Lara has always had a crush on one person – Chase Harding – the school’s quarterback and all around good guy. That is until she meets Jasmine the summer before senior year. Now that Chase is interested in Lara, why can’t she stop thinking of Jasmine? When Jasmine shows up at their high school for senior year, will Lara stay with the boy of her dreams or end up taking a chance on a different kind of love.

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler is a fun, young adult romance. I enjoyed the love triangle aspect and having a main character that is bi-sexual. Chase was my favorite character. He was so sweet and genuine, and I was rooting for him and Lara to stay together. I did not love Jasmine as a character. She was rude and standoffish, and I honestly could not see what Lara saw in her. I am a big fan of YA, but did find this one a little too full of teenage angst and drama for my liking. I do think the author did a nice job with showing how Lara figured out her identity and accepting herself.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator, Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job. She is becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Larissa is starting her senior year the way she always dreamed: she has the devoted attention of the star quarterback, whom she's had her eye on for years. So why, then, can't Larissa stop thinking about the girl she spent her summer with?

I really enjoyed this book, but only rated it four stars because I felt like it was too short. I would have loved to see a bit more depth. I felt like the relationship between Larissa and Jasmine was pretty well fleshed out, but it was hard to feel too much for Larissa's friends (with the exception of Kiki) due to a lack of development. Shannon is somewhat redeemed in the end but I spent most of the book wondering why Larissa considered her to be her best friend. Coming in below 300 pages, I feel like the writer had a lot of room to build more on the plot and on the characters. I won't be recommending this to my middle school students and probably wouldn't to high school students either, at least not in my official capacity as an educator, due to some fairly explicit sexual content. I do think this book did a great job exploring the confusion Larissa dealt with while trying to figure herself out.

A Grease-inspired LGBTQ+ teen romance. Summer Lovin' had me a blast

Lara has crushed on the school football star Chase or all of high school. So why when he flirts with her at the start of the new school year is she not 100% blissed out? Her mind keeps going back over her perfect summer where she met and got close to a girl named Jasmine. Things get even more bizarre and confused when Jasmine herself starts up as a student at school.

Lara is torn by her previous attraction to Chase and the "ideal high school relationship" that time with him offers and her undeniable connection with Jasmine. The problem is, Jasmine seems to be giving her the cold shoulder now.

This was a fun read. I liked the Grease inspiration and the plot of a high school girl coming to terms with her own sexuality. It was a fun summer YA read with a message.

What to listen to while reading...
Cool for the Summer by Demi Lovato
I kissed a Girl by Katy Perry
Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
Tongue Tied by Grouplove
Something in the Way You Move by Ellie Goulding

This book will be great for some people.

I am not a huge fan of love triangles.

This book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Lara has been obsessed with Chase for most of her life. He is the star of the football field and well liked by everyone. After an unforgettable summer for Lara, Chase finally notices her. She seems to have everything she has always wanted. But the reason for that unforgettable summer a girl named Jasmine has transferred to her school. Lara can't stop thinking about the summer and can't help wondering if everything that happened between her and Jasmine was just a summer fling that no longer translates. As her and Chase grow closer she still feels the pull towards Jasmine that brings up only more questions that answers.

This story was everything I want in a YA book. They often feel too slow or boring because they are clearly not written for me. But this was just perfect. I was intrigued the entire time and the time jumps between now and then were never confusing. Lara is a complicated character who feels real and the inner dialogue you have from her helps to further the story along. I will highly suggest this book to any teens looking for a summer read.

I received both a physical and audio arc for this book. I loved the narrator. She wasn't too fast or two slow and her voice kept you right in the story the entire time. It was overall well done and I will definitely be looking for more things narrated by this author.

I am so so glad I got to read this. There are far too few love triangle stories where the MC has to pick between one girl and one guy.

This story is told between the past, during which Lara first met Jasmine over the summer holidays, and the present, where Lara comes to find Jasmine attending her school all of a sudden, at the same time as her long time crush Chase has finally appears to notice she exists.

Lara begins dating Chase because that's kind of what she feels she's expected to do, especially after all the years that she's been talking about him to her best friends. He is adorable. It isn't even a choice between someone who isn't lovely and someone who treats Lara wonderfully. There are no bad guys in this novel, and it is all up to Lara finding out about herself and learning how to communicate that to those important around her.

No homophobia to speak of, although Lara does worry about this. All supporting characters are just lovely, adding to the overall good feel of this book.

It's an adorable story of coming out and being confronted with exactly what you want exactly when you don't want it. Add to that the misunderstandings that arise between Lara and Jasmine--largely because the two girls do not sit down and talk to each other and instead nurse their hurts--this is a really well paced and entertaining young adult novel.

Cool for the Summer is a charming, enjoyable book about friendship, sexuality, and so much more. Dahlia Adler beautifully weaves the story of Lara, Chase, and Jasmine. The characters were incredibly likable and the chapters alternating between past and present made the story addictive.

Adler does an excellent job handling Lara's sexuality and the realizations she comes to in her summer fling with Jasmine. I highly recommend this book, especially just in time for Pride month!

I Really Enjoyed It

I picked this up knowing I was going to enjoy it. Sometimes when I go into a book like that I’m more easily disappointed than if I go in blind – but that was not the case with Cool for the Summer. I’ve never read anything from Adler before but that will not be the case moving forward. This book was funny, cute, and gave me that good feeling you get when you watch a movie you really enjoy.

I think one of the things that I enjoyed the most was just the path of self-discovery that Lara goes through throughout the book. At first she’s basically obsessed with one person and one person only, Chase. But after a summer (that we find about through flashbacks) spent with someone else – she’s not only a changed woman, but she actually gets the guy she’s been pining over for so long. But now that she has him, it’s not everything she dreamed of. Or at least – she realizes that not everything can play out the way that it’s supposed to. I give Adler props for not making Chase the stereotypical jock that he could have been at any point during the story. I found him to be a really likeable person and honestly was rooting for him a few times as things progressed. But, that rooting only took place because he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, not because I thought that Lara should have stayed unhappy.

Jasmine as a character was fascinating as well. I liked the difference between her in the summer and her once the school year started. And the juxtaposition of how Lara was from summer to school. It was a really interesting plot point of the book that I think Adler absolutely nailed.

Overall, Cool For The Summer was an excellent read and a great way to kick of Pride Month for me (totally unplanned). Natalie Naudus knocks this one out of the park – giving Lara and Jasmine life and allowing them to really jump off of the page. And to be frank, I picked this book up knowing that Naudus narrated it. I thought I would enjoy it, but knew that she was going to knock it out of the park.

The perfect book to kick off summer with!

I loved the narrator and felt like she added so much more to this story. And dare I even admit that I wasn't annoyed by the love triangle even if it was a little messy...which is HUGE for me! Even though I flew through this I'm really glad to know that a book like this exists for teen readers who may be questioning their identity the way Lara was. I think a lot of young readers may find solace in that while reading this book.

This is a super fun YA romance that is perfect for summer reading. The main character (Lara) is possibly bisexual, Russian, and Jewish. One love interest (Chase) I believe is a white man who is probably straight and cisgender while the other main love interest (Jasmine) is Syrian, bisexual, and Jewish. The author is own voices for the main character.

This book was really fast paced and I finished it in just a couple days (I'm currently pregnant so that's a big deal for me at the moment). I do think it was a bit cheesy at times but it wasn't too much for me. Just something to keep in mind if you prefer your romance with a little less cheese factor.

That author said in an interview on Geeks Out that Betty by Taylor Swift, which came out after she finished writing the book, "is a shockingly dead ringer for the story." As a big Swiftie I am here for the comparison.

I loved this one! The love triangle was messy but awesome! Lara was such a great character that grew so much in this book. Jasmine and Chase were also amazing characters. I felt like The author did a great job of showing the complexity of not knowing who you are and what you identify as. I also have such love for the side characters. Lara had a great support system in her mom and besties! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the narrator for this one! She was the right combination of snarky and sincere. Her emotions helped make the story feel more alive.

I really enjoyed this. It's a fun light read with some good bi rep.

Lara had a surprise romance over the summer before returning home and to her long time crush. She's forced to learn what she truly wants. I surprisingly liked how the love triangle was handled. I loved Lara and was hooked on her story. I also really enjoyed how the author told the story alternating between the past and present, it flowed well.

This is a great summertime sapphic read about learning about yourself and your sexuality.

The narration was great, it really brought the story and characters to life.

What you always wanted may change over your life many times. Just keep your mind and eyes open for new options. This is what the book reminded me. This book talks about how one summer can change the world as you look at it and gives you a nice easy read for such times in our lives when what we had planed to happen doesn't.

This book was adorable.

When Lara starts her senior year she had no idea the girl she fell in love with over the summer would be walking through the door. To make matters worse Chase, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is finally interested in her. Lara's feelings have never been more confused than they are now. She thought what was happening between her and Jasmine over the summer was more experimental but the more time they spent together the more she started questioning if she was actually falling in love.

Chase has finally asked Lara out and she couldn't be more thrilled. She's up for going all in with him as far as dating, making out, and going to prom together but even though she's happy he's finally seeing her she can't help but feel like something is missing.

I enjoyed Lara's journey to self discovery. I liked the format between the past (her time with Jasmine over the summer) and the present (her conflict of feelings between being with Chase and seeing Jasmine again). I thought it was well done. I liked Lara's friends at home and the one's she made over the summer as well.

If you're looking for a fluffy YA contemporary romance than I would definitely recommend this one. I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was well done.

This book was SO MUCH FUN!!! I loved every single second of it. Such a great read for anyone figuring out their sexuality, without being a tough read. It was so accurate to the high school experience and the characters were all a great representation of teens these days. Definitely want to get myself a copy so I can reread it!

Cool for the Summer is YA book that explores self-discovery and love. Lara is our main character and its no secret that she has always had a crush on Chase Harding, who is a hot and sweet football star at school. And after three years of Lara swooning over him, Chase has taken notice. He has his eyes on her too now and Lara thinks that all her dreams are coming true, except why doesn't it feel that way?

Lara can't shake the events of the past summer. She found herself entangled in a confusing and romantic relationship with a girl named Jasmine. She is sent into a further tailspin when Jasmine shows up at HER school on the first day back.

This book wasn't perfect, but it has a lot of wonderful components. Lara's friends and mom were wonderful and realistic and I enjoyed Lara as our main character. I also really enjoyed the dual timelines with the present school year and going back to the summer Lara spent with Jasmine. Life is messy and gets even messier when everything we thought we wanted ended not being the case anymore. Definitley a quick and easy read perfect for Summer.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a fun, coming of age story with a protagonist coming to terms with her sexuality. I think that her journey of questioning what she likes is something we can all relate to.

I had a mixed reaction to this book. The main character is questioning her sexuality in a way that you don't normally see in YA books. I appreciated the author giving voice to the teen readers who are going through the same thing Lara did. My issue with the book is that it was particularly memorable. I didn't really care about any of the characters and I never really cared for what they were experiencing. I think there are some readers who need to see themselves in the book but other readers may find themselves not caring.

This was such a quick and fun listen. I really appreciated the inclusivity of not only having a bisexual character, but also a nonbinary character as well. I did have a little bit of trouble connecting with Lara, but appreciated certain aspects of her character. I feel like this was one of those young adult reads that is definitely more geared towards actual younger readers and I may be just a bit old for this. Still enjoyed and thought it was a cute storyline!