connected with each other and those close to them. Both have had trauma in their lives, and aren’t in the best place when they meet, but they recognise how rare the connection they feel is. There are several connections in this story to previous Abby Jimenez’s books. I feel like I should be doing a re-read every time I add a new instalment! This is a pure, 5-star, bundle of awesome ❤️

Read an eARC copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher
My rating 5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Pub Date 2 Apr 2024

co / 5 stars
Omg I am so sad this book is over, I absolutely ARORE Emma and Justin!!
From the minute I started reading the first chapter I was invested, the banter, chemistry and love these two shared was so pure and beautiful I fell in love with them too. The real issues that Emma was going through was something I can related very much too and it made the book that much more special too me. I can say with 100% certainty this book is now added to my list of favourites.

Thank you Netgalley and LittleBrownBookGroup for an ARC in return for an honest review!

2.5 stars. I REALLY wanted to love this as much as I loved her other romances and I did enjoy it well enough but there were just some things that irked me that I just could not overlook.

What I liked:
- I liked the chemistry and banter between them, it was very cute and all the dates they went on were adorable and I did think they were a great match
- I did like the unique way of them starting to talk and meeting, it's hard for romance books to have unique meet cutes these days so I think it should be appreciated when it happens.
- THEM TAKING CARE OF EACHOTHER WHEN SICK??
- The fact it was suh an EASY & quick read that did not feel over 400 pages AT ALL.

HOWEVER there were some things that bothered me:

- I was sick of the FMC being this like optimist? Always seeing the best in people and thinking people always deserve the benefit of the doubt? And this notion that no one WANTS to be a bad person & they’re just trying their best, Like idk I think that’s as unhealthy as thinking everyone is a shit person, you just need to be somewhere in the middle, cause sometimes people ARE just shit people because they are awful and selfish. But maybe that’s just me being a hater. And I just found it a bit unrealistic I have never met someone SO positive.
- This book very much felt like Abby Jimenez took some viral dating stories from the internet and put it all in a book. And a lot of the ‘quotable moments’ or like what was meant to feel like deep meaningful quotes you should highlight and share did not come about naturally and instead she found the quote first (again a lot are word for word things I’ve seen posted online) and then wrote a scene around the quote rather than doing the opposite which usually makes the story flow better and the quote more impactful.
- It was also filled with what I can only describe as… millennial humour or like things that were funny initially when they were first said but at this point it’s the jokes your weird auntie is laughing at and sharing on Facebook.
- There is just something that feels cringy and rushed about this, it’s very much insta love and SO MUCH HAPPENS SO FAST that it almost feels like the romance is a side plot rather than the main plot which like.. it’s a romance book I picked it up cause I wanted it to be the main plot. I like my romance with a bit of something extra but this felt like something extra (difficult family dynamics and relationships) with a side plot of romance

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

i was a huge lover of ‘part of this world’ and ‘yours truly’ so was super happy to have received this arc, but i think there’s something about the tropes in this one that really just weren’t for me.

if you’re a fan of insta-love you’ll probably love this, but i really just wasn’t sold :(

i ended up waiting for it to finish because i was bored, and i don’t think this is a result of the writing style because i’ve loved jiminez’ books in the past, but the characters in this book were just a lot harder to connect to than her other books.

Abby Jimenez is one of my favourite romance authors, I especially loved her last two releases and they easily made it in to my top 5 romances of 2022 and 2023. Needless to say I was very excited when I saw Just For the Summer.

It kicked off well with an ‘AITA’ reddit post. I loved the premise and immediately liked the MMC Justin and his and Emma’s meet cute. I enjoyed their banter and every interaction they had. I also really liked Maddy and her friendship with Emma. Unfortunately the rest fell flat for me.. I didn’t like the absent mother aspects of the story or the repetitiveness of it. It made the book drag in places and took me out of the story. I think I would have preferred more romance/friendship and less of the drama.

I think this one is going to be 3-3.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An easy and cute summer read. Definitely wasn't anything groundbreaking but that's perfect for a beach/poolside romance hit.

I can't stop thinking about this book and how much I love it, it has helped Abby Jimenez cement her spot in my top 5 authors. It was filled with all the things that make a great rom-com and I already want to read it again.

One of my favourite things about Abby's books is the way she writes about mental health issues with such care and gives characters the arcs you want to see from them. With Emma this was no different and you couldn't help but root for her + Justin.

I also greatly appreciated the lack of miscommunication trope and instead using the MC's character developments to drive the story forward. Plus, all the nods/easter eggs to 'Part of your world' added another layer of enjoyment to the book.

Overall this was such a wholesome read and if you haven't yet read an Abby Jimenez book, what are you waiting for!

Thank you NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group for the arc!

‘the best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens between the folds of everyday life. It’s not grand gestures that show how you feel, it’s the little secret things you do to make her life better that you never tell her about’

🌟🌟🌟🌟 - 4 stars. This is the first Abby Jimenez book I have read, and it certainly won’t be the last. This novel had so much to offer and I devoured it. It was easy to read, and written really well. I found that the characters were super cute and I could easily imagine the city they lived in.

Justin is a a literal whole green forest, this man is (as Maddy said) the definition of ‘if he wanted to, he would’ and he was such a cutie. Although I liked Emma, I found that I resonated with Justin and Maddy the most. The character development from the two MCs was enjoyable to read and I adored the ending, it was super wholesome.

I loved the rom-com style of writing, and the duel POV! It was refreshing to switch from Emma’s slightly heavier story to Justin’s.

I would have given it 5 stars, but to be truly honest, I did get a little annoyed at Emma throughout but love her tho ♡

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Loved loved loved this book!!

The online meet-cute started off a little corny for me but I fell in love with our two main characters once we got into the meat of the story. I really enjoyed learning about our two mmcs who each had a lot of baggage coming into their “dating pact” relationship, but it was rewarding seeing how they overcame their issues separately before coming together. I thought the book had a lot of great ideas on family and who you choose to love and forgive, and although a tad dramatic at times, was a really memorable and heartfelt read.

Emma and Justin agree to a quick fling just for the summer, in the hopes of throwing off a curse that seems to be trailing them both. 

Every time I go into an Abby Jimenez book, I already know it's going to blow me away. Her writing style flows so well, making it easy to picture the scene and imagine being there with the characters. I adored everything about this book and ended up being the buddy read failer as I ended up flying through the pages, finishing the story in no time. I very rarely reread books but if I did, I imagine this one would be one that I'd love to pick up again. All the stars for this masterpiece!

I loved this! In so many ways it wasn’t what I was expecting and the romance was a really sweet slow burn

The central premise was really fun about the curse and bringing Emma and Justin together.

This is a sloow burn, if you compare it to Part of your world where there’s bed hopping from the get go, there’s not even a kiss until 50%, but it feels right for this couple and their stories.

Emma was such a gorgeous, troubled soul and when it clicked for me about Amber I was so mad! I love Justin’s guardian story line and his family. Abby does such rich characters with such nuanced stories it makes her books so good.

Finally, I think that Abby’s gift is to write perfect men in a way that’s not saccharine or annoying. Daniel. Jacob and now Justin. They’re all gorgeous and wonderful and I never get the goody two shoes ick!

Just for the summer is actually not for the summer only; it will stick with you much longer. Maybe as long as Emma does?
This was full of heart. Absolutely adored Justin because what THE man to take this all plus dog. Plus was great to see (read?) characters I already met in this series. Abby, you rock!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Since I’ve enjoyed all her other work this comes at no surprise. I thought I was getting a cutesy romcom but this book got DEEP and had me crying throughout. Only issue is I think in the trigger warning you should add warning for those with emetophobia as one chapter was hard for me to read.