In an unsurprising turn of events, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez is another stunning hit emphasizing the importance of healing from our trauma while finding a trusting life partner. From Jimenez’s two previous romances in the same universe, Part of Your World and Yours Truly, Just for the Summer is on the heavier margin, bringing in side villains like Amber and Neil to stir the pot in a way that can be deeply uncomfortable at times. Still, it’s a beautiful love story regardless, written with such compassion and heart in a way that Jimenez manages gorgeously with all her novels.
Justin Dahl and Emma Grant’s love story features one of the most riveting romance plots to date, bringing them together in a way that’s both oddly believable and yet so unique at the same time. Emma and her best friend Maddy find an AITA Reddit thread that notes how every time Justin dates a woman and they break up, the next person she dates ends up being his soulmate. The people in question this time also happen to be his ex and his best friend. Similarly, Emma’s dating life follows the same pattern, allowing them to propose dating each other to cancel out the “curse” when they break up. It all happens to work out because Emma is a travel nurse, allowing her to choose Minnesota (where Justin resides) as their next destination.
Because Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez deals with some of the worst characters in previous stories, it becomes one of the most challenging books to consume. (It’s still wildly bingable, though, which is a testament to Jimenez as an author because I could not put it down despite how uncomfortable I was at some points.) It carves itself into a rare space where characters choose empathy over anger, even while the latter is easier to bask in than the former. With Emma’s viewpoint on life, Justin’s perspective on his situation (becoming a temporary caretaker for his younger siblings) shifts, and later, he naturally ends up being her safe space to dock.
The sweet cameos (and twist) from Daniel, Alexis, Jacob, and Briana liven up the book wonderfully, reminding us of the detail the characters continue to be in better places than where we first meet them. It serves as an excellent showcase of the fact that you can’t just get over trauma and PTSD, but you must go through it to fully process the lasting darkness it leaves. It’s not the easiest, and it does leave shadows in its wake, but Jimenez handles every beat of it exceptionally, with multiple tearjerker moments that feel therapeutic.
There’s immense warmth and loads of witty banter featuring some laugh-out-loud beats and, in true Jimenez fashion, a plethora of captivating tenderness—two words: forehead kisses. Justin and Emma’s story is stunning in every way, with a hilarious progression that effortlessly leads to something gentle, vulnerable, and passionate. It’s about two people who’ll show up for each other no matter what happens or where they are, and it’s about two people whose transparency is a glowing presence in a book full of difficult conversations. Jimenez ensures that their honesty with one another and the promise to remain truthful stand as a gorgeous exhibition of how love should be.
Like all her stories, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez is yet another brilliant novel that dives into complex matters with compassion and empathy. It’s rightfully going to be on every best-seller list with its intriguing plot, riveting dynamics, and satisfying ending, all threaded together with exquisite prose and characterizations.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez is now available wherever books are sold.