Book review: Just for the summer by Abby Jimenez
It's been a while since I last posted something here—haha! I've just been really busy lately with different things, mostly life in general and, of course, work. But today, I finally have the time to share something because work has been suspended for three days straight due to the typhoon.
If you're in the Philippines and happen to be in one of the affected areas, please stay safe and take care!
As for today's post, I wanted to talk about a book I finished reading last Saturday—yes, I'm finally done with Abby's second series! The book is called Just for the Summer, which is actually the third book in her second series. Even though it's part of a series, you can read it on its own as a standalone. But if you're planning to read the whole series, I suggest starting with Part of Your World first, so you don’t accidentally spoil anything for yourself lol!
I think I read this book more slowly than usual because I struggled to connect with the two main characters at first. I often found myself putting the book down and taking breaks from it, which is why it took me a while to finish, just like when I read Part of Your World.
But what I really loved about this book were the quotes. They were so meaningful and true, and many of them really reflect real-life situations. Still, I was looking for that feeling of connection with the characters, something I didn't immediately find in the main characters.
However, as I got closer to the end of the book, I found myself in tears. That’s when I started to truly relate, especially to Emma and her relationship with her mother. It hit close to home. And then there's Justin his emotional burden really touched me too. His mom ended up in prison, and he had to take full custody of his three younger siblings. Just imagine the weight of that responsibility.
Both of them had so many personal struggles, issues that felt so familiar to me, as if they reflected the things I’ve been going through in my own life.
I was literally crying with my husband while reading the part where Emma finally discovers the truth about her mother. The emotional weight of that moment was just too much. Imagine living your whole life believing one version of your story, only to find out that the person you trusted most, your own mother was lying to you all along. That betrayal hit me hard.
It made me seriously question: are there really parents out there who would lie and manipulate their own child just for their own benefit? I couldn’t help but ask myself, if you're not willing to be honest with your children, why even become a parent in the first place? Telling the truth shouldn't be something that takes away from your life. Honesty is the bare minimum a child deserves.
What made it worse was that Emma genuinely loved her mother. She adored her. And that made the lies even more damaging. She was so deeply hurt that she ended up developing PTSD, not from a breakup or trauma with a stranger, but because of the things her own mother kept from her. All the important truths that were stolen from her. That kind of pain? That doesn’t go away easily.
There were moments when I was so mad, I wanted to jump into the book and confront her mom myself. The anger and frustration were real. That’s how strongly the story pulled me in.
And through all of this emotional chaos, Justin stood by her side. Even though he had a heavy burden of his own. I mean his mom went to prison, and suddenly he had full custody of his three younger siblings. Just imagine the responsibility, the pressure, and the emotional exhaustion. He had every reason to walk away and just focus on his own life, but he chose to be there for Emma anyway. That kind of quiet strength? I admired it so much.
That’s what made this book so powerful. It wasn’t just a love story, it was a reflection of real life. Of trauma, healing, responsibility, and how hard it is to navigate broken relationships especially the ones we’re born into. The story showed that pain doesn’t always come from enemies, it often comes from people we love the most.
I gave this book a full 5 stars. It completely deserves it. Even though it started out slow for me and honestly, I was a little confused at first about their plan to date and then break up just to find their supposed “soulmates” it all made sense in the end. That plot twist, where they realized they were each other’s soulmate all along? Ugh, I loved that.
Also, can we talk about Justin's sense of humor?! I swear, some of his lines had me laughing out loud. He added such a refreshing balance to all the emotional heaviness. And the way Emma describes how Justin works, so focused, so driven, I swear I was giggling and blushing like a teenager. It made me feel all the butterflies. 😂
Anyway, I’ll stop here before I end up writing another long book review like I did last time. Just look at my face in the picture—that should tell you everything you need to know about how this book absolutely shattered my heart into pieces.
