Dahlia Adler has been under my radar for a really long time, with this being the first novel of hers that I have actually read. I had a really good time with it! I basically binged half of it in one day, which is never a good idea when you are a busy college student, and especially not a good idea when you are a busy college student during finals week. Alas, I could not help but read yet another sapphic YA rom-com. I promise this is not all I read. It has just been a tough March.

How do I describe Lara, the protagonist of this book? She is … very horny. I am sorry. I don’t have a nicer word. There is an argument to be made that we need more horny girls in literature, but I think that maybe I am not the right target audience, as the A in LGBTQIA+.

Lara is definitively not the A; in fact, she is a questioning B who has had a summer fling with a girl, Jasmine — only to find that Jasmine has transferred to her high school for senior year, just in time for Lara to start dating Chase, the most popular guy at her high school. But despite finally dating her longtime crush, Lara cannot seem to shake off her feelings for Jasmine no matter how hard she tries.

My main criticisms of this book are in incredibly small details; characters whose physical features are described too much for how little they appear, and scenes that drag on a bit too long. Lara being an aspiring writer is probably very relatable for many YA readers, but I can already name, off the top of my head, another YA protagonist who wants to write romance novels and meets her favorite author in the course of the story. (Rowan from Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Today Tonight Tomorrow, if you’re curious.)

But in general, Cool for the Summer is a delightful little book if you are looking for something easy to read with a happy ending, as long as you are okay with hearing maybe a little too much about how much Lara wants to make out with her love interest.

Thank you to Wednesday Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

4.5 stars

Lara has just had one of the best summers of her life, but it's left her a little confused. She spent almost every day with Jasmine, the daughter of her mother's boss, Lara is pretty sure she's not gay, but she definitely felt something for Jasmine, and she's almost sure that Jasmine felt something too. But with the summer over, and school starting, Lara is prepared to put it all behind her, especially since she's sure she'll never see Jasmine again.

Lara's long-time crush Chase has started to pay attention to her, so Lara decides to go for it, as much to put Jasmine out of her mind as anything. She's wanted Chase for years, so why not, right? But when Jasmine walks through the doors of Lara's high school on the first day, things get way more complicated than Lara ever anticipated.

This book was a lot of fun. I really liked the switches between present day chapters and the flashbacks to the summer. I loved that we got to see Lara exploring new aspects of her identity when she was away from her friend group. Personally, I know I've done that before. I've had that feeling where you feel like you're expected to be one person because that's who your friends know you as, but then when you're away for the summer or hanging out with a new group of friends, you suddenly feel a new kind of freedom to explore different aspects of your personality. In Lara's case, this also extends to her sexuality. She always assumed she was straight because of her years-long crush on Chase, but her summer with Jasmine opened up new avenues of possibility that she had never explored before.

I also liked that it was messy. There wasn't a clear-cut answer to everything, but that's how life works! Especially when you're a teenager! There are miscommunications, and things get ugly, and you assume things that aren't true because you're too in your head about your own problems. Plus, it's hard to talk about your feelings! Being vulnerable is difficult for people of any age, but when you're a teenager and you have SO MANY feelings?!?! Yikes! I know I couldn't do it, so no wonder things get messy.

I also liked the way Lara's relationship with her friends was examined. Lara's friend group has been together for a long time, and Shannon has always been the leader of the group. It takes Lara going away for the summer for her to realize that she's not always happy about the dynamics of the group and that she might need to stand up for herself so Shannon doesn't steamroll her. Lara also questions whether her group of friends would even be friends if they hadn't grown up together. They don't have much in common anymore, and it hinted at the group moving apart when they go to college, especially since none of them were considering going to the same colleges. I think that showed maturity on Lara's part because she had already accepted that there is a world beyond high school and that people change a lot after high school ends.

I liked that we got bisexual representation in Jasmine because give me all the bi rep in YA!!! But I also liked that Lara didn't put a label on her sexuality. There is a lot of pressure from outside the LGBTQ+ community, but also from inside it, to put a label on your sexuality to make it easier to understand and more palatable for other people. But if you don't have a label for what you are, that's okay! And I think that's important for young readers to see. Lara knew she wanted to be Jasmine's girlfriend, and that was enough for her, at that moment in time. Maybe somewhere beyond the confines of this book Lara will put a label to her sexuality, but it's not something that is explicitly said for the reader. And I really liked that. We need all different kinds of LGBTQ+ representation, so I'm glad this is one more example for young readers to see.

One of my most anticipated releases this year!

Okay, so this took a little while to build up, but the way it showed how confusing and hard it can be figuring out your sexuality, getting new feelings you never thought you'd have, the fear and doubts... it was all so honest and heartfelt.

The miscommunication/lack of communication trope is a little strong in this one, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It's that feeling you wish the characters would just talk, lol!

Loved that friendship and finding new things about yourself are two big aspects in this book. It was beautiful, and I loved seeing our main character go through her character development.

This was a very solid read and I know a lot of people will enjoy reading this too!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As always, thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

Cool for The Summer is a perfect sapphic summer read, full of heart and emotion and beachy vibes.

Meet Lara, who’s just returned from the summer of a lifetime. She’s got new hair, more confidence than she’s ever had, and she’s finally come into her own. This level up comes with many perks, one of them being that after years of pining, she’s finally managed to catch the attention of football superstar Chase Harding. Last year, Chase barely knew she existed, but this year he only has eyes for her. It seems like a dream come true – until Jasmine, Lara’s secret summer fling, transfers to her school. After a whirlwind summer romance, Jasmine totally ghosted her, but Lara figures that’s fine. After all, she has the guy she’s always wanted. But as the weeks pass by, Lara starts to wonder if things with Chase are really as perfect as she’d always dreamed. If they were, surely she’d be able to get Jasmine out of her mind…

The book is told in dual timelines, one following Lara in her budding relationship with Chase while the other gives us flashbacks to the summer she spent with Jasmine, so that we can watch their relationship unfolding along the way and see their feelings for one another grow. The balance is brilliant, and kept me constantly flipping pages to see what happened next. It also did a great job of keeping me pretty equally invested in both timelines. While only half of the book is truly set in the middle of summer, the book embodies summer perfectly; I swore I could feel all that baking heat coming off the page. I could smell the sunscreen, could feel the flowers and the breeze and hear the music playing. I absolutely adore books that manage to embody their chosen vibes so well, the kind of book that you could crack open in the depths of winter and still feel like you were sunbathing on a beach the whole time you were reading. It also embodied all the best parts of those cheesy American high school movies that everyone loves. In a weird way it kind of made me nostalgic for something I, as a Brit, have never actually experienced. As a side note, I’d love to see this as a movie, I think it’d be amazing. Netflix, take notes!

For a book that’s been advertised as a bisexual love triangle, I did feel like ‘love triangle’ was maybe a bit generous, considering that it’s extremely one-sided. Zero prizes for guessing how it was going to go, but the journey was awesome anyway. I did appreciate that both love interests were amazing in their own way, though I felt one of them got kind of a rough deal in the end – then again, that is kind of the point of a love triangle, I guess! That being said, all of the characters were awesome and I really enjoyed spending time with them. The plot races by, and it’s sweet, real, a little bit raw, but also never quite manages to lose the sense of idyll that made it such an enjoyable read.

Cool For the Summer was, overall, a really sweet, fun and heartfelt book. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a beach read this summer, and it’s an awesome addition to the growing ranks of sapphic YA. 4/5 stars.

You can definitely see the Grease and Becky Albertalli DNA in this new YA contemporary from Dahlia Adler (whose Last Will and Testament I absolutely loved and whose entry in the It's a Whole Spiel anthology was a highlight for me). The characters and dialogue felt realistic and specifically portrayed, and I liked the relationships within the friend group and between Larissa and her mother. I also really liked the inclusion of two very different but detailed Judaic backgrounds. However, the main relationship fell a bit flat for me, and - in what seems like something of a bigger issue - there wasn't really much else happening; it felt like there was the A plot of romance and Larissa's questions about her own sexuality, and then, distantly, a smattering of, like, D or F plots. Perhaps recommend to those looking for lighter YA who don't mind some implied sexiness, or to those looking for books specifically handling the bisexual coming out experience.

the more i read this the more i thought “maybe i’ll like one of these characters eventually.” but i went through the whole book just. not liking any of them. i kept checking how far into it i was and seeing the percentage go up and being shocked that no character grew on me. that i continued to not like some of the writing choices. and i just was not enjoying the read at all.

and i just?? i didn't want to root for lara. i didn’t want to root for jasmine. even during the flashbacks to “then” i wasn’t into it. i do think chase deserved much better too like......idk i just don’t think you should enter a relationship if you’re harboring feelings for someone else. you don’t have to explain yourself but just. yeah. also shannon sounds like the literal worst?? the friend group sounded like the kind of friends i would be counting down to graduation to drop. like i imagine kiki graduated and never talks to them again they were just. ugh. i get that not every character has to be likable. but can i have like 1 that was??

also the words “horny” and “libido” were used too many times for my taste. i’m all for sex positivity in ya but just. some of it in this one just annoyed me oops. i’ve seen some reviews mentioning how there’s some diversity checklist going on and i saw that as well. mentioning race for insignificant characters. “non-binary friend.” didn’t come across the right way to me.

i usually love stories told non-chronologically but something about this didn’t work for me?? i think there’s a way to weave timelines and this wasn’t really it.

this one just wasn't for me! I snagged several books when they were read now to try new authors and this one didn't work out. Thanks for letting me try.

DNF @29%

I really appreciate that this book delves into the bisexual crisis, as a bi person, I get the problem of being attracted to both men and women, so reading a book that has a love triangle with one girl being in love with another girl and a guy at the same time really hit home with me. And just so you know, the love triangle trope isn't one of my favorites, but seeing it done in this way really made me happy.

Now you may be wondering why I've decided to DNF this book if I like what its main thing is, and well, I just really hate all of the teen drama stuff. I don't know, that's obviously a personal preference, but I really hate it when the whole crux of a book is hinged on random petty drama. So, yeah, I was already really annoyed with all of that, and I also didn't enjoy any of the characters. They all came across to me as super privileged and stuck-up, and the whole friend group thing that was happening made me quickly decide that this wasn't going to be the book for me.

All in all, good overall theme but not personally my taste. I would still recommend this book to people though because I know that this is the kind of book that other people will enjoy!

There's just something about YA, I'll never stop reading it! I recently finished Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler as part of a buddy read, and I loved it! Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy!

Lara returns to her senior year of high school after spending a long summer at the beach. She's suddenly getting the attention of her years' long crush, Chase, the football team star. Enter Jasmine, the girl she spent the whole summer with and developed feelings for, the girl who was supposed to return home to live with her mom (major Grease vibes in this scene). While it seems Lara has everything she wants, she's popular, is dating the star football player, and has a great group of friends, she can't stop thinking of Jasmine. She has two crushes with lots of feelings to process.

Cool for the Summer was a fun and quick read, I'll definitely pick up more from Dahlia Adler (her next one sounds like it's going to be amazing!) I felt young while reading it, and at times, the dialogue reminded me of talking with my younger sisters. It was a great coming of age story and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA.

Things I Loved:
-Great Representation
-OBX Setting
-Flashback timeline
-Main character who works in a bookstore

Rounded up to 4.5 stars.

This book came up on my radar as part of an OwnVoices Jewish book post on Instagram (thanks Kayla!) but I had forgotten what it was about by the time I had started reading it. So imagine my surprise once I actually started reading it! I ended up enjoying so much about this book.

It’s got a love triangle, which isn’t usually my favorite, but this one has a twist — Lara has the guy and is pining for the girl she was with over the summer. It was done really well, and got me over my general dislike for this trope. The only thing that I didn’t love about this book was the way that the Lara-Chase relationship came out. Lara has had a crush on Chase for years, but he hasn’t really seemed to acknowledge her existence until this year. Suddenly, he’s interested in her, and it felt a little like insta-love on his end since it came out of nowhere.

Lara was the kind of character that I love to read about. She’s self-aware, and knows her strengths and flaws. But spending the summer away from everything, and having new experiences in the Outer Banks, she realizes more about who she is without the cushion of her usual friends. Lara becomes more independent and confident, while still staying true to who she is. Once she gets back home, she realizes that out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind. And on her first day of school, she realizes that Jasmine isn’t even out of sight, since she’s now attending the same school.

“I love my friends at home — how much fun we have and how much we push each other and are there for each other — but here I feel like … I get to be and do other things. I don’t have to know exactly who I am and what I want. I’m a summer girl, living my highlight reel. Maybe I don’t want anything realer than that.”

The story included a ton of diversity. Main characters are from different sects of Judaism, with Lara being Ashkenazi since she’s of Russian descent, and Jasmine being Sephardi since she’s of Syrian descent, and it gives a little insight into Sephardic traditions. There’s also characters of multiple ethnicities, as well as gender and sexual identities. It was intriguing to see Lara explore her own sexual identity, since it seems like her crush on Chase has been such an integral part of her persona and interactions with her friends for years.

There’s also something to be said about a character who loves books, works in a bookstore, and dreams of being a writer. I really enjoyed reading about Lara and her friends, and this book was a really great one. I highly recommend it.

This was such a cute book! This book follows Larissa who has been defined for most of her life by being hopelessly in love with Chase who is the most popular boy in school. All she does is dream about being with Chase, but when she spends the summer in Outer Banks and develops feelings for Jasmine, she is confused by her feelings. When she gets back to school, Chase is suddenly interested in her, but Jasmine is also at her school now and she is so confused.

I loved this story and think so many young people can relate to how Larissa was feeling throughout this book trying to figure out herself and her emotions and attractions. I loved the bookish aspect and really loved both Chase and Jasmine. The Jewish representation in this book was such a great aspect of the story and was actually really informative and almost compared different sectors of Judaism and I thought it was such a cool aspect of the book.

I did get confused with the dual timeline format just because we were switching from now and then, but sometimes it was the now sections that were revealing what happened then and it definitely made me a little confused at times. I also thought a lot of the conflict in the book could have been resolved just with communication and I always just think so much could be solved when characters just have a simple conversation. Overall, I really liked the book and would definitely recommend.

Larissa "Lara" Bogdan has had a crush on one person for her entirety of high school: Chase Harding, the handsome, beloved football quarterback. But it's not until she comes back from a summer at the Outer Banks that he seems to take real notice of Lara. Like, flirting, asking her out notice. Now, she suddenly has everything she's ever wanted. But Lara can't seem to shake her memories of that Outer Banks summer and the girl she spent it with: Jasmine. Those memories come back in full force when Jasmine unexpectedly shows up at Lara's school on the first day and sees Chase flirting with Lara. Lara finally has Chase now. So why can't she stop thinking about Jasmine?

"How do you tell people who've listened to you babble about your crush on a guy for a thousand years that whoops, you spent the summer fooling around with a girl?"

Oh goodness, this was a great book. I'm so jealous there are so many wonderful YA LGTBQIA books out there now, which I would have devoured as a teen, yet incredibly happy too. I absolutely loved Lara as a character. She's sweet and bookish (addicted to romances) and in that stage where she's finding herself and coming out. It's hard not to relate to that. Adler's characters pop onto the pages--Lara, her mother, Jasmine, and Lara's cast of funny, overbearing, and loving friends. And even Chase, who is truly a good guy. (I appreciated that it wasn't "bad guy" versus "good girl" but two good kids, with their own personalities and flaws, whom Lara had to choose from.)

The book is told in a then and now format, starting out with Lara in high school and then flashing back to her summer in the Outer Banks with Jasmine. As someone who has spent some time in the Outer Banks, I loved the beachy setting, and the book just felt fun, summery, and exciting. You could feel the thrill of Lara and Jasmine falling for each other. It's so rare that we get this in our literature, and it brought back memories of my own first love and that fun, scared, happy feeling, along with all that uncertainly of realizing you were feeling these things for another girl. Adler captures it all so perfectly.

"If I somehow got Jasmine back--if I even wanted her back--what would it mean losing when everyone else found out the truth?"

The premise for this book is fascinating and lovely. Lara suddenly has everything she wants: she has pined after Chase for THREE YEARS. She comes back from vacation with a tan, a new haircut, and a newfound confidence (which no one knows the source of) and he suddenly takes notice of her. She should be in heaven--her friends certainly think so. Faced with having to make all these monumental life decisions, to realize whom she loves, and what she is--it's a lot. The book does such an excellent job of portraying bisexuality and the journey of figuring out who who you are. It's very well done, but also funny and witty. All the characters seem real and, for the most part, true to their age.

Overall, I loved this one. It portrays the queer community very well and does an excellent job capturing teens. The story is fun, sweet, and captivating. I feel like it would speak well to teens and adults who remember that spark of falling in love. I have to go read everything else by Adler now... 4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved Cool for the Summer. Like Lara, I'm also a bi woman who came to this realization later in life than many of my peers. This book rang true on so many levels for me and I"m so excited for this book to be out in the world. It's an incredible rollercoaster of emotion and love.

"Here I feel like... I get to be and do other things. I don't have to know exactly who I am and what I want. I'm a summer girl, living my highlight reel. Maybe I don't want anything realer than that."

I've been reading more YA lately (#bookstagrammademedoit) and enjoying a lot of the books although as a mother of almost 13-year-old twins (one of whom has very mature taste), I find myself looking at them through a filter of how I would feel if my kids read them. This is one that not only would I be okay with, I'll definitely be buying for them so we can discuss. (In an odd role reversal, I like to read ebooks but my kids insist on physical copies.)

Cool For the Summer takes its name from the Demi Lovato song about being bi-curious and experimenting over the summer so you can guess where this is going. Lara is heading into her senior year of high school with one goal - to finally land Chase Harding, the guy she's been crushing on for as long as anyone can remember. On the first day of school, not only does Chase notice her, but he flirts with her! Lara is on cloud nine until a new girl walks in, taking Lara back to a summer spent on the beach with a totally different kind of crush. With her summer fling, Jasmine, now part of her everyday life, Lara finds herself stuck in a love triangle with the boy of her dreams and a girl she never dreamed she'd see again.

Things I liked about this book:
1. The gender and sexual inclusion. The main storyline is bi/bi-questioning and there are gay, non-binary and aroace characters as well and it's no big deal.

2. The Jewish representation. Both of the main female characters are Jewish - Lara is Russian and Jasmine is Syrian - and while religion doesn't play a huge role, it was nice to see it portrayed so matter-of-factly.

3. It's bookish. Lara is an aspiring writer and works in a bookstore and she and Jasmine share their love for romance books and graphic novels with the other

4. No one's perfect. This may be about a group of popular girls but they all have their own insecurities and issues.

This is a quick read and a different take on a coming-of-age story that I highly recommend.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a copy to review.

Larissa (Lara) begrudgingly joins her mother in the Outer Banks for the summer, and falls hard for her new roommate, Jasmine, who just happens to be her mother’s boss’ daughter. Lara has never had feelings for a girl before, and the whirlwind romance makes her head spin with questions about the seriousness of the attraction, her sexuality, and what happens next. But, it doesn’t really matter, right? Jasmine’s going back to her mom’s in Asheville and Lara’s returning to Suburban New York, and long distance never works anyway. When Chase Harding, quarterback on the football team and object of Lara’s affection for years, finally begins noticing Lara, she feels like she’s got it made. Until Jasmine walks through the door of Stratford High.

Things I loved: There was some stellar representation in Cool for the Summer. Lara’s always just assumed that she’s straight, and seeing her internal struggle with figuring out how to label her sexuality following a singular attraction was a point of view I haven’t often seen. There are multiple Jewish characters and there is diversity within the expressed Jewish experience (Lara’s family is Russian and secular, Jasmine is Syrian and her mother has weekly Shabbat dinners). Sexual encounters involved spoken consent (even if there was internal ambivalence). I loved Kiki the most and want a follow up book centering around her podcast. Please.

Things that didn’t work for me: I want to start by saying how thrilled I am that we now live in a world where there is enough bisexual representation in literature that I can nitpick a book about a bisexual love triangle. I wish this book existed when I was a teen. That said, I am very much not a teen, run in a pretty queer-friendly circle in a progressive part of the world, and work with teens that tend to be pretty fluid in their labeling, so there were times that Lara’s questioning made me scream internally at her for how fixated she was on the label rather than the emotional experience (I fully embrace that my experience is not universal). I wish we had more backstory about Lara’s crush on Chase, because even though he was a mostly a really good guy (with a biphobic comment or two thrown in), he never really felt like a viable option. I didn’t believe that there was anything about Chase that really made this a question for Lara, making it less of a love triangle and more about a struggle with her own internalized homophobia. As a result, there wasn’t a lot of tension, and a lot of the conflict centered on assumptions and miscommunication. As other reviewers have mentioned, the fact that every characters race and sexual orientation was mentioned at the Outer Banks party scene, but very little of that played into the story in any meaningful way made it feel a little inauthentic in terms of rep.

Because I’m old, I didn’t realize that this book shared a title with a Demi Lovato song, and didn’t think anything of it until the last time it was mentioned. Listening to it helped put the whole story in perspective. I thought this book was fun, will be a great summer read, and think it’s one that teens will enjoy more than adults. I would recommend readers anticipate that this is more about identity than about romance. Even though this wasn’t perfect for me, I still think it’s important and relatable, and something librarians, educators, and bookshops should make sure is on shelves.

Lara has been in love with Chase Harding for as long as she can remember. He makes up most of her senior year bucket list. So why is it that she can’t stop thinking about the girl she spent her summer with?

Told between present day and flashbacks, we see Lara finally get the guy of her dreams while also discovering what happened during her life changing summer. It’s a book of friendship, new love, and self discovery.

❤️ What I enjoyed:
- The diverse cast of characters from race to religion to sexual orientation
- The summer flashbacks. It’s wild and free and somewhat nostalgic.
- Watching Lara figure out who she is and what that means for her future and the people around mean

💔 What I didn’t enjoy:
- As much as I appreciated the diversity, it almost felt like a checklist to fit in as many diverse characters as possible. Some were very minor and never seen again.
- Lara’s friends and Chase Harding. I could never understand why she even liked Chase aside from his popularity. I guess I just didn’t feel a connection to any of them.
- The lack of communication. Sure, YA is often built on that but it wasn’t just between the love interests, it was between everyone.

So, while I struggled to connect with this one, I bet a lot of you will really love it. If this is your type of book, I hope you still give it a try. It’s nice to see more books about young adults questioning and exploring their sexuality.

Lara is living the good high school life. She got s group of cloys efriends, a crush on the quarterback and is looking forward to her senior year. And then her mom forces her to spend the summer in the Outer Banks (Mom has to work) and Lara's life shifts. She'd been planning on working gin a bookstore all summer. Now she's living on the beach and has a beautiful female housemate, Jasmine. IT ends up being a fabulous summer for Lara and Jasmine. But when they say goodbye, it's goodbye, right?

Right. Except on the first day of HS, Jasmine walks in the door like she owns the place. And Chase is flirting with Lara. Chase is all she ever wanted, right? These are her dreams come true, right? Lara's not sure anymore, and Jasmine's presence is confusing, especially since Jasmine doesn't really acknowledge Lara or their connection.

The story is told from Lara's perspective and switches between Then (Outer Banks and summer) and Now (current HS experience). It felt realistic to me as Lara struggled with who she is and what she wants. I didn't really love any of the characters, but I did enjoy their journeys, connections, and reflections. This felt like more a coming of age story than a romance for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was so much fun reading YA romance Cool for the Summer with @lovearctually.

Larissa has been in love with star football player Chase Harding for years. When he finally notices her on the first day of senior year, it’s like a dream come true. But Larissa spent the summer hooking up with her mom’s boss’s daughter Jasmine. Larissa never thought of herself as anything other than straight, and the two never defined their relationship. They didn’t need to. Jasmine was supposed to be back at her own high school where her mom lives. Except—in an ode to Grease—she shows up at Larissa’s school. What’s a girl to do?

While Larissa is navigating a possible relationship with Chase, her romance on the beach with Jasmine is told through flashbacks.

Things I liked about this book. I loved the representation. It was great to see a teen trying to figure out her sexuality. I’ve read a lot of coming out stories, but can’t think of a ton like this one where the attraction comes as a surprise. There was also great everyday Jewish representation which is something I’ve been thinking about more. It wasn’t a plot point, just part of the every day lives of the characters. I also liked how the reactions of the families and friends were handled, and the book was definitely well written with a great teen voice.

There were some things I didn’t love as much, but to be really clear, these are very me issues. The story was ultimately about a bunch of attractive popular kids which is not really my thing. I was a geek, and I’m drawn to geeky, awkward characters. I found the emphasis on looks and clothes a little boring. The flash back structure lacked a little tension for me because the reader already knew what happened. Flashbacks tend to be more successful for me in a mystery. Ultimately, the tension of the book was a little off throughout because it was pretty clear where Larissa’s heart was. But even as I type that, I realize that’s often true in a romance.

I’d recommend this one to readers, especially teens, looking for some diversity in their LGBTQ+ reads.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Wednesdaybooks for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

A heartfelt and funny insight into self-discovery and sexuality, Cool for the Summer will definitely be a recommended summer read. While I had a few issues surrounding the almost tick-box diversity and dislike of the miscommunication trope, I definitely enjoyed gobbling this up in two sittings. One other thing I had an issue with was how quickly Larissa and Chase’s relationship moved and how strange it was that he went from barely noticing her to being obsessed. Maybe this was because I was really rooting for the sapphic couple, but I found a few of their interactions and scenes a bit cringe, but overall I quite enjoyed reading this.

I was definitely drawn to this book because of the title and the cover. The title “Cool for the Summer” is taken from Demi Lovato’s song of the same name. Without even knowing what I was getting into I knew I wanted to read this book because I just really Love Demi!

The story is about a senior named Larissa. She is coming back to school after spending the summer with a different girl named Jasmine. But when she comes back she’a all about Chase Harding. The book is told through present day and flashbacks, and chronicles Larissa’s journey in discovering more about herself and what she wants.

I debated for a while whether this was a 3 star book or a 4 star book. I ultimately decided on 4 stars because I feel like I might be critiquing too hard. I am not a romance novel fan. But because I’ve read a couple of stand out ones in the past I keep hoping I’ll find another. Very early on I knew how this book would end so I wanted to DNF early on and then again at the halfway Mark, but I am glad I stuck it out.

My favorite parts of the story were the interactions between Larissa and Chase, and then with Larissa and Jasmine. Since I’m more of an action oriented person I found the descriptions too long. There was something about the narration that I didn’t like. But I did certainly love all the confrontations! I was like 👀 for all of the juicy parts.

Speaking of descriptions I noticed very early on that this book was very diverse. But instead of it feeling organic it felt like a check list to make sure one of every type of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation was stated. I feel that this took away from some potentially really important moments for the main character. Since Larissa is a minority and coming to terms with her bisexuality I feel like there could have just been more there.

Another problem that I had with this book is the time period. There were some details that made me think this book took place in 2016 and some others that took place in 2020/21. (This is probably really picky though.) I also understand that it is hard to write in present day because trends do change really fast so it is nearly impossible to make it feel 100% current.

Ultimately I decided to give this book 4 stars because I liked how major plot points were revealed. Even though it was slow at parts I did enjoy this book. Overall I think this is a book I think is needed for YA audiences and I can see this book being really helpful to a lot of young people.