Abby Jimenez

A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make readers laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly. 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?

Just for the Summer

Baylea Fancher

Unhealed trauma is a crack. And all the little hard things that trickle into it that would have rolled off someone else, settle. Then when life gets cold, that crack gets bigger, longer, deeper. It makes new cracks. You don’t know how broken she was or what she was trying to do to fill those cracks. 

Being broken is not an excuse for bad behavior, you still have to make good choices and do the right thing. But it CAN be the reason. And sometimes understanding the reason can be what helps YOU heal. 

Leah Diaz 

You are not what happened to you. You are what you do next.

He didn't answer for a long moment. When he did, he did it with his eyes closed. "All I ever think about is you."

Something happened in my chest. A flutter. Or a crack. I had to clutch it with a hand like a part of me was going to spill out.

My heart was still pounding. It was so rare for a man to make my heart pound. I knew my heart should pound when I was with a guy I liked. Only mine never had. Everything was always flat for me.

Did she have issues? Yes. Did I believe that there were some people not meant for parenthood—also yes.

Annika McClintock

"Unhealed trauma is a crack. And all the little hard things that trickle into it that would have rolled off Someone else, settle. Then when life gets cold, that crack gets bigger, longer, deeper.”

Edna Aviles

"He's clear." She set her phone down and picked up her wrap. "I don't see any red flags here, other than he's got a J name. J-named men are the worst. 

I love that she adds this to the beginning of all her book. 

Dear Reader, While my books are all rom-coms, some themes in this story may be triggering for some readers. If you feel trigger warnings are spoilers and you don't need them, please skip the next paragraph and jump right into the book. This book has scenes containing panic attacks, anxiety, PTSD, depression, depictions of undiagnosed mental health issues, a toxic mother, and past child neglect. Please visit my web- site or Goodreads page for a full list of content guidance.

“Why not forgive? In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy”.

prawnie

If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said it was her. Instead she’d end up being the one who got away. Not a soulmate, just the love of my life. And unfortunately they’re not the same thing.

He put a hand to my cheek. “Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I’m with you is eternal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

Justin was on the island. Not the real one. The one in my soul.

The soulmate I’d get once Emma and I broke up. So that was Maddy’s prediction: There was no hope. But my foolish heart would hope anyway. It didn’t know how not to.

“The chaos you grew up in! This whole life you’ve made—the travel nursing and the constant moving—you’re reliving your childhood,” she said. “Doing it in a safe way you can control. You slap the word ‘adventure’ on it like lipstick on a pig, but it is what it is, just another way to keep you from ever belonging to anywhere or anyone.”

Emma had an aloofness to her. Like she was just along for the ride and the ride didn’t mean much. At least not as much as it meant to me.

“When men stop assaulting women they meet on the internet, we’ll stop creeping on them to make sure they pass the vibe check.”

A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make readers laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly. 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?

This is the thing nobody tells you about The One. How they're timeless. How the moment they pop up again youre right back in it, right where you left off. I was darted through the heart, hit by the truck, my brain taking the screenshot.

"You are not what happened to you. You are what you do next.”

You’re not asking too much," he said. "You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead"

But for Emma, I would make time. It wasn’t even a question. I would fit her into the complicated web that was my life. Because when you’re in love, you do hard things. And nothing about anything was easy right now.

The air stilled in my lungs. Words taken right out of my own mind and said back to me out loud. If this isn’t magic then what is?

He put a hand to my cheek. "Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I'm with you is eternal. I've never felt anything like it." 

You can just step over me. I'm on the ground, bowing down to the perfection that is Justin. Just step over.

I loved this couple, and I also loved the side characters. I wanted what was best for them, and I wanted them to thrive.

I was emotional and found myself tearing up, and I also was probably smiling externally; which is actually embarrassing, but I'm moving past that.

What a create conclusion, and I will think about this read for a while.

Sarah Campbell

You can just step over me. I'm on the ground, bowing down to the perfection that is Justin. Just step over.
I loved this couple, and I also loved the side characters. I wanted what was best for them, and I wanted them to thrive.
I was emotional and found myself tearing up, and I also was probably smiling externally; which is actually embarrassing, but I'm moving past that.
What a create conclusion, and I will think about this read for a while.

For the first impression, I thought it would be a rom-com book, with a light storyline and filled with laughter, but I was wrong. After I read this book, I learned how complex humans are. We all have our own flaws, our own problems; we acknowledge them, or maybe we don't even know what's wrong with us. We might have trauma that was caused by what we've been through since our childhood, and in this book, all that complexity is explained in such a beautiful, poetic way. The meeting of Emma and Justin is not just because of love, but it's more like a fate that they met to heal each other's trauma. I know a partner shouldn't be the healer of the trauma of their partner, but it makes me think that if you have met the right person, you'll get to fill the crack that you've felt; it's more like the right people make you know about yourself, like a self-actualization. Every relationship is not flawless, but what makes it perfect is the way it always feels like home, even though it is so messy, but you'll always know that they always welcome you warmly, even though you've been travelling so far away. If you want to read a romance book with lots of meaningful quotes about life, and it's not just about love in a romantic way but also could change your perspective about life, you should read this book at least once in your life.

love, kinanti

I actually really enjoyed this book!! I really resonated and related with Emma, and found myself even shedding a few tears on the airplane as I read along. The dialogue and banter were amazing???? This was my first introduction to Abby Jimenez and I will in fact be reading more from her!!! 

gabes

Tiana holt

I really enjoyed this one. I liked how it connected all the way back to A Part of Your World.

Michelle Hruby

Good premise but felt like it was trying too hard. While I fully understand that this was meant to be about mental health and ptsd I feel the main character and the main dialogues were unrealistic and were a clear tool for discussing the issues at hand. This took away from the story and added to this feeling like a book trying to do too much at once. Skimmed the last 50% of the book. Surprised by the twist at the end but only because so much else had been crammed into the book I'd forgotten all about the dna test

Soph

Alyssa Weaver

Abby can’t do nothing wrong in my eyes! The way she brings people together is top tier!!!!!!!

Leidy Ramirez

propaganda i will for fall? justin fucking dahl. the only valid J.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I picked it up! While it absolutely works as a standalone, there are some Easter eggs and character cameos that from the first two books that I didn’t pick up on until reading the Q&A with Abby at the end. 

I really enjoyed this story. It does touch on some heavier topics, but it’s written in a way that still feels light and easy to read. The balance of humor and heart was spot-on, and I found myself flying through it. The characters were lovable, the chemistry was great, and the banter made me smile.

It was exactly what I needed to help push me further out of my reading slump! 

I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I picked it up! While it absolutely works as a standalone, there are some Easter eggs and character cameos that from the first two books that I didn’t pick up on until reading the Q&A with Abby at the end. 

I really enjoyed this story. It does touch on some heavier topics, but it’s written in a way that still feels light and easy to read. The balance of humor and heart was spot-on, and I found myself flying through it. The characters were lovable, the chemistry was great, and the banter made me smile.

It was exactly what I needed to help push me further out of my reading slump! 

One thing love about Abby Jimenez books is how they always explore real human issues and how they affect each main character from coming together and being solved realistically in the end. She doesn’t just make silly rom coms, she really captures the essence of what issues the characters are said to be going through.

The sprinkle of Part of Your World characters and connections was also cute, but not necessary to read those books for the plot.

lily

One thing love about Abby Jimenez books is how they always explore real human issues and how they affect each main character from coming together and being solved realistically in the end. She doesn’t just make silly rom coms, she really captures the essence of what issues the characters are said to be going through.

The sprinkle of Part of Your World characters and connections was also cute, but not necessary to read those books for the plot.

“Am I the Asshole?” Reddit Post turned into a love story with Minnesota Lake Summer vibes. This book did an amazing job on touching on overcoming childhood trauma while also being funny and an overall great read. The plot twist was completely unexpected !! I can’t wait to read more from this author!! 

This was a confounding read. It was full of heart and you went on a journey of healing yet I felt as though we were being told what to feel instead of being able to feel it with the characters. The writing was a little robotic but it had be giggling and rooting for everyone’s happiness 

Monserrat Navarro 

I will be sending my therapy bill to you Abby - your books destroy me EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face as Abby's writing - it is always so beautiful and so heartbreaking in the best way. This book has A LOT of trauma/PTSD especially childhood trauma - please read the warnings and read with caution.

This Part of Your World Series was so good and Abbys character development is 

 she is amazing at making you fall in love with her characters while they fall apart and put themselves back together on the page.

Brittany Peterson

I will be sending my therapy bill to you Abby - your books destroy me EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face as Abby's writing - it is always so beautiful and so heartbreaking in the best way. This book has A LOT of trauma/PTSD especially childhood trauma - please read the warnings and read with caution.

This Part of Your World Series was so good and Abbys character development is chefs kiss she is amazing at making you fall in love with her characters while they fall apart and put themselves back together on the page.

I loved this. It is really heavy and has a lot of CPTSD and childhood trauma, but the story was beautiful. Loved the characters. 

Anna Lane

I don’t think I could have asked for anything more in this book. It was sweet, it was funny, and it navigated delicate topics with such care. 

I was so emotionally invested in Emma and Justin’s journey. It’s a beautiful thing when people can work through their trauma and allow love to grow in its place.

Also the Reddit thread as a plot device was GENIUS, and I loved it. 

Alissa 

I don’t think I could have asked for anything more in this book. It was sweet, it was funny, and it navigated delicate topics with such care. 

I was so emotionally invested in Emma and Justin’s journey. It’s a beautiful thing when people can work through their trauma and allow love to grow in its place.

Also the Reddit thread as a plot device was GENIUS, and I loved it. 

✨“Well, then I went to Target for nail polish remover—” “And you went to Starbucks.” “Yes, I went to Starbucks. I had to, it was right there.”

✨The moment Emma came into view, my entire world slipped into slow motion. My brain took a screenshot. I felt the moment freeze and save. She was beautiful.

✨“Why not forgive? In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy, Justin. I

✨“You know how when something bad happens to someone you love, and you wish you could take it from them instead?” “Yeah.” “What if the universe listened? What if you or your mom or the kids were supposed to die in a car crash and your dad said ‘Take me instead’—and the universe did. And nobody remembers the way it was supposed to be because that’s the deal. You never get to know that he’s a hero. The fates are reversed and the tribute takes the thing he asked for to save someone he loves. If you think of it that way, instead of being sad that he’s gone, be happy that he got what he wanted. And that somebody loved you enough to take your place.” I think sometimes the key to happiness is framing those things in a different way.”

✨“Wow. We’re checking each other for lice. I guess you could say things are gettin’ pretty serious.”

✨Not everything that comes out of crisis is bad. Sometimes your traumas are the reason you know how to help.

✨Justin was on the island. Not the real one. The one in my soul.

✨He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. And for the first time maybe ever, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

✨“Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I’m with you is eternal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

✨“You deserve to be appreciated, Emma.” “I think I’m just used to feeling like I’m asking too much when I need something. Unless it’s Maddy. My mom—” “You’re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”

✨I chose to believe that she didn’t want to be the villain in my life—even if she was. I didn’t lose my beautiful empathy, as Maddy called it once. I still believed what I always had, that people are complex and nothing is black and white. I believed that now more than ever.

✨And there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel her absence like a void in my soul. I missed her like I missed the sun in the winter. I’d realized something after being with her. A valuable lesson that I think all the best and most enduring romances have figured out. The love stories sold us the wrong thing.

The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life. It’s not grand gestures that show how you feel, it’s all the little secret things you do to make her life better that you never tell her about.

Taking the end piece of the bread at breakfast so she can have the last middle piece for her sandwich when you pack her lunch. Making sure her car always has gas so she never has to stop at the pump. Telling her you’re not cold and to take your jacket when you are in fact, very, very cold. It’s watching TV on a rainy Sunday while you’re doing laundry and turning her light off when she’s fallen asleep reading. Sharing pizza crusts and laughing about something the kids did and taking care of each other when you’re sick.

It isn’t glamorous, it isn’t all butterflies and stars in your eyes. It’s real. This is the kind of love that forever is made of. Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.

✨“I know it probably doesn’t matter, but I could meet you where you are now. I can meet all of you. I’ve filled my cracks. I don’t want to be an island. I want a village. I want lots of friends and lots of love in my life.

✨“Don’t walk out on me again.” It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. It was such a change from the moment before. “Please,” he begged. “I would stay forever if you asked me,” I whispered. “Then stay.”

✨“You know,” he said, “if the curse is true, the next person you date is going to be your soulmate.” I smiled. “The next person you date’s going to be yours too.” He cupped my face in his palms. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime,” he whispered. “Four dates. A kiss. No breakup.” I laughed, the tears starting to well again. “Not just for the summer?” “No. Forever this time.”

Mariaaa

✨“Well, then I went to Target for nail polish remover—” “And you went to Starbucks.” “Yes, I went to Starbucks. I had to, it was right there.”

✨The moment Emma came into view, my entire world slipped into slow motion. My brain took a screenshot. I felt the moment freeze and save. She was beautiful.

✨“Why not forgive? In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy, Justin. I

✨“You know how when something bad happens to someone you love, and you wish you could take it from them instead?” “Yeah.” “What if the universe listened? What if you or your mom or the kids were supposed to die in a car crash and your dad said ‘Take me instead’—and the universe did. And nobody remembers the way it was supposed to be because that’s the deal. You never get to know that he’s a hero. The fates are reversed and the tribute takes the thing he asked for to save someone he loves. If you think of it that way, instead of being sad that he’s gone, be happy that he got what he wanted. And that somebody loved you enough to take your place.” I think sometimes the key to happiness is framing those things in a different way.”

✨“Wow. We’re checking each other for lice. I guess you could say things are gettin’ pretty serious.”

✨Not everything that comes out of crisis is bad. Sometimes your traumas are the reason you know how to help.

✨Justin was on the island. Not the real one. The one in my soul.

✨He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. And for the first time maybe ever, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

✨“Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I’m with you is eternal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

✨“You deserve to be appreciated, Emma.” “I think I’m just used to feeling like I’m asking too much when I need something. Unless it’s Maddy. My mom—” “You’re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”

✨I chose to believe that she didn’t want to be the villain in my life—even if she was. I didn’t lose my beautiful empathy, as Maddy called it once. I still believed what I always had, that people are complex and nothing is black and white. I believed that now more than ever.

✨And there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel her absence like a void in my soul. I missed her like I missed the sun in the winter. I’d realized something after being with her. A valuable lesson that I think all the best and most enduring romances have figured out. The love stories sold us the wrong thing.

The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life. It’s not grand gestures that show how you feel, it’s all the little secret things you do to make her life better that you never tell her about.

Taking the end piece of the bread at breakfast so she can have the last middle piece for her sandwich when you pack her lunch. Making sure her car always has gas so she never has to stop at the pump. Telling her you’re not cold and to take your jacket when you are in fact, very, very cold. It’s watching TV on a rainy Sunday while you’re doing laundry and turning her light off when she’s fallen asleep reading. Sharing pizza crusts and laughing about something the kids did and taking care of each other when you’re sick.

It isn’t glamorous, it isn’t all butterflies and stars in your eyes. It’s real. This is the kind of love that forever is made of. Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.

✨“I know it probably doesn’t matter, but I could meet you where you are now. I can meet all of you. I’ve filled my cracks. I don’t want to be an island. I want a village. I want lots of friends and lots of love in my life.

✨“Don’t walk out on me again.” It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. It was such a change from the moment before. “Please,” he begged. “I would stay forever if you asked me,” I whispered. “Then stay.”

✨“You know,” he said, “if the curse is true, the next person you date is going to be your soulmate.” I smiled. “The next person you date’s going to be yours too.” He cupped my face in his palms. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime,” he whispered. “Four dates. A kiss. No breakup.” I laughed, the tears starting to well again. “Not just for the summer?” “No. Forever this time.”

absolutely loved this book. Justin is the bestttttt

Chloe Yeargan

3.75 ⭐️ I relate so much to Emma. My upbringing wasn’t at the level hers was but my first instinct when dealing with hurt is the shrink, close off & run away. The way this was described in the book was so spot on to the point of wondering if Abby is okay & working on her own healing journey through this! I loved the depth of the characters on both sides but some of it felt a bit forced. Well actually only one part felt forced which was her birthday. Like MADDY! GIRL! How are you going to prep Justin & say you want her to have a good birthday then walk in with a gift card & be like hey remember all your teams? Yeah let’s dive into that right now lol Other than that though it was brought full circle which I was concerned about for a second 💁🏻‍♀️

Mariah crawford

I don’t know how Abby Jimenez does it but every book I read of hers becomes my new favorite.

Brittany

Carmen Malca

In the beginning, I will say I was completely hooked. I got super into it and bought it almost immediately. What started to fall off for me was there was a specific part where I thought that Emma was so far fetched I almost had to put it down. Towards the end, I understood the hype that came with this book, but could not see myself recommending it to anyone. 

Kaitlyn R

Love Abby’s writing and sense of humor. There was a good bit of anticipation building in the relationship between Emma and Justin. I liked  all three books in this series just the same. Happy reading friends!!  

Just for the Summer

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