The Summer I Gave Up Boys

The Summer I Gave Up Boys #1

by Kassandra Kush

A summer love novella

Kaliyah Simon just broke up with her cheating boyfriend, and now that summer break is here, all she wants is a quiet, boy-free summer. To focus on work, reading, and her tan. But then she meets up with her old high school nemesis, Isaiah Winters, on the way home, and he seems more interested in being friends than enemies. Can Kaliyah lower her walls and get over seven years of pushing Isaiah away and find out what it would be like to actually be with him?

With her best friend going boy-crazy, a twenty-first birthday looming on the horizon, Isaiah continually showing up on her doorstep, and an ex that seems to want her back, Kaliyah’s summer promises to be anything but quiet.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Young Adult Romance

87 pages, ebook

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Welcome :]

Third person feels.... impersonal, so lezz just keep it real ;]

My name is Kassandra, one of the few rare gems who spell the name with a K. I like to read, write, and lay in the sun. Since I live in sunny Florida, I'm usually doing all three at once. I dream of returning to my hometown, Columbus, Ohio, but in the meantime I make do with placing most of my stories there. I come from a huge family dominated with girls and have a dopey, mostly-Black-Lab dog named Phineas. I tend to like fictional men better than real ones, and sometimes it's quite the hassle trying to keep up with all my book-relationships ;] Someday, though, I'm sure true love will strike me down, but until then, I'll share all my book boyfriends with you.

They can be found in all my novels, and I hope I speak the truth when I say I have a little something for everyone; mystery, romance, paranormal, real-life, drama and epicness. You can find information about my past, present, and forthcoming books in both my blog and Facebook links. I absolutely love to hear from readers, so be sure to drop me a line so I can thank you personally.

I'll leave you to read now, but welcome to my world; a place where true love exists, everyone gets a happy ending, magic is real, God is love, and it's perfectly acceptable to skip sleep, food, and company in order to finish that last chapter.

Oh, and the men are extremely good looking ;]

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and cute read, something that I think would be great for a lazy afternoon at the beach. I loved how the Kaliyah was a book blogger, with aspirations of becoming an editor. The romance was a little predictable, but that's okay to me since the story wasn't that long. All in all, a good read.

[Beatrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for free on smashwords and I'm happy to say this book entertained me and made me laugh a lot. The characters are great Kaliyah ( love the name by the way) is feisty and doesn't take sh#t from nobody not even from her now ex boyfriend Andrew who cheated on her. And he and rest of the world now know it since it was filmed and put on youtube.
Kaliyah is on her way home when she meets Isaiah( love his name to) on the airport they have been frenemies for years now. Kaliyah doesn't want any drama anymore and swears of boys for the summer. But that's not so easy with handsome Isaiah there.

[Trin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so I LOVE reading but out of all the books I’ve ever read this one is my all time favorite. I have probably read it about 200 times. One thing though is that I wish I could have an actual paper copy of it to have instead of having it on my phone iPad and kindle. Personally I like having the actual books to hold and not reading it off of a screen. Other than that this book is INCREDIBLE in every possible way I would give it a 11/10

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 2.5

This wasn't an awful read, but I did get bored quite quickly. Not much happened, and the characters annoyed me a few times.

Don't think I'll be continuing with the series.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch gefällt mir gut, ich habe es gut verstanden obwohl ich nicht jedes Wort kannte und der Plot qar auch gut. Allerdings gibt es einen Minuspunkt, ich bin fertig mit dem Buch und fühle mich so leer. Ich möchte umblättern und wissen was passiert, es ist für mich nicht 100% abgeschlossen.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing quick read, with a little humour and bad break up storyline.

[Hannah Withers · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute with just a little substance...a light, fluffy New Adult read minus the scandal!

[Maddy Martinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read my novella review for The Summer I Gave Up Boys on my blog, here: https://thepaperworlds.blogspot.com/2....

This is a spoiler-free review! This series also consists of Isaiah's Story (Book 2), an accompanying parallel novel to Kaliyah's story.

Kaliyah Simon and Isaiah Winters are in their third year of college when they find themselves sitting next to each other at the airport -- with quick banter and flirtatious rapport, we see a subtle enemies to lovers trope in the distance. Just as luck has it, not only do they reconnect at the airport, they are seated next to each other on the plane ride as well -- what could possibly come from this?

Scorned after her boyfriend cheats on her, Kaliyah has sworn off boys for the summer to focus on herself -- and reading five books a week. With her parents on a tour of Ohio for a month and a half, Kaliyah has the house and pool to herself and just wants to relax, but Isaiah has other plans.

Kaliyah definitely gives off very mild "not like other girls" vibes, with her neon nail polish and throwing her long hair into a messy bun before going on a run in the heat, but I tried not to hold it against her -- she did just find out that her boyfriend was cheating on her after all.

She is a little too relatable on the book-buying front -- my TBR pile also seems to be never-ending and yet I keep buying books to add right to the top. At some points, it is hard to tell what Kaliyah is actually like as a person, because we see her either in stolen basketball shorts belonging to her ex-boyfriend, sitting in the house by herself, or throwing a hug 21st birthday party where everyone who is everyone seems to be there. Her character just seems a little inconsistent in who she is and who her friends are.

A quick and fun read, this novella is great to set the mood for summer for some light beach reading or a palette cleanser between books. There are references to modern day music from the early 2000s/2010s that date when the story is taking place, but they aren't in an abundance that would drive you crazy. The story is fast-paced and we come to a definitive conclusion by the end, open to the possibilities of what the summer has created for Kaliyah and Isaiah.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a breakup with her cheating ex-boyfriend, Kaliyah plans to spend summer without boys. Isaiah Winters has other ideas and hopes after having a seven year crush on Kaliyah. They normally treat each other with witty insults so this is a total change.

I felt like they both changed from being immature teens to young adults that have figured out what they want and how to trust each other as they explore a loving relationship. The Summer I Gave Up Boys is a fun story about a group of college age kids learning how to be mature and moving on with life.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. It was "good enough" - enjoyable, but not memorable.

[K.C. Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and short, albeit cliché-filled and a bit predictable.

[Rebecca Munn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annual summer re-read

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Cassie_Reads_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick, sweet, summer love story. Follows the enemies to lovers trope. Very well done.

[Mabisu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable.

[morgz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was a nice read.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't particularity like this book. It was a free book I got on kindle. It was your typical quick paced, easy summer read that had a stereotypical plot and an obvious ending. As you can tell, not my cup of tea. Although technically there were no mistakes in the plot hole or grammar mistakes, it was a good book in its own right. But not for me.

This review will probably be short for two reasons:

1) I don't like the book so I have nothing good to say

2) the book is so short even the bad things aren't too big

Kaliyah is a introverted book worm who has few close friends, she had recently finished college for the summer, just before the end she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. She threw a book at his balls and swore off boys- for the summer at least. Of course we all know that's not going to last as it never does. At home she meets up with old enemy and very popular Isaiah and the flame burns bright. They become fast friends (obviously) and go to parties together. Only he's off limits, not only has she sworn off males but her friend has dibs on Isaiah. On her 21st birthday she wakes up in bed with Isaiah after drinking, they haven't done anything but she realised her feeling for him. Conveniently enough when she confesses to her friends the one who also liked Isaiah was only pretending and was really shacking up with someone else. Ironically Mr Popularity had a crush on nerd Kaliyah since high school. They get together and Kaliyah forsakes her summer mantra. The end.

So right from the off you know the whole of the story which I always find boring no matter the genre. Some people like the knowledge of what's going to happen- but I just think what's the point of writing a story if there aren't any twists and turns along the way to excite the reader? Also if you know what's going to happen you stop wanting to read on. There were no plot twists, trying to fit any in such a small story would have proven near impossible.

I wasn't sure at first if I could count this book in my summer reading list because it was quite short, but it's on the Goodreads index so I assumed I was allowed to count it. Had there have been more plot twists to keep it interesting the book probably would have been longer and I would have liked it more but it was intended to be short and sweet even if I don't agree with the latter.

Can we also just take a moment to think: if everyone likes the people they shouldn't appear to click with- how long will relationships last? And what happens to the people who like the people in their own clique? Will they get pushed aside for the atractive opposite personality?

Cover: I do really love the cover, it's relaxing and it gives you a good indication to the story. 7/10. Again, even the cover shows you that she's going to forgo her summer mission of no boys.

Plot: as above, it wasn't my thing. Not that I have anything against it, other people will enjoy it, I just didn't. 3/10. It was boring, stereotypical and dull.

Characters: they were very monotone and maintained just one emotion for the whole book. There was no depth to most of the characters, even the main ones who should have had big character transitions. 4/10

Kaliyah: book nerd geek extreme. There isn't much to say. During the whole book she doesn't show many other emotions besides 'I hate my cheating ex' and 'get the video I me beating my cheating ex off youtube'. She has hundreds of books and is rarely seen reading any of them yet she's constantly finishing new ones. And three years it took her to realise Isaiah liked her, although since he's the outgoing one he could have told her.

Isaiah: typical jock who doesn't really want to be a jock. Why does every author think this is original? Why have them being a jock if they don't want to be!? For once maybe a book where the jock actually likes the sport they play? He is an artist. Again, yawn. So overdone. He has a longterm crush on the protagonist who is totally not his perceived type. ARE ALL OF THESE ROMANCE BOOKS THE SAME BUT JUST SLIGHTLY CHANGED AT REPRINT TIME?!?!? All through the book he maintained a woe is me state, which eventually just gets goddamn annoying!! And why didn't he tell her earlier about his crush, for an outgoing type it sure took him a long time!

I would recommend this to people who are looking for a mind numbing, short romance story. Not my type but someone has to love it, right?

⭐️⭐️

[Janessa King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not realize when reading this that it was a novella so I was disappointed with how fast everything happened. Kaliyah was a little ignorant but I absolutely loved Isaiah. This had a lot of promise and I think would’ve been a huge hit if it had been a novel instead.

[Adley Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A super short read. It was predictable but has a cute story line.

spicy level: 🌶

[Leah Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Cute read. Just very predictable and mediocre.

[Riki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novella has some promise, but ultimately wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be. Kaliyah is a likeable enough main character, although she is a bit on the surly side and seems to jump to the worst possibly conclusion about those around her. I get that she was hurt by her ex-boyfriend after he’d cheated on her and that she just wants revenge, but even in a summer where she’s sworn off boys altogether, she comes across at times as just mean.

Things look up whenever Kaliyah interacts with Isaiah, which is a good thing since it’s their romance that is the center of the book. A real strength of this story is the witty banter that goes on between the two lead characters. They’re funny and sweet and have this wonderful back-and-forth teasing that really held up the book for the most part. I was really into them as a budding couple, right up until the quick exchange of “I love you” that came all too abruptly and much too soon. Their romance was developing nicely without the heavy admissions flying near the end of the book.

A major weakness in the book is the author’s tendency to lay it on thick when it comes to pop culture references. There’s a ton of name-dropping and pop culture stuff that took me right out of the story and will ultimately date this book. Those songs she likes to talk about by name might be relevant this month, but give it some time and they’ll seem very out of place.

Overall, this was a decent read with a cute romance, but it lacks the polish to be an excellent novella.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

My entire life, I have been a reader. That will probably never change. What has changed is my format of reading. Until recently, I thought I would never embrace digital reading. I was wrong. I am completely and madly in love with my Kindle. I love the convenience of it, the fact that it fits in almost any purse and even my coat pocket, and that the battery life is great on it. I also like the free content, content like The Summer I Gave Up Boys...

The Summer I Gave Up Boys' biggest flaw is probably its title. I loved the main character, Kaliyah, and the fact she was an online book review blogger. I related to her so well that I loved her within the first five pages. Her friends could've used more development, but they were good enough. My huge love was Isaiah Winters, a boy who's a basketball star, charming, and has awesome chemistry with Kaliyah. Really, this guy is perfect! Really, there is nothing revolutionary about the plot or the pacing of the story, but there didn't need to be. The Summer I Gave Up Boys was light, funny, and easy to read, everything I want my chick-lit to be. It was also surprisingly well edited for free Kindle content (not to offend anyone, but sometimes there are a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes in some digitally published stories). The only reason I didn't feel comfortable giving it five stars was the fact it was on the short side, being a novella. I prefer to give five stars to novels. Otherwise, excellent read for a night in!

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also posted here: http://lilmissvixreads.blogspot.co.uk...

Kaliyah Simon is a book blogger who owns seven hundred and seventy seven books. Sound familiar?After a very public break up with her boyfriend she is home from college for the summer with every intention of spending it without male company. That is until her arch-nemesis Isaiah Winters bumps into her at the airport and suddenly seems to want to be friends. Reunited with her old friends, Kaliyah's life reverts to that of her school years, complete with high-school crushes and gossip galore. Sun, sand and pool parties combine to make this summer one that Kaliyah will never forget.

This is a take on the age old tale of girl thinks she hates boy, girl actually loves boy, yet it is told with enough sincerity to avoid it being cheesy. Kaliyah as a character was entirely relatable, and the story is told with refreshing honesty from her point of view. It's pretty clear from the outset how this novella is going to end, but that's not a bad thing.

4/5 stars: A short and sweet, if a little predictable read to pass an evening with.

[Lauren (TheBookishTwins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looked into his eyes, loving what I saw there. He had never looked at me like this before, with tenderness, with affection and love.

Kaliyah returns home for the summer, having sworn off boys after she found out her boyfriend cheated on her. She finds it difficult, however, when Isaiah begins being nice to her, despite being her 'mortal enemy'.

The Summer I Gave Up Boys was a fun quick read, one that I found quite humorous at times. Kaliyah was a great character. She was witty, smart and stubborn, and she loved reading. Her bickering with Isaiah was fun to read, and I found myself grinning like an idiot. Isaiah was a nice character also, who was charming, funny and hot.

The Summer I Gave Up Boys is nothing exceptional nor special, yet surprisingly light and easy to read. If you're a fan of contemporary, I suggest you give it a shot. It's only a novella, and so won't take long to read.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
It was a good, quick read. It was also new and refreshing to read a romance with people older than 16, 17, or 18.

The writing was better than I thought for a short novella. I thought it would be rushed and just collapse. Which was spectacular because these other short reads I read before this one disappointed me with its rushed plot/romance. I mean sure her epiphany was kind of out of the blue, but it didn't matter.
I even found myself laughing a little at some points.
I liked how everything went smoothly with everyone. Something I probably would have disliked, but it fit perfectly in this story.

Kaliyah was enjoyable. She reminded me of myself which please me because that meant she was tough and didn't give in so easily to temptation and all that junk.
Isaiah was different. He didn't try to charm her like I thought, because he was actually more cautious, which was more realistic to me.

[Megan Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book to just read and not have to think about then this is the right book but if you’re looking for something to really sink your teeth into and really care about the characters then maybe give this one a skip.

It was free on my Ipad and I wanted something cute, quick and easy to read to get my mind off everything that was happening. For an 87-page book it did have a lot of elements to it. You are able to connect with the Kaliyah, the main character but in all seriousness I wasn’t to bothered about how her story ended and it was inevitable that they would get together.

I personally chose to read it, as I wanted a suspense-less book in-between my A-level reads and this book was perfect for that.
With all that said I did actually enjoy it and its not something I would pick up at a bookshop but for a free book I was impressed. – 3/5

http://lottiemeg.blogspot.co.uk/

[Chels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been so much better than it was. It entertained me for a little while which is why it gets some points. The main character was kind of negative and just wasn't good with people. That really annoyed me because she was constantly around people. When she started interesting with the main male character she got a little better. Their relationship was hilarious and entertaining. They were always fighting over silly things and it made the story entertaining.

Something else I noticed was a lot if name dropping. You knew exactly what song she was listening to and what book she was reading. I find those to be irrelevant details and they're going to date this book. This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't good either. It had potential and the author seemed to just throw it out the window. Maybe next time.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do I read when the snow falls outside, a book about summer love of course! The Summer I Gave Up Boys is a fun, short novella about Kaliyah and Isaiah, apparently "mortal enemies" since High School with just enough spark to be something more. I enjoyed the chemistry between Kaliyah and Isaiah, which is evident from the very beginning. It was fun watching these two banter and bicker at each other, however if this were a full length novel I would have been really disappointed by how quickly Kaliyah dropped her resolve and went for Isaiah. In a book that would be perfect for one of those Summer anthems with several other short stories, the story of Kaliyah and Isaiah made me smile, at times even laugh, and gave me the happy feeling of a decent HEA without a lot of drama.

See my other reviews at www.fivelinebookreview.blogger.com

[Amber J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it was just me but it was rather short (or maybe because I was reading it on an iPod....) but it was an enjoyable journey. What made it even better was that Kaliyah didn't fall head over heels for Isaiah, her so called "mortal enemy" as soon as she found out he liked her after seven years of constant bickering and fighting. It actually takes a while for the romance to build up and Kaliyah is made a stronger character by the fact that she throws a textbook (and something else, I can't remember what) at her cheating ex after finding out instead of crying for days over it. Unfortunately, she has to live with the consequences of being recognised by that everywhere she goes after being captured on video and her snarky comments and honest-to-God attitude don't quite help XD