ARC Review: The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

Title: The Summer I Found You

Author: Jolene Perry

Release Date: 1st March 2014

Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen

Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

Detailed Review: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 After reading the synopsis, my first thought was 'romance'. Even the cover seemed to be pointing at a great big sign 'THIS IS ROMANCE'.

Well guess what? I was right, BUT not quite. It's more than a summer love story. 

Trust me, it's way more than that. If you believe your life is messed up, compare yourself to Aidan. Try living a life with one arm, where one task requires so many single actions chained together that takes minutes. You can't drive and text at the same time. 

And to all the girls in the world, cast all your insecurities away. Imagine having diabetes type 1. Or cancer. Or any chronic illness. You can either deal with how Kate dealt with it- ignore it or accept it. It's the same about you. Accept yourself. Forget everything that's seems imperfect about you. Nobody's perfect.

I found that I liked Kate already on the 3rd page. I grew to love her even more as I dived deeper into the book. It's not just her stubborness; it's her honesty that gets to me. She's also one of those people who doesn't know they're beautiful even though they are. My love and concern for her had even grown so much that I hated her for all the times she lied to Aidan, because it's JUST NOT KATE. 

Wow, talk about how a fictional character can make me have such strong feelings.

Aidan seems strong on the outside but on the inside he's clueless about his future. He has always wanted to be in the Army, and to have that ripped away from him is the worst thing to happen to him. I just loved how he managed to sort out all his problems and issues one by one in the end, no matter how hard they seem. 

The story is heart-breaking in many places, when reality hits you hard in the face, that's when you feel the tears. You'll feel it in this book. Perry doesn't sugarcoat how life is. Instead, she delivers to you the full package. She doesn't hold back. She gives you tears, anger, swear words. She creates the most bizzare scenario that could ever happen and I think it is possible that the same story in this book can be the same story in anywhere in the world.

It makes you ask the question, 'If both Aidan and Kate can face such serious problems, why can't WE face the smaller problems we do everyday?' Aidan and Kate aren't just fictional characters in a book; anyone in this world can be Aidan and Kate.

Brief Review: This Summer I Found You is more than a love story. It's about learning to face and deal with the things which life decides to throw at you anytime.  It's not the romance that makes this book amazing; it's the circumstances the characters are cast into and how they learn to accept them that makes this book stand out from other contemporaries. Maybe you don't think so, but this book can surprise you in so many ways. It's not just the characters, it's the setting, and the real-ness of it that makes this book truly wonderful and eye-opening.

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing!'

QUOTE: I think Martin Luther said it best. It's evident in this book.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality--- Martin Luther King Jr.

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