[Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.]

For movie buffs Chiharu and Wataru, summertime means a pilgrimage to several different filming sites. The two have already spent a lot of time together and Chiharu’s very sweet on Wataru, while Wataru’s not given it much thought. That’s about to change, however…

Hey this is pretty charming! BL is not really my genre, but I don’t mind broadening my horizons now and then. In a way this is a very tame bit of romance where two friends become something more to one another bit by bit.

Or, more accurately, one friend confesses his feeling super early on and the other decides to take a lot longer to work through it. Still, it all follows the basic manga beats and I do like that little bit of familiarity and the movie pilgrimage genuinely feels like something a couple of guys would get up to over a summer.

It is definitely a low, long simmer for things to bubble over. Both guys are particularly likeable, if not especially distinct in terms of personality beyond the basics (light haired guy, dark haired guy is the initial difference and then they get a little extra pencilled around it). This story’s focus is definitely the road to relations, rather than what happens when you get there (another manga-ism).

There are two particular story curveballs that I do want to obliquely discuss, as one is handled in a way I really appreciated and another is so dumb that it feels like it was a contortion made so it could fit a trope.

The one that is handled really well is arguably the one that occurs once the guys are back at school post-summer. It at first seems like the events of the season have caused what happens to happen and I was rolling my eyes so, so hard.

But then the whole thing is quickly cast in a different light when we know what actually happens and it completely recontextualizes the entire summer in a way I wasn’t expecting and, as a consequence, really enjoyed. It makes a somewhat melancholy story even more of a bummer, but the good kind.

The second instance involves one of my least favourite tropes (I have a few), whereupon people in the present have met in the past for the briefest moments. While this isn’t the worst thing ever, it definitely is in this book.

Where things go with that idea is into some super weird territory involving parental behaviour that would seem more appropriate for a 90s psychological thriller with no concept of sexuality rather than a book that for the most part pretty clearly does.

It combines a truly ridiculous character beat with an implied eyebrow-raising nature vs nurture debate that I genuinely don’t think was the intent but I feel you <I>can</I> read that scene in a way that’s super regressive and it might be me (probably is) but I could not unsee it.

Beyond that one thing, this does acquit itself quite well, using a fun hook with the movies and the summer to slowly weave a pretty fun little romance that is, again, easy on the romance part. Still, that’s partially what you have bonus chapters for…

3.5 stars and I don’t think I can quite push it up to four, so there we sit. Like I said, this isn’t a book FOR me, so you may enjoy it that much more if you like the genre. Still, even with that caveat I had a good time reading this one.

4 ⭐
2021 really is the year of finding amazing manga series! This is an automatic new favourite that I will be 100% buying a copy of! The characters were so much fun and I loved their conversations and adventures. I can't wait for volume 2!

Thank you Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book.

This is a very sweet manga, that follows two high school boys Saeki and Wataru, who share a common hobby: they both love to watch movies. After meeting, they become fast friends, until one day Saeki confesses his feelings to Wataru. Wataru is not fazed at all by the confession, and throughout the summer they continue to pilgrimages to see film sports from their favourite movies.

But when one day Saeki suddenly vanishes, Wataru starts to reevaluate his friendship with Saeki, finding hidden feelings he didn't realise he had.

Beautifully drawn, and a very sweet story. I am excited about future volumes!

This manga is such a cute summer read. I like how movies, in which both main characters are interested, are implemented into the story. In general I have quite a good grasp on the protagonists, but learning more of their personalities, besides being interested in movies, and ther lives would've been nice.

This was one of the cutest manga I read in a while.

I really loved everything about it, from the characters to the plot, and even the ending was just the perfect wrap for the story.
I think maybe there will be more volumes of these mangas but this on it's own is quite auto-conclusive, so if you don't like cliffhangers that's the one for you.

The drawings were really beautiful and sweet, and I can't really find something bad to say about it, so I'm telling you just one thing:
READ THIS.

This is an insta fave for me! I love the slow pace of this story and the way that Wataru's feelings for Saeki gradually develop the more time they spend together. It reminded me of I Hear the Sunspot -- where one character (Saeki) is up front about declaring his feelings and it takes the other guy (Wataru) time to catch up and reciprocate. I loved getting to know the characters more, and Saeki's backstory is especially interesting. Their story is sort of bittersweet at times but has such a good ending! And I love the bonus stories at the end! The art is lovely and gives a tranquil vibe while also communicating the nostalgia of summer. This manga delivers the best feels: deep friendship, gentle romance, and the promise of good things to come. I'm looking forward to adding this one to my collection.

To start off, the cover of the book is really eye-catching! The cover having the characters with a simple setting and a blue sky is nice and simple just like the book itself. The art style of this book was lovely and pleasing to the eye.

I really enjoyed reading this story, it was delightful and sweet and not heavily dramatic. I really appreciate how the author wrote it. The author did a great job developing the relationship and characters. The relationship between the characters did not feel rush nor were we left feeling like it was being dragged. This story is definitely one that I will be re-reading often.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodonsha comics for this amazing opportunity to review this wonderful story as well as receiving a copy of it!

Ah I really liked this. I like how we slowly got to find out more and more about their fated encounter and the factors laying behind. I think the story was told very well for being one volume.

Also these silly boys acting like enjoying movies is a rare hobby? "I have never met anyone who likes movies", hm what kind of people are you hanging around to have NEVER met anyone who is into movies? But I will let it slide as it gave us all the cute cinema scenes.

Overall it's just a cute light contained story, not to heavy on the drama and It leaves some room for potential expansion.

This was great! The Summer of You is about friends Saeki and Wataru who slowly become more. I really liked their relationship and how the story developed. After Saeki confesses to Wataru I really appreciated how the author wrote it. Wataru basically says he doesn't care Saeki likes him and would never ditch him because of it. With so many BL containing homophobia (a lot of it coming from the main love interest) this was a refreshing read. I think the author did a great job developing the relationship and characters and would definitely recommend.

What a refreshing read. Saeki and Wataru are two high school boys who have bonded over a shared interest: movies. When Saeki confesses to Wataru one day that he likes him, Wataru is surprised and confused. Throughout their Summer movie pilgrimage, Wataru thinks about his own feelings toward his friend and the possibility he might like him back.

I really liked this volume. It was softly dramatic in all the right ways. Wataru's open mindedness and straightforwardness make him really likable as a main character. The fact that the story doesn't get too dramatic and the two learn, finally, to communicate with each other makes this manga a solid read for me. Plus, I really like the art in this one.

The summer of you is a manga with a friends to lovers troupe. When Wataru finds out Saeki likes him he doesn’t freak out but neither excerpts his feelings. Saeki asks Wataru for one last favor. They both met at a movie store and bounded over seeing and talking about movies so Saeki and Wataru to go on a movie pilgrimage (going to see the places of the movie). With a beautiful art style this was an easy and enjoyable read.

So when it came to this book I jumped right in. Saw the word summer, its currently summer so I figured why not. I have to say that it was a pretty adorable book. Chiharu and Wataru are friends that bonded over a love for movies and with the summer getting closer they decided to visit a couple places that are in some of the films. It was cute seeing the sweet moments going on, there was very little light drama going on. It was interesting seeing what would become of Chiharu's confession and seeing how Wataru handling of it. This was just a sweet read I can't wait to see what's next for these two.

Chiharu is one of the most popular guys at school, and Wataru is shy and awkward.

At first glance, they seem like they have nothing in common, but the two of them connect over a mutual love of movies. However, when Chiharu confesses that he has a crush on him, Wataru doesn’t quite know how to respond. Chiharu tells him that it’s OK, he doesn't have to reciprocate those feelings, but he has one special request: that he they go on a journey together to various filming locations. Wataru agrees, but on their adventures, he begins to question their relationship. Are they still friends … or something more?

My Summer of You Volume 1 by Nagisa Furuya manages to beautifully capture a sense of longing and wistful nostalgia--so much so that you can practically hear Lana del Ray’s "Summertime Sadness" playing in the background.

It's an emotional, realistic portrayal of two individuals questioning and exploring their sexuality, and I really loved how natural their relationship grows within the span of the first volume.

Lastly, I do want to point out that My Summer of You will be only two volumes in total, so if you're looking for a short but bittersweet BL series to sink into, this is is definitely one I’d recommend checking out.

My summer of you is a beautiful and soft story about friendship and first love. In the first volume of this 2-volume series, Wataru and Chiharu are two high school friends who share a common interest in movies. Throughout this story we see how this friendship is transformed into something else, more and more they get together to go to the movies, and they even organize trips to visit locations where one of Chiharu's favorite movies has been filmed. Until they discover that they are united by something more than their interest in cinema.

It is a manga that I am delighted and excited about. I highly recommend it.

This was a cute, fluffy little comic that was sweet and enjoyable. It was quite simple but it suited the narrative and the style. Both of the main characters were cute and likable and the dialogue was great. I also really liked the artwork and felt it suited the story pretty well.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this to review.

This was an incredibly sweet romance manga! It gave me warm feelings reading this and both the main characters, Saeki and Wataru were adorable! Although quite short I enjoyed reading about their friendship as well as their developing relationship!

Thank you to Kodansha comics and Netgalley for this ARC

so soft and fluffy!!!

their friendship was so uniquely built by their favourite movies. i love how their friendship continue per usual even after the confession. Saeki being respectful of Wataru yet still flirting with him was so cute.

++ Wataru going after Saeki was a definite plus!

but that twist at the ending was unexpected. AAA what are the chances? it's fate!

Thanks to NetGalley for meeting this ... mostly bromance.
(For those who don't want to be shocked - the title is BL ... not that it doesn't show for miles), but at the same time it's mostly shonen-ai and there are no hardcore scenes to outrage. The manga tells the story of an endless summer and two peers. Just like the teen books by John Green (only those with a happy ending), they meet in a place they love, but did not expect to meet a special person there. They find that they have a lot in common. They have common experiences in the long summer days ... And that's enough.

The opinion is in Bulgarian, sorry for the translation errors. I am attaching a link.

It was a good romance bl, where Wataru discovers his true feelings after Saeki confesses to him (even with believing the feeling are not mutual). It looks like it will be a series with two volumes, I am interested how vol. 2 will continue their story and really hope it shows Wataru's promise to go see Saeki like one of the bonus stories did. I ended up getting the physical copy of this one too.

Quick summary:
Wataru and Saeki are friends, even though they are not in the same class; they started to hang out together after bumping into each other at a video story. After that they meet to share a common interest... movies. However, after asking Saeki if he likes someone, Wataru finds out it is him. Even though Saeki confessed, he wanted things to stay the same since Wataru would not have those type of feeling. His only request was for them to do a pilgrimage over summer break. Unfortunately, after summer break Wataru was not prepared for what happens and even figures out how he feels.

Two high school friends, Wataru and Saeki, are bonded together by their love of movies. Though they aren't in the same class, bumping into each other at a DVD store sparks a tradition of hanging out and going to the theater together, until one day Saeki confesses his feelings for Wataru. Despite Wataru insisting the confession doesn't bother him, things slowly start to change between them as they spend their summer vacation going on trips to locations from their favorite movies.

My Summer of You was a fluffy, cute read, and I enjoyed this manga! It's perfect for the summer and I liked watching Wataru and Saeki find themselves and explore their relationship through their travels. There was a refreshing realism to their dynamic post-confession that I really liked to see, and while I think Saeki does make some frustrating decisions, I was ultimately happy with the end and I'll be keeping my eye out for the second volume. Though the final chapter might have seemed far-fetched, based on everything else that had happened I took it as a sign they were meant to be together. 😊

❧ 3.75 ★