3.5*

Cool for the Summer was a cute, easy, light-hearted read- a book I really wanted to love, based solely on that cover alone! Then I read the blurb and it had me hooked. But ultimately it fell just a little short. The main reason it didn't completely work for me was the fact that I never felt strongly, one way or the other, about the romance/love triangle. And it's not even that it was a love triangle, a trope I usually avoid at all costs. I just never found myself pulling for #TeamJasmine or #TeamChase, I was more #TeamLara. Although by the end I was happy with Lara's choice.

While I liked the way this story was told, with past chapters interspersed with the present day ones, I think that also contributed to me not really being invested in the romance aspect. Although we did get to see Lara interact with both Jasmine and Chase, it didn't feel like there was enough one-on-one time with either of them, for me to care more about one over the other. If there had been more scenes between Lara and Jasmine in the "Now", not just in the "Then", I don't think I would have had this issue, it would have been pretty clear, at least to me, who she was meant to be with.

In saying all that, I really did like Larissa/Lara and I enjoyed her journey of self-discovery. It was great seeing her come into her own, stepping out of the shadow of her best friend and figuring out who she was and what she wanted. I think she'll be very relatable to a lot of people.

i had so much hope for this book but it kinda fell flat. the plot was really hard to keep track of in terms of the time jumps. also i hate references to current things (just a personal thing) and the constant mention of demi lovato was a lot. i was never really interested in the plot or the characters. really sad about this one :(

This book was incredibly cute! It's a great love story to read during the summertime or any time at all.

Don't let the fact that this is a high school LGBTQ story scare you off. It won't take you long to get wrapped up in Lara and her friends, classmates, and their relationships. I loved the books, coffee, and of course the adorable happily-ever-after.

Thank you, Netgalley, for my arc.

An inclusive, light romance about a young woman figuring out more than just her sexuality.

In COOL FOR THE SUMMER, Lara had a summer fling with her mom's boss's daughter, only to find out that-- surprise surprise-- that daughter has moved to her area right before senior year began. After the fling, something is obviously different about Lara, something enough to draw the eye of her long-time crush and high school football star, Chase. But more than this love-triangle and its drama, this novel digs into finding yourself and figuring out who you are with and without your friend groups. What is it to be in a friend's shadow and what does it mean to make your own light?

Cute, fast read with lots of heart and heat.

Cool for the Summer was the cutest read ever. The characters and the dialogue were really enjoyable and I really liked the dual timeline structure this book has, it made for such an interesting reading experience. It also dealt with a lot of things I could relate to. I loved the Jewish representation(we need more books like this!!!!)
and Lara's self-discovery journey too. I loved that she wasn't sure of how she felt or of what she wanted, I could relate to that in a lot of ways. (Me being a jewish bisexual girl)
This was a great read and I would highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is the perfect YA romance summer read for me. It was a fast, fun read and I can see myself rereading it in future summers. Maybe it won't sweep the book awards, but it is exactly what I have been searching for. While there were some aspects I didn't love, overall I really, really enjoyed this book. Though I had a suspicion on who Lara would end up with both of the love interests got to be actual people which is such a rare thing in love triangle books?

The questioning aspect! As an adult I can look at Lara and be like "girl." but it was like reading old diaries from high school honestly.

The sex positivity (both with a partner and on your own) was an absolute delight as it always is when I find it in a book that isn't blatantly about sex positivity. Are all teenagers having sex? Of course not. But all teenagers who think maybe someday they want to have sex should know that that's totally fine and sex isn't evil.

I also loved that while it would have been very easy for me to hate some of (one of) Lara's friends, Dahlia made a point to stress the positive qualities of this person as well. Friendship is messy and no one is perfect, but if the good regularly outweighs the bad I think you're doing okay. Especially if you're only 17. In this house we absolutely stan Kiki though.

Also I had almost zero knowledge of Demi Lovato's music before reading the book as her Disney channel time was beginning right when mine was ending and I'm an audiobooks in the car no radio ever person, but I of course had to listen to Cool for the Summer. And then the entire album. And now she's all over my Spotify. You got me there Dahlia.

the dynamics for this story seemed intriguing, but it turned out to be an overall disappointment. the writing was mediocre felt like it could pass for middle grade, the characters weren't anything exceptional. felt like the effect this story was supposed to have didn't reach what was expected.

If this book demonstrates anything, it's that steamy bisexual summer is far more superior to hot girl summer. Cool for the Summer is a hot fever dream of spiralling teenage thoughts and intoxicating sexual awakenings at the hands of some truly suave love interests.

The romance and the alternating settings make you feel the heat of a bonfire party and that swoon-worthy first kiss. This book has a strong flow as it effortlessly juggles the breezy Outer Banks and brisk fall nights on the football field. There's a lot to love about this disarming and honest spin on Grease, with its dreamy high-school crushes and long summer nights spilling over with possibilities.

This book is a revolving door of good-looking, rich, popular teen girls. This often means their likeability is non-existent, with Lara’s triumphs coming rather effortlessly at every turn. The lack of conflict doesn't help the fact that race and character quirks are thrown in as box-checking afterthoughts for the reader. Thankfully, Lara’s repetitive thought process and her friend group's superficial behaviour are elevated by the sophisticated tone of Natalie Naudus’ narrating and Dahlia Adler’s dreamy way of depicting the messiness of teenage love.

And sure, the love triangle is no more present in this story than Chase is as a character, but Lara and Jasmine are a powerful match, and their endgame is the main driving force behind this story’s success. The way this book so casually and harmlessly explores bisexuality is commendable, not to mention comforting. I only hope I can one day come across another power couple and steamy summer read as cool as this one.

I received an ARC of Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review:
Cool for the Summer is a LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story that is told through two time periods. The present day follows Lara's senior high school year experience while the past focuses on the summer before the school year. Over the summer Lara went on a work trip with her mother where they stayed with her employer, who has a daughter Lara's age. After the summer Lara returned to her school, leaving the summer friendship in North Carolina. But life always has to throw some curve balls.

I loved the characters in this story and their interactions with one another. Lara's inner turmoil and confusion is extremely reminiscent of my teenage years when I was figuring out my sexuality. The story is very inclusive and handles the sensitive topic in a way that shows just because being LGBTQ+ is normal it doesn't mean you feel like you belong in it. This is the perfect depiction of that feeling.

I highly recommend this book to all, especially teens figuring out their sexuality. It is a light-hearted but honest representation of high school life in the 2020s.

Cool for the Summer is exactly the kind of book I wish I'd had growing up, and especially in college when I started questioning my sexuality. This story explores friendship, love, and sexuality in tandem with one another, and I can tell this story will resonate and mean a lot to so many young readers. I really liked how the actual story follows two timelines, then and now; then being the summer, and now being the present day. Both timelines are dispersed equally as the story progressed, which lets readers see the relationship development split equally between Lara and Jasmine, and Lara and Chase. I absolutely despise love triangles in stories (sorry!) but I actually didn't hate it in this one? Dahlia did a good job executing the trope with this storyline, in my opinion, but I also think it worked because the plot development indicated that the couple I liked/was hoping for was going to be endgame.

One thing about this book that was a pleasant surprise to me was the balance between the lighthearted and more serious moments. I didn't really expect it, but the addition of serious topics into the story was critical and handled perfectly by the author, especially the internalized biphobia.

There are a few things I did not like about the story. The first was that there really wasn't a lot of explanation for Chase's sudden interest in Lara at the beginning, which is one reason I didn't really root for them as a couple. Second was the way certain characters were described when it came to their race and ethnicity, which seemed to serve as checks off a diversity checklist for the author more than anything else. There was also a comment made about a nonbinary character, which really rubbed me the wrong way, especially as a non-binary reader myself. While most of these comments hinged around characters that were far in the background, I don't understand why they were said, especially because we never saw or heard from these characters again.

Overall, this was an enjoyable summer read, and I am glad I received the opportunity to review this! I look forward to reading more from Dahlia Adler.

Cool for the Summer is, as you'd expect from the title, definitely a summery read. It's fast-paced, easy and fun, light-hearted without being dismissive of the characters' emotions, cute without being insubstantial.

Lara and Jasmine, along with the crew of supporting characters around them, feel like real, relatable, messy people, with real, relatable, messy problems and emotions. Lara's confusion - about her own identity, about what she wants vs. what she should want, about what Jasmine wants or is saying - rings true, and drives the story forward as it flips back and forth between the summer and the school year, then and now, an idyllic vacation fling and the realities of everyday life.

That being said, it does sometimes feel like the book works too hard at having Lara misunderstand Jasmine's attitude and reactions. Not that I don’t think people misunderstand each other all the time in real life, but this particular misunderstanding seems just a little too forced for the sake of the plot. I had a couple of specific instances when I wanted to shake Lara for her obtuseness, not for considering the possibility of Jasmine no longer being into her...but for not even once considering the opposite. Let teens be immature in YA books, by all means (it’s not like fictional adults are any better), but when the plot hinges so thoroughly on a misreading of a situation and of someone else’s behavior, I like it to feel a shade more realistic and earned.

That being said, once I'd rolled my eyes at that a little and moved on, everything else about the book is just, frankly, a lot of fun. I seriously appreciated that Lara's uncertainty about labels and identity includes her exploration of the fact that she, unlike some of her queer peers, hasn't known since forever that she was...other than straight, whatever that might be. I also appreciated that, despite being stuck in the difficult character position of "guy she's definitely not gonna stay with once things work out with the girl," Chase isn't written as a jerk, a cheater, or anything else that would give the story an easy out for Lara's choice between him and Jasmine. He's a nice guy, and her feelings for him don't have to be invalidated for the sake of other feelings; they're given as much weight as her feelings for Jasmine, whatever the end result might be.

All told, Cool for the Summer is definitely an engaging, appealing, and joyful story, perfect for reading by the pool or beach. It's the book equivalent of driving along the coast with a carful of your friends, windows rolled down, wind whipping in your hair, and singing along to the radio at the top of your lungs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advance review copy!

4.25 Stars

“Cool for the Summer” is a YA contemporary romance centered on 17-year-old Larissa (Lara) and her longtime crush, Chase, and the girl she meets over the summer, Jasmine.

Lara is known for her crush on popular quarterback, Chase. She’s been pining for him for years and finally, on the first day of her senior year, he notices her back. However, as soon as things start to look up with Chase, Jasmine, the girl Lara spent all summer with, shows up unexpectedly. Like most YA novels, this is told in first person point of view, from Lara’s perspective.

I have to admit, I totally loved this one. There are a few issues that keep it from a full 5 stars, but for the most part it ticked all the boxes that I enjoy in young adult. It’s fun and flirty but is also heartfelt and moving. It comes with the obligatory teenage angst, though it isn’t overwhelming and is very natural to everything happening.

My biggest dislike is the love triangle. It’s mentioned in the blurb but I really didn’t think Lara would spend the majority of the book dating the wrong person. Her summer fling with Jasmine is shown in flashbacks so you do see them together, but they’re just friends and figuring things out for the majority of that timeline. They spend almost no time in the present together except for short spurts of time. I would’ve preferred less flashbacks and more time together in the present.

There was also the problem of miscommunication. Honestly, all of the issues in this book probably could’ve been solved with maybe two conversations. That was frustrating to read but I also understood it to a point with Lara. She’s truly confused about her feelings and has a hard time understanding things herself so I can imagine not wanting to talk about it with other people. A big part of the story is Lara’s self-discovery of what it means to be queer and how it isn’t the same for everyone. It’s hard for her to believe she may be bisexual when she’s never been attracted to another female before now.

Despite those two things, I really loved this. Lara is a fantastic character. She’s always hidden in the shadow of her best friend but over the course of her summer, she really starts coming into her own and it continues into the school year. She has a fairly large group of friends between the present timeline with her being home and at school with all her friends. The flashback scenes you also meet a new group of friends that spends her summer with. Both groups were diverse in race and sexuality and despite there being quite a few of them, they all have their own personalities and voices.

Jasmine and Chase are also fun characters. This being in Lara’s POV, you don’t know them nearly as well but I never felt cheated. Chase seems like a really sweet guy while Jasmine is more mysterious. Though I knew who I wanted Lara to be with, Adler really made it difficult to be mad about either one and I really appreciated that. I don’t enjoy a story when “the wrong” person is an obviously bad choice.

If you’re a fan of YA novels I would highly recommend this read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. A really sweet, breezy, coming-of-age romance that left me with a lot of really warm, sweet feelings.

Which I'm kind of surprised about? Love triangles are easily one of my top three least favourite tropes in books, and this is all about one. Larissa has been in love with Chase for what seems like forever, and is thrilled when he starts returning the interest. But she also can't stop thinking about Jasmine, the girl who she spent the summer with; the girl who awakened feelings she never knew she was allowed to have. Triangles usually make me feel itchy and anxious, but this... didn't? I spent most of the book not knowing who Larissa would end up with, and furthermore, not really rooting for one over the other? Both love interests were equally likeable (...mostly), and I became fond of them both for different reasons.

The book employs a 'then and now' chronology for telling the story, flipping from Larissa's summer with Jasmine, to the present where her relationship with Chase starts blossoming. I did like this, as I usually like when stories play with time, and the summer chapters did have a really... I don't know, cosy, dreamlike quality that really worked, especially knowing that Larissa was looking back on them with perspective. And the present day chapters were really fun and flirty. But also... when it came down to it, I wanted a little more relationshippy stuff with the person Larissa eventually ended up with. And to be fair, if she'd ended up with the other one, I think I'd have felt the same way. There was a lot of on-page romantic stuff, but it felt a little lacking somehow?

There were some other little flaws. One side character was forgiven very quickly for her shadiness, and we never really got much of Kiki's detective skills and her podcast; not enough to convince me, anyway. Also, it would have just been fun, to see more of that on page. But by and large I do think this was a really great cast of characters, all of whom played their roles really well. I loved the depictions of all the characters' relationships with their parents; both the good and bad aspects. The story was frankly but carefully told, and I really liked the messaging about coming out.

A very cute young adult romance; easily recommended. I no longer read a tonne of YA romance, and they're generally just not for me, but this is one I'm super glad I got the chance to read.

Content warnings: underage drinking, sex (not explicit).

This is a fun read! It is the story of Lara who has had a crush on Chase Harding, the star of the football team, since middle school. As Lara begins her senior year, Chase finally seems interested in her -- a dream come true. But Lara is finding that her dreams may be changing, as she can't forget a romance she had with Jasmine while spending her summer break far away from home. When Jasmine unexpectedly shows up as a student in Lara's high school, she is forced to consider what she wants -- and what that means about her own identity, her relationship with her family and friends, and, most importantly, her relationship with herself.

This is a really fun take on a Grease-like story. The author creates a convincing world and set of relationship. I enjoyed spending time with these characters and each of their journeys, especially Lara. Recommended!

You could not pay me enough money to go back to high school.. all the confusion about yourself, who you’re trying to be, the people you find attractive & just all the petty girl drama. I don’t know how any of us survive high school and even more so now with all the social media abounding. So nope, I would not go back to high school for all the money in the world if given the chance.

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler, an LGBTQ+ YA romance tells the story of Lara, a high school student whose longtime football player crush finally notices her after years of her pining after him. But just when she’s finally going to get the guy of her dreams and all will be right with the world, the girl she spent an unforgettable summer with walks through the door of her high school and all bets are off.

This book of self-discovery & finding out just what you want out of life was such a good read, I had no idea who Lara was going to choose in the end & the anticipation of just what will happen keeps you glued to its pages.

Cool for the Summer was an enjoyable read. I loved how sex positive it was and Larissa's passion for romance novels and writing. As someone who loves Demi Lovato, the tie to her song Cool for the Summer is so accurate, and I liked how it played a part in the story.

I will say I never felt connected to Chase and was Team Jasmine from the beginning. I'm a big fan of the flashbacks we got from the summer with Jasmine, and it was interesting to see how they contrasted with her and Jasmine's relationship in the present. Also Kiki was the best person in Larissa's friend group hands down.

The ending really was the cherry on top. This is a good book for reading about a teen trying to figure out their sexuality, and I think a lot of people will see themselves in Larissa.

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler is a light yet compelling read about teens exploring their sexual identity. Working loosely on a plot reminiscent of Grease the movie, this story explores an issue that many teens are also exploring, and this is what I enjoyed the most about this novel. As a high school counselor, I have worked with many students going through a remarkably similar situation as Larissa, and I am glad there is a book out there that they can grab onto and feel that they are not alone. From a reader’s perspective, I did have an issue with the characters. Their lack of development negatively impacted my reading experience. For me, they read as stereotypes rather than real-life complex individuals. But the plot is fast-paced, and I easily read it in a short time. This is an excellent novel for summer light reading or any teen (or parent of a teen) exploring their own sexual identity.

This was SO GREAT! With very high "Cool for the Summer" and "Betty" vibes, this story is one I really needed in my life. A love triangle where a girl is figuring out her own bisexuality while faced with the charming jock boy she's always had a crush on and the lovely girl she spent the summer falling for? This was the best kind of everything. I adored Lara and how she was figuring out her sexuality. I love love looooved the flashbacks to Lara and Jasmine's summer together and how sweet and great the two of them were. I completely died over Lara and Jasmine in the present and how they were both trying to tell each other the same thing but completely misinterpreting EVERYTHING. I loved these two girls to no end, and this story was just wonderful and amazing, hilarious and adorable! <3

This book has good heart and I think a lot of people, especially younger teens discovering their sexuality, will really appreciate what it does and enjoy it. Unfortunately, there were a lot of parts that just didn't quite click into place for me. The then vs now narrative can be interesting, but mostly left me feeling like the entire book was building up to something that never came and like I never really saw why Jasmine or Chase were interested in Larissa the way they were.

There are definitely some cute, fun moments and I especially loved scenes with their parents, but a lot of it felt kind of lacking and left me wanting just a little more.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted copy.

This is such a great summer read! I want to say right off the bat that although this is marketed as YA, it is NOT meant for younger teens. There is no explicit descriptions of sex, but it is implied and there are a few "fade to black" scenes.

I really enjoyed this book - Larissa is finally getting attention from her long time crush, on the first day of school when who walks in the building but her summer fling - who is a GIRL. Can we say a) bisexual love triangle, and b) Grease??? Larissa spent the summer with Jasmine, but now that she's back and school and getting the attention from her crush, it's what she always wanted, right? As the year goes on, she realizes that maybe Chase is not who she wants...it's really Jasmine. Larissa spends the year trying to figure out what she's feeling, what she wants, and who she really is.