Oh my goodness — it is officially August, and it is officially baby month around here.
We are in a “could be any day now” situation, which is equal parts exciting and slightly chaotic. I really thought I’d be more ahead with this podcast at this point. I had a grand plan to pre-record the rest of August and September before delivering… and here I am recording this essentially at the last minute.
It’s wild to think that back-to-school season is already just around the corner, and summer is about to start winding down. Which felt like the perfect time to talk about summer romance novels.
Three Popular Summer Romances (Honest Reviews)
I love reading romance novels in the summer — especially rom-coms. They’re fun, light, perfect for warm evenings, and they tend to dominate the charts this time of year.
These are three of the most talked-about summer romances this year — and the ones I recently read.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t love all of them.
The Books:
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Let’s get into it.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
I’m having a really hard time justifying Emily Henry these days.
If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you know I used to be a big fan. I genuinely loved her first two books. I bought every new release immediately, full price, without hesitation.
But almost every book she’s published since then has left me disappointed — and Funny Story is no exception.
I didn’t like the characters.
I didn’t care about the storyline.
I didn’t find it particularly funny, romantic, clever, or punchy.
At this point, the pattern feels tired. You can see the formula coming from a mile away: two unlikely people, some family drama, a bit of emotional unpacking — and then love. It just isn’t doing it for me anymore.
Now, I know I’m an outlier here. At the time of recording, Funny Story had 4.29 stars with nearly 500,000 ratings. That’s huge. But because I was such a dedicated fan, I feel comfortable saying this:
Her books have been getting worse — not better.
There was one release a couple of years ago where I thought maybe she was turning a corner… but after this one? I don’t think so. Honestly, I think next summer I’ll be skipping her release altogether.
I’m officially over Emily Henry. Thank you for your service.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Before I even get into this book, I have to confess something: I only recently learned that Christina Lauren is actually two authors — Christina and Lauren — writing together under one name.
I don’t know why, but learning that while I was reading this book somehow made it worse.
I wanted to like this one. The premise sounds cute. If you’ve read Christina Lauren before, you know they’re usually good at snappy dialogue and fun setups.
That did not happen here.
This book was, frankly, terrible.
The characters felt like exaggerated caricatures — not in a charming way, but in a deeply annoying way. The storyline was weak, the dialogue was bland, and the entire thing barely felt grounded in reality.
The romantic relationship itself had a crumbling foundation. The only thing holding the characters together was physical attraction — and that just wasn’t enough to carry the story.
It felt like the worst possible mash-up of Pretty Woman, Fifty Shades of Grey, and a bad 90s rom-com.
Again, I know I’m in the minority here. At the time of recording, this book had 4.16 stars with over 120,000 reviews. But I also know I’m not alone. This one just didn’t work.
I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’d like to erase it from my brain.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez 🌻
And finally… a breath of fresh air.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez was the clear standout for me — and the only one of the three I would actually recommend.
This book is part three in the Part of Your World series, but it absolutely works as a standalone. That said, you’ll appreciate it more if you’ve read the first two.
- Part of Your World (Book 1): Loved it
- Book 2: Fine, but not my favorite
- Just for the Summer (Book 3): Much better than Book 2, though not quite as magical as Book 1
What I love about Abby Jimenez’s books is that the characters exist in the same universe. You get little glimpses of people from earlier novels, and it feels like checking in on old friends — without the story depending on it.
This book was:
- cute
- fast-paced
- satisfying
- emotionally grounded
It was everything I wanted from a summer romance. No eye-rolling, no hate-reading, no forcing myself to finish. Just a genuinely enjoyable read.
If you’re only going to pick one summer romance from this list — this is it.
Final Thoughts 🤍
I went into this episode hoping for three great summer romances… and came out with one solid recommendation.
But honestly? That’s okay.
Not every popular book deserves the hype, and sometimes it’s helpful to hear someone say, “You’re not missing anything.”
Thank you so much for tuning in, for listening, and for sticking with me during this busy, baby-filled season of life. I hope I can squeeze in a few more episodes before delivery — but if not, I’ll see you on the other side.
Thanks again, and hopefully I’ll catch you back here next week ☀️📚