Just for the Summer
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club Pick! This witty, slow-burn rom-com is the perfect beach read.
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?
Named by Harper's Bazaar as one of the Top 10 Best Summer Romance Books of All Time!
- Pages
- 432
- First published
- April 2, 2024
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 19 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished April 7, 2024
Finished August 13, 2024
Finished July 19, 2026
I laughed. I giggled. I kicked my feet. I SWOONED. Then I cried, screamed, recovered briefly, and CRIED SOME MORE. Perfect experience. No notes. Justin was an absolute goodie. Sweet, funny, caring, and completely devoted to the people he loves. Watching him suddenly become responsible for his younger siblings added so much depth to his character—and made me love him even more. Those kids also owned my entire heart. I would defend that whole family with my life. Emma was far more complicated, and some of her choices were painful to watch. But honestly? Props to her for recognising that love could not magically fix everything and choosing to work on herself first. That growth mattered, and it made the eventual payoff feel so much more earned. I loved that every character felt like a complete person. Nobody existed purely to move the romance along; they all had their own fears, responsibilities, relationships, and emotional baggage. So much emotional baggage. An entire airport carousel of it. And then there was Amber... That woman was not merely a red flag. She was the entire emergency-alert system. Every time she appeared, I wanted to reach into the book and place Emma behind several locked doors. Her selfishness, manipulation, and complete inability to take responsibility explained so much about Emma—and made Emma’s decision to finally prioritise herself even more powerful. And that ending? What was that about??? I needed like 5 more chapters with the epiloque please, I was not done with Justin and Emma... Five stars. Justin is precious, Emma deserves her healing, and Abby Jimenez owes me compensation for the ending.
Finished June 25, 2024
The found family aspect in this story is so heart-warming and hits really close to home. Abby seriously knows how to write well-developed characters; their strengths, quirks, flaws, trauma, all of it. Once again, she has made me smile, laugh, cry. Every family has a story; welcome to ours. 💖
Started June 11, 2024 · Finished June 12, 2024
In the first few pages of this I thought to myself, “ok, here we go this is another variation of Good Luck Chuck, just a simple romcom, should be fun…” haha I was not expecting this book to be so… relatable, and it did start out very romcom style, with the MMC being so adorkably cute and the complete definition of “if he wanted to he would” - But as I read on and these characters developed, all the tiny cracks that build up over time with their traumas and complexities in life as it continues on, started to unfold. The realness in remembering that sometimes the people who hurt you most often times are the ones closest to you. This book isn't just a romcom/beach read, its about love yes, but its also about loss, and being brave and resilient in what seems like impossible situations. This is my first Abby Jimenez book, I will absolutely be reading more. 🌶️ 2/5 There was not a lot of spice in this, but the intensity and magnetic pull these 2 MCS have is definitely there. They really care for each other and don’t want to break that, but also know it’s destined to break, they just don’t want to admit it…
Started July 20, 2026 · Finished July 20, 2026
Finished December 1, 2024
Finished April 16, 2026
Started June 23, 2024 · Finished June 26, 2024
Finished April 24, 2024
Finished June 18, 2026
