This is such a fun, summery read that perfectly matches the vibes the cover is giving off, and I absolutely flew through it. While I did find it a little lacking in some areas, my overall enjoyment definitely helped make up for it.

My favourite parts of the book were definitely the 'before' sections, I loved reading about Lara and Jasmine's summer with bold, beautiful Jasmine helping Lara step out of her shell and become her own person, rather than just standing in the shadow of her popular best friend. I loved seeing Lara's development, especially with her finally starting to gain the confidence to start writing her own book after being such a big fan of romance books. The connection between the girls felt real and they just fit so well together.

However, in the present timeline, Jasmine shows up at Lara's school and the dynamic between them is completely different, they avoid each other, and, in the words of the Taylor Swift song I currently have stuck in my head: "this is looking like a contest of who can act like they care less." I understand that the miscommunication trope was pretty central to the storyline but I wish it had been toned down a little, with them at least having some sort of friendship, but I really like the way things turn out in the end.

I didn't particularly care about Lara's relationship with Chase, he seemed like a sweet guy but despite the crush Lara had been harbouring on him there wasn't really much of a connection, and it was clear pretty early on the relationship wasn't a good fit. However, it does mirror an experience I had that was actually a huge part of me figuring out that I'm a lesbian, so it meant a lot to see that reflected in fiction, even if I didn't like the insta-love aspect with Chase going from mostly ignoring her to suddenly wanting to date her.

Something I've found frustrating in previous books that involve characters figuring out there sexuality is the line of thinking that goes "I'm not straight but I'm not gay either, I don't know what I am" without any mention of bisexuality, pansexuality, or any other similar identities. So it was really refreshing to see Lara considering that she might be bi, but also unsure if that's the right label for her, or if she even wants a label at all.

Overall this was a really fun, cute read that I would definitely recommend picking up when it comes out (pun not intended) and highly suggest reading during summer for the full experience.

Sharp, witty, real, and heart-strings-tugging. I was instantly sucked into Larissa's story and couldn't put it down. Adler weaves back and forth between the summer and the school year, building out things piece by piece as they are needed in a way that is satisfying and attention-grabbing. The content is light but the strength of the voice of the character made me want to find out what happens now. The rest of the cast of characters are well written, fleshed out, and interesting as well.

Genuinely sad to have finished reading it.

Fun read that explores bisexuality and has a diverse group of characters. Looking forward to recommending it to fellow readers that enjoy LGBTQ books.

This book has me squee-ing and shouting things like, “most unputdownable YA of all time” and “favorite book of 2021 so far!”

As soon as I started, I knew it was love. This is the type of book where the entire world completely dissolves while you are reading, and you are IN THIS BOOK NOW. There is no re-reading a paragraph while your mind drifts. All-encompassing and effortlessly engrossing.

Larissa has spent most of her life in unrequited love with Chase Harding. Not only is he their school’s superstar football player, but he is sweet, gorgeous and finally interested in Lara, too. The only problem is that Lara can’t stop thinking about the girl she spent the summer with.

I would have lost my damn mind if I read this in high school. (Why, you ask? Out of absolute utter jealousy that this book wasn’t my reality!) As an adult reader with young children, I am not necessarily the target audience for this book, but Lara’s voice, her multi-dimensional friends, perfect pacing, dialogue, plot—EVERYTHING was brilliant!

Add me to the list of *hopelessly devoted* fans of this book! Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press and Dahlia Adler.

This one was cute! It had some awesome representation, and was a bit cheesy, which I always expect from YA and love. However, some parts were just a bit too cringey for me. Still really enjoyed.

What an adorable book! I loved the characters and they actually felt like they were in high school, which I feel is a little more rare these days. I love the book is named after the Demi Lovato song and how that plays into the story. A great story about exploring yourself and friendships and how things change over time. Recommend!

It’s a new school year and Lara’s got it all - great friends, a good job, and the guy she’s been crushing on for years is finally paying attention to her! So why can’t she stop thinking about her secret summer fling with Jasmine? The same Jasmine who’s just moved to her school! Caught between her new romance with golden boy Chase and her confusing feelings for Jasmine, Lara must defy expectations and figure out what she really wants.

As you might expect from the bright and bold front cover, Cool for the Summer delivers a fun summer read. But it also does a good job of exploring first relationships, sexuality, and self-discovery which are all important topics within YA. The plot is cute and sweet, swapping between past and present timelines so we really get to see what went down between Lara and Jasmine over the summer, and how it’s affecting Lara’s feelings about her sexuality now.

On a more critical note, the writing style didn’t really do it for me. There’s a lot of telling instead of showing, and It came across as trying too hard to be “cool”. We never really get to know our main characters aside from what Lara observes about them and then tells us. I also cringed at the number of times Lara thinks about wanting to lick Chase’s muscles. Additionally, the way the diversity of characters is thrown in makes it seem like the author was trying to reach a quota. We needed to be told every minor character’s ethnicity and sexual orientation before literally never seeing them again.

Overall, it’s always nice to see a fun contemporary romance with a bisexual/bi-questioning MC. This is a sweet summer read if you don’t mind more cheese and less of the deep stuff.

For a young adult book, this one was pretty interesting to start. The characters were unique and relatable right off the bat. I felt like though this book could be a little too much for young adult in general, so proceed with caution there.

Unfortunately, this one was a disappointment.

A+ for the cover. It is absolutely adorable, and the depictions of the characters are exactly as described in the book. I'm tempted to get a physical copy of this just for the shelf-appeal and the Instagram potential. Also top-notch is the overall concept--a girl, Lara, (who has previously only liked boys) goes away for the summer, has a summer romance with another girl (Jasmine), but when she comes back for the school year she begins dating a boy....until her summer love suddenly reappears. It's a fun, classic setup, and it is fantastic to be seeing so much more representation in books for those that are attracted to more than one gender.

The execution is where this one fell apart. The plot as described above is basically the entire story, and every "obstacle" is completely in the main character's head. If Lara and Jasmine had ever ONCE spoken to each other in any way about their relationship, there would be no book. It makes it hard to root for them or be convinced that they have a shot as a healthy couple. Lara goes on quite a bit about how much of a better person Jasmine made her over the summer, how much more open and confident she is about herself, but there's no evidence of this. THEY CANNOT EVEN SPEAK TO EACH OTHER.

Also, the writing style was not it for me. It reads very much "HELLO FELLOW KIDS!", and it was difficult for me to push my way through. Admittedly, I am not exactly a young adult myself, so I am ready to be corrected by any actual teens, but parts of this were cringe-worthy. And I do credit the author for trying to include diversity, but there is this extremely awkward moment where Lara is describing a group of teens she meets at a party and she makes a point to list everyone's race and sexual orientation. It reads like the author is trying to help someone win a game of diversity bingo, and the majority of these characters never pop up again in any meaningful way.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this one, and the bones were there for a light-hearted summer read with excellent diversity, but ultimately this one just did not do it for me.

*eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5. Points for queer rep! Sapphic cuteness! Sex positivity! Questioning sexuality! Loved those aspects. But it fell flat in other ways - there was no conviction regarding Larissa's relationship with Chase. It totally came out of nowhere and him liking her made no sense when she seems like a bit of a nobody at their school. Also, the miscommunication trope is running wild here and you know I hate it! But I do slightly forgive it because miscommunication is a lot more believable when it involves a character trying to figure out her sexuality and not knowing how to read the signs. But still. Also, the POC rep felt pretty one-note and lazy, and Shannon was a shitty "best friend".

Larissa Bogden spent the summer before her senior year in high school in Outer Banks at her mom's boss's house. While there, she became intimate with Jasmine, the boss's daughter, despite having had a crush on Chase, the high school quarterback, for years. Now the new school year is starting, Chase finally seems interested in her, and suddenly Jasmine shows up on the first day of school.

I'm not normally a big fan of love triangles. However, this one works since it is more about Larissa figuring out who she is. I appreciated the focus on finding oneself and being confident as keys to being attractive. And.more, I appreciated that Larissa struggled with not fitting into a particular box or stereotype as she questooned her sexuality.

This books seems a good fit for a YA audience. It goes back and forth between the summer and fall, allowing us in to Laridsa's thoughts throughout.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

The title alone was enough to have me interested! If you're looking for a book that's got tons of drama but also a hefty dose of feel-good, this is a great read! It took me a bit to warm up to the characters, because at first they felt sort of superficial, but that ties into one of the book's themes of figuring out who people (and yourself!) really are. Stick with this one, because once the characters start to reveal themselves to the reader (and each other), you'll fall in love!

I love stories about girls figuring things out, even if it gets messy, and COOL FOR THE SUMMER really rang true re: the journey of questioning your sexuality when you haven't really before. I highly recommend this one!

Cool for the Summer is a sweet enough romance, centering on Lara, who has a summer fling with a girl, then returns to school to find that her longtime crush is interested in her. Like I said, it’s a sweet enough read — I didn’t actively dislike reading it, but neither did I really like it.

I think the major problem I had was that I never really worked out why I was supposed to be rooting for either of the relationships. Sure, the flashbacks were good to establish that Lara and Jasmine had had a relationship, but there didn’t ever feel like there was much more there than something maybe beginning. There wasn’t really the emotion to convince me that they could have gone somewhere.

And then there was Chase.

Maybe it’s me here but nothing about Chase made him seem remotely like a viable love interest. Okay so he was nice enough, but he didn’t notice Lara at all until she had a whole makeover over the summer and then he decided she was worth it. And that kind of shallowness stuck with me throughout their attempts at dating.

But I think maybe that shallowness was kind of indicative of the book as a whole. In trying to be a fun, summery romcom, it sort of lost a little bit in its characterisation. Not so much with Lara herself, but definitely with the side characters, none of whom felt particularly distinct.

Which then became a problem, because how am I supposed to enjoy a romance, enjoy the relationships, if I don’t have a proper sense of who the characters are. That wasn’t just a problem with respect to the romance, but also the friendships. I mean, I can tell you maybe one or two things about each of Lara’s friends — Gigi is obsessed with her boyfriend, Kiki runs a mystery-solving podcast, Shannon is a bitch — and really, not much else.

Which, I guess, is why this book as a whole just fell a little flat to me.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Just wow. Cool for the Summer was an incredible read. I picked up this book, because I thought the cover was adorable and I love the Demi Levato song. But I was completely blown away with the characters and their journey.

Larissa lives a fairly privileged life. She's part of the popular crowd and has finally caught the eye of her long time crush, Chase. Senior year is going to be the best. The only thing that can bring it crashing down is seeing Jasmine walk through the door of her high school out of the blue. The two spent the summer together in the Outer Banks and they share a secret that pushes Larissa to question everything she thought she ever wanted for her life. Told in then and now alternative timelines, Cool for the Summer explores friendships, relationships and what it means to be true to yourself.

This book totally exceeded all expectations. I loved it and read it in one sitting. First, I really enjoyed how the book switched back and forth between the then and now timelines, slowly revealing Jasmine and Larissa's relationships and just what they meant to each other. Second, I adored Larissa's core group of friends. They were hilarious and each friend held their own space in Larissa's life. Finally, Chase was such a great crush. He could have been portrayed as the quintessential dumb jock who's a jerk, but he was anything but. He was kind, truly loved Larissa and was an all-around stand up guy.

This story is so important to tell. Larissa is questioning her sexuality and is confused, because her struggle looks nothing like her other friends' experiences who are already out. It's not something she's always known. She's never had feelings for a girl before, has always been attracted to guys. So these feelings completely take her by surprise. She has everything she's ever wanted for her life, but it doesn't feel right anymore, She's afraid what her family and friends will think.

High school is a massive time for change and I remember feeling like Larissa felt during my senior year. You look around at your friends, what you think you want for your life, and you start to see that you've changed and your friends might not be changing along with you. Your core group of really potentially don't know you as well as you thought they did. As the story progresses, Larissa slowly starts to realize that she’s changed over the summer. Jasmine has helped her immensely. Everything about this book to some extent is relatable to growing up and trying to figure out your path in life.

I could continue to gush over this book, because I loved it that much. Some other highlights for me:
• Kiki’s podcast was amazing and I would totally listen to it if it were a real thing.
• The reference to Roanoke and Virginia Dare Day
• Jasmine's transformation of her own. She's more than what you see at the beginning of the book.

I was provided an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cool for the Summer follows Lara as she returns to school after a summer in Outer Banks, NC where she developed a relationship with a girl named Jasmine. Now that she is back with new hair and new found sense of self, she catches the eye of the star quarterback and her long time crush, Chase Harding. Everything about this year seems like it will be perfect, until it turns out that Jasmine has transferred to her school.

I had a good time reading this book. I enjoyed Lara's journey through the story as she starts to gain confidence in herself, direction, and learns to really go for what she wants in life. While her trying to figure out her sexuality is a major arc of the story, she also spends a lot of her time figuring out who she is outside of her relationships to other people.

The romance was cute and while I loved the moments of "then" where we get to see her and Jasmine figure out their feelings for each other, I couldn't help but get frustrated at how reliant the plot was on miscommunication. The entire time I just kept wanting the two of them to have even a single conversation. Chase was nice and a bit of a golden retriever boy which I love to see.

The worst relationship was between Lara and her best friend Shannon. I genuinely do not understand how the two of them stayed friends for as long as they did. Shannon was very unnecessarily mean to Lara so many times. I wish there had also been more of a conversation between the two of them because I felt like there was so much in the end left unsaid.

A lot of this story is very internal and introspective so while the plot doesn't drag, it wasn't exactly action packed. Most of the action seemed to take place during the "Then" moments. I liked that we did get those "now" vs "then" moments to see how Lara's relationship with Jasmine differed from her relationship with Chase. I did feel like the end was a bit rushed considering how slow burn the rest of the book was.

Overall, the book was a sweet romance that was fun to read.

4.5 stars. God, this is such an enjoyable read. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, since love triangles aren’t normally what I like to read about, but I’m happy to say this worked perfectly for me. Dahlia Adler’s writing leaps off the page with humor and heart. While I couldn’t relate to Larissa (Russian Jewish)’s status as a popular student (I was the opposite of popular in high school), I connected with the many facets of her self-discovery journey: her sexuality, her long-held desires, and her life goals. I love how Lara is shown as a confident person but also has her own unique insecurities. Her mental freak-out about her simultaneous feelings for both Jasmine (Jewish, half-Syrian and half-Irish) and Chase is palpable and left me on the edge of my seat. The scenery is magical – particularly at the Outer Banks beach house and at Lara’s place of employment, a bookstore-slash-café called The Book and Bean. (Yes, Lara is a huge bookworm! And the connections she makes over this are just so beautiful and wholesome).

I love that we see a large cast of characters. Each friend plays a role in the story, and I especially liked Lara’s friendships with her maybe-queer friend Kiki and her aroace friend Keisha. I like how, with the help of these friends, she slowly starts to deconstruct the idea that being queer isn’t normal. I also adore Lara’s relationship with her mom. Throughout the story, I could kind of guess where the end was heading, but I never knew for sure and had no idea how events would play out. My one complaint is that I wish we could have learned more about Jasmine. Her insecurities were discussed, but I just wanted a bit more depth to her. In short, this book felt very authentic and I will definitely be reading more by Dahlia Adler!

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler follows our main character Larissa “Lara” Bogdan as she returns to New York for her senior year of high school. After spending the entire summer away at the Outer Bank; Lara developed a friendship and relationship with Jasmine. With a near-perfect summer spent in a whirlwind romance with a girl she met on vacation behind her, reality begins to set in.

Back in New York, Lara’s new-found confidence cause others to take notice. After 3 years of admiring Chase from a distance, he starts flirting with her. But it doesn’t end there, Jasmine transfers to Lara’s school, and she’s forced to face all the unresolved feelings from the summer. Lara now has to navigate choosing between her longtime crush who might finally be hers or the girl she can't stop thinking about.

I found Lara’s journey of self-discovery to be well written and realistic. Although some of the characters didn’t come across as complex as others, they were all well-written. Overall it was a cute and casual read.


Cool for the Summer will be available for retail May 2021.

A special thanks to everyone at NetGalley , macmillanusa and wednesdaybooks for this arc.

Cool for the Summer follows Larissa as she returns from a fantastic summer with newfound confidence. When Chase, star football player, expresses an interest in her it seems that all her dreams are coming true. Only what if they aren’t? Larissa spent the summer with Jasmine, who suddenly shows up at her school. Jasmine seems content to pretend what they shared over the summer never happened, leaving Larissa to question what and who she truly wants.

My favorite part of this book is the representation around being bi and being questioning. I loved the exploration of identity and feeling unsure what labels fit or whether one even wants a label at all. I think this is so important to discuss and will really resonate with readers. There are lots of nods to the movie Grease, which I appreciated! The pacing seemed a little fast to me; I would have enjoyed seeing more about what happens after the ending scene. The plot also deals with miscommunication, which is not my personal favorite.

This is a sweet YA romance with a powerful message about self-discovery. The story flows quickly and I loved the premise behind it. I would definitely recommend picking it up! Cool for the Summer releases May 11, 2021. Thank you so much to Dahlia Adler, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me this arc. All thoughts are my own.

Cool for the summer explores a fun summer romance with a bisexual main character, the world building was excellent and the author dealed with the love triangle very well. The non binary rep was well and I loved it. Overall a good book to read in the summer and especially for teens.

Another book I wish I had as a kid when questioning myself and my sexuality. Seeing bisexual teen characters coming into their identities is so important and wonderful representation. This may have not been a perfect read for me but it is an extremely important book to have written. I loved the past and present timeline, I loved the MC, and I loved the representation. I didn't love the writing and I felt like the diversity in terms of race and ethnicity was thrown in to be "diverse" instead of in an inclusive well-written way. But all in all, love and an A+ cover!