Quick Synopsis

Two people cursed to have their exes find “the one” immediately after dating them decide to date & break up to break the curse.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. 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 for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Book Review

I think many people would agree with me that Just for the Summer has been one of the biggest books of the summer. With over 375,000 reviews, the novel still has over a 4 star rating on Goodreads. And I am here to share my unpopular opinion that Abby Jimenez’s latest was a let down that barely qualifies as a romance novel.

This past weekend, I was excited to pick up Just for the Summer after seeing hundreds of positive reviews. I was in the mood for a light, fluffy romance that would provide “all the feels” as well as an escape. What I read was definitely not that.

Just for the Summer is billed as a romance novel between two “cursed” individuals. Everyone Emma and Justin date find their soulmate immediately after breaking up. So they hatch a plan to date each other and break up to end the curse and each find a soulmate. Or at least that is what the synopsis details.

In reality, that portion of Just for the Summer is quickly set-up after a few kinks in the plan are worked out. And then amid their occasional dates, there is a trauma shitstorm. A majority of the novel is spent on Emma’s unresolved trauma with her mother and Justin’s anger at his own mother. I am not here to judge the characters and their feelings, but why has Emma not addressed her trauma before? Girl, get it together and go to therapy. You cannot be in a successful, intimate relationship until you deal with your own self. And I do not want to read about a character who feels sorry for herself without taking any steps to change it. I do not tolerate that from my friends, and I sure as hell do not want to listen to a fictional character complain about her life while doing nothing.

The romance portion of Just for the Summer felt like a minor side character who fulfills all the current culturally-relevant cliches. Emma learns about Justin from a viral “Am I the Asshole” subreddit post. After learning everything available on the internet about him, Emma sends him a direct message. She decides even though he is a guy with a J-name, which tend to be the worst, he has to be a good guy since he as the bare minimum: a headboard and furniture. Sigh. (If I wanted all of these pop culture beliefs and stereotypes, I would be on TikTok.) Lo and behold, he is more than decent and falls instantly in love with her. There is very little romantic storyline, let alone feelings. Justin works to take her on fantastic dates where she expresses virtually no feelings and does not appreciate the effort. The third act break up feels completely unnecessary, especially since the two are not even a couple. Justin and Emma are together for about 10 entire pages at the end of the book. To be honest, I can only surmise that people gave this novel a high rating because they personally lusted after this “perfect book boyfriend” and his pre- and post-date surveys.

I have read a romance novel by Abby Jimenez before and enjoyed it. I, like so many romance readers, want to feel those happy butterflies and adoring feelings when I pick up such a novel. However, there were very few positive feelings on the pages of this story, definitely not enough to transcend the page. This, along with Emma’s actions, create a text that felt very juvenile.

In addition, the characters in Just for the Summer are one-dimensional and are essentially only the things happening to them. This is especially true for the two protagonists. The most developed characters are Emma’s best friend Maddy and their landlord/boss. These characters have actual personalities, although we are not given much beyond a little backstory.

Overall, Just for the Summer is a disappointment novel that reads as contemporary fiction with a small dose of romance. If you like to judge books based on vibes, this one is all about mothers behaving poorly and creating trauma. I would only recommend this book for people who like insta-love stories or are not looking for a complex romance novel.

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