The story is told in a past and present narrative which was a really great representation of how the characters had grown into the present timeline. In the story we follow Lara, a high school senior as she tries to figure out life and what she wants out of it. The summer ends and Lara is ecstatic her crush,Chase is noticing her. At least at first but then Lara can't seem to get Jasmine and all the time they spent together in the summer off her mind. Jasmine then unexpectedly switches to Lara's school and Lara tried to navigate through all her feelings of wanting to be happy with her friends and the boy of her dreams, but she just can't forget Jasmine.

I really enjoyed this book and the idea behind self discovery. I think it was a great YA read for youth that are confused and questioning their own identity and trying to figure out their sexuality. Overall this book was an inspirational, hopeful, heartwarming, cute read.

Cool for the Summer is exactly the kind of book I wish I'd had access to growing up. This story explores friendship, love, and sexuality in tandem with one another, and I can already tell it's going to break waves with young readers. I do think the exploration of identity tied in with a journey towards learning more about oneself completely stole the show here. Add to the fact that this was inspired by Grease, and I just know it is going to come to mean something to a lot of people. I think there were some diversity issues in here that were worth exploring or at least a sensitivity reading, but otherwise, well done.

Larissa has been daydreaming about Chase since she first laid eyes on him. He’s the star football player, a loving big brother, and all-around golden boy. She would do anything to be the girl on his arm. First day of their senior year and suddenly all her dreams are coming true. She’s got the guy! He wants her! Why is she not more excited?

The summer before her senior year, Larissa’s mother takes them to the Outer Banks for her job. While there she meets the daughter of her mother’s boss. Jasmine is carefree, talented, and gorgeous. She invites Larissa to parties, takes her along to photo shoots, and kisses her out of the blue when she gets excited. Larissa likes boys, right? I mean…Chase! But when Jasmine kisses her, it was electric. Things between the two don’t stop at kissing until the summer ends. Right?

What happens when Jasmine shows up to school on the first day?

This is a great coming of age story about a teen girl trying to understand who she is, who she loves, and how to navigate possible judgements from her ride or die group of friends. I loved this book. The characters were well written. I liked the genuine writing style.

4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing a copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

thank you so much NetGallery for providing me an advanced copy of 'Cool for the Summer'.

i wasn't able to get through this book. instead, i marked it as 'do not finish' at 41% in. while the premise of the book is promising and the description really is appealing, the execution of it just wasn't for me. the odd time jumps between 'then' and 'now' confused me more than 'interested me, and for a book that is advertised as 'self discovery', it falls flat in that aspect. i had expected something that would mimic a coming of age movie, however instead i felt as though i was reading a poorly done romance book.

for as much as i wanted to enjoy this book. the dialogue came off as too cheesy and cliche and the plot wasn't enticing enough to have me push past it. i know many people live for cheesy one liners, and they will definitely enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.

2.5/5 stars

Cool for the Summer tells the story of a girl who has been in love with a boy for as long as she can remember, but he doesn't give her the time of day. Everything changes when she goes away for the summer with her mom for her mom's job and meets her summer fling. Who happens to be a girl.

The story flips between the summer and her senior year, when the boy she's had a crush on forever asks her out. She's torn between the fling, who just so happens to show up to her senior year and the IT boy that she has loved forever.

The story is honest and portrays this struggle while still giving off beachy read vibes like the amazing cover. My only con with this book is that her friends are vague and feel underdeveloped. I wanted our main character to have more of a support system.

I finished this book in less than 48 hours that's much I enjoyed it.


Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I really loved this read. Cool For The Summer is a sapphic Grease, or a sapphic Only Mostly Devastated with a role reversal, whichever you prefer.

The main character is a bi girl, who finds herself caught in between two loves: her long-time crush, the captain of the football team, and her memorable summer fling, who walks through the doors of her school on the first day of her senior year.

This book does a wonderful job portraying identity crisis. The main character doesn't spend an excessive amount of time worrying about her sexuality, it's more about the draw she feels to both love interests. The main character has never considered that she may be bi, and after having a summer fling with her mother's boss's daughter, she just may have to face her identity head on. The author does a wonderful job portraying this struggle without making the book angsty and killing the fun overall vibes the book holds.

Overall, this book is a super enjoyable, quick read perfect for fans of sex-positive romances, Grease, and all things sapphic. Highly recommend!

okay, it's sapphic and great bi rep, but really a bit too short for me. Also, great exploration of teenage sexuality, you can sense the character's passion in a way a lot of teenage girls are just not written. Definitely would have blown my mind as a teenager (what, I can want to have sex??? 16 year old me would have been shocked)
but it felt like it was missing something, not exactly sure, maybe because it was really short and I wanted it to be longer.

Cute and charismatic. The back and forth with past and present was really well developed, the characters felt true to me, like people I could've met in my life. The questions regarding the main character's sexuality and how it was talked through the book was ABSOLUTELY perfect; I saw myself in having no rush on labels and understanding your feelings. The fact that she knows that she likes girls and she likes boys and, for now, that is it - that not everyone is ready to say outloud because some people are already understanding what to say... I loved it.

I have a weird relationship with YA books, I enjoy them but I also have to actively remind myself that I am not the intended audience. These are meant for teenagers.

That being said, this book is sweet. I enjoyed seeing the back and forth between the present time and the summer. I liked watching Larissa realize that what she wanted has changed.

I think about the young adults who will read this and recognize themselves in Larissa and Jasmine. Who will feel comforted by seeing someone who is trying figure out their sexuality.

There are some little things that I wish were more developed. But overall an enjoyable read.

This one is a fun summer read and will be great for the young adults.

This was so freaking cute. A girl who follows her mom and spends the summer at her boss' house who happens to have a daughter. And the two girls spend more and more time together :')
◾How they are together, what they talk about, how they open up to each other the way they don't do with others, it's all just so precious. You can feel the attraction, and the connection they have.
◾I really REALLY love how the story went from now to then and back and forth. And we could see the story of their summer together, but also the present while her little perfect summer is over and all the shit is happening. The story wouldn't be as good if it wasn't for both timelines put together.
◾I love that her friends are so not perfect. And they have really specific interests that are actually so different and cool. Like Kiki on the Case, her friend who is obsessed with detective stuff, that's so freaking cool. Btw I love Kiki, I want her to be my friend.
◾Lara was so freaking confused, and every once in while confusion in books really annoys me, but the confusion here is totally valid. I mean, the girl has been in love with the same guy for ages, and suddenly she's making out with this girl, and maybe it just doesn't mean anything. Because if it does, then she's doesn't really know who she is. No shit she's confused.
◾Let's remind the Universe that Bisexuality is a lot of things. It doesn't mean knowing right away, it doesn't mean liking genders equally. It's not temporary until you meet one or another. There isn't one way to Bisexual.

This was an enjoyable read, but it didn't quite have the punch I needed to make it have an emotional impact. While I liked the dual timwline that flashed between the summer and present day, i didn't really feel the connection between either couple. And because this story is largely focused only on the couple it was a bit of a letdown. I also wasn't the biggest fan if Lara's friends. I felt like they weren't present enough for me to really get to know, and what we did see of them was very surface level and kinda blah. Overall an okay read and I would highly recommend the audiobook for a fun summertime escapism story.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the arc of this book!

COOL FOR THE SUMMER by Dahlia Adler is a story of self-discovery and acceptance told through the eyes of a girl who realizes maybe the person she is, isn't the person she's supposed to be.

Larissa is excited to start her senior year. She's got a new look and new confidence, and when her longtime crush flirts with her on her first day back, she just knows that senior year is going to be HER year. That is until she sees Jasmine walk through the doors of her school. It all comes rushing back - the summer spent in the Outerbanks, tanning and swimming, and most of all, Jasmine. Larissa had been determined to put the summer of confusing feelings and fooling around behind her, but seeing Jasmine in person again makes that impossible. She has a choice to make: a senior year with Chase Harding, football star and guy of her dreams, or facing the summer and sorting through the feelings she'd hoped to leave behind with the beach.

The good: I cannot stress how much I wish I'd had a book like this when I was in high school. Larissa's denial and insistence that she likes guys so she must be straight is a tale as old as time. When we're raised in a comphet society with expectations, and especially when a girl has an attraction to boys, it's so easy to deny other feelings. Larissa really struggles with this and it felt very real to me. She worries about her mom, her friends, her boyfriend and how she's supposed to tell all of them, and how they'll react, especially since she's never shown interest in girls before.

I also really appreciated Larissa's hesitance to label herself. She knows she likes guys and she knows she likes this girl and that's it. I think it's really easy to slap a label on something and call it bi or lesbian but I think it's a good message to say there's no rush. There's no pressure. Learn yourself and what you want and it'll come to you.

The not-so-good: The relationship with Chase felt a little sudden, and I think it's just because we didn't see him before the first day of school. All we know about him is he's hot and Larissa has had a crush on him since she was a kid and everyone knows it. So for her to get to the first day of school and this guy that's ignored her all the time is suddenly super into her feels a little forced. It's explained a bit later but I think it lacked depth so that I didn't really care too much other than the fact that Chase was a super nice guy. Others have mentioned the ethnicity of some of the characters felt a bit thrown in for diversity's sake and there's a comment about a non-binary character that I know did not sit right with some. It's not intended to be mean, it's just a very odd comment to make (basically they wonder what one would call a non-binary partner instead of boyfriend or girlfriend when a partner is...right there).

That said, even with the not so good I really loved this book. It's got a really great message for girls and I'm so excited that teens these days have books like this to help see themselves and their own struggles. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, quick YA romance full of self discovery.

Highlights
- this was a really fun self discovery & coming of age story. It was about figuring out who you are and what you want & need. It did a great job of exploring sexuality, particularly bisexuality, from someone who never thought past being straight which is such an important story to tell, particularly for younger readers
- this story was very diverse and representative, with characters along the queer spectrum (ace, bi, non-binary), different races, and lots of different nationalities (our two MCs are both Jewish, one Russian & and the other Syrian)
-Lara’s inner monologue felt very raw and vulnerable and real which I appreciated. Who didn’t have an unrequited crush throughout high school?!
- I loved the sub-plot focusing on romance books, graphic novels, and bookstores!
Lowlights
- maybe because of the ‘then’ and ‘now’ sections, but I just didn’t feel a connection between Lara and Jasmine. There was something missing throughout which made it harder to root for these characters. At the same time, Chase’s sudden interest in Lara wasn’t really explained which made it difficult to believe in that couple as well
-I found the second half of this book rather boring and dragged on. I would have loved an epilogue to see these characters at prom or graduation for example

I'm going to start off this review with the note that this was probably not the right read for me right now. If high-school-Shawn had this book in her hands, I think this would've been a higher rating.

At the heart, Cool for the Summer is a love story set with the backdrop of high school and self-discovery. It is fun, flirty, and summery, and an absolute breeze to get through. Much of the book left me smiling, happy for the characters as they explored themselves and discovered that their own stories didn't have to look like everyone else's.

Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the characters beyond that level and become invested in their journeys. Many of the characters felt shallow when I was looking for something deeper. With the story focused on Lara's perspective and her self-discovery, I felt like I missed out so much on what others were experiencing. I almost wish this was a dual- or tri-perspective story, exploring Jasmine's experience and perhaps even Chase's.

Though maybe this wasn't the right read for me, I do think this book will mean a lot for some younger readers. Also, who doesn't love a good Demi Lovato reference, amirite?

Yay for bi rep! There's more of it these days, but I love that Dahlia Adler is consistently on the forefront of great queer rep. This book was so charming. While I'm not usually down for a love triangle, I really enjoyed each of the characters in their own way. Overall I was a little in love with them all!

I'm a huge fan of Dahlia's, so when NetGalley gave me the chance to read this early, I jumped at it (thanks, NetGalley!)

Lara has had a crush on Chase ever since they started high school. She's had eyes for no one else. So when, on the first day of senior year, he talks to her and seems interested, she should be on Cloud 9. All her dreams are finally coming true.

But that same day Jasmine shows up at her high school and basically ignores her. Lara is confused. She and Jasmine spent the summer together and what started as a tentative friendship quickly became something much, much more.

This book unfolds in two time periods, one following Lara and Jasmine's budding summer romance, and one in the present where Lara struggles to reconcile her feelings about Jasmine while also trying to enjoy having the boy she always wanted basically falling at her feet.

I really enjoyed this one. It's light and fluffy and fun to read while having some real substance beneath the surface. Lara's struggle to figure out her sexuality felt very real and is something many readers out there will have experienced and recognize.

I wish a little more time had been spent on building the Chase-Lara relationship though. It seemed like he saw her in the hall and was instantly smitten. Given they've been at school together for years already, and Lara's crush is no big secret, it felt a little too quick. I get that she changed over the summer, had a haircut and became more confident, but it still seemed too quick. I wished he'd taken a little time to figure out the changes were more than a superficial change of hair and a tan.

The other thing that bugged me, as it does in a lot of more recent books I've read, is the focus on having as many different types of people represented in the cast of characters as possible. I totally agree that diversity is important, but unless a character's ethnicity or sexual preference is relevant to the story, I'm not sure that we really need to know these things about side characters who show up once or twice. It starts feeling like box-ticking for diversity and that's really not the point.

Overall I would recommend this book.

Cool for the Summer - Dahlia Adler

This was such a fun book! I really ended up loving this. Cool for the Summer (yes, named for the Demi Lovato) comes out on May 11. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This book follows Lara, who has just spent a summer in the Outer Banks, and is now starting her senior year in New York. The book alternates between past and present chapters. Jasmine, who Lara just spent the summer with, moves to town and ends up at Lara’s school. Lara questions get sexuality as she finally has the chance to date the guy she’s been crushing on for years, but she also has feelings for Jasmine. This book was so sweet, I loved the friendships that Lara had and I was rooting for her and Jasmine the whole time. I also think the cover is perfect!!

Hmm this book wasn’t bad but it didn’t live up to my expectations. There’s a lack of relationship build up on both sides (Chase especially) so I did not really root for either relationship. Lara was in love with Chase for years and then suddenly he has interest in her which I know that that can happen but it feels like it just happened for the convenience of a having a love triangle.

I don’t like love triangles but for the sake of this story I do think it works well, especially for teens growing up going through exploring their own sexuality. I think this is important for teens to read this coming of age story!

Theres not much else in the plot aside from the love triangle and Lara does kind of go through a coming of age in finding herself. Lara's friends are also so terrible and I don't really understand why that was added to the story. The cover is so cute and it is a quick read but I just wasn’t that interested in it. 3 stars is me being generous but I do think this was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Lara had been crushing on Chase forever, and he finally noticed her! She thought she would get to live out her romantic fantasies, but then girl she spent the summer with shows up at her school. Just when she thought she had everything she wanted, Lara began to question if perhaps her needs had changed.

Cool For Summer was a wonderful story of self-discovery. The biggest part of the plot revolved around Lara questioning her sexual orientation. She had always dated boys and was ecstatic that Chase was at long last interested in her. Then there was Jasmine, her summer fling, whose reappearance had Lara questioning her emotions.

I thought Adler did a fantastic job taking me into Lara's head as she attempted to reconcile her feelings for both Chase and Jasmine, while also trying to figure out how it impacted her identity. Her struggle with understanding herself rang true for me, and I appreciated the journey.

This story was also a lot of fun too. It flips between senior year and the summer in the Outer Banks. There were many parties, dances, and excursions to enjoy. In both timelines, there was a sweet romance too. Lara also experienced a lot of growth over the course of the story. There was some examination of the dynamic in her friend group, that I found interesting, and I liked the way it was worked into the plot.

This was a sweet story with substance. It was fun and breezy, while still having depth. I loved seeing Lara explore and discover so much about herself, her friends, and her family, and I can honestly say the ending left me with a warm heart.

Cool for the Summer is the story of Lara who spent her summer vacation exploring her sexuality. When she shows up for the first day of her senior year the same girl she did her exploring with is in her school. Now the boy she's been crushing on the past few years is finally noticing her but she can't stop thinking about her summer girl.

Did I love Cool for the Summer? Unfortunately No. However I don't want to say it was a bad book. The writing was good and the story was decent my favorite part was the satisfyingly ending, but I had trouble connecting to any of the characters. Usually when I read a YA novel I see a younger version of myself some way in at least one of the characters and that just didn't happen here. It is a quick read with summer vibes to it with the flashbacks of Lara and Jasmine's summer experiences. Yet, I found myself really bored with all the teen high school drama which I don't mind in YA contemporaries but that's when I like the characters.