As the weather gets warmer, summer is quickly approaching. As my last book review, I’ve chosen four books that will get you in the summer mood.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Piper Bellinger has a reputation as a wild child and that means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. During an out-of-control rooftop party, Piper ends up in jail and her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, then sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar in Washington. Piper then meets sea captain Brendan. She’s determined to show her stepfather and Brendan that she’s more than a pretty face. Piper and Brendan are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction between them.
I really enjoyed this book, mainly for the humor. There were a lot of parts where I was grinning and laughing to myself. I also enjoyed how the romance progressed from strangers to friends to something more. The book had a very natural and realistic pacing. Piper has some good character development throughout the story which I really liked.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly measures her life in summers. She says that everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer, they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, everything changes, and Belly has to navigate through obstacles and has a chance to end up with one of her dream boys.
I had a fun time reading this book and it made me get in the mood for summertime. There were a few times where Belly could be annoying and didn’t make good choices, but she was also relatable. The love triangle going on in the book was interesting and had me on the edge of my seat in regards to who she would pick in the end.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Justin is living with a curse: every woman he dates goes on to find their soulmate the second they break up. When someone 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 out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. 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. It’s supposed to be a fling, just for the summer. They get to rent a cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. But when Emma’s mother suddenly shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than the feelings they have for each other.
Abby Jimenez is one of my favorite romance authors, so I was excited for this release. I really enjoyed this book and the characters were fun to read about. Emma was a strong character and I found her to be relatable and realistic. The bond between Emma and Justin was refreshing to see and it was like they were made for each other. Overall, this book was one of my favorites this year and it was very enjoyable.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Fern Brookbanks has wasted too much of her life thinking about Will Baxter. She gets a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable and they made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t. At thirty-two, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort. Suddenly, Will arrives nine years too late with a suitcase and an offer to help. But how could she possibly trust him, who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago.
I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I found Fern to be kind of annoying the whole time. She was mad over an interaction that happened ten years prior. Will, on the other hand, wasn’t as bad. I felt for him as he was struggling in his life and was dealing with anxiety. Toward the end, there was unnecessary drama going on that I felt could have been left out.
