This was a good YA book. A bit tough to get into in the beginning, but the story and characters built up before it was finished. Good ending.

I adored this book! I loved seeing a bi main character and her very real struggles with knowing/accepting this about herself. There was also a lot of other representation here: Jewish main characters, a nonbinary character, and asexual/aroace rep just to name a few. I've seen some reviewers say this felt like a "diversity check list," but I didn't get those same feelings. It felt real because this amount of diversity the reality of so many young people today.

Lara's relationship with Chase was probably the least believable part of the story for me. Yes, she crushed on him for years but I was not sold by his sudden, insta-love once Lara returned from her summer. The main conflict would have been resolved with better communication skills, which felt a little frustrating to read, but these are teenagers! This is exactly what teenagers do! Still, Lara's journey of self-discovery felt very real and I'm sure this will resonate with so many young readers who might be confused about their sexual identity.

Overall, this was CUTE. I'm so glad I read this! There's some serious soul-searching but also some good warm and fuzzy feels in the end. This book will be published on May 11th 2021!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"I solve my problems and I see the light
We got a lovin' thing, we gotta feed it right
There ain't no danger we can go too far
We start believing now that we can be who we are
Grease is the word..."

The Grease theme song by Frankie Valli fits this story so well. Except, maybe, bisexual is the word.
Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler is basically a modern day Grease retelling featuring two bisexual girls, and I AM HERE FOR IT! It was such a sweet story, and it covers hard topics. Not only is sexuality a major part of this story, but there are also references to things like divorce, teen sex (no graphic or detailed scenes, mostly just insinuations or very brief, vague descriptions), self-discovery, and being yourself around your friends.

Lara's mom works for Jasmine's dad, and therefore they are all sharing a house for the summer in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Lara and Jasmine become friends and start hanging out everyday, but one night, things get more intense and Jasmine kisses Lara. From that point on, Lara can't stop thinking about Jasmine, what it means that she kissed a girl, and most importantly, if Lara liked it, does it make her bisexual?

The summer surges on and Jasmine and Lara continue hanging out. Sometimes they make out, sometimes they don't. But they never discuss it, or what it means. Is Lara learning who she really is, or is this just some summer fling secret that happened because they were bored?

As the summer comes to a close and Lara is headed back to New York to start her senior year of high school, she feels confused and a little alone. She has this big secret that she can't talk to anyone about, except Jasmine, but Jasmine is going back to Asheville, North Carolina where her mom lives. Lara tries to push the memories out of her head and focus on Chase, the hunky quarterback of the football team she has been crushing on for the past six years. Out of sight, out of mind with Jasmine, right?

Not exactly. The school year rolls around and Chase is suddenly really into Lara. What a dream come true! But as Lara is getting her flirt on with Chase, she sees Jasmine stroll into her school.
Wait, what? Jasmine is supposed to be in Asheville with her mom. What is she doing at Lara's school in New York? Lara is thrown for a loop and tries to process what is happening, and waiting for a chance to talk to Jasmine.

As the story goes on, Jasmine and Lara can't seem to get connected like they were over the summer. They both seem to be more into boys and parties instead of each other, and Lara is even more confused than ever. She has Chase, so why is she still so caught up on Jasmine? If Lara is still thinking about her, and the summer they spent together, what does that mean? Why does Jasmine seem so cooled off now that she is back around Lara? Was it just a summer fling for her?

I loved everything about this story. The characters felt real, the confusion and emotions of teenage love felt accurate. I could see Lara growing and becoming more independent as the story went on. I was cheering for her and Jasmine throughout the entire book, hoping they could somehow figure out what they each felt over the summer and what they wanted now that they were reunited (Chase who?)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't typically read LGBTQ books. I don't have much in common with the characters most of the time, so it makes it hard for me to connect emotionally. But Adler nailed it with this book, and I had strong emotions throughout. Mostly frustration, because teenagers are finnicky and frustrating, but I also felt how devastating some of the events and conversations were too. I thought that high school drama and love and friendships were perfectly portrayed.

I devoured this book in a day. I loved it that much. It was just such a cute, sweet, flirty story and regardless of how you identify, there is something in this book for everyone. I have a feeling this will be a big hit this year. Look for it on shelves May 11, 2021.

5 stars from me, recommended to everyone!

Book Review for Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Cool for the Summer's blurb didn't really sell it to me (and I started off somewhat skeptical by how it would showcase bisexuality) but boy was I surprised by the small smiles this softly breezy, semi-serious book stole from me. The dual timelines that daintily and deliberately thread together the dawning dalliances between Larissa and her two courters - affaires du cœur that are as different as night and day - are well-drawn to convincingly convey the course of her character development as she deals with the connectable confusion and cop-outs in coming to terms with her conflicting crushes. That both Larissa and Jasmine find themselves in unfamiliar waters with facing their fledging feelings is weaved fittingly into the unfolding drama, and the respective family dynamics are winsome and full of warm-hearted details (though some of the friendships described are fairly dodgy and less well-disposed, and Chase wasn't far from forgettable even before they drifted apart). The nonchalant aroace and nonbinary rep and on-point pop culture references (both girls are stoked about gay graphic novel series, with special mention shelved for my own much-beloved Goldie Vance, Lumberjanes and Mooncakes!) are nifty and nicely-done, but it was the authentic allusions to all things Russian (from pelmeni and pirozhki to turns of phrases and politics from the motherland) that really sweetened the pot for me, since it's remarkably similar to my own mum's relationship with her home country, and I'm quite chuffed at having stumbled upon a story that catches onto cultures close to my own heart.

I enjoyed this one! It’s usually a hit or miss game for me when I read books about high school-aged love stories, but I liked this one.

Larissa (Lara) is back from summer vacation in OBX, and finally gets the guy she’s been crushing on for years. But seemingly out of no where, her unexpected summer romance pops into her everyday life back at school and she’s basically ignoring her. The story dives into why and what happened with Jasmine over the summer. It was a cute story.

My only beef is that as someone that spends every year going to the Outer Banks, a bit more research and real places could have gone a long way...but I think everyone who reads about somewhere they know so well feels that way.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC! I quite enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance. Larissa as a character was someone I wanted to root for and I enjoyed all the people surrounding her; for a shorter novel, I feel we got to know them all pretty well. I liked the idea of her exploring her sexuality rather than just knowing instantly, and I could feel the sizzle between her and Jasmine. I also feel many YA romances center around college choice and I’m glad that was not as much a focal point in this, even if they were seniors. Looking forward to more from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated 2021 reads and it delivered!! Also, the cover is stunning and it really reflects the soul of the book.

Lara has been obsessed with Chase Harding for YEARS and after a summer that changes everything, he finally start noticing her and flirting with her too. Lara's life couldn't be more perfect then, she has amazing friends, a fun job and the boy of her dreams. Except that in the summer, she met a wonderful girl, Jasmine, that makes her question everything about herself. And when Jasmine walks through her high school doors declaring that she will stay permanently, Lara is faced with a choice: she either needs to be honest with herself or completely forget the best summer of her life.

I LOVED Lara and Jasmine, and all the other characters too. Usually in books when you have a group of friends, their only personality trait seem to be "the best friends of the main character". In this case, they were all well-rounded, with their own interests and their own stories. I also really appreciated how diverse they all were.

I loved the cheerful and humorous atmosphere and the writing was so descriptive and fluid that I felt like I was in the story with all the characters.

Dahlia Adler's writing is fun, romantic and reflective and her distinctive voice made this one a very special book.

I highly recommend this to any YA lovers, especially those who are still looking to find themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

Cool For the Summer is a beautiful story about discovering one’s identity and recognizing one’s self worth. Lara is forced to spend the summer in the Guest House of her mother’s employer in the Outer Banks where she meets Jasmine. They have an incredible summer together but it all comes to an end when schools starts again. When Lara walks in on her first day of school, her long time crush starts showing interest due to her newfound confidence. It all feels like a dream come true until a new student walks through the door, it’s Jasmine.
I really enjoyed the past/present timelines as it feeds the depth of the relationship to us slowly and just when we need it.
I truly hope that this provides a realistic reading for those who have ever struggled with their identity and/or sexuality and empathy to those who have not.
I only had a few issues with the book that others have pointed out where some of the diversity aspects felt a little forced and there was a chance to talk about a possible non-binary character and to educate the group of friends on it but the comment just fell flat.

cw: biphobia, underage alcohol consumption, divorce, sexual content.

more of a 2.5 rounded up.

I really wanted to love this book because the story it tells is important and it certainly has to be told. However, there were some questionable moments. Every time a character was introduced, their race/ethnicity was mentioned without it adding anything to the story and then it was never mentioned again, which felt a bit like the author was playing diversity bingo.

Another comment that didn't sit well with me was the "non-binary-friend" one, when talking to someone's partner that is nonbinary. Isn't partner a word anymore and I missed the memo? I know it wasn't used in a negative way, but it's still a pretty weird thing to say.

I loved reading about Lara's process of self-discovery and coming to terms with her feelings. The emotional moments were well balanced with light-hearted, funny moments and that worked well! It also jumped from the present to the past, which made the book fun to read. The time skip was well done, as it wasn't confusing at all.

The writing was not my favourite, especially in the beginning - there are a couple sentences that were half a page long for no reason. So the book was hard to get into, but it picks up after the few first chapters and the writing gets better. I do have to mention this gem of a quote: "(...) Chase, tall and lean in his navy-and-white uniform, with biceps so beautifully carved I want to lick them."

Besides the main character, none of the characters felt developed enough. Jasmine was the one that had some personality, otherwise everyone had one main trait and that's it. Chase especially was there just to be the "good" guy that everyone wants and that's about it. There is no depth and we're constantly told he's so good and perfect without much to prove it. Their romance was a bit forced because he started liking Lara out of nowhere and they didn't have any chemistry. So all he added to this book were his beautifully carved biceps.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was quick and fun book, I loved Lara and her coming to terms with her sexuality. I would not call this love triangle, because one side is underdeveloped. Jasmine and Larissa are cute but heavily on a miscommunication.
If you need a soft queer love story look no further.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, immersive read. It's the best kind of YA - the teenagers are teenagers (even if they do have a little leniency I never had), full of that confusing time of trying to figure out who you are and who everyone else is. It was such a fresh romance, too. I appreciated that the author made Chase a really good guy and that this wasn't about Lara figuring out that her boyfriend was a dud. It let the romance between Lara and Jasmine really take off in a meaningful way.

Will definitely be recommending this one for a great summer read!

Adorable, lovely coming of age book, I so appreciated the representation here and the main character's journey warmed my heart. Definitely a read I wish I had in high school. I think this is going to be the next big YA contemporary - at least, thats what it deserves

I adored this book. It’s the bi love triangle I didn’t know I needed. It’s cute and angsty and so much fun.

Larissa has always had a crush on Chase Harding, the kind, handsome quarterback. When she arrives the first day at school with a new found confidence, it seems like he’s finally paying attention to her. He’s even flirting with her! But their blossoming relationship is threatened by the memories of the beautiful and confusing summer Larissa spent being friends (and then more than friends) with Jasmine. Jasmine, who should be far away from New York, but instead walks through the front doors of their school without a warning.

The story is told in two alternating timelines: the summer Jasmine and Larissa spent together, and the beginning of the school year. The author manages to keep you engaged from the very first page, intriguing you with both the start of Jasmine and Larissa’s relationship and the messiness of the “Now” timeline.

This premise could have resulted in so much unnecessary drama; I’m so glad it didn’t. The plot is centered on Larissa discovering herself and processing her feelings about what happened that summer. Larissa has a very strong voice as a narrator, and I was rooting for her since the very first page. She’s such a relatable character, funny and confident, but also confused, so very confused.

We follow her journey of self-discovery, and reading her internal monologue was exhausting but in a good way. She’s trying so hard to deny her feelings, because that’s what heteronormativity does to you. I went through a very similar process, thinking “If I like guys, then I’m not gay”. But that’s not the only option, my dear, and I just wanted to hug Larissa and tell her she would eventually figure it out, like I did.

Also, I loved Jasmine. Every single time she appeared on the page I was as mesmerized by her as Larissa was. In the summer section, when they were getting to know each other, I fell in love with her too. Chase is a genuinely nice guy, and I’m glad he wasn’t portrayed as the villain, but he lacks the spark that Jasmine has. Needless to say, I was screaming inside at every interaction Jasmine and Larissa had.

The side characters are not as well realized, and I would’ve liked to see more of Larissa’s friend group hanging out together. However, they were still interesting characters. I truly liked Kiki, and Shannon was a little bit of a bitch, but without falling into the “mean girl” stereotype.

Another detail that I very much appreciated is how Dahlia Adler twists “Cool for the Summer” and uses the song as an actual plot device. I can see she’s a fan of Demi Lovato, and I’m here for it.

All in all, this book made me immeasurably happy, and it deserves 5 stars just for that fact. It has perfect summer vibes, an addictive writing style, a relatable main character, a messy self-discovery journey and a cute romance at the center of it all. We deserve more stories like this one.

* This review will be posted on my Bookstagram account (https://www.instagram.com/july.c.books/) closer to the release date. *

Good book for teenagers that has LGBTQ aspects that are heartwarming to read about in YA Contemporary

COOL FOR THE Summer by Dahlia Adler is a bi-love-triangle Grease-inspired YA contemporary romance. After saying goodbye to Jasmine at the end of the summer, Lara is surprised to see her again on the first day of school and suddenly, her long time crush, Chase, might finally be into her as much as she's into him? Who does she end up with? But more importantly, who does she decide to be?

I particularly enjoyed that this story was told in different timeliness with flashes back and forward to keep both romantic relationships balanced and allow us to appreciate Laras conflicting feelings for her two love interests. Additionally, this book is excellent queer questioning rep that will surely meet many teens exactly where they are in their own sexual discovery.

I picked this up because I'm a big fan of Dahlia on social media, and I just loved the gem of a YA book -- a romance triangle with great bi rep!! And the exploration of sexuality is effortlessly woven in with all the other questions you have at that confusing point in your life about friendship and family and what the hell the future holds. And I loved the way the story was revealed through the dual timelines. Plus, you know any book inspired by Grease is going to be a lot of fun!

Cool for the Summer is a wonderful book examining how hard it can be to find yourself during high school and what it's like when you learn new truths about yourself.

It follows Lara, a high school senior, who catches the eye of the guy she's had a crush on forever. The problem with this is that Lara can't get Jasmine, the girl she spent the summer with, out of her had. Especially when she learns that Jasmine transferred to her school for her last year.

I loved how this book alternated between the past and present, as we learned about the summer Lara and Jasmine spent together and how it changed both of them.

This story explored how it can be challenging to be a young queer person that's story looks different from other queer peoples. I think Dahlia Alder does an excellent job of depicting what it's like to discover your sexuality.

Cool for the Summer is a great YA read that explores sexuality.

Cool for the Summer was a cute story with bi rep. The romance was a bit cliché at times, and very love triangle-y, but overall I enjoyed this. I would definitely read more from Dahlia Adler.

This was one of the books I was looking forward to most this year. It was a cute story overall but it really was a cliché romcom with a love triangle. It doesn't really do anything new in terms of formula. I did however like the portray of bisexuality as a bisexual myself. It was a lot of what I had experienced as a teen was reflected in Lara which made me relate to her character. I overall give this 3.5 stars. Cute story, quick read, would be enjoyed as a casual summer read.