Staff Review – Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

“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.”

In looking for something light and easy to read, I decided to try my first Abby Jimenez book. Technically, this book is #3 in the "Part of Your World" series, but each book can be read as a stand-alone (there are just some recurring characters that carry over into the next book). Starting with #3 meant learning about Emma and Justin. Both of these people seemed to be cursed - every time they break up with someone, their ex meets the love of their life. Looking to finally find their own soulmates as well, the strangers make a deal: go on a few dates over the summer, break up, and then the next person they date should be their soulmate, right? What a foolproof plan! Surely they won't fall in love with each other in the process.

While this book was a classic and cheesy romance, it also touched on some heavy topics, mainly around the main characters' relationships with their mothers. When we meet Justin, his mother is preparing to go to prison, leaving behind Justin and his three younger siblings. Emma's mother, we learn, had her at 18 and was incredibly absent to the point that Emma was put into foster care at 14. She shows up now and then in Emma's life, including the bulk of this novel. Jimenez does a great job of humanizing both of these women and their relationships with their children - both had reasons for doing what they did, and while one is easier to sympathize with than the other (in my opinion), these women really remind the reader that our upbringing has such an impact on the people we become. It takes Emma a long time to realize that who she is has been shaped by her mother, though it seemed obvious to me from the beginning.

Now before we forget, this is a romance novel! Justin and Emma are total strangers living in different cities at the beginning of the novel, but end up in the same city to begin their dating experiment. I loved the romance between these two - Justin was cheesy and sweet, Emma was full of life and heart. Justin was not afraid to show his heart and fall first, and Emma's character was strong and caring, always choosing empathy. And let's not forget Maddy, Emma's friend that we all need in our lives. Maddy is strong and loyal to Emma, but also helps her when she has a hard time helping herself. This book is adored by fans and is the highest rated of the series on GoodReads. If you're looking for something flirty, heartfelt, touching and witty, pick up Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez today!