Review by Scribe After Five
Jul 28My first Abby Jimenez book and I'm all in!!!
You ever finish a book and just sit there blinking at the wall like you’ve been emotionally tackled? Yeah. That was me. This story isn’t just a romance—it’s a healing process wrapped in sunshine, wit, and Justin Dahl’s absurdly green flag energy. Like, this man? Peak golden retriever energy with the emotional intelligence of a therapist and the patience of a saint. A boy next door so pure he makes real boys next door look like cautionary tales.
At its heart, Just for the Summer is about what we carry—our trauma, our defense mechanisms, our generational wounds—and the moment we realize that some of it isn’t even ours to begin with. It’s about how childhood trauma rewires our responses to love, to family, to fear. It’s about fight or flight and what happens when someone loves you enough to help you choose neither.
Abby Jimenez explores PTSD, familial pain, and self-worth in a way that feels lived-in and empathetic. There’s yearning—oh my GOD, the yearning. The kind that simmers beneath inside jokes and shared silences. The kind that feels too big for the space it’s given. And sometimes, love means letting go. Not because you don’t care, but because you do. Because healing is messy and nonlinear, and the people you love deserve the best version of you—even if you're still learning who that is.
Also? The dog. 10/10 emotional support canine. Would protect with my life.
And the friendships? They weren’t just filler. They were the backbone. The steady beat behind all the chaos. The “you’re not broken, you’re just human” moments that remind you of what real love—romantic and platonic—looks like.
I started this thinking I’d get a cute romcom. I got a deep dive into the anatomy of trauma, a soul-soothing love story, and a reminder that healing doesn’t mean fixing—it means reclaiming.
“You’re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”
—Justin Dahl, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Song choice: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls BECAUSE JUSTIN WOULD LITERALLY GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO TOUCH EMMA OR EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO SPEND 5 MINUTES WITH HER 🦄🌹💘
My first Abby Jimenez book and I'm all in!!!
You ever finish a book and just sit there blinking at the wall like you’ve been emotionally tackled? Yeah. That was me. This story isn’t just a romance—it’s a healing process wrapped in sunshine, wit, and Justin Dahl’s absurdly green flag energy. Like, this man? Peak golden retriever energy with the emotional intelligence of a therapist and the patience of a saint. A boy next door so pure he makes real boys next door look like cautionary tales.
At its heart, Just for the Summer is about what we carry—our trauma, our defense mechanisms, our generational wounds—and the moment we realize that some of it isn’t even ours to begin with. It’s about how childhood trauma rewires our responses to love, to family, to fear. It’s about fight or flight and what happens when someone loves you enough to help you choose neither.
Abby Jimenez explores PTSD, familial pain, and self-worth in a way that feels lived-in and empathetic. There’s yearning—oh my GOD, the yearning. The kind that simmers beneath inside jokes and shared silences. The kind that feels too big for the space it’s given. And sometimes, love means letting go. Not because you don’t care, but because you do. Because healing is messy and nonlinear, and the people you love deserve the best version of you—even if you're still learning who that is.
Also? The dog. 10/10 emotional support canine. Would protect with my life.
And the friendships? They weren’t just filler. They were the backbone. The steady beat behind all the chaos. The “you’re not broken, you’re just human” moments that remind you of what real love—romantic and platonic—looks like.
I started this thinking I’d get a cute romcom. I got a deep dive into the anatomy of trauma, a soul-soothing love story, and a reminder that healing doesn’t mean fixing—it means reclaiming.
“You’re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”
—Justin Dahl, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Song choice: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls BECAUSE JUSTIN WOULD LITERALLY GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO TOUCH EMMA OR EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO SPEND 5 MINUTES WITH HER 🦄🌹💘
