The Quick Cut: A teen girl who's moving at the end of the summer and a boy who is secretly blind in one eye find their summers suddenly intertwined. Emotions get chaotic when their feelings get real.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Tor Teen for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When you're a teenager, every emotion feels heightened. Like a rollercoaster - everything goes over like a life and death situation, especially when it comes to futures and relationships. It's with this perspective that this book follows the story of Olivia and Aiden.

Olivia had the perfect life: A wonderful aunt, supportive boyfriend, and a great best friend. Too bad it all falls apart when her aunt gets a new job in Arizona - meaning Olivia will be leaving Michigan and her entire life behind. As if that's not bad enough, her boyfriend decides the distance is too much and breaks up on the spot. Aiden is the golden boy pitcher of the baseball team...until he quits. What no one knows is that he's technically blind in one eye and can't see a thing. His entire future, gone in the blink and now he has to reinvent himself with art. These two lives gone off course and over a summer working together at River Depot, they collide in an unexpected way.

This is a very cute, summer read that for the most part had me smiling. Although there were a few slow spots that had me putting this book down, it was typically a well paced read that felt like the perfect summer sun soak. Olivia and Aiden do more than fill some gap in one another's summers: they remind each other what life is about and how to take risks. The relationship there feels real and when it gets hard, it represents real struggles that I could see in real life.

Between Lake Michigan and ArtPrize, this book absolutely represents Michigan. I went to college in Grand Rapids, so reading those sections had me grinning from my own memories it triggered.

Finally, I enjoyed the way they treated Aiden's vision. His blindness is only a piece of the story, but the way he hides his condition from friends and tries to reinvent himself is genuine. The struggle and the eventual opening up about it? So worth the build-up.

With a cute summer story and plenty of feels, this story will have you smiling in the end.

My rating: 4 out of 5

I really loved this story. It was a cute summer story with some heavy topics explored throughout. I felt some of it deep in my soul... there are a few themes I've struggled with in my own life, such as abandonment by a parent as well as the vision issues, so that was a bit hard for me. I think it made me love it even more, though. Pennington explored those topics very well and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I absolutely loved this book! Jessica Pennington is a new favorite contemporary author for me after I read her debut in 2018 and she joined us for a live chat in TBR and Beyond on Facebook.

Like her debut, I felt like the characters felt very real and you could really connect to them. I buddy read When Summer Ends with a few people during the middle of February and found myself never wanting to stop reading because I really wanted to know what would happen next. Like the characters, the miscommunication and conflict at the end of the story felt so real and raw. It really reminded me that when your a teenager, every little problem does feel like your whole world is falling apart.

One of my favorite things about this book, as well as her debut, is that you get both of the main character's points of view. It really helps round out the story more in my opinion and I love to see this in novels.

Definitely can't wait to reread this soon and read more from Jessica Pennington in the future!

You might have noticed I'm on a YA contemporary romance kick, and there is definitely a reason for it. There's also no end in sight, so get used to it! When I got the opportunity to review this book, I was pretty stoked because it seemed like such a cute read perfect for the upcoming summer season. It did not disappoint.

I've been really enjoying teen romance books that do the dual point of view with the two partners, so I enjoyed getting to see Olivia and Aiden's different parts. I really felt for Aiden, and I felt like I really understood him. There's a line in this ARC where he talks about feeling like he can't really say he's an artist because no one has seen his work yet. It definitely screams of imposter syndrome, and oh boy as an aspiring writer who is trying to get published, I SO understand this.

Olivia's life is a little complicated, and it's kind of a huge conflict in the book because she knows when summer ends she is going to have to move across country. It kind of ends her relationship with Zander, but he straight up sucks, so I was fine with that. My heart wrenched for Aiden when he finds out that she is moving.

The miscommunication and the conflict at the end of the novel felt so real and raw, and just reminded me of what it is like to be a teen. Pennington really reminded me that when you are young every little problem can really feel like your life is coming apart at the seams.

I'm such a sucker for young love and stories about two people coming together for the first time. I really enjoyed this one, and even though I haven't read Pennington's first book, I think I'm going to have to check it out after having read this one.

*I received a review copy of the egalley from the publisher via netgalley. This in no ways affects my review.

I received a copy of this from MacMillan/Tor-Forge and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this. The romance was honest and sweet. Both main character had issues to work through and found happiness in each other. It wasn’t overall dramatic but it wasn’t silly. I thought it was a very nice balance and a sweet HEA. I wish it were a little longer and some of the things were not shipped over. It moved a little fast at times

Pennington shows her strength as a writer in her sophomore novel, When Summer Ends. Her characters have depth that endears them to the read from the very beginning, and watching their growth as pages fly by is a treat.

In When Summer Ends, we meet Olivia and Aiden. Olivia is happy playing by the rules and content to keep everything in her life just as it is. But, when some major changes shake things up, she will have to decide how to move forward.

Aiden is struggling to move forward as well, and he's determined to do it on his own. He's got a plan in place and everyone else needs to just leave him be, thank you very much.

When Aiden and Olivia end up working together for the summer, they find that life may not work out according to their plans. And that the universe has a way of putting people in your way just when you need them. The question is, will Aiden and Olivia lower their guards long enough to let someone knew in?

I really enjoyed this book! It was definitely your typical YA contemporary and honestly I think I would have given 5 stars if I had read it in summer but something about the baseball aspect and the possible moving aspect made me just love this novel! gave me Windfall and Lucky in Love vibes.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I used to live in Michigan by Lake Erie, so the Michigan summer aspect of this gave me all of the memories from the summers I had growing up. One of the misgivings I had with this book was that I did have to put it down for a bit because I wasn't quite in the mood for this book yet and it wasn't the right time to read it yet so I had to find something else to read. It wasn't anything to do with the author or the way the book was written, but that is mostly why it's a four star rating instead of a five star rating.

A four star rating is still really good to me though! Thank you Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. It was enjoyable once I got into it finally. I definitely would recommend reading this in the summer, or even in the winter if you need to get warm somehow during those cold blizzards.

A review will be up on Goodreads and my blog soon. It might be tomorrow or in March. (I won't have internet connection next week at all.)

This is an engaging story with two adorable young people, each facing their own challenges. Aiden is just an awesome hero, not at all the stereotypical star pitcher, as the author gradually shows us. Olivia is a great heroine, too.
The slow build up of their relationship feels authentic and their HEA is well deserved.
I would have liked to have seen a more thoroughly explanation about Aiden’s vision problem; after finishing the book, I’m not even sure about the precise diagnosis.

When Summer Ends is a young adult contemporary romance novel written by Jessica Pennington, set to be released on April 9, 2019. I received a digital ARC through NetGalley and the publisher, Tor Forge – McMillan, in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

I requested this book because I love reading swooning romance, whether it’s a YA or adult contemporary (or fantasy) novel. While I’m not familiar with the author, the cute cover and description won me over, and I read this book in 48 hours because—yes!—it was that good.

The story starts with a series of events that pushes the characters out of their comfort zones. Seventeen-year-old Aiden, the all-star pitcher and golden boy, is forced to quit baseball because he is losing his vision. As for Olivia, she loses her dream internship along with her long-time boyfriend within a few days, and as if it was not enough, her mother also resurfaces after years of disappearance. Their lives are broken beyond repair, and they need to adjust their plan. Instead of baseball camp or an amazing internship, they both end up working at the same place for the summer. As the protagonists spend time together, they challenge each other, discover more about themselves, and develop an unlikely friendship/love.

I loved how the characters complemented each other; as the reader, I ended up rooting for them pretty fast. They deal with their issues in their own way, and I liked how they tried to make the best of their situation despite everything. They were inspiring. Even though the characters dealt with life-changing issues, the story was still light-hearted thanks to the discoveries and adventures they had with each other.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of Kasie West or Sarah Dessen. You will laugh, swoon, and cry with the characters. This is a great read!

This book had SO much potential for me. I wanted to love it. I was excited to dive into it! However, unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

I think my problem was in the pacing. The premise itself hooked me before I even started, but I felt like there was a lot of "wasted time" early in the story that could have been cut out to move things along. I did a lot of skimming hoping that at some point I would get hooked into the fascinating (and swoony) storyline I knew was coming, but I lost patience before that ever happened.

There was a lot of promise here. I did like the characters. I felt like Ellis could have added a lot of comic relief to a storyline that might have otherwise been heavy and dramatic. I think that the inevitable relationship between Aiden and Olivia could have been the perfect sort of sweet/swoony romance I go crazy for. It was all the "extra" that kept me from connecting to these characters and ultimately, by 35% - I was not invested enough to continue.

*I received this book from the author for an honest review*

Olivia has it rough growing up, she is abandoned by her mother and lives with her grandma for a while. After a short time, Olivia’s aunt then let’s her move in and up until the summer before her senior year, it seems her happy go lucky life comes crashing down.

Her mother comes back to town unexpectedly, her aunt gets a job in another state, she didn’t get the internship she wanted and to top it all off she breaks up with her boyfriend.

She gets a job working at a local tourist attraction where her ex boyfriends friend, Aiden is the owners son. After working some shifts together they realize they have things in common and get along fairly well.

One thing leads to another and they start to develop feelings for each other.

To find out how this leads to a happily ever after, you must read the book!

*I WAS PROVIDED AN e-ARC IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION*

Now, I know y'all know just how much I adore Jess's debut Love Songs and Other Lies. Jess has a writing style that traps you once you start reading with it—it's light, airy while still keeping some things serious, and fun.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. After every page I turned, I was eager to see what came next. 

When Summer Ends, while not being directly related to LSAOL, is centered in the same town. It has that summer vibe (obv.), and it's absolutely perfect for people who are—like me—currently despising winter.

Our female main character—Olivia—has a too safe life. What I mean by that, is that she is living every day by the book. She stays within boundaries, and she doesn't actively voice what she thinks; this is especially true around her boyfriend Zander. Their dates are the normal "let's go to the movies" ordeal, but she doesn't even get to choose what she wants to see. And when Zander goes fishing, he never asks or offers her to come.

Now, faced with the threat of moving halfway across the country with her aunt, Olivia is left single and hurt. However, this changes when her friend tells her to live her summer through chance—a simple coin-flip to decide on whether or not to do something.

"Lake Lights—That magazine is dead to me. I gathered all of our old copies and burned them in the fire pit when I got back from what was supposed to be my orientation. How's that for excitement, Emma?"

Olivia has an almost sarcastic side to her that I love and relate to. Especially in this quote, I love how petty she got. She's got the personality of a real-life teenager, and I appreciate that a lot.

Aiden, our male main character, is giving up. He's giving up baseball, and he's giving in to working at his family's business—the Riverton Depot. This all is due to his suffering vision; though, he is technically not blind. From what we know about him, he's never had a serious girlfriend, and he's very into art.

This novel was fast-paced, alluring, and romantic all in one. However, I did have a few minor problems with it. I was left with a few unanswered questions that I felt were necessary to be answered during the book. It almost felt like—though we had two main characters—the story was more centered around Olivia.

For one, I want to know whatever happened with what Aiden was to do with his art? It was made apparent more than once in the book that he was serious about his new hobby, yet it was never actually fulfilled or talked about much after the falling action.

Other than that, I absolutely loved this book. The characters developed better than expected, the plot was a little crooked at the end, but ultimately straightened out, and the story itself was enjoyable. For that, I rate it 4 stars.

If you were iffy about this book before, I'd still highly suggest you give it a try. Jessica Pennington has the whole contemporary romance genre on a leash, and I look forward to what she's bringing out next.

E-ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley
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:

I was given the opportunity by the author and NetGalley to read and review When Summer Ends. Normally, I do not read a lot of contemporary books but reading the synopsis I thought and was hoping that I would like it. Honestly, I thought I wasn’t going to like the book but I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoy it and I adored this book. The writing style of the book is really good, it flows nicely and having two point of views in the book was nice and I was able to understand what was going on with Olivia and Aiden thoughts throughout the book.

I love Olivia and Aiden, their friendship/turn into relationship was nice to see developing in the story. The way their relationship developed and seeing them having a lot of fun for summer, reminded me of when I was younger and enjoying the summer. Summer was a perfect setting for telling Olivia and Aiden story. After reaching the end of the book, I really want to read more about them and I would love to see a continuity of their story in another book. I wish we would have more of Olivia’s best friend Emma, she was a lot of fun and really persuade Olivia to think and live her summer outside of her normal box. The other person, I enjoyed in the book was Ellis, I felt like he would be an interesting character and I would like have known more about him.

Overall, I love this book and I gave it 5/5 stars. I have never read any of Jessica’s other books and now I am looking at reading her other books.

A sweet romantic summer read about Aiden and Olivia, both facing heartache for different reasons, and find each other. Such a lovely little summer romance read it left me wishing I was hanging out at the river and enjoying the warm sunshine while falling in love. The descriptions of art were amazing and I really enjoyed this ya romance! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 Stars!!

This was such a cute and sweet read! It warmed my heart this winter- with its sunshine and summer feel.

In When Summer Ends, we follow two teenagers Aiden and Olivia - who discover how an unexpected turn of fate can bring new love to heal old wounds. I really enjoyed the characters and the book as a whole was just a quick fun read. The writing was simple and flowed nicely. The story was about how when you're in high school you think your life is headed in one direction but then something happens and it makes you rethink where you are headed. Or in this case, make you wake up to realize there is more to your future than you thought there could be.
I totally recommend this one!

Thank you to netgalley for this arc. Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this adorable book! The only bad thing was reading in the winter instead of summer. It made me miss the warm weather even more. I read Jessica's Love Songs & Other Lies and really enjoyed it, but I liked this one even more.



This book has two points of view. Aiden and Olivia. I liked both equally.



The book starts off with Olivia getting fitted for a bridesmaid dress for her boyfriend, Zander's, sister. Olivia and Zander started off as friends and then started dating a couple years ago. His family always wanted them together and Olivia feels like they are her family, too. She lives with her aunt because her mom took off to "find herself" and she doesn't know her dad. So Zander's normal family makes her feel normal, too. Olivia finds out that her aunt got a job in Arizona and she may have to move away. She asks Zander if she could stay at his house and he basically breaks up with her. He doesn't think a long distance relationship is possible. He leaves for his family's lake home right after this.



Aiden is the star pitcher for his school. He's only a junior, but everyone talks about him. He's Emerson on the field. He ends up getting hit in the face after pitching a bad game that ended their season. What no one knew was that Aiden is having vision problems. Not one that can be corrected by glasses or surgery. He's getting shots that will hopefully help, but he can't drive and quit the baseball team. Aiden gets a job at his family's business for the summer and wants to focus on his art.



Olivia ends up working with Aiden. She doesn't really know him well at first, but they start spending a lot of time together. He doesn't tell her about his vision and she doesn't mention the break up. They start growing closer. Aiden involves her with his art and she talks to him about her writing and her family issues. But she never tells him that she might have to move. Her mom also shows up and Olivia is trying to find a way to be around her without the resentment.



Olivia and Aiden obviously fall in love. This is a summer romance book. But they do have a lot of issues to work through to make it work. I adored this relationship. I loved that Aiden felt like Aiden instead of Emerson. I loved that Olivia realized that her relationship with Zander was just comfortable, but that she was just doing everything to please him. Zander never really went out of his way the way Aiden does.



I also have to mention a couple side characters. I would read a book featuring these two. I loved them that much. Olivia's best friend, Emma, was just fun. I loved their friendship and wish we would have seen a little more of that. Ellis is Aiden's cousin and he also works at River Depot. I adored him, too.



The setting at River Depot was perfect for summer. I loved the hikes, bonfires, and sunsets. This book had everything I like for a perfect summer read.



I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to the publisher, netgalley, and Jessica for giving me a copy for review.

This story follows two characters through their summer before their senior year. Olivia and Aiden are two students at the same high school, but really have no connection.

Olivia begins the summer finding out she must leave and move to Arizona. Talk about the worst news ever! Then her boyfriend breaks up with her. Her summer job falls through and to beat it all her mother whom she does not live with wins the lottery. Talk about drama!

Aiden begins the summer suffering from loss of eyesight after being hit in the face with a baseball. He said the team and begins her first summer ever working at his family's lake resort, River Depot.

When these two characters become friends things begin to change. The worst summer ever begins to look up. You will want to pick this one up. It is a great read!

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I LOVED this book. After reading “Love Songs and Ther Lies” I was super pumped to see another book by Pennington. Everything about this hit just the right notes for me! The MCs were funny and charming and adorable. The plot was solid and did a great job building the characters and the story. I had a hard time putting it down, and blasted through it. This is going on the reread shelf 100%!!

This book was very enjoyable summertime read. It follows two main characters, Olivia and Aiden in alternating chapters. Olivia is looking forward to a perfect summer with boyfriend and a perfect internship. Things take a turn though when she’s dumped and has to instead work at a local tourist spot. Aiden is the star of the baseball team but because of an eye disease, he is losing his sight. He quits the team and tries to find meaning after baseball through art. He meets Olivia at work and the two of them will learn a lot about each other and themselves over this drama filled summer.

This book was very enjoyable. I really rooted for both characters and liked seeing them grow and fall in love. It was a little slow in the beginning, but it was a great summer romance read. I liked how the book took the reader through the whole summer. One major problem I had is that there were several storylines that weren’t fleshed out as much as I wanted, such as more involving the mother and the wedding Olivia was suppose to be in. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend for romance readers looking for a book with some heartfelt issues.