The Summer I Gave Up Boys (Book 1) by Kassandra Kush Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

This book is available for FREE on iBooks and other e-reader platforms. You can add The Summer I Gave Up Boys and Isaiah's Story on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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