Reviews

When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington

magicalreads's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars

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

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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!

taykreads's review against another edition

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5.0

9/10. i loved this book! it had the perfect ratio of romance to other problems going on in the main characters lives. as usual, any romance that manages butterflies is a win in my book. additionally i’m in love with aiden emerson, and that is all

mel_and_the_backlist's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5 stars

When Summer Ends is told through alternating POV’s between Aidan and Olivia. This form of story telling really worked for this book and I loved both of their POV’s equally. I truly adored this book. It’s a fun, light, summery read.

The book starts off with Olivia’s POV. She is getting fitted for a bridesmaid dress for her boyfriend, Zander’s, sister. Olivia and Zander have been friends for a long time and then moved into dating a few years before our story begins. She is very close to Zander’s family and they almost treat her like a daughter, which delights Olivia as she doesn’t have a family like Zander’s. She lives with her aunt because her mom took off years ago and her father has never been in the picture. Every Summer she travels to Zander’s family’s lake home with him. Olivia believes she has the perfect life, she has her boyfriend, her boyfriends family, her aunt, and a job at a local paper for the summer. Right before Summer begins however, Olivia finds out that her aunt got a job in Arizona and she may have to move away. Determined to stay for her senior year, she asks Zander if she could stay at his house and he basically breaks up with her. He doesn’t think a long distance relationship is possible. He leaves for his family’s lake home right after this. Her life seemingly crumbles before her as the paper she was set to work for informs her that they are shutting down and she will not have the opportunity to work for them. This leads her to taking a job at the River Depot.

Aiden is the star pitcher at his school. He’s a junior like Olivia, but everyone talks about him. He’s known by his last name Emerson on the field. He also plays on the same team as Zander, Olivia’s now ex-boyfriend. During a game toward the end of their season he ends up getting hit in the face, and that bad game ends their season. Unbeknownst to everyone, Aiden is having vision problems and his eyesight cannot be corrected by glasses or surgery. Because of this he has lost his ability to drive and he decides to quit the baseball team right before summer begins. Aiden gets a job at his family’s business, the River Depot, for the summer and wants to focus on his art.

Aiden and Olivia meet at the River Depot and slowly begin to support each other and go through a whirlwind of a summer, exploring what it means to deal with love, life, loss, self-discovery, and starting anew. It is a wonderfully told story about the importance of honesty, being true to yourself, and how letting go of what you thought you wanted can help you find what was meant for you all along.

As someone who was born and raised in a small Midwestern town I adored the setting of this novel. I think Jessica really captured the essence of small town living and the magic of summertime. I really enjoyed the writing style as well as it made it very easy to just delve into the story and follow along with our leads.

I would have liked to see a little bit more out of the epilogue as it is very short and its only from Aiden’s POV. The side characters are quite lovely and add to the story as well. Despite that, this is the perfect cute summer read. I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Jessica, the publishers, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an ARC for this book tour!

diannateixeirabooks's review against another edition

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5.0

When Summer Ends is an adorable book. It was a sweet story with characters that had to face realistic life challenges. I am a sucker for a good sappy love story, but I like things to be sprinkled with some reality. Aiden has to face to reality of changing eye sight that may ruin his all start baseball future. Olivia faces the possibility of moving and the possibility of rebuilding a broken relationship with her mom who has been a very small part of her life. Olivia starts off summer learning that she will be moving by the end, her mother is coming to visit, and her long time boyfriend and best friend has called it quiets on their relationship. Having nothing else left to lose and deciding its time to try a different approach to live Olivia decides to take more chances and let fate take a bit more control. Many coin flips help Olivia and Aiden make choices on different summer adventures.

Pennington strung together a cute story that had me laughing, frustrated, and emotional, with a good dose of sappy happiness.

stephaloo's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a cute, fun, quick YA summer read! Enjoyed both Aiden’s and Olivia’s POVs as they became friends and struggled to come to terms with big changes in their own lives. Their friendship came right when they both needed it which I think aided in their relationship being so strong.

I had a lot of fun going on summer adventures with Aiden and Olivia. I also thought the River Depot was a cool summer job and the setting of Michigan Beach was perfect for a light summer read. I wish we got more from their coworkers because they had better potential of being fun side characters than the ones we got. I really did not like Zander or Emma.

I feel like if we got 50-100 more pages to flush out the ending a little more it would have made the story really great. I felt like everything with Olivia’s mom and Aiden’s eye condition was blown over. Both of those were pretty serious plot points and the story didn’t reflect that.

Overall I had a great time reading this book. It was a perfect addition to my end of summer reading list!

reggievirus's review against another edition

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4.0

I received this beautiful ARC from Tor Teen.

I love love especially YA. I wish I had a YA love or summer love. This actually caught me by surprise.

This book is so damn cute!!! I love Aiden and Olivia and I like that they had such a cute relationship. They felt natural and not forced and they just flowed together. I like how Aiden had other interests other then baseball and wanted to share that with her. I also liked how Olivia wanted to be apart of what he wasn’t doing and enjoyed it just as much as he did and she didn’t feel clingy or forced.

I do wish we got a little more background on his vision loss since that’s not something you usually see. It was nice to kinda experience what he was going through. I’m not sure if I wanted more background with Olivia and her mom or if I want to know how they end in the future, but I definitely wanted more. Also, I feel like there was more story missing for us with the ending and I need more!!!

I loved this though, and I can’t wait to buy it! Summer romances forever 💕💕💕

bookscents's review against another edition

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3.0

It was a cute little summery book! I feel like the characters could've been fleshed out a little more? But it was fun. Full review to come

wanderinglibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

Aiden, his school’s star baseball pitcher until life throws him a curveball in the form of vision loss, abruptly quits the team without explanation. Over the summer, he works at River Depot, his family’s outdoor adventure business and devotes his time and energy to finding an art form that inspires him. Olivia, who lives with the aunt who has raised her after her mother left to “find herself”, is dumped by her lifelong friend-turned-boyfriend Zander, loses a great job writing for a local newspaper when they are forced to sell the business, and finds out that she’ll be moving to Arizona at the end of the summer for her aunt’s new job. Desperate to salvage what she can of the summer, she begins work at River Depot and vows to focus on her writing.

Although Zander and Aiden’s were teammates, he and Olivia have to dispel misconceptions and acknowledge the break-up before they can begin to build a romantic attachment. As trust builds, Aiden reveals his vision loss and Olivia her family issues. However, she doesn’t tell him about her impending move. When the truth comes out, will Aiden’s sense of betrayal destroy their relationship?

There’s much to love in this character-driven coming-of-age romance. Aiden is the perfect boyfriend and their relationship is adorable. Pennington’s choice of Lake Michigan as the beautiful backdrop for their love story is brilliant and their visit to the Grand Rapids ArtPrize festival serves as the perfect inspirational vehicle for Aiden’s large-scale projects. The dual points of view give the reader a more complete picture of their relationship. She also introduces Aiden’s gay cousin Ellis while avoiding the stereotypical “gay best friend” trope.

However, there are some minor flaws that bear addressing. Problems that seem monumental are too easily resolved, such as Olivia’s renewed relationship with her mother and Aiden’s vision loss that is never fully-explained. When Olivia’s boyfriend Zander breaks up with her, she doesn’t seem very heartbroken. It also seems problematic to leave fate to a coin toss, which is cute only the first time. Overall, it’s a perfect quick summer read with an charming romance and a refreshing lack of teen angst. Give this to fans of Sarah Dessen, Kasie West and Huntley Fitzpatrick


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Tor Teen through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

sh3llr3ads's review against another edition

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5.0

Reviewed for YA Books Central

This book is everything.

The Story:
Olivia and Aiden have good lives. Olivia has a boyfriend she loves and friends she cares about, but all of that is about to be ripped away when her aunt drops a bombshell that they need to move, leaving behind everything she cares about.
Aiden loves baseball. It's his life. But how can he still play when he's losing his vision? No one understands why he quits the team so he plans to hide out working at his parents tourist shop all summer. He just never expected Olivia to get a job there as well. And he certainly didn't expect to fall for a girl he definitely couldn't have.

What I loved: Just about everything. The relationship between Aiden and Olivia is just so real. They're surrounded by good people who support them. The best part is, they act like teenagers while still showing maturity I love to see in YA books. There is something very heartwarming about this story. It's well-written and engaging with a nostalgic feel of summer vacations.

What was just okay:
I hated Olivia's lying, but I also understood it.

Final Verdict:
A stay-up-all-night kind of read about two kids figuring out who they are that'll leave you smiling long after the last page is turned.

elizabethh724's review against another edition

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3.0

This sophomore effort is somewhere between a 3.3 and 3.5. I did enjoy the story and the characters. The writing was fine. It just felt like there was something missing. Olivia has a tense relationship with her mother who let her sister and mother help raise her. Zander dumps her, and she starts hanging out with Aiden. I give props for having a gay character that was part of the periphery in an organic way. Aiden and Olivia are a sweet couple, but the story could have been more.... something, I don't know. It wouldn't sway me from reading future books by Pennington. I just liked her first book better.