This slow-burn romance includes plenty of romantic musings and conversations around dating. Lots of lingering looks, embracing, nuzzling, cuddling and flirting. There's kissing and mentions of erections while making out. A few sex scenes occur, with brief descriptions of oral sex, nipple play and intercourse. Casual sex is implied. Consent is discussed and given, and condoms are used.
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Allusions to childhood trauma while in the foster care system. A young child is left home alone for days on end. One character throws a heavy object at a car in a fit of anger, but no one is injured. A character becomes seriously ill and needs emergency care.
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Characters use Reddit, Instagram, text, video chat and email to communicate. Various brands are mentioned, including Trader Joes, Doordash, 23 and Me, Cold Stone Creamery, Cheesecake Factory, etc.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Adults drink on occasion, but rarely to excess.
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Always choose empathy over anger. Self-care is important. Sometimes the best way to show kindness is to meet someone where they are. Home isn't a place, it's the people you love. Real love isn't fairytale romance and grand gestures; it happens in the small moments of everyday life. It can be easier to pretend to be tough than admit you're devastated. Try to reframe the hard things to find happiness.
Positive Role Models
a lot
The two love interests are both kind, well-meaning people who are trying to find lasting love while being responsible adults. One character becomes the guardian of his younger siblings and sacrifices his personal freedoms to make sure they are well cared for. He also is a thoughtful, affectionate and honest romantic partner. The other main character is overflowing with empathy, doesn't judge people for their actions and often sacrifices her own well-being for that of others. She struggles with childhood trauma over the course of the novel, eventually confronting her past and finding a path to healing. The parents aren't great role models, but both main characters have very supportive friends to lean on. Some side characters exhibit toxic behaviors.
Diverse Representations
some
Characters come from a variety of economic backgrounds. Most characters are described as White and straight. A few minor characters speak Spanish. Plenty of types of family units are mentioned, including single parents, grandparents raising kids, foster parents, and two moms. Characters struggle with various mental health concerns. Characters are thin and conventionally attractive. One character is a vegetarian. One "toxic" character is obsessed with astrology, crystals and has a spiritual advisor. A woman is described as aloof after sex "like a dude."
Readers learn a bit about living as a traveling nurse, some tourist attractions in Minnesota, and can discuss how childhood traumas can have lasting effects on mental health.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez is a contemporary adult romance that focuses on the realities of finding enduring love during personal challenging. Sexual content includes plenty of lingering looks, embracing, nuzzling, cuddling and flirting. There's kissing, and mentions of erections while making out. A few sex scenes are described, including oral sex, nipple play and intercourse. Consent is discussed and given, and condoms are used. Violence is limited to allusions to childhood trauma while in the foster care system, a character throwing a heavy object at a car, and a character needing emergency care for an illness. Language includes "f--k," "f----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "bulls--t," "damn," "bitch," "butt," and "God," used as an expression.
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What's the Story?
As JUST FOR THE SUMMER begins, 29-year-old Justin is cursed with always being the last person a woman dates before finding her soulmate. Emma, suffering from the same problem, contacts him via social media. They decide that the only way to break the curse is to date each other, just for the summer. But just as their plan is put into action, Justin becomes guardian of his three younger siblings and Emma's flighty mom shows up, wrecking havoc with her daughter's emotions. Suddenly, between managing parental relationships, teenage angst, and preschool schedules, their casual romance becomes much more serious. As genuine feelings spark between them, will Emma and Justin stick to their planned four dates and one kiss?
Move over grand gestures, this book shows how romance can be found in the little details of everyday life. Abby Jimenez' Just for the Summer tells a heartfelt and endearing story while steering clear of the larger-than-life clichés that fill many romance novels. Although this book is an adult romance, older teens will enjoy and perhaps even benefit from reading about two twenty-somethings as they struggle with dating in a less-than-perfect world.
Justin may seem almost too good to be true, but his humor, kindness and steadfast nature make him the perfect book boyfriend. Emma's story is rougher, but the empathy she pours into those around her is something to aspire to. Told in alternating character point-of-view chapters, it can be a bit confusing as you get a handle on whose perspective you're reading. And while the book is funny and modern, with characters you root for, it's a heavier read than the blurb on the back of the book suggests. Still, it's refreshing to read a story where the romantic gestures aren't over the top and to see a relationship centered on strong communication and empathy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the curse in Just for the Summer. What do you think of making a pact to date someone in order to break a curse?
The two characters meet via social media. What do you think of Emma's "cyberstalking" of Justin to learn more about him before meeting up in person. Is this ethical?
Characters struggle with emotional patterns developed during their childhoods. How do they show perseverance in identifying and managing these patterns?
Emma's very empathetic, sometimes to her own detriment. Is there such a thing as having too much empathy? How do you find the right balance?
Available on:
Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
August 16, 2024
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
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