3.5/

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it was a quick, easy read. The job/life swap premise was reminiscent of The Holiday. However, the stories and characters felt very lopsided. I found myself loving and rooting for Ginny and Jack, but Jacqueline was pretty insufferable and her character arc wasn't developed enough to make that change by the end. Adrian's introduction as a friend who refuses to take "no" for an answer also made it hard to believe he was actually a "good friend." So, it was half a nice story of a woman who has sacrificed for everyone else finding joy and love at a fishing lodge and then the other half just felt frustrating.

🚪Closed Door
🔃 Life Swap
✝️Christian author/references

Releasing on 3/19. Thanks to Netgalley and Revell Publishing for the eARC!

Two women striving to find a new path for their lives. Each knowing that the one they are on is not the path they want. Will a summer job swap be the answer? Ginny longs to get away from the posh boutique she has managed for years. The daily hassles and overbearing boss have brought her to her limit. Jacqueline likes the work but her Grandfather's fishing lodge is not the upscale environment she pictured. However, will swapping jobs be the only thing changing? Add a twist and let's see where we go. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

This delightful tale is a take on the old adage, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." A wonderful summer read with lessons to be learned along the way. Ginny and Jacqueline are the opposite when it comes to work ethics and dedication. Hard-nosed boss, Diana and broken-hearted Jack are nothing alike either. The old fishing cabin and a glamorous San Francisco hotel come to life in this entertaining story. Recommended!

An easy read with an interesting way to swap lives--swap jobs.
Ginny was able to grow and enjoy life at the lodge. Jackie was more interested in the wrong things and it was interesting to see her grow at the end too.
I wish at the end, there was an epilogue to find out what happened to everyone, even Diana.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Revell through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What would it be like to swap jobs with someone in your field of work? Ginny Masters is not feeling the love from her boss at a boutique hotel in Seattle. Jacqueline Potter has a similar problem with her family fishing lodge in Idaho. They sign a contract to switch jobs for sixty days. It's a bit of a city mouse/country mouse situation. As you might guess, the contrasts between the two locations may be too much for one or both of them. Melody Carlson gives us a heartwarming summer tale with themes of family, loyalty, and work ethics. If you are looking for a clean romance with a super slow burn, this is the book for you. With its summer setting, it felt like spring in our RV even though there were snowflakes coming down outside our window. A really good day for reading. 🌨🌞

A big thank you to Revell and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was just ok for me. It was an easy read and I really enjoyed the side characters at the lodge,but the characters in Seattle not so much. Diana and Adrian were just terrible but not as bad as Jackie. Ginny was too much of a wet doormat type for my taste. The ending felt forced and not well thought out.

I was interested in the premise of this book, but I abandoned it around the 20% mark after failing to connect with the characters. At first, I struggled because Ginny and Gillie had such similar names. Then I had trouble investing in either of the main characters or in their plan to trade places.. I also wasn't fond of any of the male characters and I got the feeling they were going to be love interests further on in the book, which also didn't make me want to keep reading. Ultimately, this just wasn't the book for me.

Just for the Summer is a lovely character study by Melody Carlson. Ginny Masters has worked her way to general manager of the chic boutique Hotel Jackson Seattle, but the journey was long and difficult and her boss, Diana Jackson, isn’t making things any easier as Ginny continually proves herself. Ginny began working alongside her late mother in the laundry when she was 16, went off to college after high school but returned after just two years when her mother passed away so she could raise her younger sister Gillian. But the negative everything that Ginny endured had about pushed her to the breaking point.

Jacqueline Potter came to her grandfather’s fishing lodge in Idaho upon her college graduation with a hospitality degree. Although fun at first, Jacqueline is no longer enamored of the beautiful scenery, the ordinary lodgings, or the hard work to care for it all. She may have a college degree but no practical experience and was not a good manager at all.

Both ladies are at the ends of their ropes when they discover a job switch site and sign up to switch for something different for the summer, then are matched with each other for the summer swap. While Jacqueline has visions of grandeur upon her arrival, she soon learns she is out of her league. Meanwhile, Ginny is in love with the lodge and all the people there. She willingly helps Margie, who runs the kitchen and garden, and Cassie, the overburdened housekeeper. Ginny finds a quick friendship with fishing guide Ben and owner Jack. Using elbow grease and attic finds, Ginny fixes up the rooms one cabin at a time. And Ginny is happier than she had been in a very long time.

This is such a very good story examining the personalities of hard worker versus entitled. These characters are so well drawn and the story well plotted. I very much enjoyed this story and I do recommend it!

Thank you Melody Carlson, NetGalley, and the publisher for giving me a sneak peak at this super fun read! If you are a fan of The Holiday, this book is for you! Ginny lives in Seattle and is a hotel manager for a fancy hotel. Jaqueline lives near Idaho Falls and manages her grandfather’s fishing lodge. Both feel lost and bored in life. After seeing ads for a job swap website, they decide to switch jobs for 60 days.
Ginny falls in love with the lodge and all the employees at the lodge, especially a fishing tour guide/single father/author/lawyer Ben. She does her absolute best to fix the old lodge while gaining the trust of the lodge owner. I really enjoyed Ginny’s character. She was thoughtful, hard working, sweet, and very relatable.
Jaqueline is a spoiled woman who is over a bit over her head while managing the Seattle hotel. To be honest, I really did not love Jaqueline’s character. She was mean and manipulative for most of the book. Although she did have a good redemption arc at the end, it was a bit sudden with little growth during the book. I found myself wanting to skip Jaqueline’s part to get back to Ginny’s.
Overall this was a very fun summer read! I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 (round it up to 4). It was light hearted, had a great plot, and even had some slight romance.

What a fun, easy reading sweet romance!

Ginny, hotel manager for a boutique hotel switches jobs for 60 days with Jackie, managing her family's rustic fishing lodge. In those couple months, both their lives change! Ginny finds she's more comfortable and then falls for her fishing guide. Jackie manages to make a mess of her job, but then redeems herself with a second chance. The characters are great, the story keeps rolling along and it's a quick, fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

A fun set up of the lets-switch-lives! type storyline, but I was disappointed that Ginny appears to be the only grownup here. Its not just Jacqueline, who she switches jobs with, who is immature - everyone else at both hotels are so immature it was cringey to read at times. I would have liked if it had been a little more even in both women discovering new things and appreciating old ones, but its really just Ginny running around cleaning up everyone's messes and doing what's she told. Signing up for the job-switch website is really the only real agency she has here and i was disappointed she doesn't gain more by the end. Also, i did not buy the romance with her and Ben AT ALL. He starts out as a jerk and never gets better - I kept waiting for the "real" romantic interest to show up, but sadly, it was not to be. So, a good idea but poor execution.

I enjoyed this story of finding out if the grass is actually greener on the other side. Ginny and Jacqueline switch places through a job swap app and the fun begins. Ginny heads to a fishing lodge to fill in as the manager, while Jacqueline heads to the city to manage a lovely upscale hotel. Things are not always as good as they seem, but sometimes they're better. Just for the Summer is an entertaining read, light-hearted and enjoyable, with a dose of reality, just the right amount of tension, and likeable characters. If you enjoy contemporary fiction-you'll want to read Melody Carlson's latest. I've liked all of her books.

Genevieve, "Ginny" manages a boutique hotel and Jacqueline manages a fishing lodge. Both women are unhappy at their places of employment. One is a sweet, hard-working and purposeful person and the other is a spoiled, conniving brat. Each one signs up for a temporary job swap and are matched with one another's positions. What an adventure it becomes.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from one of my favorite authors, Melody Carlson and the publisher through NetGalley. It is a very enjoyable read. The two women are so different with completely different locations and ambience. This is a journey for each one with twists and turns.
I easily found a favorite character and set of characters at one of the locations. There's even potential for romance too. I love the idea of the story. This would be a fun read while on vacation.

I have enjoyed Melody Carlson's books for MANY years (they were one of my first introductions to Christian fiction as a teenager, in fact) and I always look forward to reading her new ones. This was no exception. I loved this idea of two women who are unhappy with their work situations agreeing to swap jobs for 60 days. Fun concept, right? And it really did make for a fun story that I found myself enjoying. Ginny was a great character and I found myself really enjoying her parts of the story a lot. That said, Jacqueline was not my favorite. She was spoiled and at times a bit manipulative even. While I definitely think that was the point and we needed to see where she was coming from to see her growth in the end... I do wish there would have been more of that. It came, eventually, but it was definitely towards the very end of the story. While this is listed as romance and does have a little bit in there, I thought the romance didn't take as much of a front stage as I might have expected... not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind if that's not your preference. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read and one that I would definitely recommend checking out!

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

While initially entertaining, unfortunately, the characters didn't click with me as a reader. Also, I didn't realize it was a Christian Romance, which isn't my usual category. Ginny was the only character I cared about, and Jackie was horrible with no growth. There was a bit, but in the last twenty pages. Ben and Adrian were not good love interests, and that definition of them is a stretch. There are no actual "romance" scenes (not even a bit of kissing). Some of the book was wasted with Ginny's sister, which could have had a more significant part, but that opportunity was missed. The only characters with any growth were Ginny (she learned to chill out) and Diana, who realized she was being a bit too much.

The idea of switching jobs with someone for a bit is a great idea! You are either going to love it or hate it! This book was so fun! Sometimes you just have to shake things up a bit! I loved this book! The concept just really appealed to me and was really an enjoyable read.

Ginny: an upscale hotel manager in Seattle. Worked her way up from housekeeping to manager within 10 years. Has a boss, Diane who is a pain to work with.

Jackie: granddaughter to Jack, who owns a fishing lodge. She works as the manager & absolutely hates it.

Ginny & Jackie are not fans of their jobs and decide to switch for the summer. Jackie loves the finer things in life & is having a hard time managing a fishing lodge in the middle of the woods. When she notices Ginny is interested in swapping jobs for the summer at an upscale hotel, she jumps on the opportunity. Ginny wants something more low-key & quiet. She is a workaholic who has no idea how to have fun. When she sees Jackie works at a fishing lodge, she decides it is the perfect fit.


Quick, easy read. I liked the idea & concept of the book, but really couldn’t stand Jackie as a character. It really made it hard to get into the book.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and its premise. Ginny works for a Seattle boutique hotel. Jacqueline takes care of her family’s fishing lodge in Idaho. The two decide to switch jobs. The story follows the two women and how they handle each other jobs. A quick fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Revell. His is my own opinion.

An engaging and entertaining romance. It is more about the job swap than romance, but that certainly does play into the situations. It did seem as if all characters become more enlightened quickly. But then I am reading a few pages while in the story line things are taking place over a couple months. Possibly enough time for eyes to be opened and behavior change. No matter, this is enjoyable reading and not real life anyway. We want all to get to their happily ever after. Made me think of a Hallmark movie as there was no kissing until the end. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Tropes & Themes:
- Age Gap
- Office Romance
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Single Dad
- Opposite Attract

I think this had a lot of potential but it feel flat in a few areas. It started out great and then it just kind of fizzled out. It was kind of cut and dry without any fluff or filling in the middle. There was no faith/Christian elements through more than halfway through the book then all of a sudden Ginny was trusting God and praying. As soon as the faith started it ended. I enjoyed those aspects of her faith but as brief as they were, I think there should have been more throughout to the book to mark it Christian Fiction or omit it all together for a clean read.

I really loved Ginnys character. She was sweet, hardworking and down to earth. She honestly made the book and was the most developed character. Jacqueline in the other hand was spoiled, pretentious and downright delusional. Frankly, she got on my nerves and her character growth felt forced for the sake of an ending. It was extremely fast paced and she was magically a new humbled person in a span of 2 weeks.

For the romance aspect, this didn't feel like a romance really. I could understand the relationship between Adrian and Ginny based on the fact we were told of their previous dating relationship and why they ended things. I didn't like that Adrains affection was so wishy washy. One minute, he'd wants to date/marry her and the next he was telling her she was a workaholic and needed help or he was dating Jacqueline.

As far as Ginny and Ben go, their "romance" didnt feel like romance at all. I did like that they had time to get to know each other over weeks but there was no build up. There were no mentions of feelings for one another or anything but as soon as Ginny got back to Seattle she was heartbroken? From what? And then when she returned they loved each other?

Overall this was an enjoyable, clean and sweet read. I loved the short chapters, making this a quick one to get through. I loved the setting at the fishing lodge as well as Jack and Margie. I found myself wanting to visit and even do a little fishing while I was there. If there ever was a sequel I would love to see a romance between Jack and Margie. Jack deserves it.

Thank you NetGalley, and Revell for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.