Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
SYNOPSIS
When it comes to love, Emma is cursed. Every guy she dates finds his true love after they break up. But it turns out she’s not the only one afflicted with this condition…
His name is Justin, and his Reddit thread about being “love’s good luck charm” has gone viral. Now the two have come up with an ingenious plan: If they date each other, their curses will cancel out and they’ll go on to find their soulmate. Only Justing wasn’t supposed to be so unbelievably cute. And hilarious.
But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected - including catching real feelings. Has Fate finally brought the perfect pair together, or will their cure be way more hazardous than the curse itself?
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This was my first Abby Jimenez book and now I understand the hype. Jimenez has a way of slowly and delicately wrapping the story and characters around you and then pulling you into the most heartbreaking of situations. And it’s too late, you’re in too deep to get out and save your heart from being stolen. Just for the Summer managed to be funny and light and romantic while mixing with heavy topics and angsty character development (I love me some angst!). I loved Justin and Emma and their backstories, I found the supporting cast of characters to be so lovely and dynamic, and the pacing was really good. It’s a longer book and I didn’t feel bored or rudderless at any point.
We start off with Emma finding Justin’s viral thread on being a “good luck chuck” basically (reason 1 I put off reading this for so long, I hated the premise of that movie). They decide to “fake” yet “not fake” date? And become really good friends with budding feelings along the way. But both of them have complicated lives. When we’re in Emma’s mind, we see how much she cherishes the people in her life as we read between the lines but outwardly she does everything to convince herself that she’s flighty and free from commitment (what a joke). This made it easy to get frustrated with her character because she had a miscommunication trope… WITH HERSELF. I understand her trauma response, her mother was young and neglectful to the point of abuse and in adulthood is extremely narcissistic. Emma’s life has turned out to be a lie, and she’s missed out on a lot due to her mother’s selfishness. Closing herself off made sense, but it didn’t mean I had to like it!
Justin’s viewpoint is interspersed throughout and we see how immediately he’s fallen for Emma yet how patient and understanding he is to not pressure her into anything. He can see she’s spooked and, being a caretaker at heart, does what he can to take care, even with a mass amount of responsibility newly dumped on his shoulders. His mom is going to jail, and he has to look after his siblings. I loved the strong, steady, sure character that he was and I found his resolve admirable. He went after what he wanted, but he also knew when to step back and protect himself and his siblings from intense situations. His steadiness was the perfect foil for Emma’s free-spirit.
The thing I loved most about this book was how it explored the different ways people experience and are changed by trauma and how they deal with it, whether it’s healthy or not. Justin struggled with grief and resentment when it came to both parents. He’s taken on a very sudden very MASSIVE responsibility and that itself can be traumatic as well. He deals with it through avoidance and survival mode. Emma has suffered neglect and abuse and has never admitted that thats what it was, nor has she dealt with it so she has a lot to unpack and deals with it through avoidance and isolation. Even the side characters had interesting and different ways of dealing. Justin’s mom did anything for a thrill after losing her soulmate. Emma’s mom lived lavishly and unconnected with plenty of distractions instead of dealing with her extreme highs and lows. This book, even being a romcom, showcased how complicated and individual trauma can be.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think it was a great summer read and a great introduction to Jimenez’s world for me (I can’t wait to read more!). I did give it 4 stars as I found the dialogue at the start to be a little rough/awkward but it definitely got more natural as we get further into the book. I’d recommend this if you’re looking for a good summer read to wrap up August and don’t mind a good cry.