Reviews

When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

livluvslit's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

sincerelyadi's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Bad decisions happen when the sun goes down. 
 
I can confirm that when you’re young that is true. This certainly was a cute YA Summer read. At first I wished it had a little more depth and I realized for the age range it’s intended for it did. I’m past that phase in my life but I can go back to my teenage years and feel the feels I would have then reading this book.  

anniereads3's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

millacamilla's review

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

parkeramcain's review against another edition

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4.0

LOVED that this book gave me the ending that i wanted. Yes, I am all for a good plot twist or a cliff hanger ending, but sometimes it’s nice to have a book end how I want it to.

This book was not a slow burn (thank you jesus) & wasn’t hard to get into. absolutely love that i got both perspectives (olivia & aidens). Most books are told by girl’s POV and it’s nice to see a guys perspective on things for a change.

kay_slayerofbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this story. It was sweet, exciting, funny and I was totally hooked. I had to remember what it was like to be a teenager again and place myself Liv's shoes a few times to REALLY understand but the book was easy to follow. Zander was totally a jerk. Aiden was totally perfect and Emma is the best friend everyone wants. A solid 4 star rating.

kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Olivia is your type A, think it through never do anything that hasn’t been planned teenage girl. Olivia is used to having her boyfriend Zander by her side, her Aunt Sarah at home as her support and her best friend Emma with her at all times. But when her summer job falls through and she meets Aiden Emmerson her whole life flips on its head and she doesn’t know what to do.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was my subway reading back and forth from student teaching and I was so sad when I finished.

Olivia and Aiden are two different characters who fit together perfectly. They each have did so much growing through out the book. I love the friendship that blossoms between them and the relationship that eventually develops. If you’re impatient like I am, I’m warning you that I found this to be slow-burn romance and literally every time I read it I was like “JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY I DONT HAVE TIME FOR THIS.”

I loved this so much and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves fun, sweet, meaningful, summer romances.

wayfaringbibliomaniac's review against another edition

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5.0

I really loved this story. I've been following Jessica's journey as an author ever since I heard about Love Songs & Other Lies, which I haven't gotten to read yet, but will be adding it to my TBR for next month now that I've gotten to read this.

Olivia and Aiden trade narrating throughout. I generally love this style of writing, so I was able to immerse myself in it all the more. The perks of this style are that you get two PoV's and so more details regarding various scenes, but this can be a serious downside if one of the characters is boring. Luckily, Jessica writes amazing characters, so I was happy to read both PoV's throughout the novel. The pacing of the story was also really great. It was quick enough that I was able to read it fairly quickly, but still detailed enough that I felt I could nearly step into their story. 10 points for storytelling!

Olivia learns early in the story that her aunt, whom she lives with, has taken a new position in a different state - taking Olivia away from her hometown right before her senior year of high school unless she can find an alternative. She asks her boyfriend, Zander, if they can talk to his parents about her living with them. Said conversation doesn't go to plan. Aiden is the varsity pitcher of the baseball team, and also Zander's teammate. Aiden, it turns out, is having some issues with his pitching, so quits the team and takes a job with his family's business - River Depot. Where Olivia ends up getting a summer job!

I think the bit I struggled with most was her mother re-entering the scene. I have had a tense (non-existentent) relationship with my own mother for more than a few years now. Obviously, it wasn't the same situation, but I don't believe I would have been able to forgive mine so quickly or easily as Olivia did in the novel.

I really enjoyed the setting of River Depot because it's exactly the kind of place I would have loved to work at during the when I was in high school! It is quintessential summer on the river. This was a cute summer story with some heavy topics explored throughout. I felt some of it deep in my soul... There are a few themes I've struggled with in my own life, such as abandonment by a parent as well as the vision issues, so that was a bit hard for me. Made me relate to Olivia and Aiden, and I think it made me love it even more. Pennington explored those topics very well and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Had to be a FIVE STAR read for me.

maddieg's review against another edition

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5.0

I was so excited to read this book because I was particularly interested in Aiden's storyline with his vision, and I wasn't disappointed. Both Olivia and Aiden's individual storylines were so complex and added so much to their characters, but together their storyline and relationship was even better. I could instantly tell that when they started hanging out, their relationship was better than Olivia had with Zander even though we only saw the end of their relationship. I could tell by the way Olivia explained her and Zander's relationship that Aiden was just more caring and accepting. Having Aiden be open with Olivia as they started to grow closer with his vision problem and love for art made me fall in love with him because he felt safe with her and it was very romantic. I do understand why Olivia pushed him away when things got tough with her impending move as that's what she was used to, but I'm glad she chased after him because it was obvious how much they meant to each other. My only issue was that the book started out kind of slow for my liking, but it got better a little before halfway through when Olivia and Aiden's relationship hit it off.

Favorite Quote: “Stop stressing. Let fate decide, and then roll with it.”

kcmmp13's review against another edition

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4.0

This book just makes me smile. I love Aiden and Olivia, separate and together. Aiden is just the type of character you want to root for. Aiden has an eye issue that limits what he can do. Because of that he has to work at the family business. In turn, Olivia found out she has to move and miss her senior year of HS with her best friend Emma and boyfriend Zander. Things don't go as planned with Xander or her internship, so she's stuck working at River Depot, Aiden's family business. I love how they met, and didn't fall at each others feet immediately. I like that they learned about each other and supported one another. I especially liked how both characters grew throughout the book. I do want to know if Olivia gave Aiden that ArtPrize paperwork.