Episode 36: [BOOK CLUB] Just for the Summer, not the rom-com you'll expect

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Our Book Club selection for July was Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. It’s the latest contemporary romance by Stephanie’s favorite author that has received many accolades across bestseller lists and was a Good Morning America Book Club this summer. As Stephanie continues to work on her own contemporary romance series, which will be written using a pen name, Abby’s books and daily social media posts are a continuous source of inspiration, however, this book threw a curveball. A fair warning here, there may be some spoilers and unpopular opinions ahead, or simply opportunities for great conversations about what it looks like to discuss a book from a reader’s perspective and a writer’s perspective. The viewpoints do not always align. Just for the Summer is an example of success for an author who knows her readers and has established a solid backlist, even when it’s not quite the rom-com you expect. We can agree to disagree. If you go on Goodreads, there are plenty of 1-star reviews right alongside the 5-star reviews of Just for the Summer. Every reader is different. It’s a helpful reminder to anyone pursuing a writing career that even the authors whose books are appearing on best seller lists get the 1-star reviews. You definitely want to be careful about judging this book by its cover. The image doesn’t reflect the level of mental health darkness that develops for Emma. It’s a common discussion thread amongst Abby’s readers that they’re left navigating so many emotions when reading her books, but the love story doesn’t feel memorable in this one. We weren’t left feeling like we were forever hopeful for the main characters. It was surprising because the genius hook at the beginning of the book of a Reddit thread that brings Emma and Justin (the romantic heroine and hero of the book) together creates the expected rom-com vibe. While Abby does research her books with great care and sensitivity, it went too far into the family drama for Emma and wove in character connections from her other books that didn’t make sense to us. There was a difference between listening to the book and reading it. Stephanie shares how she felt like she wasn’t paying as close attention when listening to it. The narrators are so good and the experience felt similar to putting a Netflix series on in the background while you’re doing other things, so you’re not paying as close attention. A closer read, with the book in hand, brought to light the depth of Emma’s mental health challenges that presented a dark, troubling story line that overshadowed the sweetness of the love affair. We invite you to listen to the podcast to hear the details of our discussion. Our next Book Club selection is Go As A River by Shelley Read. We attended workshops by Shelley at the Mountain Words Festival in May 2024, and were inspired by her story and experience of her first novel becoming an International Bestseller. We look forward to sharing insights from her workshops and the book. We’d love to have you join the conversation with us, so if you’re interested in being a part of our Book Club podcast recording please fill out the interest form here.

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