I loved this book! The characters felt true and like the friend group you wish you had in college. I liked that the story was told from each to their perspectives. The pace was great and the banter and dialogue made this a fun read.

A story of a found family that promises to be there for each other after experiencing unimaginable grief in college.

10 years later they put this promise to the test. While the circumstances are unfortunate, this provides the friends the opportunity to take stock of their individual lives and find what they need to get back on track.

Settle in because each character goes on an emotion journey. The themes in this book are serious and quite heavy. From suicide and grief to alcoholism, cheating to coming out, and a brief mention of sexual assault, these characters are out through the wringer. The themes were handled with care and it felt like you got real insight into how people navigate these issues. From their messy missteps, unhealthy coping habits, to acceptance.


Thank you Random House Publishing for providing me with a copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a light read despite the heavier themes. My main issue with this book is that it didn't make me feel anything. I wasn't connected to the characters in any way. They all felt like archetypes rather than humans. Similarly, I think serious topics (suicide, alcoholism, racism, sexism, etc.) are treated with very broad strokes. Again, not a bad read just not something that I think will stick with me. 

This book was a quick and easy read, but it wasn’t one of the best ones I’ve read this summer. The whole premise of the book is that three friends made a pact to always be there for each other in their time of need after their friend Summer killed herself their final year of college. I thought that was going to have more relevance on the plot of the book, seeing as the book was named after it. But no, we never get any answers or explanations as to what caused Summer to do that. I know that is accurate to real-life, but it just seems strange to have that be the premise of the book and then not explore it whatsoever. 

The plot seemed rushed and the pacing all over the place, especially near the end. The friends were supposed to each pick a destination. Half the story took place in one location, one got about two chapters, and the last location only got a couple of pages. The conflicts seemed forced for the sake of drama, and the characters in this story were all completely insufferable in their own ways. They read like young college students, rather than the early-thirties that they were supposed to be. The dialogue was cringy at times, especially Lainey and Tyson. I wished we had gotten to see more interactions between the friends that weren’t them being pissed at each other.

For the positives, I thought that the book started off pretty strong and hooked me enough to get me through the rougher parts. I also know that many people had issues with the romances and how they seemed to come out of nowhere, but I didn’t really mind them, even if they did seem kind of random. When the friends weren’t being awful to and lecturing each other, I liked their different dynamics. Overall, this was a quick read that I had a fun enough time reading. 3/5 stars.

 Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and I was eagerly anticipating this book and was so excited when I finally checked it out from the library. Unfortunately, my excitement ended there.
This book fell extremely flat for me.

I could not connect with this plot and the characters. I enjoyed Hannah and the first chapter with Laney but after that, Lainey fell flat and became a stereotypically female character with daddy issues. Tyson did not even feel real and I'm not going to go into why, but absolutely nothing about Tyson felt authentic.

The trip locations seemed random even if it was to honor Summer. The trip to Texas felt fake, Capri felt completely out of place and so stereotypical. Then the last location ended abruptly and then picked up a year later? What?

It felt like we were supposed to connect with Summer and place her on the same pedestal as her friends but without any real character introduction ( her death comes in the first 5 pages) there was no connection. Same with the romance(s)- it felt rushed and there was no connection. All of a sudden everyone is in love.

Overall, I could not really get into this book after about the first 1/3. I slogged through only to get to the ending and be even more annoyed with the unrealistic pretty bow that everything was tied into. 

Writing style:
I would recommend this book if you like multi-POV books. I quite enjoyed the writing style and felt like I got the 360 view of the plot and emotions of the characters. 

Content:
I’ve seen quite a few reviews of the book that say the book is too woke. To that, I say that this book does not contain only white, rich, heterosexual characters and touches on real issues and emotions associated with sexuality, race, and mental health. That should be considered normal and not woke in my opinion. I enjoyed the plot and didn’t feel sad, despite the emotionally charged content. If anything, it felt nice to read a book that, despite being a fiction book, felt real and relatable. 

TW’s:
I will say  that, I will say that it is packed with trauma so tread carefully if you have potential triggers. 

The voice narrators are not good, the male narrator is especially terrible. The story is not enjoyable or interesting.

First off, let me say that I’m not here to bash the author. In fact, she’s one of my all-time favorites. I rarely re-read books, but one of hers happens to be my go-to comfort read—I’ve devoured it three or four times over the years. So, it pains me to say that this latest book fell flat for me.

The book cover and synopsis promised a story about characters at a crossroads in their lives, 10 years after a tragedy, coming together to support one another. I was excited to see this group of old college friends reconnect, rekindle, and reset. I knew there would be multiple elements involved, but I wasn’t prepared for just how heavy and politically charged the story would be. Not exactly the light summer read I’d been anticipating for months.

Now, heavy themes and political issues aren’t fundamentally bad—they can add depth and realism to a story. I’ll try to explain what I mean, but be warned: potential spoilers ahead. The story mentions a social media influencer, infidelity, LGBTQ+ characters, narcissistic parents, troubled family dynamics and even a sloppy sidekick. There were also a few mentions of sexual consent, with even a question of sexual assault. Additionally, there are strong elements of suicide, alcoholism, mental illness, and depression. However, some of these details felt unnecessary and forced, as if they were included just to check off boxes. It even went on to mention Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, TikTok, and Zach Galifianakis, which felt out of place. Anyway, the way these themes were handled didn’t sit right with me.

Although the characters were in their 30s, they were completely unrelatable. Most people can’t just quit a job to fulfill a 10-year-old pact and jump on a plane to travel for weeks on end. Making future plans with friends, absolutely. Being there for them in their time of need, completely. But to just up and leave like that? Not so much. And let’s not forget the seemingly endless supply of money for these spontaneous plans—highly unrealistic, at least for me anyway.

Another issue I had was with the characters themselves. The story was stuffed full of secrets, lies, and betrayals, despite the friends supposedly being there to support each other during a time of crisis. Instead of the mature, well-developed individuals I expected, they came across as surprisingly immature—especially given their age and respectable careers. While I could agree with some of their decisions, the way those situations were handled left much to be desired.

And despite flying through the book, the ending felt extremely rushed and unsatisfying. I’m left with so many unanswered questions. Needless to say, Giffin will remain on my favorite authors list, and I’ll always hold a spot in my heart for the Darcy & Rachel series, but sadly this just wasn’t it for me.