Just for the Summer - Abby Jimenez

I know what you’re thinking.. another Abby Jimenez review? The answer is… of course, yes!!!

Just for the Summer is the third book in the Part of Your World series by Abby Jimenez. The series can be read individually or all together - it’s still an amazing read.

I loved this book almost as much as I loved Yours Truly. Our main characters, Emma and Justin, share an alternating POV throughout the book, where we get to understand what both are thinking and feeling.

In this book, Emma is an RN and Justin is a software engineer. As a nurse, I can say that the work-related writing for Emma is spot on. Down to her getting norovirus and almost dying (if you know then you know… and let’s hope you don’t).

For Justin, I’m not even sure what software engineering is… but apparently he makes good money from it, which is all the reader really needs to know.

This book has a heavy focus on Emma’s childhood trauma and growing up with a neglectful mother.

Part of the author’s writing is showing that the depth of her characters, and that’s why I love her writing. That being said, I wasn’t in love with the frequency that Emma’s traumatic childhood was brought up - like we get it, she had a rough upbringing. I felt like there could have been more subtlety with the cause and effect in the story line, rather than the reader being told exactly that this behavior is because of that trauma.

We also get to see Justin grow throughout the story as well and see how his “perfect” life isn’t really perfect at all. His story is messy and difficult and hard, but it makes the story so much better because it’s all so real.

A lot of the times when reading a book, it’s amazing, rainbows and butterflies and all the good stuff, but it doesn’t really feel like the real world. This book feels real. Down to complicated, crazy family on both sides and the strength of female friendship and the loyalty of blood, it’s all very real.

Just for the Summer is a little too heavy to be a beach read, but it’s still a great read that I would recommend. It’s not one where you need a lot of trigger warnings, just a general one for childhood neglect and for those sensitive to reading content about abusive mothers. Overall, I’m still fully on board the Abby Jimenez bandwagon.

Talk soon,

Mary