Jess empieza el verano con el corazón roto, su novio la dejan justo antes de un viaje que se suponía iba a ser perfecto y de pronto se queda sola viendo cómo todos siguen con sus planes menos ella.

Para no quedarse estancada, termina visitando a su amiga Allie a un lugar que parece vacaciones permanentes, lago, sol, parque acuático y demasiada gente. Lo que empieza como un escape se convierte en una montaña rusa cuando conoce a un chico que podría ser la distracción perfecta y se reencuentra con Adam, el chico que le prometió casarse con ella cuando eran niños.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I received an ARC of Crush My Summer by Corinne Gemrose thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet childhood friends to lovers romance. It definitely has the flavor of insta-love but at least there is a background between the two main characters to help justify those intense feelings. I enjoyed the character development, specifically with the female lead. There was definite growth that felt realistic and natural. I loved the love interest but there was no real growth from him. Overall, very cute and sweet. Definitely recommend.

Such a cute and short read. I loved their chemistry and how they reconnected, and the idea that they never stopped loving each other was just everything.
This had all my fav tropes as well second chance romance, best friends brother and childhood crush. Thank you for giving me the chance to read 🙏💗

Firstly, thankyou for the ARC. I wasn't expecting to receive it and I was delighted to have the opportunity to read. Please note there will be spoilers in this review.

Let's start off with the cover, it's what drew me initially to the book along with the synopsis. I'm a sucker for young adult romance like these, falling in love with your best friends brother has always been a joy to read.

Onto the book, the overall read was a great read. The only downside was it was a very short book, I managed to finish it within 2 hours of reading and the chapters are quite short. The book is in the perspective of Jesselle, who finds herself heartbroken when her boyfriend at the time, Connor breaks up with her before leaving to explore Europe with their friends. Jess can't go with due to lack of money, so she's sad but wants them to have the best time. Connor breaks up with her moments before boarding saying he wants to experience backpacking to the full extent, with nothing holding him back.

Her friend, Bianca who went on the trip finds out and calls a mutual friend known as Allie, who moved away and her parents own a massive water park called Sploosh. Whilst there she hopes not to see Adam as she still has a childhood crush on him. During her stay she offers to work and takes a job at the ice cream parlour which starts off fine until she gets asked out on a date by Andre who is a playboy. One of the girls in the ice cream parlour hears this and suddenly starts typing on her phone angrily. It seems she had texted Adam's girlfriend (Allies brother) Paige who makes a mess and embarrasses Jess. The girls are typical mean girls, but act like they saw nothing when the owner/Allie and Adams dad walks in.

It starts from there getting a bit... Predictable. Jess is crushing hard on Adam, gets targeted by the mean girls because they're jealous, it continues this way until Jess breaks things off with Andre as he keeps calling her his girlfriend and she's still semi interested in Adam, but also thinking about Connor. Adam eventually breaks up with Paige, and instantly finds Jess and start making out whilst Allie is looking for them.

It's a very whirlwind romance, it's super quick and to the point. Not very realistic but I can see how it could happen in these circumstances. It's not that far in when Jess says she loves him and vice versa. Naturally there's some drama, and by that Connor returns and causes a big scene where Adam gets involved and the mean girls just so happen to be there recording it all. The thing that confuses me is Jess thinks that Bianca (her friend who was backpacking and returned after her boyfriend broke his leg in Europe) planned this and yet there's nothing afterwards. Jess doesn't speak to her, there's nothing about why she thinks this or even approaches Bianca to confirm. It's quite confusing.

There is a happy ending to this book, and honestly it was a great read. It was just a bit too quick for me, bit too .. rushed. But it was a joy, I do like to read these types of romance books from time to time and this did hit that urge to read one. If you're looking for a quick read, with a good plot, I say pick this.

I received an ARC of Crush My Summer by Corinne Gemrose thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Crush my Summer is a coming-of-age summer romance that explores forgiveness and finding your passions.
We meet our main character, Jess, when she sends off her high school boyfriend and two best friends on a backpacking trip for the summer. Before Connor gets on the plane, he ends things with Jess. Thankfully shes able to go visit her childhood bestriends Allie and Adam, for the summer at their parents' water park. Jess and Adam made a pact as children to get married, and after seeing Adam, she realizes she loves him and always has. There's only one problem… he has a girlfriend, and she happens to be the worst. It's a summer of finding herself, her passions, and love.
This is the perfect light summer read to get you out of any book slump. The characters are fun-loving, and it's easy to fall in love with them and their story. The story is easy to follow, and Corinne Gemrose did an amazing job keeping the story flowing. I would’ve loved to see more in-depth on the families and learning more about our characters. While it’s a cute story, I often found myself pulled out of the story by some of the wording. It didn’t sound like the voice of a teenage girl in some parts, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I thought it took away from the story.
I would recommend this book for anyone who needs a light read! I hope to see more of Allie and Bianca… even potentially Paige in the future!

Crush My Summer by Corinne Gemrose is a fun, flirty read that perfectly captures the lighthearted chaos of summer romance. With a charming cast of characters and plenty of swoony moments, the story feels easy to sink into and hard to put down. The banter is playful, the chemistry is strong, and the overall vibe is effortlessly breezy without lacking emotional depth. While it follows some familiar rom-com beats, it does so in a way that still feels fresh and engaging. It’s the perfect pick if you’re looking for a quick, feel-good escape with just the right amount of heart.

i was more than ready to dive into this book. look at that cover too, how could you not. i already knew this books was going to make me FEEL. falling in love with your best friends brother lets face it was never going to do any different, eh.
i sailed through this book without putting it down.
we follow Jess who is currently feeling that very hard and emotional heartbreak that occurs at that age and feels just like this read at that age. her boyfriend breaks up with her before leaving on a holiday trip they both intended to share. they dont. and he being a typical he wants to go on the trip being able to "enjoy it to its fullest" kind of thing. whiiiiiiich we all know is man talk for sleeping around and or just doing what he wishes with other woman without a girlfriend to stop him. you know, nice boy.
this leads Jess to finding other plans. and that comes about with a friend and her families water park. she gets a job there. there is one problem she doesn't want to face whilst there. and that is her longtime crush on her friends brother. but it will be easy to avoid him right? she can move on, she needs to move on in more ways than one and this job and time she wishes will help her do just that.
there is more to come.especially with immature idiots that can only be found in this way at this age. (hmm actually i dont think this kind of mean is just for this age actually, ha)
this isn't made easier by said mean girls are Adams girlfriend and clan.
and so this is a summer of finding herself, finding love and maybe not. and telling certain kind of loves to get the hell away.
it portrayed that age with such brilliance that sometimes i winced once again with how much it feels so huge and so much at that age and also could feel the bubble of intensity.
i dont think love becomes less intense as you age or is any more painful sometimes or full of feeling. but there is an edge or a change to it. there is a different moulding to what it feels like at this age. and i guess this comes with how many things in life infact feels at that age. you are a different breed of human at that point! not in a bad way. science wise im sure could explain it, lol.
anyway this was a great read. it took me right back there and even at my very much old age i am now i still felt it all. so maybe we arent all that different after all...

I was really excited to read this quick YA summer romance, and I was not disappointed. Jess has been in love with her best friend's brother, Adam, for years. After a bad breakup, she gets a summer job working at the water park her best friend owns. Adam also works there, and the sparks return for the both of them. Adam was sweet. I enjoyed watching their feelings emerge. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a sweet YA romance.

The book is short & sweet. A bit of an instalove vibe... although the main characters were childhood friends & had made a promise to get married... fast forward about a decade & they hadn't seen each other in that long? That didn't make a lot of sense to me... I also found a lot of the dialogue to be stilted & there was very much a high school/immature vibe to all of the characters... a lot of "I love you!/I hate you!" and feelings flipping in an instant. It's hard to not think that this is a rebound when she's so heartbroken about who she thought she would marry breaks up with her at the airport (Connor).... also this whole book is supposed to be a month & a half,..but realistically, the events happened in a week or 2 at the most.

Overall, if you're just looking for a mindless, lighthearted HEA or a beach read, you'll enjoy the book.

I did like how Adam & Jess were able to put together a presentation to show his parents & ask if he could change his degree (since they're paying for everything). That was a good way to handle it & it was nice that the parents agreed to it.

The book is told in Jess's 1st person POV.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to the author, publisher & Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.