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Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson
3.0

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Ginny Masters and Jacqueline Potter, two hotel managers, make the decision to “swap jobs” for sixty days. Ginny leaves her bustling (and unfulfilling) life running a boutique Seattle hotel for Jacqueline’s family fishing lodge and Jacqueline gleefully trades in her never-been-touched waders for her high heels at the promise of a glistening city life. Over the course of a month, Ginny discovers a new part of herself– one that enjoys learning to fish and watching the stars, and slowly finds herself falling in love not only with the handsome guide but also the serenity of Idaho. Jacqueline, on the other hand, flounders spectacularly.

Told in dual perspectives JUST FOR THE SUMMER is one of those books brimming with possibility that just falls a little flat. While I loved Ginny’s story of finding personal happiness and new chapters– Jacqueline was not it for me. She was abrasive, annoying, manipulative, and self centered, with ALL of her character growth occurring in the last few chapters at an unrealistic speed. Some characters, in my humble opinion, are not worth redemption– or at least unearned redemption.

Additionally, this book took an unexpected turn at about the 67% mark into Christian Fiction. Which is fine, and on further investigation seems to be the author’s wheelhouse, but nothing in the story leading up to the moment made me think this was a religious romance.

All in all, JUST FOR THE SUMMER probably won’t be my favorite summer read– but it was a fun story regardless.