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 Perez. 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 in The Summer of Jordi Perez.

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 Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles)?  (via Goodreads)

I received an eARC courtesy of publisher Sky Pony Press through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

 

This book is full of joy, life, friendships, romance and delicious food.

It’s ownvoices rep for being fat, and I think that Amy Spalding did a fantastic job.

My two best friends in the world are fat, and they both do a lot of the things that Abby does regarding photos. Those are things I have to respect as their friend and as a photographer.

I really loved that the conflict in Abby and Jordi’s relationship was due to an absolutely legitimate reason, though I do wish that Jordi had done a lot more to actually fix the breach of trust, rather than Abby being told she was unreasonable. Not that Abby wasn’t being a little unreasonable, as we all are from time to time, but I thought Jordi could have done a little more fixing on her part.

I loved the mentoring relationship that both girls shared with their boss, and I loved that it took Abby a while to feel comfortable enough to put herself forward at work and do what she was so great at.

I also loved the complicatedness of Abby’s relationship with her parents, and feeling the hole that was left behind by her sister. I loved that it was a completely different relationship between Jordi and her family. And weirdly, I loved Jax. I expected to be rolling my eyes at him, but it was a great, entirely platonic relationship between two people.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Sarah Dessen, Becky Albertalli, and Julie Murphy. The Summer of Jordi Perez was delightful.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound!

Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.