The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry: Review

Title: The Summer I Found You
Author: Jolene Perry
Publisher:  Albert Whitman Teen
Buy This Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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?

I didn't really know what to expect from The Summer I Found You. I saw it a few months ago on Netgalley and it was for instant download. At the time it had 0 ratings or reviews on Goodreads and so I really, really didn't know what to expect. But I loved the cover and the synopsis sounded interesting, so I took a chance and downloaded it. Although the book had a few issues, overall I found it to be a really enjoyable read.

When Kate's boyfriend breaks up with her she is shocked and upset and didn't see it coming at all. Her best friend Jen sees it as the perfect time to introduce Kate to her cousin Aidan. He lost his right arm in Afghanistan and has been struggling to cope with the change it has had on his life and his future plans. Kate was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year ago and has found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it is something that will affect her for the rest of her life. When Kate and Aidan meet they seem to instantly connect with and understand one another. And so begins the start of a really adorable romance.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. It did have a lot of editing issues, to the point where Aidan's name was spelt about three different ways throughout the book. But I don't feel like I can mark the book down for that. It is an unedited advanced reader's copy. I can only hope that all the mistakes were spotted and changed before publication. But if I ignore the editing issues, I thought this was a really enjoyable read.

Kate, for me, was a really immature character. She is avoiding the issue of her diabetes altogether and putting her own life in danger because of it. She doesn't want to accept that this is something she has to deal with, but she needs to grow up and realise that it won't magically go away if she ignores it. She hides her illness from Aidan and it really got to me. He opens up to her about his life and all he asks is for her to be honest with him as well. And she just lies. I wanted to reach through my kindle and strangle her at times. You could really see the age gap between her and Aidan, he acted like an adult and she acted like a five year old.

Aidan was actually a really sweet character. He has his issues but he knows that and he at least tries to work through them. He was probably one of the most mature characters I have found in a young adult romance. He was the one who felt like they needed to actually talk to one another if they were going to have an actual grown up relationship. So Aidan, character who's name I can no longer figure out how I am supposed to spell thanks to it being spelled three different ways, I applaud you!

This was by no means a book that blew me away. I know it's a book that I will quickly forget. But it was an enjoyable, quick read. The romance was really sweet and I think the characters were ones you could understand. I thought Kate was immature but I understood why she was that way. And I also understood why Aidan seemed so much more mature; he'd been through so much more in his lifetime than she had.

3/5 Stars

I really debated with myself over whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. 

*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.