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The Summer of Jordi Perez
Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people's lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn't expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Pérez. Abby knows it's a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She's competing against the girl she's kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She's somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.'s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn't feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby's finally in her own story?
But when Jordi's photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
Is this just Abby’s summer of fashion? Or will it truly be The Summer of Jordi Pérez (and the Best Burger in Los Ángeles)?
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She's competing against the girl she's kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She's somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.'s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn't feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby's finally in her own story?
But when Jordi's photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
Is this just Abby’s summer of fashion? Or will it truly be The Summer of Jordi Pérez (and the Best Burger in Los Ángeles)?
284 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
100 people are currently reading
7279 people want to read
About the author
Amy Spalding
17 books929 followersAmy Spalding is the author of several novels, including the bestselling For Her Consideration, We Used to Be Friends and The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles), which was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, the Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, and more. She is a recipient of the 2023 Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award for the authentic, funny, and diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community in her books.
Amy grew up in St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University and an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Amy grew up in St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Advertising & Marketing Communications from Webster University and an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School. Amy studied longform improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,132 reviews
May 22, 2018
This is honestly all I’ve ever wanted in a f/f romance, I feel so fulfilled and happy and overwhelmed right now.
*************************************
Update 5/21/18
I feel like every year I spend as a reader and a reviewer for queer books, I am constantly hearing the desperate call for f/f rom coms. Personally, as a lady who happens to love ladies, I am also one of those people seeking out stories like this. I want simple stories about girls falling in love, with all the shenanigans and cuteness that I have seen in books with m/f and m/m couples. These f/f rom coms are few and far between, but god did The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles give me everything I have been looking for.
A few tropes this book delivers on in spades:
i. Workplace romance
ii. A sunbeam and a character of a *questionable past* falling for each other
iii. Romantic misunderstandings
iv. Creative types deeply inspired by their partners to create ART
I mean, there is so much more going on in this book overall, but this is a personal list of things that deeply appeal to me and that made this book a ridiculous amount of fun. Rom coms are fun! They're tropey and possibly a tiiiiny bit predictable, but I fall for them every time. Tropes are exactly what I love about the genre, and it's why this little book about a summer romance between two girls competing for the same job made my lesbian heart melt a bit more every day.
Abby is a fantastic character. She loves fashion, she's fat, and she's super gay. She has a famous nutritionist for a mother, a gaggle of friends who tell each other everything, and a plus-size fashion blog on tumblr that has a pretty decent following. But beyond all of this, she's a girl who has always seen herself as the best friend, the one who is destined to live a life on the sidelines. There's a real focus on body positivity from Abby's perspective, how she sees herself and how she thinks others see her, and I really appreciated every aspect of her character and the journey she goes on throughout the book.
I also loved Jordi. She has a vibrant family and a passion for photography, and a more subtle personality really complimented Abby and the whole style of the story. She's a girl who wears all black all the time, but maybe has a hidden passion for Hello Kitty. She'll do anything for the perfect picture, even if it means she's been in a bit of trouble in the past.
I mean, ok, this is a rom com. It's all about the two falling in love. And I loved these two being flirty and awkward and fantastic. Helloooo book about a lady with pink hair and a lot of fruit-printed clothing falling for a moderately emo photographer girl???
From a writing perspective, this book is simple and sweet without getting too cheesy. There are definitely stakes, and a few signs that this is perhaps a first romance for both people involved. But it means there is a kind of earnestness that carries through from beginning to end, an honesty that helps take the story to another level. It's a rom com, but it's also a story about new friendships and old ones, and about how we judge both ourselves and the people around us. It's about two people, but the world around them is fleshed out and full of the people that define Abby and Jordi's lives outside of their relationship.
To round this whole review off, I would be remiss if I didn't add that this is an absolutely perfect summer read. Of course, it's set during the summer before Abby and Jordi's senior year. But it's also about a summer romance, a summer job, and a ridiculous summer plan that involves eating at every burger joint in Los Angeles while talking about girls. There's a balance of the summer job, and the parties at a friend's pool. I wanted to read this pool side, sipping a lemonade, and I can only recommend that you take the shot and do the same.
What can I say, I'm a simple lesbian with simple desires, and The Summer of Jordi Perez checked off just about every single thing on the list.
*************************************
Update 5/21/18
I feel like every year I spend as a reader and a reviewer for queer books, I am constantly hearing the desperate call for f/f rom coms. Personally, as a lady who happens to love ladies, I am also one of those people seeking out stories like this. I want simple stories about girls falling in love, with all the shenanigans and cuteness that I have seen in books with m/f and m/m couples. These f/f rom coms are few and far between, but god did The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles give me everything I have been looking for.
A few tropes this book delivers on in spades:
i. Workplace romance
ii. A sunbeam and a character of a *questionable past* falling for each other
iii. Romantic misunderstandings
iv. Creative types deeply inspired by their partners to create ART
I mean, there is so much more going on in this book overall, but this is a personal list of things that deeply appeal to me and that made this book a ridiculous amount of fun. Rom coms are fun! They're tropey and possibly a tiiiiny bit predictable, but I fall for them every time. Tropes are exactly what I love about the genre, and it's why this little book about a summer romance between two girls competing for the same job made my lesbian heart melt a bit more every day.
Abby is a fantastic character. She loves fashion, she's fat, and she's super gay. She has a famous nutritionist for a mother, a gaggle of friends who tell each other everything, and a plus-size fashion blog on tumblr that has a pretty decent following. But beyond all of this, she's a girl who has always seen herself as the best friend, the one who is destined to live a life on the sidelines. There's a real focus on body positivity from Abby's perspective, how she sees herself and how she thinks others see her, and I really appreciated every aspect of her character and the journey she goes on throughout the book.
I also loved Jordi. She has a vibrant family and a passion for photography, and a more subtle personality really complimented Abby and the whole style of the story. She's a girl who wears all black all the time, but maybe has a hidden passion for Hello Kitty. She'll do anything for the perfect picture, even if it means she's been in a bit of trouble in the past.
I mean, ok, this is a rom com. It's all about the two falling in love. And I loved these two being flirty and awkward and fantastic. Helloooo book about a lady with pink hair and a lot of fruit-printed clothing falling for a moderately emo photographer girl???
From a writing perspective, this book is simple and sweet without getting too cheesy. There are definitely stakes, and a few signs that this is perhaps a first romance for both people involved. But it means there is a kind of earnestness that carries through from beginning to end, an honesty that helps take the story to another level. It's a rom com, but it's also a story about new friendships and old ones, and about how we judge both ourselves and the people around us. It's about two people, but the world around them is fleshed out and full of the people that define Abby and Jordi's lives outside of their relationship.
To round this whole review off, I would be remiss if I didn't add that this is an absolutely perfect summer read. Of course, it's set during the summer before Abby and Jordi's senior year. But it's also about a summer romance, a summer job, and a ridiculous summer plan that involves eating at every burger joint in Los Angeles while talking about girls. There's a balance of the summer job, and the parties at a friend's pool. I wanted to read this pool side, sipping a lemonade, and I can only recommend that you take the shot and do the same.
What can I say, I'm a simple lesbian with simple desires, and The Summer of Jordi Perez checked off just about every single thing on the list.
July 16, 2018
This was cute, but waaay too angsty for me. I’m bummed because I wanted a great new novel to obsess over about a girl who is a lesbian (yaaaas) and fat (YAAAASSSSS) but I couldn’t get over how childish everyone was acting. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I definitely think I went in with my expectations too high. Womp 😞
May 16, 2018
2.5 “Too youngish for me” Stars
➽ FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
I picked this up with very high expectations. The story had so many elements that I had been wanting in my books for so long. Abby is a fat, lesbian, fashionable and our main character. She enters to do a summer internship a clothing boutique and falls in love with her classmate Jordi Perez, who is a photographer, and her rival. At the same time helps her new friend Jax to taste hamburgers in LA. And I highlight again, fat, lesbian, fashionable main character. Pretty much me, but queer instead. It had great potential to be fantastic and one of the best contemporaries of this year. Sadly, the lack of plot and the childish ways of Abby had me pretty bored.
I think my relationship with the novel was a first love type of thing, first dates and couple months meant the first 30% of the novel and then it just went downhill for me until I fell out of love. The whole plot and tension for our main characters to get together and acknowledge their crushes was resolved very early in the novel taking away the source of addiction. I took almost a week to finish this contemporary novel, which is not something I usually do. I was basically only hanging in there for the climax or problem at the end of the novel and went it came, I said: “this is it?!”. I really wanted to connect to the adolescence aspect, as the main character and I just share 1 year of difference, but I felt I was at least 4 years apart. Our main character has a very low self-esteem, which is not something it bothered me the most because I do share this characteristic, it was more her inability of communicating and judging people from her own assumptions.
I did enjoy many things. For example the unpredictable friendship with Jax, and the tight group of 4-girlfriends and their small teenage issues. I loved the fashion aspect because it shoves the stereotype of fat girls cannot be beautiful too down. Jordi’s family dinners and how Abby’s weight was the main issue with the relationship with her mother. I just feel I may have liked this more when I was 15-years-old. P.s. also the first kiss scene was so cute.
I do recommend this for fans of YA contemporaries looking for more diversity and people who want a fun short summer read. I really hope you find more enjoyment in this book and representation like me.
“I’ve just realized that I’m probably doomed at love. Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the heroine. I don’t even think I’m in my own story.”
➽ FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
I picked this up with very high expectations. The story had so many elements that I had been wanting in my books for so long. Abby is a fat, lesbian, fashionable and our main character. She enters to do a summer internship a clothing boutique and falls in love with her classmate Jordi Perez, who is a photographer, and her rival. At the same time helps her new friend Jax to taste hamburgers in LA. And I highlight again, fat, lesbian, fashionable main character. Pretty much me, but queer instead. It had great potential to be fantastic and one of the best contemporaries of this year. Sadly, the lack of plot and the childish ways of Abby had me pretty bored.
I think my relationship with the novel was a first love type of thing, first dates and couple months meant the first 30% of the novel and then it just went downhill for me until I fell out of love. The whole plot and tension for our main characters to get together and acknowledge their crushes was resolved very early in the novel taking away the source of addiction. I took almost a week to finish this contemporary novel, which is not something I usually do. I was basically only hanging in there for the climax or problem at the end of the novel and went it came, I said: “this is it?!”. I really wanted to connect to the adolescence aspect, as the main character and I just share 1 year of difference, but I felt I was at least 4 years apart. Our main character has a very low self-esteem, which is not something it bothered me the most because I do share this characteristic, it was more her inability of communicating and judging people from her own assumptions.
I did enjoy many things. For example the unpredictable friendship with Jax, and the tight group of 4-girlfriends and their small teenage issues. I loved the fashion aspect because it shoves the stereotype of fat girls cannot be beautiful too down. Jordi’s family dinners and how Abby’s weight was the main issue with the relationship with her mother. I just feel I may have liked this more when I was 15-years-old. P.s. also the first kiss scene was so cute.
I do recommend this for fans of YA contemporaries looking for more diversity and people who want a fun short summer read. I really hope you find more enjoyment in this book and representation like me.
July 4, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
CW: Fatphobia (challenged), multi-gendered attraction erasure in the narrative
If you’ve seen my most anticipated releases of 2018 post then you saw that this book was one of them, it just sounded so cute and fluffy and like a very fast read, plus it has fat rep AND and f/f romance. So it’s only normal that I went RUNNING to Edelweiss when i heard that it was available for immediate download and I literally threw all my reading plans out the window to pick it up because it was exactly what I needed in that moment. And it lived up to my expectations when it comes to the cute, it was really all I wanted and needed from it.
The writing is the kind that is there to tell a story, it’s not over the top, it’s easy to read but still has some really quotable parts that hit me right in the feels. The story is written from Abby’s POV and she was a really pleasant character to follow the journey and growth of. It *really* felt like we are in her head because she’d be present in the moment a second and then zone out and go on a tangent the next and I mean… if that’s not the most relatable thing ever I don’t know what is.
The only issue I had with the book and the reason it has 3.5 stars (which isn’t a bad rating at all) with how much I actually enjoyed it is that it perpetually erases multi-gendered attraction. For most of the book, the author does a good job at keeping it “girls attracted to girls” rather than putting a label on it. But then when she does bring up labels, she seems to ignore/forget that sexuality is actually a spectrum rather than the oversimplified and quite often hurtful gay vs. straight narrative. There’s one fleeting mention of bi people at some point but other than that, this is a pattern throughout the whole book.
There’s also the fact that Jordi is immediately assumed gay when Abby realizes that she likes her. There’s never “a talk” or an explicit moment where Jordi says “I’m gay” before Abby starts labeling her that way. For all we know, she could be bi, pan, omni, poly, queer or not like labels at all. So that really came off really presemptuous to me and erases a whole bunch of identities that could apply to her.
Now that my complaint is out of the way I want to talk about the characters because I LOVED THEM. Abby is a fat gay girl with a great sense of fashion she wants to make a career out of and a blog she’s really passionate about. She’s cheerful and bubbly but can also be and is more often than not awkward which was super relatable and endearing to me. The way her fatness was discussed is not my lane to discuss but I just wanted to mention that I really liked that balance between how she was confident and comfortable in the way she looked but still being fully aware of how harsh the rest of the world can be, especially with a mom so blatantly fatphobic. She mostly raised above her constant comments but couldn’t help but let them get to her sometimes.
Jordi is Abby’s mexican-american, (presumed) gay, love interest. she’s really passionate about photography which sometimes consumed her whole and I really admired that. I really liked her character, how sweet and thoughtful she was but still fucks up, especially when it comes to being consumed by her passion and making questionnable decisions for the sake of her art. And that puts a strain on their relationship. A relationship I really loved, might I add. The development of it felt so organic and IT WAS JUST ADORABLE, OKAY? Their banter, cute dates and everything in between really warmed my heart and I also thought that the way the bumps along the road were handled was quite nice.
The Summer of Jordi Perez might be romance centered but it also puts emphasis on Abby’s friendships as well. I started super iffy about her friendship with Malia, she seemed like she didn’t respect Abby’s privacy at times and was judgmental of her feelings for Jordi while still ditching Abby for her boyfriend a lot of the time. But the way that unfolded made up for it well and I ended up really liking her character. Now her friendship with Jax is my favourite thing EVER. It was just so effortless ad they got along so so well, were there for each other even if their friendship was only just blossoming. They just clicked, they were themselves with each other and could tease each other without either one of them getting offended. And that’s something I value in friendships.
All in all, this was a really quick enjoyable read, that I would highly recommend picking up if you are looking for good fat rep, or are just looking for a cute wholesome romance. But I still want you to be aware of the erasure because it’s there and I would hate for anyone to get hurt.
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
CW: Fatphobia (challenged), multi-gendered attraction erasure in the narrative
If you’ve seen my most anticipated releases of 2018 post then you saw that this book was one of them, it just sounded so cute and fluffy and like a very fast read, plus it has fat rep AND and f/f romance. So it’s only normal that I went RUNNING to Edelweiss when i heard that it was available for immediate download and I literally threw all my reading plans out the window to pick it up because it was exactly what I needed in that moment. And it lived up to my expectations when it comes to the cute, it was really all I wanted and needed from it.
The writing is the kind that is there to tell a story, it’s not over the top, it’s easy to read but still has some really quotable parts that hit me right in the feels. The story is written from Abby’s POV and she was a really pleasant character to follow the journey and growth of. It *really* felt like we are in her head because she’d be present in the moment a second and then zone out and go on a tangent the next and I mean… if that’s not the most relatable thing ever I don’t know what is.
The only issue I had with the book and the reason it has 3.5 stars (which isn’t a bad rating at all) with how much I actually enjoyed it is that it perpetually erases multi-gendered attraction. For most of the book, the author does a good job at keeping it “girls attracted to girls” rather than putting a label on it. But then when she does bring up labels, she seems to ignore/forget that sexuality is actually a spectrum rather than the oversimplified and quite often hurtful gay vs. straight narrative. There’s one fleeting mention of bi people at some point but other than that, this is a pattern throughout the whole book.
There’s also the fact that Jordi is immediately assumed gay when Abby realizes that she likes her. There’s never “a talk” or an explicit moment where Jordi says “I’m gay” before Abby starts labeling her that way. For all we know, she could be bi, pan, omni, poly, queer or not like labels at all. So that really came off really presemptuous to me and erases a whole bunch of identities that could apply to her.
Now that my complaint is out of the way I want to talk about the characters because I LOVED THEM. Abby is a fat gay girl with a great sense of fashion she wants to make a career out of and a blog she’s really passionate about. She’s cheerful and bubbly but can also be and is more often than not awkward which was super relatable and endearing to me. The way her fatness was discussed is not my lane to discuss but I just wanted to mention that I really liked that balance between how she was confident and comfortable in the way she looked but still being fully aware of how harsh the rest of the world can be, especially with a mom so blatantly fatphobic. She mostly raised above her constant comments but couldn’t help but let them get to her sometimes.
Jordi is Abby’s mexican-american, (presumed) gay, love interest. she’s really passionate about photography which sometimes consumed her whole and I really admired that. I really liked her character, how sweet and thoughtful she was but still fucks up, especially when it comes to being consumed by her passion and making questionnable decisions for the sake of her art. And that puts a strain on their relationship. A relationship I really loved, might I add. The development of it felt so organic and IT WAS JUST ADORABLE, OKAY? Their banter, cute dates and everything in between really warmed my heart and I also thought that the way the bumps along the road were handled was quite nice.
The Summer of Jordi Perez might be romance centered but it also puts emphasis on Abby’s friendships as well. I started super iffy about her friendship with Malia, she seemed like she didn’t respect Abby’s privacy at times and was judgmental of her feelings for Jordi while still ditching Abby for her boyfriend a lot of the time. But the way that unfolded made up for it well and I ended up really liking her character. Now her friendship with Jax is my favourite thing EVER. It was just so effortless ad they got along so so well, were there for each other even if their friendship was only just blossoming. They just clicked, they were themselves with each other and could tease each other without either one of them getting offended. And that’s something I value in friendships.
All in all, this was a really quick enjoyable read, that I would highly recommend picking up if you are looking for good fat rep, or are just looking for a cute wholesome romance. But I still want you to be aware of the erasure because it’s there and I would hate for anyone to get hurt.
April 30, 2018
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy of this title!
PEOPLE. This book is YA absolute perfection. PERFECTION. I am ALWAYS up for a whip-smart romantic comedy, but this one blew that description out of the park. It is about a queer, body positive, social media savvy teen (Abby) in her very first relationship, but it's also about so much more. It's about friendship and business and family dynamics and standing up to the pressure of parents. It's about loving carbs and walks, and about love and learning to let the world see who you really are. I adored the fashion/store/internship aspect and the social media storyline was spot on.
I am struggling to find the words to say how much I love this book, but maybe it would help to tell you that THIS was the book I needed 20 years ago when I was 17. A book that told me it was okay to love my body just the way it was and that the future is SO bright. A book about a HAPPY fat girl who dressed in her own distinctive style simply because it made her feel the most comfortable with who she is. A girl who ATE FOOD and LIKED IT. A girl whose friends never once cut her down, and who never once in the whole book tried losing weight.
As a librarian, I am in love with the romantic relationship because the girls aren't coming out and there is absolutely no drama about their sexual status. They are just both girls who love girls and everyone in the book is totally fine with it. Well, except one person, but she's just clueless and comes around!
Required purchase for every library serving teens and highly recommended for any reader on earth.
PEOPLE. This book is YA absolute perfection. PERFECTION. I am ALWAYS up for a whip-smart romantic comedy, but this one blew that description out of the park. It is about a queer, body positive, social media savvy teen (Abby) in her very first relationship, but it's also about so much more. It's about friendship and business and family dynamics and standing up to the pressure of parents. It's about loving carbs and walks, and about love and learning to let the world see who you really are. I adored the fashion/store/internship aspect and the social media storyline was spot on.
I am struggling to find the words to say how much I love this book, but maybe it would help to tell you that THIS was the book I needed 20 years ago when I was 17. A book that told me it was okay to love my body just the way it was and that the future is SO bright. A book about a HAPPY fat girl who dressed in her own distinctive style simply because it made her feel the most comfortable with who she is. A girl who ATE FOOD and LIKED IT. A girl whose friends never once cut her down, and who never once in the whole book tried losing weight.
As a librarian, I am in love with the romantic relationship because the girls aren't coming out and there is absolutely no drama about their sexual status. They are just both girls who love girls and everyone in the book is totally fine with it. Well, except one person, but she's just clueless and comes around!
Required purchase for every library serving teens and highly recommended for any reader on earth.
April 22, 2018
Mini review:
DNF
This book was recommended to me by dear GR friend Lola! Click on her name to read her review. I have read one of the author's previous book and I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
This book was actually really cute! But somehow I found it cringey at the same time. I couldn't keep the smile off my face while reading. Yet there were so many things that Abby said and thought that really rubbed me the wrong way. It bothered me quite a bit so I simply DNFed it.
Nonetheless I highly recommend it. I honestly think that a lot of people will connect with Abby.
DNF
This book was recommended to me by dear GR friend Lola! Click on her name to read her review. I have read one of the author's previous book and I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
This book was actually really cute! But somehow I found it cringey at the same time. I couldn't keep the smile off my face while reading. Yet there were so many things that Abby said and thought that really rubbed me the wrong way. It bothered me quite a bit so I simply DNFed it.
Nonetheless I highly recommend it. I honestly think that a lot of people will connect with Abby.
July 22, 2019
If you like Becky Albertalli's books, you need to read The Summer of Jordi Perez. It's the same kind of happy queer book, with a similar sense of humor and characters who are just as charmingly messy and trying to figure things out, but in my opinion it's even better, as it's ownvoices and isn't obsessed with pop culture references.
My pre-review of this book was "help I can't stop smiling my face is stuck", and it is true - every time I think of this book, especially of certain scenes, I smile. This is the kind of happy, summer-y f/f romance I would never have thought I could get a few years ago, and I can't believe I almost didn't read it because of the mixed reviews. The romance starts out with mutual pining and continues with really cute dates, some misunderstandings, and character growth. I loved Abby and Jordi as a couple so much - to give you an idea, I read it in less than an afternoon.
I've already mentioned that this book is f/f - both girls are lesbians - but it's really diverse in other ways, since the love interest is Mexican-American and Abby is a fat fashion blogger who specifically talks about plus-size clothes. Fashion is a relevant part of this book, as the main characters meet during an internship at a local boutique, and the book makes you feel both Abby's love for it and Jordi's love for photography.
One of the things I liked the most about this novel was the message: at its heart, The Summer of Jordi Perez is a story about how you don’t need to be anyone else’s, and not even your, definition of perfect to find happiness, and about how the person you love doesn’t have to be perfect either for you to love them. Despite talking a lot about body positivity and fat acceptance in the fatphobic world of fashion, Abby is insecure about her body, she's not quite comfortable with it yet - and that's fine, she's 17 and the world can truly be awful to fat girls. Even her mother wants her to change. In this story, Abby becomes more comfortable with herself, and learns that mistakes and imperfections - hers, or other people's - don't have to be the end of things. This is a really important message.
In this book, the main characters actually feel like teenagers. Which means that they make a big deal out of crushes and dating and not having kissed anyone yet. Immature? I prefer to say realistic. However, some parts of this were kind of alienating to read as an aromantic person (and some parts could be for asexual people, too). I mention this because, while this doesn't hurt me now, I know this would have been the kind of book that would have hurt me at 17, when I was still trying to understand my romantic orientation - reading about characters who thought that not having kissed anyone at 17 is clearly abnormal, that it must mean there's something wrong with you, made me feel terrible.
What made me give this book a four stars instead of a five, apart from some not always developed side characters and what I mentioned in the earlier paragraphs, were the last fifty pages. Romcoms always have that part in which the main characters split up and get back together again, and in this book, Jordi and Abby get back together only right before the end. I would have liked to see them together again for a little longer.
But let's get back to the things I liked: this book is set in LA, and it makes you feel the atmosphere, and since food is a relevant part of this book - Abby and her friend Jax (relevant platonic m/f friendship!) are trying to find the best burgers in the city, and there are some wonderful scenes in which Abby is cooking with Jordi's family - I can also say that the food descriptions were great, and I always love those.
Anyway, I'm glad this book exists and I wish it were more well-known; it may not be flawless but there are never enough atmospheric lesbian romcoms.
My pre-review of this book was "help I can't stop smiling my face is stuck", and it is true - every time I think of this book, especially of certain scenes, I smile. This is the kind of happy, summer-y f/f romance I would never have thought I could get a few years ago, and I can't believe I almost didn't read it because of the mixed reviews. The romance starts out with mutual pining and continues with really cute dates, some misunderstandings, and character growth. I loved Abby and Jordi as a couple so much - to give you an idea, I read it in less than an afternoon.
I've already mentioned that this book is f/f - both girls are lesbians - but it's really diverse in other ways, since the love interest is Mexican-American and Abby is a fat fashion blogger who specifically talks about plus-size clothes. Fashion is a relevant part of this book, as the main characters meet during an internship at a local boutique, and the book makes you feel both Abby's love for it and Jordi's love for photography.
One of the things I liked the most about this novel was the message: at its heart, The Summer of Jordi Perez is a story about how you don’t need to be anyone else’s, and not even your, definition of perfect to find happiness, and about how the person you love doesn’t have to be perfect either for you to love them. Despite talking a lot about body positivity and fat acceptance in the fatphobic world of fashion, Abby is insecure about her body, she's not quite comfortable with it yet - and that's fine, she's 17 and the world can truly be awful to fat girls. Even her mother wants her to change. In this story, Abby becomes more comfortable with herself, and learns that mistakes and imperfections - hers, or other people's - don't have to be the end of things. This is a really important message.
In this book, the main characters actually feel like teenagers. Which means that they make a big deal out of crushes and dating and not having kissed anyone yet. Immature? I prefer to say realistic. However, some parts of this were kind of alienating to read as an aromantic person (and some parts could be for asexual people, too). I mention this because, while this doesn't hurt me now, I know this would have been the kind of book that would have hurt me at 17, when I was still trying to understand my romantic orientation - reading about characters who thought that not having kissed anyone at 17 is clearly abnormal, that it must mean there's something wrong with you, made me feel terrible.
What made me give this book a four stars instead of a five, apart from some not always developed side characters and what I mentioned in the earlier paragraphs, were the last fifty pages. Romcoms always have that part in which the main characters split up and get back together again, and in this book, Jordi and Abby get back together only right before the end. I would have liked to see them together again for a little longer.
But let's get back to the things I liked: this book is set in LA, and it makes you feel the atmosphere, and since food is a relevant part of this book - Abby and her friend Jax (relevant platonic m/f friendship!) are trying to find the best burgers in the city, and there are some wonderful scenes in which Abby is cooking with Jordi's family - I can also say that the food descriptions were great, and I always love those.
Anyway, I'm glad this book exists and I wish it were more well-known; it may not be flawless but there are never enough atmospheric lesbian romcoms.
April 3, 2018
This book is fun, heartwarming, warm, and super fashionable. And it will make you crave burgers! It is the perfect book if you need to put a smile on your face.
May 26, 2019
This book was so CUTE! It wasn't super memorable, and it wasn't super unique, but it was hella fun, and the romance was adorable!
Short List of Thoughts:
- Abby was great! She didn't exactly stand out to me, but I liked her. She felt real. She had passions and hobbies and insecurities. She liked fashion and had bright pink hair and spent her spare time on social media (relatable haha). She was a compelling MC and I was rooting for her.
- Jordi was awesome! From the very first time she came in I knew I was going to love her! She made some (okay more than some) questionable decisions, sure, but she genuinely meant well. She loved photography and her family, and ahhhh I loved her!
- The romance between them was super cute! I was squealing and flailing the entire book, because they're SO GOOD TOGETHER AND I LOVE IT. I will say some of Jordi's actions at the end were... questionable and sorta uncool, but she also realized it and felt horrible and they were just so CUTE TOGETHER.
- Abby's friendship with Jax was amazing! Jax was sort of an ass, but also I really loved him, and they just had the most genuinely sweet caring friendship?? And I loved it?? I loved it a lot.
- This book was super funny! I was snickering the whole time, and ahhhhh I loved it!!
- Also I couldn't put it down? I read it in one day, which seeing how short it is maybe isn't saying much, except it was also CHRISTMAS DAY, and I still managed to binge it in a day. So. That says something haha.
This book was just so freaking fun and cute and I really liked it!
Short List of Thoughts:
- Abby was great! She didn't exactly stand out to me, but I liked her. She felt real. She had passions and hobbies and insecurities. She liked fashion and had bright pink hair and spent her spare time on social media (relatable haha). She was a compelling MC and I was rooting for her.
- Jordi was awesome! From the very first time she came in I knew I was going to love her! She made some (okay more than some) questionable decisions, sure, but she genuinely meant well. She loved photography and her family, and ahhhh I loved her!
- The romance between them was super cute! I was squealing and flailing the entire book, because they're SO GOOD TOGETHER AND I LOVE IT. I will say some of Jordi's actions at the end were... questionable and sorta uncool, but she also realized it and felt horrible and they were just so CUTE TOGETHER.
- Abby's friendship with Jax was amazing! Jax was sort of an ass, but also I really loved him, and they just had the most genuinely sweet caring friendship?? And I loved it?? I loved it a lot.
- This book was super funny! I was snickering the whole time, and ahhhhh I loved it!!
- Also I couldn't put it down? I read it in one day, which seeing how short it is maybe isn't saying much, except it was also CHRISTMAS DAY, and I still managed to binge it in a day. So. That says something haha.
This book was just so freaking fun and cute and I really liked it!
July 24, 2018
2 generous stars
I really wanted to love this. It had awesome elements- a fat fashionista lesbian who is interning at her favorite boutique & ends up falling in love with the other intern & classmate Jordi. While our MC Abby is the store blogger, Jordi is the photographer & her rival. The beginning was rocky but still enjoyable, so I set aside my doubts. But in the end this just wasn't the book for me. Abby is 17, yet her inner dialogue sounds very immature & honestly a bit unrealistic at times. Example: she thinks that pouring herself a cup of coffee seems like an adult thing to do. The other thing that really bothered me about her was how negative she was about herself, thinking that no girl would ever like her, she wouldn't get her own love story because she will always be the "sidekick", etc. There is a strange contradiction between her thoughts about her size- on her blog she is very fat-positive & tells people that they should be happy & love themselves exactly as they are, but in reality she refuses to have anyone see pictures of herself & still can't believe that Jordi actually likes her for her. Yes I get that it's fine for people, especially teens, to have low self-esteem but the way she was constantly putting herself down & then having other characters come to her rescue & tell her that it was all in her head got old fast.
I thought that Abby would get some character growth in this regard, but the only way she starts to see herself as beautiful is when Jordi convinces her to start seeing herself through Jordi's eyes. It's giving the idea that you need to be in a relationship to fix things, to start seeing your own worth because you can't possibly do alone, which just wasn't okay to me. The relationship between Jordi & Abby could have been adorable- if Abby's monologue about her waist & insecurities weren't discussed so much. I literally feel that was the only point of them being together- Jordi spending all her time trying to get Abby to see differently. And what kind of relationship is that? There were times when it was sweet, such as when Abby went over to Jordi's house & spent time with her family, but they were quickly overshadowed by Abby's fears.
Another thing that really pissed me off was the bi-erasure. (At the time of finishing this, I just realized that it was mentioned in other reviews & I was supposed to make a note months ago about not reading this, but I ended up forgetting. Whoops.) The author makes it sound like there is straight with gay being the only alternative through the interaction of her characters. The only time that bi is mentioned throughout the entirety of the novel is through one of Abby's thoughts.
"Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that I guess boys have feelings, too. I seriously don't know how straight and bi girls manage."
Ugh. So much wrong with those sentences. There is also a bit about Abby's best friend's boyfriend being such a boy because he doesn't want to admit his feelings. It's difficult for me to sympathize with an author who wants to carelessly throw generalizations around & stupid phrases like "he'd want to jump my bones if I was straight". In a way I Spaulding was throwing boys & bisexuality under the bus (probably not her intention) but she could have worded things a whole lot differently.
The pacing in here was horrendous at times. Choppy flow, abrupt chapter ends, way too much time spent in Abby's head when it could have been focused on her job or friends. Abby's mother, a nutritionist, is horrible to her daughter & I felt like their relationship was too forgiving at the end without anything she said challenged. Her mother wants (says it will make Abby's life "easier" but we all know that's bullshit) her daughter to be straight & thin. In regards to their relationship, the book ends on a bit of a standstill (she doesn't apologize & refuses to see how what she said was harmful), which was disappointing because it gives the sense it was okay for her to talk to her daughter like that. I know I'm being picky now, but it was just absolutely ridiculous.
The other thing that was frustrating was how the photos were handled. Jordi gets the opportunity to have her art show & of course she has a wall dedicated to Abby photos...which she didn't get permission to post. Jordi surprises Abby with this & Abby gets understandably upset, so they break up. They eventually get back together & this is when Jordi tries to get Abby to see her side, & then Abby decides that she is beautiful after all. What??? I guess I'm just tired of books with characters who refuse to believe in themselves until someone else points it out to them.
There were a couple things I liked about this book, hence why I'm giving it a 2 instead of the 1* it genuinely deserves (trying to get a little more lenient on my ratings). Jax was a really fun character & it was nice that he became one of Abby's unexpected friends. He was probably my favorite character & I wouldn't hate it if he were to appear in another book. I enjoyed the fashion/working aspect, though too little time was spent on it in my eyes. And there were times when Jordi & Abby could be cute together. I likely won't read another book from this author or recommend this dud.
I really wanted to love this. It had awesome elements- a fat fashionista lesbian who is interning at her favorite boutique & ends up falling in love with the other intern & classmate Jordi. While our MC Abby is the store blogger, Jordi is the photographer & her rival. The beginning was rocky but still enjoyable, so I set aside my doubts. But in the end this just wasn't the book for me. Abby is 17, yet her inner dialogue sounds very immature & honestly a bit unrealistic at times. Example: she thinks that pouring herself a cup of coffee seems like an adult thing to do. The other thing that really bothered me about her was how negative she was about herself, thinking that no girl would ever like her, she wouldn't get her own love story because she will always be the "sidekick", etc. There is a strange contradiction between her thoughts about her size- on her blog she is very fat-positive & tells people that they should be happy & love themselves exactly as they are, but in reality she refuses to have anyone see pictures of herself & still can't believe that Jordi actually likes her for her. Yes I get that it's fine for people, especially teens, to have low self-esteem but the way she was constantly putting herself down & then having other characters come to her rescue & tell her that it was all in her head got old fast.
I thought that Abby would get some character growth in this regard, but the only way she starts to see herself as beautiful is when Jordi convinces her to start seeing herself through Jordi's eyes. It's giving the idea that you need to be in a relationship to fix things, to start seeing your own worth because you can't possibly do alone, which just wasn't okay to me. The relationship between Jordi & Abby could have been adorable- if Abby's monologue about her waist & insecurities weren't discussed so much. I literally feel that was the only point of them being together- Jordi spending all her time trying to get Abby to see differently. And what kind of relationship is that? There were times when it was sweet, such as when Abby went over to Jordi's house & spent time with her family, but they were quickly overshadowed by Abby's fears.
Another thing that really pissed me off was the bi-erasure. (At the time of finishing this, I just realized that it was mentioned in other reviews & I was supposed to make a note months ago about not reading this, but I ended up forgetting. Whoops.) The author makes it sound like there is straight with gay being the only alternative through the interaction of her characters. The only time that bi is mentioned throughout the entirety of the novel is through one of Abby's thoughts.
"Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that I guess boys have feelings, too. I seriously don't know how straight and bi girls manage."
Ugh. So much wrong with those sentences. There is also a bit about Abby's best friend's boyfriend being such a boy because he doesn't want to admit his feelings. It's difficult for me to sympathize with an author who wants to carelessly throw generalizations around & stupid phrases like "he'd want to jump my bones if I was straight". In a way I Spaulding was throwing boys & bisexuality under the bus (probably not her intention) but she could have worded things a whole lot differently.
The pacing in here was horrendous at times. Choppy flow, abrupt chapter ends, way too much time spent in Abby's head when it could have been focused on her job or friends. Abby's mother, a nutritionist, is horrible to her daughter & I felt like their relationship was too forgiving at the end without anything she said challenged. Her mother wants (says it will make Abby's life "easier" but we all know that's bullshit) her daughter to be straight & thin. In regards to their relationship, the book ends on a bit of a standstill (she doesn't apologize & refuses to see how what she said was harmful), which was disappointing because it gives the sense it was okay for her to talk to her daughter like that. I know I'm being picky now, but it was just absolutely ridiculous.
The other thing that was frustrating was how the photos were handled. Jordi gets the opportunity to have her art show & of course she has a wall dedicated to Abby photos...which she didn't get permission to post. Jordi surprises Abby with this & Abby gets understandably upset, so they break up. They eventually get back together & this is when Jordi tries to get Abby to see her side, & then Abby decides that she is beautiful after all. What??? I guess I'm just tired of books with characters who refuse to believe in themselves until someone else points it out to them.
There were a couple things I liked about this book, hence why I'm giving it a 2 instead of the 1* it genuinely deserves (trying to get a little more lenient on my ratings). Jax was a really fun character & it was nice that he became one of Abby's unexpected friends. He was probably my favorite character & I wouldn't hate it if he were to appear in another book. I enjoyed the fashion/working aspect, though too little time was spent on it in my eyes. And there were times when Jordi & Abby could be cute together. I likely won't read another book from this author or recommend this dud.
February 27, 2019
This is a very cute but sometimes boring story with a strong distinct character voice. It's mostly a lesbian romance but also a coming of age (although refreshingly NOT a coming out). The best parts are the protagonist Abby dealing with fatphobia, internalized and from her mom. But I wasn't satisfied with the resolution of that thread or of the other plotlines, which didn't have enough narrative tension to begin with or ended anti-climactically.
But cute baby dykes! And a fat teen lesbian!
But cute baby dykes! And a fat teen lesbian!
September 19, 2018
This was a cute, sweet, light f/f YA romance, and I 100% valued it for that. It was the perfect companion for a night when I was too sick to sleep, and I in no way intend that as criticism. It’s the kind of light lesbian teen romance I would have loved to read as a teen, and that I’m still delighted to find now. I mean, for this to be my ideal book, it would need to have, say, dragons in it also, but this is still pretty great. And it’s so FLUFFY, which is exactly what I want from f/f. I’ve done the angst! I’ve done the lonely lesbians and the dead lesbians and the wretched misery of it all. I am full up on that, possibly forever, and I am now in Full Fluff Mode when it comes to books about lesbians. This met my needs.
Also, I love that the author clearly ACTUALLY KNOWS and appreciates Los Angeles.
Also, I love that the author clearly ACTUALLY KNOWS and appreciates Los Angeles.
July 5, 2024
two words: absolute 👏 masterpiece 👏
July 30, 2018
Halfway through reading this I texted Sonni like, "I think this book was written specifically for me." Fat lead? Gay romance? Jock bro BFF? Seriously, this was wonderful.
I really related to Abby's struggles to accept herself and to understand the way other people feel about her. In that vein, this book comes with a content warning for body issues. Abby's relationship with her mother was particularly fraught in the way that relationships with moms and teenage girls can be. I liked that even though things were hard between Abby and her mom, her dad was supportive, especially about the gay stuff. You don't see that too often.
The romance was so sweet, and the conflict felt at the same time real and over the top dramatic in the way that teen conflicts can be. I loved Abby and Jordi together, and I loved all the friends and supporting characters.
It really makes me happy that there are books out there for fat teens where they can see themselves as the lead and the person getting the happy ever after.
I really related to Abby's struggles to accept herself and to understand the way other people feel about her. In that vein, this book comes with a content warning for body issues. Abby's relationship with her mother was particularly fraught in the way that relationships with moms and teenage girls can be. I liked that even though things were hard between Abby and her mom, her dad was supportive, especially about the gay stuff. You don't see that too often.
The romance was so sweet, and the conflict felt at the same time real and over the top dramatic in the way that teen conflicts can be. I loved Abby and Jordi together, and I loved all the friends and supporting characters.
It really makes me happy that there are books out there for fat teens where they can see themselves as the lead and the person getting the happy ever after.
May 28, 2018
This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Well, this was exactly the adorable f/f summer romance I needed to read! The Summer of Jordi Perez follows our protagonist, Abby, during the summer before her senior year of high school as she works to balance her internship at her favorite fashion designer, new and old friendships, and falling in love for the first time.
First off, can I say how much this book means to me as a plus-size queer girl??? I got to read about a protagonist who looked like me and felt the same way about girls as me!!! I’ve seen these identities of mine represented well separately in many books, but never this intersection. I related SO SO much to Abby and her struggles with her body. Like Abby, yes, I truly do like myself and the way I look, but it’s what others might think that gets to me. Seeing a successful fashion blogger and intern struggling with the same things I deal with was really comforting and validating, and I felt better about myself as I read about Abby learning to fully embrace herself. Plus, while Abby is a lesbian and I identify as bisexual, I still thought the queer representation was done really well.
Speaking of which, Abby and Jordi’s relationship was so cute! I will honestly never tire of reading cute f/f romances that take place in the real world, because, like, we deserve to have those. While the two of them were pretty different as people, they complemented each other well and helped each other come into their own. Normally, I loathe the miscommunication trope, but I thought it worked really well in this story. I just love a good summer romance, tbh.
I also adored Abby’s group of friends. Maliah, Brooke, and Zoe reminded me lots of my friends in high school. Maggie, Abby and Jordi’s boss, also made me happy! I loved reading about their internship, honestly. Lemonberry is a store I could totally see myself shopping at if it existed. I also have a soft spot for Jax, who reminded me of so many of my unlikely friendships with guys now. The two of them were full of banter, but not in a romantic sense, which was fun to read. And, of course, all the food descriptions were delicious.
Overall, I think this is the perfect fluffy spring/summer read that’s not entirely mindless. It still includes important representation and makes you think, but the setting and the characters lend it a feel-good vibe. Highly recommend to any contemporary lover!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Well, this was exactly the adorable f/f summer romance I needed to read! The Summer of Jordi Perez follows our protagonist, Abby, during the summer before her senior year of high school as she works to balance her internship at her favorite fashion designer, new and old friendships, and falling in love for the first time.
First off, can I say how much this book means to me as a plus-size queer girl??? I got to read about a protagonist who looked like me and felt the same way about girls as me!!! I’ve seen these identities of mine represented well separately in many books, but never this intersection. I related SO SO much to Abby and her struggles with her body. Like Abby, yes, I truly do like myself and the way I look, but it’s what others might think that gets to me. Seeing a successful fashion blogger and intern struggling with the same things I deal with was really comforting and validating, and I felt better about myself as I read about Abby learning to fully embrace herself. Plus, while Abby is a lesbian and I identify as bisexual, I still thought the queer representation was done really well.
Speaking of which, Abby and Jordi’s relationship was so cute! I will honestly never tire of reading cute f/f romances that take place in the real world, because, like, we deserve to have those. While the two of them were pretty different as people, they complemented each other well and helped each other come into their own. Normally, I loathe the miscommunication trope, but I thought it worked really well in this story. I just love a good summer romance, tbh.
I also adored Abby’s group of friends. Maliah, Brooke, and Zoe reminded me lots of my friends in high school. Maggie, Abby and Jordi’s boss, also made me happy! I loved reading about their internship, honestly. Lemonberry is a store I could totally see myself shopping at if it existed. I also have a soft spot for Jax, who reminded me of so many of my unlikely friendships with guys now. The two of them were full of banter, but not in a romantic sense, which was fun to read. And, of course, all the food descriptions were delicious.
Overall, I think this is the perfect fluffy spring/summer read that’s not entirely mindless. It still includes important representation and makes you think, but the setting and the characters lend it a feel-good vibe. Highly recommend to any contemporary lover!
dnf
July 25, 2019dnf @ 39%
Yikes. I honestly thought this would be a new favourite read for me, but a lot of the discussions in this made me feel invalidated and unappreciated as someone who experiences attraction to multiple genders. The main character, Abby, has the "you can either be gay or straight" mentality and constantly suggests that the girl she likes "can't possibly like girls" because she's dating a boy. It's brought up so many times throughout the novel that I couldn't ignore it anymore. In addition, I was fat myself in high school - and I know the author is fat too - but I wasn't a fan of the way it was presented. People say harmless things to Abby and she snaps at them saying "it's because I'm fat, isn't it?" and constantly thinks about being fat. It takes up about 90% of her personality. Again, it just made me feel disvalued and uncomfortable.
I can see why this book would be a light and fluffy read for everyone else, but the messages it sends just weren't for me.
Yikes. I honestly thought this would be a new favourite read for me, but a lot of the discussions in this made me feel invalidated and unappreciated as someone who experiences attraction to multiple genders. The main character, Abby, has the "you can either be gay or straight" mentality and constantly suggests that the girl she likes "can't possibly like girls" because she's dating a boy. It's brought up so many times throughout the novel that I couldn't ignore it anymore. In addition, I was fat myself in high school - and I know the author is fat too - but I wasn't a fan of the way it was presented. People say harmless things to Abby and she snaps at them saying "it's because I'm fat, isn't it?" and constantly thinks about being fat. It takes up about 90% of her personality. Again, it just made me feel disvalued and uncomfortable.
I can see why this book would be a light and fluffy read for everyone else, but the messages it sends just weren't for me.
June 24, 2018
totally adorable!!! absolutely lived up to all the hype i created for myself (i'm just crazy about that title)! i had to force myself to read it more slowly so i could savor it. super cute, SUPER gay, super fun! fashion + food + friends!!
February 15, 2021
Now that was a pretty fantastic story of first love.
June 2, 2021
Full review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
This was a feel-good book by all means. It was cute and healthy. Healthy in terms that I have read a happy book like this, after so much time, in which there is no big problem as such. When I first saw the cover of the book, I knew that I would love this book. Isn’t the cover makes you more hungry? And the girl with pink hairs? It definitely is a feel-good cover 🙂
Abby is a blogger in this story. How cool is that? She runs a fashion blog called +size recommending fashion stuff for fat people or plus size people. Being a blogger myself I was able to relate to all her references. Amy Spalding made sure to include all the necessary stuff which you can imagine yourself handling if you were a blogger. All those Instagram references, scheduling posts and stuff, made me feel that somehow this story includes me too 😀 And I won’t lie about this but in fact, I learned 2-3 things myself about which I was not aware.
After reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda which had M+M trope, it was good to read a book having F+F relationship. Amy Spalding has presented the relationship between Abby and Jordi quite beautifully. I was actually rooting for them and couldn’t help thinking how cute they would look in real-life. Abby was self-confident for most of the parts, if not always. She was confident about her work and talents.
All the characters were super real and amazing. There were no hidden agendas or an evil person or an intelligent one. All were normal and in fact quite enjoyable. Abby was very fashionable and so she was good in blogging and suggesting all those things on her blog, which felt real. Jordi’s character was interesting too. She was always in black, well for most of the time and Abby thought that she perfectly matches her. Jordi was a photographer and I loved how the author described her love for the photography.
Did I mention burgers? Yes, this book was full of burgers 😀 Actually Jax’s dad wanted to create an app which will contain all the information of the burgers of the city and thus Jax asks Aby to help him with eating and rating the burgers, God, it really feels like a fun job, right? You would actually want to eat one, right after you finish this book.
I was so happy that the romance in the book was perfect – was only present in the limited and required amount. There were kissing scenes, date nights, flirting and stuff, but it never felt to the top. It perfectly fitted to the context and I love that transformation. There was no insta-love or anything. Everything was slow and I enjoyed the journey of Abby and Jordi.
Besides love, there was also a considerable amount of focus on family and friendships. All the friendships in this book were good, actually amazing, be it the one between Abby and Jax, Abby, and Maliah or with Maggie, her boss. I enjoyed those friendships and the usual stuff they used to do. The best thing was that there was no usual teen drama.
I really liked how fast-paced the story was. There was no extra stuff or unwanted plot. Everything was in the proper amount and situational. The author didn’t try to make it extra eventful and that is what makes this story extra enjoyable. There is no major plot twist or anything to blow your mind. But still, while reading it, you will feel happy and self-contained.
This book is pretty simple but a cute one. There is no major plot-twist to blow your mind, but this book will certainly leave you with a smile. You will fall in love with Abby and Jordi and will actually root for them. You’ll feel as if you are part of the story too. Also, all the blog stuff references? You sure can’t hate this 😀
If you want to read a feel-good, simple YA contemporary, this is the book for you.
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This was a feel-good book by all means. It was cute and healthy. Healthy in terms that I have read a happy book like this, after so much time, in which there is no big problem as such. When I first saw the cover of the book, I knew that I would love this book. Isn’t the cover makes you more hungry? And the girl with pink hairs? It definitely is a feel-good cover 🙂
Abby is a blogger in this story. How cool is that? She runs a fashion blog called +size recommending fashion stuff for fat people or plus size people. Being a blogger myself I was able to relate to all her references. Amy Spalding made sure to include all the necessary stuff which you can imagine yourself handling if you were a blogger. All those Instagram references, scheduling posts and stuff, made me feel that somehow this story includes me too 😀 And I won’t lie about this but in fact, I learned 2-3 things myself about which I was not aware.
After reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda which had M+M trope, it was good to read a book having F+F relationship. Amy Spalding has presented the relationship between Abby and Jordi quite beautifully. I was actually rooting for them and couldn’t help thinking how cute they would look in real-life. Abby was self-confident for most of the parts, if not always. She was confident about her work and talents.
All the characters were super real and amazing. There were no hidden agendas or an evil person or an intelligent one. All were normal and in fact quite enjoyable. Abby was very fashionable and so she was good in blogging and suggesting all those things on her blog, which felt real. Jordi’s character was interesting too. She was always in black, well for most of the time and Abby thought that she perfectly matches her. Jordi was a photographer and I loved how the author described her love for the photography.
Did I mention burgers? Yes, this book was full of burgers 😀 Actually Jax’s dad wanted to create an app which will contain all the information of the burgers of the city and thus Jax asks Aby to help him with eating and rating the burgers, God, it really feels like a fun job, right? You would actually want to eat one, right after you finish this book.
I was so happy that the romance in the book was perfect – was only present in the limited and required amount. There were kissing scenes, date nights, flirting and stuff, but it never felt to the top. It perfectly fitted to the context and I love that transformation. There was no insta-love or anything. Everything was slow and I enjoyed the journey of Abby and Jordi.
Besides love, there was also a considerable amount of focus on family and friendships. All the friendships in this book were good, actually amazing, be it the one between Abby and Jax, Abby, and Maliah or with Maggie, her boss. I enjoyed those friendships and the usual stuff they used to do. The best thing was that there was no usual teen drama.
I really liked how fast-paced the story was. There was no extra stuff or unwanted plot. Everything was in the proper amount and situational. The author didn’t try to make it extra eventful and that is what makes this story extra enjoyable. There is no major plot twist or anything to blow your mind. But still, while reading it, you will feel happy and self-contained.
This book is pretty simple but a cute one. There is no major plot-twist to blow your mind, but this book will certainly leave you with a smile. You will fall in love with Abby and Jordi and will actually root for them. You’ll feel as if you are part of the story too. Also, all the blog stuff references? You sure can’t hate this 😀
If you want to read a feel-good, simple YA contemporary, this is the book for you.
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July 17, 2018
You may also find this review on my blog here.
I received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
FIRST OF ALL. It made me incredibly anxious to know that I’ve still got a pending e-ARC (an ARC whose book is already out, no less!), so here’s my official “I’m sorry” to Edelweiss and the publisher for only reviewing this now. Please don’t hate me, ILY guys.
Second of all, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) is exactly the kind of feel-good contemporary summer romance I’ve been dying to read. I have this policy of reading about only 2-3 contemporaries a year because they’re not my thing. No hate, but they’re just not my cup of tea. I’m glad this book was one of my chosen contemporaries for 2018 because it was a breath of fresh air after reading only cis-heternormative stories all the time.
To put it all out there, this book stars a plus-sized lesbian who falls hard for the very person she’s supposedly competing with for an internship. It sounds like it’s got a dose of angst–and it sometimes does, during portions of the story–but it’s more of a fluffy read than anything.
The three things I loved most about this book were the representation, the message of the story, and the romance. (I mean, I did request this book because it featured a sapphic love story.) Our main character, Abby Ives, is a plus-sized fashion blogger just trying to live out the best summer she could possibly have. What I liked most about her was how real she was to me. She was kind yet stubborn, confident in her appearance yet reserved with her public image. It was easy to relate with her frustrations and her joy because of how much layers she had.
I’m also a fan of the numerous messages this book advocates for. For one, I appreciate the love story so much. I don’t often come across lesbian romances (a fact I should rectify immediately), and this one just reaffirms the fact that the YA world needs more LGBT+ stories. For another, I love how the author constantly reminds its reader that being fat is not a bad thing.
The only thing I wanted more was a longer ending. It ended so abruptly (however sweet), and I wanted some more pages and time with the characters of the story! I did like the parting message of the novel, which is to say that making a mistake does not equivalent to the end of your life.
It’s a nice reminder, what with Twitter and the Internet canceling everyone with every little mistake as of late.
If you’re looking for a sweet summer read with lots of kissing, lots of fashion, and lots of burgers, this is the book for you.
I received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
If we’re all standing out, aren’t we all just…blending in?
FIRST OF ALL. It made me incredibly anxious to know that I’ve still got a pending e-ARC (an ARC whose book is already out, no less!), so here’s my official “I’m sorry” to Edelweiss and the publisher for only reviewing this now. Please don’t hate me, ILY guys.
Second of all, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) is exactly the kind of feel-good contemporary summer romance I’ve been dying to read. I have this policy of reading about only 2-3 contemporaries a year because they’re not my thing. No hate, but they’re just not my cup of tea. I’m glad this book was one of my chosen contemporaries for 2018 because it was a breath of fresh air after reading only cis-heternormative stories all the time.
To put it all out there, this book stars a plus-sized lesbian who falls hard for the very person she’s supposedly competing with for an internship. It sounds like it’s got a dose of angst–and it sometimes does, during portions of the story–but it’s more of a fluffy read than anything.
The three things I loved most about this book were the representation, the message of the story, and the romance. (I mean, I did request this book because it featured a sapphic love story.) Our main character, Abby Ives, is a plus-sized fashion blogger just trying to live out the best summer she could possibly have. What I liked most about her was how real she was to me. She was kind yet stubborn, confident in her appearance yet reserved with her public image. It was easy to relate with her frustrations and her joy because of how much layers she had.
I’m also a fan of the numerous messages this book advocates for. For one, I appreciate the love story so much. I don’t often come across lesbian romances (a fact I should rectify immediately), and this one just reaffirms the fact that the YA world needs more LGBT+ stories. For another, I love how the author constantly reminds its reader that being fat is not a bad thing.
But people–especially people on the internet–can be so mean when you’re fat. As if fat makes you stupid or dirty or irresponsible. As if fat makes you anything other than…fat.
The only thing I wanted more was a longer ending. It ended so abruptly (however sweet), and I wanted some more pages and time with the characters of the story! I did like the parting message of the novel, which is to say that making a mistake does not equivalent to the end of your life.
I don’t know why I thought that one mistake would alter everything. People make mistakes.
It’s a nice reminder, what with Twitter and the Internet canceling everyone with every little mistake as of late.
If you’re looking for a sweet summer read with lots of kissing, lots of fashion, and lots of burgers, this is the book for you.
April 18, 2022
"Why are boys so scared of girl feelings?"
"Abbs, I'm a feminist. I'm equally scared of all feelings."
This book was fun, and the characters were all lovable.
"Abbs, I'm a feminist. I'm equally scared of all feelings."
This book was fun, and the characters were all lovable.
April 7, 2018
What a sweet, substantive delight! As an LA-loving East Coaster, I reveled in the details about Abby’s connections to her neighborhood. Her somewhat fraught bestfriendship with Maliah was very well-drawn and the unexpected breeziness & closeness of her new friendship with Jax was so nice to see on the page. A dude! Being a solid bro for a woman! I bestow upon Jax the CK Dexter Haven Award for Unexpected Depth. And the romance itself! A flirty, uncertain, lightly lusty series of firsts, including a conflict with believable stakes. We see Jordi’s coolness & appeal very clearly through Abby’s eyes. Share this with a fellow reader who loves love! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖💕🌈
July 28, 2016
The Summer Of Jordi Perez is, without a doubt, one of my favourite books written for this or any other age group or genre. I was lucky enough to first read an early draft of this novel in June 2015 and I've lost track of how many times I've re-read it since. Diverse, inclusive, empowering, body positive and all around wonderful, I have no words to describe how deeply I love this novel.
(Full review to come closer to publication.)
(Full review to come closer to publication.)
September 12, 2018
This is an ambitious YA romance that takes on a lot and pulls a lot of it off. I don't think it manages it's central theme very well, though, and that's too bad. But the rest mostly works and some of it is outstanding.
The best part of this is the friendships. Abby's girlfriends are awesome, and layered, but the real stand-out is her newly-established friend-in-law thing with Jax. I loved his pursuit of her friendship and I particularly liked that there was nothing romantic or sexual about it. And I loved how they talked through the disruptions and didn't let them fester.
And I think Spalding did an outstanding job with the lesbian romance, too. Abby and Jordi both felt authentic and comfortable with themselves in all the right ways while still being believable teens with first-relationship weaknesses and concerns. Abby was a great narrative lead in this aspect for her confidence and forthright voice.
So I suppose taking on that extra dimension of body issues was perhaps one hill too many? Abby was so fractured on that front that it was hard to take her seriously. I mean, she's confident and honest and committed to plus-size styles and I love that she was able to articulate how she was healthy and fit. And she has nearly constant feedback from others who see her as cool, cute, and together. So having her be so very body-conscious in only one dimension (photographs) felt completely unjustified and weirdly disconnected. And if you're going to make that a big deal, then
It's only one aspect of the story but it's an important one and it flubbed it so badly that it dropped the whole thing to 3½ stars. I'm rounding up for Jax's sake, but it was a close call.
A note about Chaste: There's lots of kissing, and it starts early in the story. But both are new to relationships and very open about what they are and aren't comfortable with so it was nice to see them move deliberately, and chastely, together.
The best part of this is the friendships. Abby's girlfriends are awesome, and layered, but the real stand-out is her newly-established friend-in-law thing with Jax. I loved his pursuit of her friendship and I particularly liked that there was nothing romantic or sexual about it. And I loved how they talked through the disruptions and didn't let them fester.
And I think Spalding did an outstanding job with the lesbian romance, too. Abby and Jordi both felt authentic and comfortable with themselves in all the right ways while still being believable teens with first-relationship weaknesses and concerns. Abby was a great narrative lead in this aspect for her confidence and forthright voice.
So I suppose taking on that extra dimension of body issues was perhaps one hill too many? Abby was so fractured on that front that it was hard to take her seriously. I mean, she's confident and honest and committed to plus-size styles and I love that she was able to articulate how she was healthy and fit. And she has nearly constant feedback from others who see her as cool, cute, and together. So having her be so very body-conscious in only one dimension (photographs) felt completely unjustified and weirdly disconnected. And if you're going to make that a big deal, then
It's only one aspect of the story but it's an important one and it flubbed it so badly that it dropped the whole thing to 3½ stars. I'm rounding up for Jax's sake, but it was a close call.
A note about Chaste: There's lots of kissing, and it starts early in the story. But both are new to relationships and very open about what they are and aren't comfortable with so it was nice to see them move deliberately, and chastely, together.
February 25, 2018
“Fashion can be art. And art doesn’t have to be big. It can be just for you.”
I have mixed feeling about this. While I LOVED the friendships in the story (Jax and Abby were amazing), the diverse rep with a plus sizes lesbian MC in Abby, a Latina love interest in Jordi, and a black woman in Maliah (Abby’s best friend) and the showcase of fashion and creativity, I kinda lost the spark I had for the relationship after the big conflict point. The Summer of Jordi Perez follows Abby, a plus sized fashion blogger, and Jordi, a photographer, who are both interning at a local boutique and immediately have some fantastic chemistry that pulled me in. They spend time with each other, encourage each other, and are all around adorable. But the conflict in the story that temporarily drives them apart really made me not like Jordi anymore, and I thought Abby deserved better. The ending felt a little rushed and underwhelming and the book ended on a lower note. I did really appreciate seeing Abby as a proud fat girl who loves who she is and wants other fat girls and guys to love themselves too. And while she is a little flakey and absent minded, she is so charming and relatable. While I liked the end of the book less than I expected, I still had a really fun time with this overall.
I received a copy of the book from Sky Pint Press via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
June 17, 2025
Trigger warnings: fatphobia (challenged), homophobia (challenged).
8/6/2025
You know what, I stand by everything I said seven years ago. But also, I think I liked Abby and Jax and their burger quest more than I liked the romantic relationship. Do with that what you will.
15/7/2018
Really, this is more of a 3 or a 3.5 star book, but it was so stinking cute that I bumped it up. I loved the fact that it's not a "queer girl gets crush and then spends hundreds of pages trying to work out if her crush likes girls or not" story where they get together right at the end. I liked the friendship between Abby and Jax and their burger quest, because there definitely need to be more platonic male/female friendships in fiction, especially YA fiction.
Was it a little angsty at times? Sure. Did I care? Nope. It was adorable, I related to Abby's relationship with her mother more than I would have liked, and it was basically exactly what I needed to take my mind off all the murder-filled books I've been reading lately.
8/6/2025
You know what, I stand by everything I said seven years ago. But also, I think I liked Abby and Jax and their burger quest more than I liked the romantic relationship. Do with that what you will.
15/7/2018
Really, this is more of a 3 or a 3.5 star book, but it was so stinking cute that I bumped it up. I loved the fact that it's not a "queer girl gets crush and then spends hundreds of pages trying to work out if her crush likes girls or not" story where they get together right at the end. I liked the friendship between Abby and Jax and their burger quest, because there definitely need to be more platonic male/female friendships in fiction, especially YA fiction.
Was it a little angsty at times? Sure. Did I care? Nope. It was adorable, I related to Abby's relationship with her mother more than I would have liked, and it was basically exactly what I needed to take my mind off all the murder-filled books I've been reading lately.
September 24, 2020
i don't know if it was just that abby was too much like supposed to be "quirky" and "relatable", but she was just so annoying
also you can use the word lesbian, i promise it's not a bad word
Rep: lesbian mc, Mexican American lesbian li, Black side character
also you can use the word lesbian, i promise it's not a bad word
Rep: lesbian mc, Mexican American lesbian li, Black side character
July 20, 2020
The Summer of Jordi Perez is not a book I was planning on reading, but I was scrolling through the audiobook selections at my library and stumbled upon this one, and I decided I might as well give it a shot.
The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding is a YA contemporary lesbian rom-com about two teens, Abby Ives and Jordi Perez, who fall in love while interning at a local fashion store over the summer.
The main character, Abby Ives, is a fat, lesbian fashion-lover with a blog dedicated to uplifting fat girls all over the world and dreams of becoming a known name in the fashion industry. Abby sees herself as a sidekick in people's lives - as the best friend to the heroine's story, but when Jordi makes her way into Abby's life, that may just change.
Jordi Perez, on the other hand, is a lesbian Latinx calm and cool-headed badass with a love for all different types of art, but particularly photography.
Along with Jordi's new presence in her life, Abby is also dragged into a project with another new friend, Jax, to find the best burger in Los Angeles. As Abby's best friend, Malia, is now smitten with Jax's best friend, Trevor, the two are left feeling a little lonely and form a friendship across their burger journey.
At its core, this book is an adorable rom-com between two teens that contains awkward flirting and first love and hilarious friends as side characters.
I really did enjoy the romance between Abby and Jordi and how well-crafted both of these characters were, both together and separately. Abby's love of fashion was definitely something I could relate to, and I really loved that both Abby and Jordi had something they were so passionate about.
I also loved the fat positivity in this novel. While that is more of a sub-plot of this novel, I really enjoyed how that arc portrayed itself.
But mostly, I really loved Jax's character. I would've loved to see the side characters get more development, because while they are all very present for the majority of this novel, I felt that they didn't really have any arcs of their own.
But mostly what fell flat to me with this novel was the pacing. The ending was wrapped up so quickly that I felt unsatisfied, and Jordi and Abby's jump from co-workers to girlfriends was so instantaneous. There were little things like that throughout the novel that I felt could have been better paced, and because of that this novel just fell a little flat in my opinion.
Overall, though, The Summer of Jordi Perez is an adorable f/f rom-com that could, in my opinion, use a tad more substance.
Note: Some reviewers have pointed out the erasure of MGA idenities (bisexuality, pansexuality, etc.) in this novel and the very "gay or straight" mentality of it.
trigger warning: fatphobia (challenged), multi-gendered attraction erasure
The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding is a YA contemporary lesbian rom-com about two teens, Abby Ives and Jordi Perez, who fall in love while interning at a local fashion store over the summer.
The main character, Abby Ives, is a fat, lesbian fashion-lover with a blog dedicated to uplifting fat girls all over the world and dreams of becoming a known name in the fashion industry. Abby sees herself as a sidekick in people's lives - as the best friend to the heroine's story, but when Jordi makes her way into Abby's life, that may just change.
Jordi Perez, on the other hand, is a lesbian Latinx calm and cool-headed badass with a love for all different types of art, but particularly photography.
Along with Jordi's new presence in her life, Abby is also dragged into a project with another new friend, Jax, to find the best burger in Los Angeles. As Abby's best friend, Malia, is now smitten with Jax's best friend, Trevor, the two are left feeling a little lonely and form a friendship across their burger journey.
At its core, this book is an adorable rom-com between two teens that contains awkward flirting and first love and hilarious friends as side characters.
I really did enjoy the romance between Abby and Jordi and how well-crafted both of these characters were, both together and separately. Abby's love of fashion was definitely something I could relate to, and I really loved that both Abby and Jordi had something they were so passionate about.
I also loved the fat positivity in this novel. While that is more of a sub-plot of this novel, I really enjoyed how that arc portrayed itself.
But mostly, I really loved Jax's character. I would've loved to see the side characters get more development, because while they are all very present for the majority of this novel, I felt that they didn't really have any arcs of their own.
But mostly what fell flat to me with this novel was the pacing. The ending was wrapped up so quickly that I felt unsatisfied, and Jordi and Abby's jump from co-workers to girlfriends was so instantaneous. There were little things like that throughout the novel that I felt could have been better paced, and because of that this novel just fell a little flat in my opinion.
Overall, though, The Summer of Jordi Perez is an adorable f/f rom-com that could, in my opinion, use a tad more substance.
Note: Some reviewers have pointed out the erasure of MGA idenities (bisexuality, pansexuality, etc.) in this novel and the very "gay or straight" mentality of it.
trigger warning: fatphobia (challenged), multi-gendered attraction erasure
February 5, 2018
One of the most joyful, laugh out loud novels I've read in a long time. The story is smooth without feeling contrived, romantic without being sappy, and has a pitch-perfect pace without feeling rushed. I loved each of the characters, who were fully realized and developed. And honestly, one of my favorite characters was the one I suspected I would like the least - Jax. But he surprised and delighted me when he could have been another stereotype. Read it and you'll see. :) I won't drop spoilers here, but I found myself smiling A LOT while reading. More Abbs, more Jordi, and more Jax, please!
September 8, 2018
What a fantastic, enjoyable book. I really liked Abby, she is such a relatable teenager and I loved her friends and her relationship with Jordi. I also appreciate the fact that this book is set in LA and the author actually LIVES in LA because the setting actually made sense for once. (I swear setting a book in LA is like setting a book in NYC, it's the "cool" thing to do but so many authors have NO IDEA how travel, distances, transportation actually work there). But I nodded along with Abby here even though I am more south of her area.
Fun fact: I was at a YA conference yesterday and this author was on the panel. She mentioned that she wrote this particular story because as a queer women, she wanted to read a book about a queer, fat girl that was a happy story with a happy ending. She said that just because someone is lesbian, bi, gay, transgender etc. doesn't mean their life is full of drama, sadness, murder etc but most of their books have those story lines. Well she hit it out of the park here, this such a happy, enjoyable read. Perfect for the summer months.
Fun fact: I was at a YA conference yesterday and this author was on the panel. She mentioned that she wrote this particular story because as a queer women, she wanted to read a book about a queer, fat girl that was a happy story with a happy ending. She said that just because someone is lesbian, bi, gay, transgender etc. doesn't mean their life is full of drama, sadness, murder etc but most of their books have those story lines. Well she hit it out of the park here, this such a happy, enjoyable read. Perfect for the summer months.
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