Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

335 reviews

pgmoon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

This book was recommended by some BookTokers I follow, and even though I’m not usually a huge fan of romance, I decided to give it a shot. I really like Emily Henry and gave Beach Read 4 stars, so when I saw a testimonial from Henry on this book, I figured it was worth checking out.

I listened to the audiobook, and it was so much fun! The two narrators really brought the main characters to life. The book is a great blend of funny and heartwarming moments, with some real character growth, diving into how our past trauma can shape who we are now.

The main couple has a ton of chemistry, and I loved their moments together. The side characters were full of personality too—Maddie is definitely my favorite character, hands down. Emma’s
struggle with her relationship with her mom was beautifully done; I found myself getting angry on her behalf
. And when
Emma found out about her family,
it broke my heart—I definitely teared up.

I also loved that
the happy ending didn’t come easy
.
Emma getting the help she needed
was so real and wonderful to see, and the epilogue was super sweet.

The book maybe ran a little long in the middle, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be checking out more from Abby Jimenez. If you’re a fan of Emily Henry, I’d recommend giving this one a try.

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hrh_victoria's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This would be a great book club pick. The novel adeptly navigates complex family dynamics, attachment theory, and healthy new love.

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somebodys_fool's review against another edition

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

3.75


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bookishkale's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I had a lot of fun with this, and this is the first romance I’ve really liked in a while. It’s kinda heavy but in a satisfying way. There was a lot of depth I wasn’t expecting. Justin and Emma are really sweet together. 

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gingerbiscuit's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Check trigger warnings.
Beautifully written and excellent exploration of complex topics. Multiple plot twists kept my attention, making this book a fast paced read. Not overhyped.

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tinysierra's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you have to chose between anger or empathy, chose empathy.

Just for the Summer is so worth the hype. Long books intimidate me, but it didn’t feel like a 400 page book. It was fun and real.

I love Justin a lot! And Emma was a good protagonist, too. I loved the friendships and the family relationships featured in the book.

If you’re like me, thinking about reading Just for the Summer as your first Abby Jimenez book: don’t 😂 read Part of Your World and Yours Truly first. It will be a much better experience when you see the reoccurring characters show up in this one.

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jwag2016's review against another edition

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

5.0

Another beautifully written book by Abby Jimenez. The way she has gracefully tackled mental health, grief and other big heavy topics in this series makes me speechless. The characters are lovable and relatable. And this made me cry (I don’t cry when reading often). 

Since I can’t find the words to describe my love for this book, this series and this author, here are five more stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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taliaalongi's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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kittkat's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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

ich mochte das hörbuch suuuper gerne. es war eine echt schöne, leichte lektüre für den sommer, bei dem man einfach immer lächeln muss. es hatte nicht ganz so viele sommer-vibes wie der titel vielleicht andeutet, aber war auch nicht arg schlimm. 
die protagonistin, emma, war für mich unfassbar relatable und sympathisch. es war so erfrischend, wie hier mit mentalen, emotionalen „herausforderungen“ (for lack of a better word) umgegangen wird. es gab auch so viele schöne momente, in dem die kommunikation einfach richtig war. 

teilweise hatte ich das gefühl, dass die beste freundin, maddy, gar keine echte person war, sondern eher wie ein deus ex machina oder einfach nur ein plot device. sie hat emma durchweg unterstützt und ihre freundschaft war auf jeden fall glaubwürdig am anfang, aber dann hat sie so viele konflikte gelöst und justin tipps gegeben. ohne maddy hätte hier vieles nicht funktioniert und gleichzeitig hat sie selbst dafür zu wenig action abbekommen. JUSTICE FOR MADDY!! 

sonst muss ich sagen, beide protagonisten waren einfach zucker. ich habe die familiendynamik zwischen justin, seinen geschwistern und emma geliebt. emmas mutter, amber, hat für all den tea gesorgt und das ist das einzige, was sie richtig gut gemacht hat.

also sehr empfehlenswertes buch, ich war jetzt aber auch nicht obsessed damit (was man auch echt mal braucht!)

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historyoftape's review against another edition

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

4.25

This book gave me hope for the Romcom genere as a whole. I liked how it truly did not take itself too seriously (banned from Uber for drunk racoon saving?? The toilet king?) and still managed to vividly portray two people with very different lives and circumstances falling for each other & trying to navigate that. Sure there were parts that were super cheesy but I could forgive them because the rest was so immersive and entertaining. I did not want to like this book as much as I did and originally read it for the 
Norovirus plotpoint that my friends and I had a couple of animated discussions about. But I might pick up some other Abby Jimenez books after this :)

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