The two meet and comfort each other amidst their problems and they fall for each other as time goes on and as they get to know each other. On a more personal note, I think it’s books like these that remind me why I love the romance genre so much. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Most of what is going on his below the surface, and I liked it, because there is no "other woman" or "other man", which is often introduced to create false conflict.

Every time Justin dates someone they quickly break it off and immediately go on to find the love of their life. Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, USA Today and New York Times best-selling author, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life's Too Short.As a previous lover of Yours Truly, I felt like this one had the same recipe for success (minus the miscommunication which I see being a major perk for many). From the bestselling author of Yours Truly comes a story about a summer fling, a complicated family and unexpected feelings. Justin and Emma meet online after she and her best friend, Maddie, stumble upon Justin's recent "Am I the asshole? I think Abby may have outdone herself with this one - while I have loved everything she has written, her last three books have each blown me away and each one has gotten better than the last. Abby’s mental health representation is so wonderful and I’m happy to see that made another appearance here.

This year, she bumps into her childhood sweetheart Jason Humphrey, who explains his grandmother is desperate to pair him off, too. Good cast, decent chemistry, looks good, it’s very much a simple and relaxed romance without being to cliche. She’s so great at giving us complex heroines who we love to root for, and their delicious partners we can’t help but fall in love with.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.

Amidst family drama and sorting through childhood trauma, the narrative unfolds with a surprising twist, elevating the story beyond the typical romance novel. While JFTS is ultimately a contemporary romance, there are so many heavy issues at play here related to families and interpersonal relationships that make this a complex read. Fans of Abby will devour this one and readers who may be new to her writing will no doubt want to go back and connect all the dots from her previous work. Justin is what warm hugs are made of, he loved so incredibly hard and loud, I could have melted each time I hit his POV, seeing Emma through his eyes had me 😭😭😭!

I think I was weepy for the whole second half of the book for both pure love struck moments in the romance and moments my heart broke for both Emma and Justin for the cards they’ve been dealt.

Former childhood sweethearts pretend to be a couple during the summer to get their matchmaking grandmothers off their backs. One of friendship, forgiveness, healing, and the life changing realization that you ARE worthy of love! on another personal note this book talks a lot about attachment styles which are one of my greatest passions in life so heheh Abby I love you for that! While her three sons spend the summer holiday with their father, Kate has an opportunity to prove to herself that there is a new life, after her divorce.Overall, this book was relatable for me on many levels and one I would recommend for someone who loves a story of healing, true friendship, and the realities of love. I just have a feeling when this book comes out that people are going to HATE on Maddy, but she really was a good friend, despite how harsh she could have been. Justin made us all hold his proverbial beer when he stepped up as the newest book boyfriend in town. How romance isn’t just a big grand gesture but it’s more about the small part of life that are more rewarding. But seriously, Emma almost made me DNF because her toxic positivity was making my blood pressure skyrocket.