Elodie is anxious about flying back home to England for her sister’s wedding. She moved away for a reason, after all. Turbulence is crazy on the flight and she realizes she’s 8 years in the past.

This is a story about first loves, second chances, and the whole “what would you change about the past if you could?” thing. I’m not a fan of the whole changing the past storyline, but overall the book was cute. Give it a read!

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ for the ARC! Pub date 7/5/23

"Our Last Summer" is a delightful romance novel that explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the power of confronting one's past. Jennifer Joyce's storytelling ability shines through, capturing the essence of second chances and the transformative nature of love. While the plot may follow some familiar tropes, the author infuses the story with depth and emotion, creating a satisfying and heartwarming read.

Could not put it down. I was not familiar with Jennifer Joyce's work and so I had no idea what to expect.
It started out with a premise resembling "The Wedding Date", then shifted into Netflix's "Maniac" tones, before finally settling into pure time-travel-fiction goodness.

Elodie's journey was heartfelt and moving. I reached for tissues more than once.
It's a shared fantasy of everyone who's ever lost a loved one to be able to jump back in time to moments where they could still be with that person, even without the possibility of changing the timeline. Just reliving mundane, nothing-big-happens moments and realizing how lucky we were back then, only by being in their presence.
What resonated most with me is that, for Elodie, questioning her mental health became secondary to enjoying the opportunity of being thrown back in time. Her love of others is more important than herself. And it made me so very sad for her, she didn't have nothing in her present timeline that she would miss, only regrets and an all-consuming wish to change her past.

I loved how unpredictable the plot was, I was also thrown around between present and past, along with Elodie. She is relatable and brave and an overall good person, not to mention a great companion for time jumps. Her patience and ambition are inspiring.
Elodie's relationship with her friends is delightful and refreshing, but my personal favorite was the sisterly bickering which threw me back - I won't stop until my sister reads this too, I relived so many real life fights between these pages...

Little Heaton is idyllic and cozy, but seeing it through Elodie's eyes, it feels realistic that someone who's grown up in a small town wants to get out so desperately.

"Our Last Summer" is captivating and heartwarming but, at the same time, touchingly though-provoking.

Special thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of “Our Last Summer.” I found this book entertaining and hopeful. A fast and interesting summer read. We all live with regrets of things we have said or done, people and lives we have left behind. What if you got the chance to go back and alter the past to prevent tragedies and missed opportunities? That’s the premise of “Our Last Summer,” and the author provides a generous summer escape with this story.

Our Last Summer was a slow warm hug of a book! I loved the idea and the concept, and thought the execution of the "time-traveling" was done wonderfully. The idea of getting that second chance at a first love, and a second chance to rethink from different perspectives, really hit the mark. I loved that we not only saw Elodie fall in love, we saw her learn and change for the better. She had fantastic character growth and thanks to the "time hops" I wanted to keep reading to find out more! This story is so much more than a romance, which is also something I love about a good love story; the romance is there, but it's not all we get, making it feel more well-rounded. I also adored the ending. This is a fun and easy read, and would make a great addition to your tbr list when it's released in September!

'Our Last Summer' by Jennifer Joyce is such a delightful read. i personally liked the friendship between Elodie, Ed and Yvonne a lot and their conversations were both heartwarming and funny at times. i loved how the author didnt focus only on the romantic relationship but also on the friendship. The second chance in love was depicted beautifully and i really liked the ending. definitely recommend for people looking for light-hearted reads!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me the ARC copy.

Elodie is on a plane from LA back to Little Heaton for her sister's wedding when something weird happens on the plane. She's transported back in time and has the chance to change the past

Maybe it’s because I’m a Brit living in California but this book really got me feeling sentimental about my hometown. The small village Elodie grew up in is so relatable and I found myself smiling many times with fond memories of my own childhood friendships.

I love the idea, what would you do differently if given a second chance. But this isn’t just about reviving a first love, it’s a second chance at being a better sister, friend, employee.

Some books feel like you’re being given a big hug and this is one of those. Check it out when published in September 2023!

Thanks @netgalley and @hqstories for the early access.

#bookreview #ourlastsummer #jenniferjoyce #netgalley #secondchances #firstlove #friendships #englishvillage #britincalifornia #canyourecommendagoodbook #bookstagram #bookrecommendations

I loved the characters and the character growth in this book! I loved seeing all the negatives in Elodie’s life turn to positives, starting with her relationship with her sister and ending with Ed not getting on the bike. This book is a reminder to me that, unlike Elodie, we don’t get second chances and to live life to the fullest in the moment and I love that. Also makes me remember that the decisions we think are good in the moment might be terrible for us in the long run. I think this was a good and quick read and it will stick with me. I’ll definitely be recommending this to other readers upon its release!

***Our Last Summer by Jennifer Joyce explores the idea that if one actually could go back in time perhaps they could undo what they consider was their biggest mistake. Elodie boards an airplane in California to fly back to England to attend her sister’s wedding dreading every minute she will have to be there because of a death and a breakup. What happens between her boarding and her arrival is confusing to her as she begins to re-experience what led up to the tragedy differently. The concept is intriguing and the author’s execution is good. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Our Last Summer is a unique, fun and light-hearted romance that makes a perfect summer read. I liked the mix of magic(?)/time travel in this and the second chance love trope. The romance itself was really cute and I felt like there was a lot of chemistry and also many good characters. I think a lot of people will love this adorable romance with a unique premise (almost like groundhog day-ish).

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publisher for this book.

Firstly I have to commend the author on the unique formatting. The flash forward and back in time was captivating and kept pushing me to read to find out what happens.

However, I didn’t love the plot. It felt rushed and not enough thought given to the finer details.
The characters seem to solely go to the pub, the large parts of storyline that explain why there’s a flash forward and back in time are explained by ‘it’s happening again’ as the FMC has some sort of time travel episode 4/5 times on an aeroplane.

The idea for this, and the first third, are fab, but the execution just fell a little short for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to review!

Also reviewed on Goodreads and amazon

Check out my profile on Goodreads!