Review: The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

The Summer I Found You

Author: Jolene Perry
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Paperback, ARC
Release Date: March 1, 2014
Source: Received from Publisher
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***   

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

My Review:

You guys, I have been sticking to my vow to read more contemporary this year and I am loving it! I have had really good luck so far and The Summer I Found You was no exception. This book is about a girl struggling with her recent diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. This touched a very personal area for me since my dad has Type 2 Diabetes. I think this disease is often overlooked and brushed off when really it’s a serious disease that can kill you. The author didn’t take this disease lightly at all and I loved the way she portrayed it.

The girl, Kate, honestly annoyed me at first. But then she grew on me. She was whiny at first and didn’t take her disease seriously and I wanted to shake her and scream at her to wake up. But once she meets Aiden and begins to see what kind of problems others have she starts to change and I loved watching this transformation. I also loved Kate’s family and how present they were in this book. They didn’t fall off the face of the earth. Her family was there for her and they cared. Were her parents strict? Yes. But for good reason! They were worried about their daughter’s life. I absolutely adored the family dynamic.

The other main character, Aiden, was so interesting to me and I honestly loved him. He just got back from Afghanistan and is dealing with the loss of his arm and the loss of his career. He always planned to be in the military for the rest of his life, but when he lost his arm, everything changed. Watching Aiden learn how to cope with this devastating loss was amazing. Aiden is angry. He deserves to be. But we also saw how scared he was and I loved that. Aiden definitely has PTSD and I loved that the author portrayed this realistically (at least to me, I don't know too much about it). It really made me appreciate our soldiers even more than I already did and truly made me feel for Aiden.

Kate and Aiden were great together. There were some pretty steamy scenes in this novel, but even though they moved quickly, it didn’t feel like insta-love to me personally, although some people may feel it was. Both of these characters had a lot of work to do on themselves and they did that. Not because of the other, but because of themselves. I liked that they were both able to step away from the relationship to work out their personal stuff.

This book was one of self-discovery and moving past tragedy. It was about learning how to live through devastating circumstances and still finding joy in life. And it was about two people falling in love. I loved everything about this book and honestly, there’s not a thing that I would change. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work and highly recommend this book to all contemporary fans. Happy reading all! 

Have you read this book? What did you think of Kate and Aiden? Did you like the way both issues were dealt with? 

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