Just for the Summer is deeper than a romance story. It features sensitive topics such as attachment styles, childhood trauma, and how these shape the people we become. It is about grief and how each person has their own way of coping and healing. It is about friendship.
“If they wanted to, they would.” I know this will not be the first time you have read this quote. It is everywhere on social media. But the question is, do you believe it?
I used to be sceptical. Still, I have practised it in my own life. I do things because I want to. In Just for the Summer, Justin becomes an embodiment of this idea. He wants to, and so he does.
In the novel, we meet Justin and Emma, two people living miles apart but connected by the internet and what they believe is a curse. Whenever they date someone, that person ends up finding their soulmate the second they break up, never with them.
So Justin shares his experience online, and Emma sends him a private message saying the same thing is happening to her. Their friendship begins there because it is easy to connect with someone who seems to understand your struggles. They talk every day. The conversations move naturally. Justin’s friend Brad jokingly suggests they date each other to break the curse. Four dates, exactly what they have done in previous relationships.
“If Justin and I date for a month, then break up, in theory,” I put my fingers in quotes, “the next guy I meet will be the one.”
Justin is a software engineer living in Minnesota with his dog, close to his family. He grew up in a loving home with siblings. Although he lost his father to a drunk driver a few years ago, his foundation is secure. He knows what healthy love looks like. He believes he deserves it. That security shapes how he shows up in relationships.
Emma’s childhood was the opposite. She moved from one foster home to another, often left alone whenever her mother, Amber, took a break from motherhood to pursue her own desires. Emma learned early that stability was temporary. Her entire life fits in two bags, ready to move whenever it is time to go.
She becomes a travelling nurse with her friend Maddy, a job that fits her inability to stay in one place. It is easier not to attach when you have never been sure you are safe.
Jimenez uses these two characters to demonstrate how childhood shapes adulthood. Attachment is not random. It is formed by how you are brought up. And what you saw. Emma’s mother constantly seeks validation from the men she dates, leaving Emma to deal with the consequences. At one point, Emma reflects, “I’m thinking that my mother takes a lot from me. And maybe she doesn’t leave anything for anyone.”
That line explains so much about the adult Emma. She has learned to survive and to run whenever things start to feel like too much. She leaves before anyone can hurt her.
When Emma convinces Maddy to take a contract in Minnesota, she and Justin finally meet in person. The attraction is immediate, even if neither of them admits it. In that first meeting, Justin realises this is not someone he can casually date for four dates and walk away from. This feels bigger.
Justin becomes intentional about Emma. He does not just express interest; he studies her. He creates detailed surveys so he can plan dates around what she genuinely enjoys. After seeing one of these surveys, Maddy tells Emma, “I swear to God this guy is the epitome of if he wanted to, he would.”
Right person, wrong time is real, and it happens more than we admit. Justin’s mother is sentenced to prison for embezzlement, committed while she was grieving her husband and raising young children. Suddenly, Justin’s life changes overnight.
“Today I was single. I had my own place, my own life. And next week I’d be the legal guardian of three children.”
Emma, meanwhile, discovers painful truths about her mother’s lies regarding her identity. She realises she cannot build something healthy while still carrying unresolved questions about her origins. To heal trauma, you have to understand its source.
Life is more nuanced than we like. “If they wanted to, they would” sounds good and easy. But what if someone wants to and is not yet emotionally ready? What if trauma, fear, or responsibility complicate the wanting?
Just for the Summer is deeper than a romance story. It features sensitive topics such as attachment styles, childhood trauma, and how these shape the people we become. It is about grief and how each person has their own way of coping and healing. It is about friendship.
Growth does not happen overnight. It requires empathy, communication, and difficult conversations. Love is what you do, not what you promise. But this story also reminds us that love requires capacity. You cannot give what you do not yet possess.
Jane Shussa is a digital communication specialist with a love for books, coffee, nature, and travel. She can be reached at [email protected].
