Book Review: Cool for the Summer

Written By: Aaliyah Samci (Director of Operations and Marketing)

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler was a refreshingly cheesy read that made me long for summer days in the best way. 

Now, I admit that this book was most likely not written for a 24-year-old like myself. All of the characters are in high school, there is a mention of the Friday night football game at least once a chapter, and everyone drips of teen angst, but I do have to admit that I am a sucker for a bisexual main character with a love triangle (Sue me). 

Our main character, Larissa, has just returned from a summer with her mom in the Outer Banks, where she may or may not have had a steamy summer romance with mysterious but oh-so-cool Jasmine. Larissa returns to school in the suburbs of New York expecting to leave the summer behind with just a scrapbook of memories of Jasmine (yes, she made a scrapbook), a new haircut, and a tan. She has been crushing on the school star quarterback Chase Harding forever, and when he finally decides to notice her at the beginning of the school year, she feels like her senior year is set. Except for a tiny problem. Jasmine walks right into her school on the first day without so much as a text before. 

Weaving back and forth through two timelines, then and now, Larissa looks back at her summer with Jasmine and tackles the mixed feelings she has now that there is a chance with the guy of her dreams. Although, as you read, it becomes very clear which couple is really endgame (no spoilers here, but take a guess).  

This book tackles friendship, sexuality, and love in tandem with one another, which I appreciated. Understanding yourself, especially at such a young age, and frankly, any age, is not easy. This book does a good job of showing the rocky navigation between it all in through a high school lens.    

I couldn’t write a review of this book without mentioning some flaws I think it has, though. At times, the way certain characters were described, especially the background characters, did not sit right with me. As I was reading, it felt as though the author was trying to check off some kind of diversity checklist. For example, I noticed this in the way characters' race and ethnicity was described and came up in the plot. Many of these characters were never seen or heard from beyond the few instances, which made me question the point. Cossette, a GoodReads reviewer, does a good job going through these, and you can find them here. 

Overall this short and sweet teen romance receives a three out of five stars in my book. It definitely got me out of a long time reading slump, and I am excited to read the other books that Dahlia Adler has to offer. 

I think this blurb explains this book well: "but if she's finally got the guy, why can't she stop thinking about the girl?"

You can purchase Cool for the Summer at Indigo Bridge or through our bookshop.org page!