When Summer Ends eARC Review

When Summer Ends by Jessica Penningtion

Release Date: April 9, 2019

*I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review*

Synopsis: “Aiden Emerson is an all-star pitcher and the all-around golden boy of Riverton. Or at least he was, before he quit the team the last day of junior year without any explanation. How could he tell people he’s losing his vision at seventeen?

Straight-laced Olivia thought she had life all figured out. But when her dream internship falls apart, her estranged mother comes back into her life, and her long-time boyfriend ghosts her right before summer break, she’s starting to think fate has a weird sense of humor.

Each struggling to find a new direction, Aiden and Olivia decide to live summer by chance.

Every fleeting adventure and stolen kiss is as fragile as a coin flip in this heartfelt journey to love and self-discovery from the author of Love Songs & Other Lies.”

Review:

4.75 Stars

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My review of When Summer Ends by @jessicapennington is now up! I rated it 4.75 Stars, and I even included a playlist (link in bio)! • • • #bookstagram #yabookstagram #bookblog #bookreview #yabookreview #whensummerends #advancereaderscopy #yacontemporary #lovesongsandotherlies #onlyabreathapart #mylifenextdoor #sayyoullrememberme #savethedate #yabook #yabooks #booksandfairylights #booksandcandles #bookishcandles #yalovestory #yabookworm #bookphoto #booksandbooks #booklove #yabooklover #yabookstagrammer #yabookblogger #newpost #linkinbo #bookphoto #book photographer

A post shared by Lauren Bodiford (@lauren.bodiford) on Mar 6, 2019 at 1:34pm PST

I’m so ready for summer and all of the endless possibilities. This book gave me all of the warm fuzzies and almost made me wish that I was back in high school. When Summer Ends is a light-hearted book about learning how to take chances in life and to embrace the little things that life can throw at you.

I can relate to both Olivia and Aiden which is always a plus when reading a contemporary book. Oliva is one of those people who likes to have every detail planned out and hates when things cause her plan to get off track. She basically has her life mapped out after high school and is very determined to make it happen. Aiden, on the other hand, has these expectations to live up too because of his baseball abilities. Let it be known that I do not play sports, but I understand the pressure of being the best and always worrying about messing up.

When I got a little way into the story, I had to put my phone down because so many of the little details reflect my life. I understand the struggles of living in a small town and making sure everything is perfect because gossip can spread like wildfire. Then when I learned that Aiden and his baseball team were playing for their third baseball championship, I literally said “No flipping way” because when I was a senior in high school last year, my school’s team was in this same position, and I’m telling you, I felt the pressure for the team, so I could only imagine how they felt. Then I got to the part where the monkey wrench was thrown into Oliva’s summer plans and had to find the alternative job and let me tell you, my heart went out for her. I live about 20 minutes from this huge lake, and I’ve never been canoeing in it, nor have I been camping or hiking, but I have gone fishing (so I have that much going for me!).

I think I like this book so much because it wasn’t a sad love story where the girl breaks up with her boyfriend and spends 200 pages wallowing in a self-made pity party or living life in this fog. Also, it’s not a story when the person is suddenly lost and has to go on this great trip to discover himself, but it’s a story about learning to take what life gives you and make the best out of it. After Oliva’s break-up with her boyfriend in the beginning and Aiden giving up baseball for reasons, you’ll have to find out about, they both take some time to deal with it, and then they learned how to use that difficult situation to grow into better people.

Honestly, if I was Oliva and my boyfriend called it off, and my summer job was ripped away from me, and then I found out I would have to start senior year in a different state, I don’t think I would have handled it nearly as well as she did. I have to applaud her for keep moving forward and finding a job outdoors during the hot summer because tbh I would die.

Throughout this story, relationships are built and even worked on (which is always a good thing!). Olivia learns that life is more than plans and having every little detail go as plan, and Aiden learns who he is without baseball.

I highly recommend that you go out and preorder this book because it is not only a fun read, but it’ll teach you to appreciate the little things and not to worry as much when things don’t go as plan. This is the perfect book to read when you just need some time to relax because even though there are some serious things like having an absent parent and certain health issues, it really has an upbeat tone.

Playlist:

• Change My Mind by One Direction
• If It Means a Lot to You by A Day to Remember
• Honey Bee by Blake Shelton
• Same Mistakes by One Direction
• Kiss Me Kiss Me by 5 Seconds of Summer
• More by Hunter Hayes
• Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes
• Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers
• I Mean You by Hunter Hayes
• Worry by The Vamps
• Everything about You by One Direction
• When Did You Stop Loving Me by Hunter Hayes
• Same to You by The Vamps
• Amen by Hunter Hayes
• The Middle by Zedd and Maren Morris

*note that these songs are in no particular order*

And I’m just going to leave this here if you need another reason:

He walks past me and bends down to get the next section of the tent. I reach out to smack his back as he walks by, but he moves and I hit his butt.

When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

Trust me there are more LOL moments like this, but I thought y’all would get a kick out this.

Happy reading until next time,