A review by sydapel
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful 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

3.25

After having a not so great experience with this author back when I was first starting to read again, I was interested to see how Jimenez has developed as an author and whether we just got off on a bad foot. Despite ripping through it in a few days, it's taken me awhile to figure out how I feel about this book because of the incredibly heavy and complicated subject matter that is explored alongside the more rom-com elements of this book. Both of the characters have really nuanced and complex trauma they are working through at the same time as they are falling for one another (I highly recommend looking up content warnings before reading this, especially if you are someone with tense parental relationships). For me personally, it was difficult to be invested in the love story when it's happening alongside unlearning and working through trauma. With any author that tries to do something like this, it's a balancing act between the heavy emotional parts and the lighter romantic elements and while I don't think this book did a bad job, it didn't quite feel balanced to me. 
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