REVIEW: When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

**I received an ARC from Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

Release Date: April 9, 2019

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary: Aiden Emerson is an all-star pitcher and the all-around golden boy of Riverton. Or at least he was, before he quit the team the last day of junior year without any explanation. How could he tell people he's losing his vision at seventeen?

Straight-laced Olivia thought she had life all figured out. But when her dream internship falls apart, her estranged mother comes back into her life, and her long-time boyfriend ghosts her right before summer break, she's starting to think fate has a weird sense of humor.

Each struggling to find a new direction, Aiden and Olivia decide to live summer by chance. Every fleeting adventure and stolen kiss is as fragile as a coin flip in this heartfelt journey to love and self-discovery from the author of Love Songs & Other Lies.

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This summer, I'm going to do what Emma said, and let loose. I'll let fate decide — one coin flip at a time.

When Summer Ends was such a cute read! It was a nice dose of summer in the middle of winter (when I read it). I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a lighthearted contemporary novel, or if you're a fan of Morgan Matson or Emery Lord.

I actually wasn't too into the author's debut, which was just a personal choice, but I liked this book so much better. The writing, to me, improved, and I was less annoyed by the characters. I'm excited for her future books now!

The couple had such great chemistry! I liked that this was Aiden's first relationship but not Olivia's; that was a nice role reversal. Their relationship development was so great too. I liked the pacing, especially because Olivia had just broken up with her boyfriend.

This book was told in dual perspectives, but the two characters' voices were distinctive. Also, they help each other deal with their problems. Aiden is losing his vision and has to quit the baseball team, of which he's the star player. Olivia has to deal with possibly moving away at the start of senior year and the return of her unreliable mom.

If you're looking for a cute, light, summer-y book, I totally recommend When Summer Ends!

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About the Author: Jessica Pennington is no stranger to the combination of love and drama. She’s a wedding planner, after all. A writer since the age of ten—when she sought publication for her poem about a tree—Jessica likes the challenge of finding the humor in a sad situation or highlighting the awkwardness in a romantic one. She lives in a Michigan beach town suspiciously similar to the one in her novel, with her husband Josh and their son, Rory. She is the author of Love Songs & Other Lies, and When Summer Ends (April 2019).

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