Just for the Summer Review: A Cute Romance With More Feelings Than I Expected
Just for the Summer Review: My Thoughts
In this Just for the Summer review, I’m sharing my thoughts on Abby Jimenez’s romance about two people who discover they might have the same weird dating curse and decide to use it to their advantage.
I picked this one up as a bit of a palate cleanser, and honestly, it was exactly what I needed at the time.
I don’t usually read a lot of romance, but I do enjoy one every now and then, especially when I need a break from all the horror and heavier books I tend to read. 😂
The premise is fun. Justin and Emma have both noticed that after they break up with someone, that person immediately finds their supposed “true love.” So naturally, they decide to date each other, break up, and see if the curse works for both of them.
Simple, right?
Except they actually start falling for each other.
And then things get a LOT more complicated.
What I didn’t expect was how much of the story would focus on family, trauma, abandonment, and learning how to let people into your life. That part ended up being more interesting to me than I expected.
Just For The Summer Review: What Worked For Me
The premise
The whole dating-curse idea was cute and ridiculous in the best way. 😂
It’s one of those concepts that isn’t supposed to be taken too seriously, and I enjoyed that.
But underneath the fun premise, there’s actually a pretty emotional story about two people trying to figure out what they really want from life and relationships.
Emma’s story
I think Emma’s personal story was what really made this book work for me.
She has a complicated relationship with her mother and has spent much of her life dealing with abandonment and the fear of depending on other people.
She’s independent because she has had to be.
And that makes her relationship with Justin more complicated than simply falling in love.
She has to figure out whether letting people love her means giving up her independence.
And I liked that the book didn’t make that an instant realization.
Emma has a lot of emotional baggage, and watching her slowly work through it gave the story more depth.
The found-family element
I also really liked Justin’s relationship with his siblings.
Justin unexpectedly becomes responsible for his younger siblings, and watching Emma become part of that little family was one of the sweeter parts of the book.
It also makes the romance more meaningful because Emma isn’t just falling for Justin.
She’s slowly becoming attached to the idea of having a home and a family.
And considering how much of her life has been about leaving before she can be left, that’s a pretty big deal.
Just For The Summer Review: Why It Didn’t Fully Click
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t a five-star romance for me.
There were definitely moments when the story felt a little too long or overly emotional for my taste.
And while I liked the deeper themes, there were times when I felt like the book was trying really hard to make me feel ALL THE FEELINGS.
The romance was cute, but it wasn’t the part that completely won me over.
I was much more interested in Emma’s personal growth, her relationship with her mother, and the whole idea of learning how to accept love and stability.
So while I enjoyed Justin and Emma together, I wouldn’t say their romance itself was what made this a four-star read for me.
Final Thoughts on Just For The Summer
I gave Just for the Summer four stars, and I’m actually glad I picked this one up.
It was a nice change of pace from all the horror I’ve been reading, and I enjoyed having something lighter to read for a while.
I went in expecting a cute romance about a ridiculous dating curse, but the story ended up being much more about family, abandonment, trauma, and learning that being independent doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do everything alone.
I especially liked Emma’s journey.
She’s spent so much of her life running from anything that could potentially hurt her that she eventually has to figure out what happens when she stops running.
And I liked that the book gave her room to get there on her own.
Was it perfect for me? No.
Did I enjoy it? Absolutely.
It’s a fun romance with enough emotional depth to keep it from feeling like just another fluffy love story.
Book Information
Title: Just For The Summer
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance
Subgenre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Women’s Fiction
Page Count: 432 pages
POV: Multiple
Narrative Style: First Person
Series Information: Book 3 of the Part Of Your World series, can be read as a standalone
Themes and Tropes
- dating curse
- summer romance
- childhood trauma
- commitment issues
- forced proximity
Top 3 Highlights
The dating curse. It’s such a ridiculous premise, but that’s what made it fun. Two people basically deciding to date each other as an experiment was a great setup for a romance.
Emma’s character development. Her struggle with abandonment and her tendency to run when things get too emotionally difficult gave the story more depth than I expected.
The found-family aspect. Justin and his siblings added a lot of heart to the story, and I enjoyed watching Emma slowly become part of their lives.Emotional stakes behind the mystery. The twists aren’t just shocking—they’re deeply personal, making the search for the truth feel incredibly satisfying.
Gore Level: 0/5
No graphic violence or gore.
Spice Level: 2/5
Several intimate scenes, but the romance isn’t primarily focused on spice.
Profanity: Moderate.
Violence: Minimal. Contains references to childhood abuse, neglect, and domestic abuse.
Substances: Alcohol and drug use are mentioned.
Who Should Read Just For the Summer?
f you enjoy contemporary romance with humor, emotional baggage, family drama, found family, and characters who have some actual personal growth to do, this is worth picking up.
I’d especially recommend it if you want something lighter after reading a lot of heavy books.
For me, it was a nice break from horror without being so fluffy that I completely lost interest.
And if you’re a romance reader who likes your love stories with a side of childhood trauma and emotional damage…
Well, Abby Jimenez has you covered.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fun summer romance with a ridiculous premise, lovable characters, and more emotional depth than I expected.
Just for the Summer was a nice surprise.
I picked it up as a palate cleanser because I needed a break from horror, and it worked.
The dating-curse premise was fun, but what really kept me interested was everything underneath the romance—Emma’s complicated relationship with her mother, her abandonment issues, Justin’s family, and the idea that sometimes being independent means learning that you don’t actually have to do everything alone.
It wasn’t a perfect five-star read for me, but I genuinely enjoyed it.
And honestly, sometimes you just need a cute romance between two emotionally damaged people to recover from reading about murder and demons.
Check out this book review on my Bookstagram.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this up as a palate cleanser after reading way too much horror, and honestly, it worked. 😂
The dating-curse premise was cute and ridiculous in the best way. Two people decide to date, break up, and see if they’ll both find their “true love” afterward. Obviously, things don’t exactly go according to plan.
What surprised me was how much I ended up liking the emotional and family side of the story.
Emma’s relationship with her mother, her abandonment issues, and her struggle with letting people into her life gave the story more depth than I expected. I also really liked Justin’s relationship with his siblings and the found-family aspect.
The romance was cute, but it wasn’t necessarily the romance itself that made this a four-star read for me. I was more invested in Emma’s personal growth and learning that being independent doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone.
A fun read, especially when you need a break from heavier books.
View all my reviews on Goodreads.
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