I read so much fantasy that these light-hearted books are such a relief. Now I know this deal with death and family disputes but no one kills each other. Right? I devoured this book in two days because I just couldn't get enough of K.J. and Becka. They are such good characters, and I had a good time with them.

At the start of the book, KJ was definitely my favorite, but I slowly started to warm up to Becka. I eventually understood why she was the way she was, and how much they hated each other. This book blew me away 5/5 stars, I highly recommend everyone to read this.

I don't think I was entirely the right audience for this book, I believe it would be better suited to a younger reader. I like the concept but the story and characters wasn't really for me. Becka was the best of the bunch, but I cringed every time there was a letter from the Grandpa. Decent book for the right reader.

A roadtrip story with a twist, Not Our Summer is just what it says on the tin. Two cousins with a history of hating each other fulfill a bucket list for their grandfather. You won’t be surprised by anything that happens but you also won’t be too disappointed by the big reveal.

My only complaints are that the “solution” came a little too easy and it often felt like the author was reciting a guidebook to each location rather than telling a story that involved those places.

Not Our Summer is the story of two cousins that fulfill the bucket list of their late grandfather. Initially, the girls don't get along and must learn to come together through visiting places their grandfather had once hoped to take them. A secret is revealed in the book that explains the rift in the family and changes relationship of the characters. The author allows us to see the natural progression of the cousins as they come to terms with the past actions of their family. The story is a sweet tale that highlights family and healing. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Not Our Summer was a pretty good book actually! Casie's way of showing a grandparent's love for their grandchildren and their passion for mending their broken family while also being terminally ill is impeccable. This book was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone!

Not Our Summer is a really NICE book about two girls and a summer bucket list. I love reading books like this especially when the characters are completing said bucket list for someone who no longer can so its safe to say I was TOTALLY interested in the content. I also think the author did a nice job describing the scene and allowing her readers to feel a part of the story. My only complaint is that there isn't enough development within the girls. For the type of story this is, I think the characters need to grow a little bit more.

After K.J. and Becka's grandfather passed away, the two cousins are left with a big sum of money but there's a catch: they have to complete a series of tasks together. Spending summer with your cousin may seem fun but K.J. and Becka aren't your regular cousins. They're so different from each other, but to get the money, they must tolerate each other.

Something happened between their moms many years ago that has caused a big separation of their family. Since their moms don't like (more like hate) each other, the girls had grown up apart. The ultimate goal for all of the trips their grandpa had planned was to bring the girls together and maybe even become friends.
Completing the tasks seemed like torture and both girls are reluctant to do spend time with each other. Aside from that, they get to visit amazing places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon but of course, not without annoying each other throughout. As time passes, they do seem to get closer but then everything goes downhill as if their efforts were all gone...

It's an adventurous debut novel

Because the book was written from two perspectives, I got to see what each girl was thinking when the events happened. I liked the difference in the social class between K.J. and Becka. It was nice seeing how that kind of influenced them as a person. The pacing was just right for me and it was fun seeing the characters develop.

The plot twist was totally unexpected. I didn't see it coming at all, but hey, it makes sense why the girls were kept apart. It still was a surprise though and it took me a moment to recover.

Overall, the book caught my attention from the first page, and I finished it fairly quickly. It was a great debut novel and it kept me engaged throughout. I'm definitely interested in reading future works by the author!

A review for Net Galley. This was such a cute story! What caught my interest to read this is because it mentioned they would be hiking through Yellowstone where I have been many times.

We follow two young senior high school girls Becca and K.J. whom are cousins. When their grandpa passes away both girls and their mothers are sent to the attorney to see what they received from the will. Neither the girls nor the mothers have ever been very close.

Becca and K.J. are given a list of things from their grandpa that they have to do together in order for their families to receive the money. I'm not going to list all of them , but a couple of things on the list are to hike in Yellowstone and ride together in a car for 13 hours to Key West. Things were going smoothly and the girls were finally starting to get along until one day they receive news from the last letter their Grandpa left that could change things for the rest of their lives.

Highly recommend to all ages! Short easy read. There were no mistakes and the writing was very well done. I was able to finish this in less than a week. There is nothing to dislike about this book.

A wonderful, heart-felt read that will transport you to the days we could travel and experience adventure outside our own home, to the days we could hug our loved-ones. If you're in need of an escape, I highly recommend completing this bucket list adventure with K.J and Becka.

A sweet, fast-paced story about family and forgiveness, NOS follows 2 cousins in the grips of a family feud, now asked to fulfill their grandfather's dying wishes: to complete a short bucket list of adventure-based activities meant to build a bond between the girls. The scenes are quick, reading much like a series of snapshots, as the girls grow to respect and eventually like each other. Though the story touches on grief and loss, class differences, and the forging of identity outside the initial family unit, the tone remains light and breezy throughout as we leap from canyon to car ride to coral reef to cattle pen. It's a comfort read, which suits these times well! You know where it's going when you start, with likable characters, lovely scenery, and an uplifting ending.

3-3.5 stars

Not Our Summer is a solid debut novel! I thought that the story flowed nicely, the writing was descriptive, and the two main characters, cousins Becka and K.J. had some really nice character growth and I loved watching their friendship grow and change as the story went on. I loved reading about their bucket list adventure that their grandfather planned for them, as well as the letters he left behind that explained why he had planned all of this for them. I'll be honest, I didn't actually see the twist coming but once it was revealed it made complete sense as to why they were estranged from each other for so long. I thought that the ending was satisfactory and ended on a hopeful and realistic note, which I enjoyed.

Though I had wished that there was more diversity within the cast. While we had diversity in social class between Becka and K.J., there was not any racial or sexuality diversity. Not to say that I want characters of color or LGBTQ+ characters just thrown into stories and either used as token characters or stereotypes, but some diversity would've been nice.

It was easy to stay focused and engaged in the story, I read it in mostly one sitting. I'll definitely be checking out Casie Bazay's work in the future.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was very cute & the characters were likeable. Shows the reader that we shouldn’t hold onto grudges & that we should forgive one another because life is short. There is no point going through life being angry all the time when some things can be fixed with open minds, simple conversation & compassion for one another.

NOT OUR SUMMER immediately pulled me in from the first pages. KJ and Becka are well developed characters with distinct, compelling voices. I found myself rooting for both of them and hoping they would mend their estranged relationship. Their feud felt very realistic. I've never read a book about cousins and NOT OUR SUMMER was a refreshing read. Especially now when travel is limited, I also loved reading about the various adventures the girls took as part of their grandfather's bucket list. This is a heartwarming story about the importance of family and relationships. A great read!

K.J. and Becka do not get along because of a long time feud between their parents, so they have not seen each other in years except for a random bump in once. At least not until their grandfather passes. He leaves the girls a series of letters and they must complete these tasks before they are able to get their inheritance.
This story was beautifully written and kept me very engaged. I recently lost my Pop Pop so when I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to pick it up right away.

I had so much fun reading this debut contemporary YA from Casie Bazay! Especially now that everyone is trapped at home, it was refreshing escape to travel the country with Becka and KJ. I'm always a sucker for friendship stories, and I appreciated the balance in this one between the enemies-to-friends storyline and the very real issues each girl was dealing with in her own world. While difficult issues were addressed with nuance, the tone was both hilarious and surprisingly optimistic. Would highly recommend to YA readers--especially teens and pre-teens on the younger end of that spectrum--looking for a fun, engaging, and fast-paced book.

This book was truly a pleasant surprise. I went in blind, and my hopes weren't the highest based off of the cover, but I really liked this. It was a super quick read, but it was wholesome.

Not Our Summer follows two cousins, K.J. and Becka on a series of challenges. After their grandfather passed away, he left them a large inheritance on one condition; that they go on a series of vacations together. While this may sound easy, K.J. and Becka hate each other, due to unresolved family drama. Over the course of the trip, they slowly grow to understand each other, all while having the trip of their lives.

The plot of this is pretty character-driven, so it was super important that I liked the characters. I'm happy to say that I did! Becka and K.J. both had their own unique voice, and I really liked them both. Watching them reconnect was so touching, especially because it felt realistic. They didn't immediately become besties and forget the years of hate. Instead, they'd make a little progress, and then lose it, and then make a little more. The slow process had me rooting for them the entire time, and I was super happy with how this ended!

The twist that happens around the 60% mark actually really surprised me, I wasn't expecting to be shocked in a character-driven book. And, even better, the twist felt natural, not like it was thrown in just to add page time. I loved what it added to the story.

I do have to admit that I haven't read many novels about bucket lists, but considering how much I enjoyed this, I'll be on the lookout for them! I loved reading the descriptions of the fabulous places these girls traveled, they were so lush and beautiful. If you're a fan of contemporary, you'll love this book!

Thanks to Casie Bazay and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

‘Not Our Summer’ by Casie Bazay is a cozy, fast-paced, endearing story about two estranged cousins who have to fulfill their grandfather’s last wishes before they can earn their inheritance. In the process of their journey they grow, learn, and they become better people.

Right now, with everyone not being able to travel, I sped through this book because I needed something to take me away. It reminded me of all the places I want to go. Since a lot of us are going to have to do ‘Staycations’ this year, I say a book like ‘Not Our Summer’ is a perfect read to escape and remember there is a big world out there.

Now I gave this book a four-star review because while it’s a solid read, I know I’m not going to take anything from it. There are a few moments in the story that I think was glossed over and it lost the punch the book could have had, but overall it didn’t hurt my reading enjoyment. Sometimes a good summer read is a good summer read, and that is exactly what this book is!

This was such a fun book with a really sweet (but not sappy or sentimental!) core. I loved that this was a cousins story, which set it apart from other "friends" road trip or "bucket list" stories I've read. Both K.J. and Becka were believable and each had a unique voice that gave a lot of flavor to their respective chapters. The different adventures they have together were exciting to read about, and I loved how each one changed their relationship. The change in their feelings toward one another was slow and incremental, and very believable. One step forward....two steps back., just like repairing a seriously damaged relationship in real life. There's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming at all, but once it was out there, it made everything make so much more sense. Very well handled by the author.! I'd highly recommend this is a fun summer read about family, friendship, forgiveness, and the healing power of a good road trip.

Casie Bazay’s NOT OUR SUMMER ticks so many boxes for me. I love voicey novels, and Becka’s and K.J.’s voices sing. I’m a sucker for road trip stories – check, again. And I’m a big fan of National Parks, so the scenes in places like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon are just icing on the cake. Told in alternating points of view, including letters from the girls’ recently deceased grandfather, NOT OUR SUMMER brought tears to my eyes as Becka and K.J. are reminded, again and again, of the importance of family and of making it count while you still have the time. Thank you to NetGalley and to Running Press/Hachette for the eARC.

I was skeptical going into this book because family stories tend to not be my favorite. That being said, I absolutely adored this book. First and foremost it was written in a dual perspective which is always my favorite form of writing.

Formatting aside, Bazay did such an amazing job writing these characters. Both K.J and Becka were developed so well and the way the story telling changed depending on which girl was narrarating was done so well.

Watching the girls' relationship grow was amazing. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down.