Review: The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

Title: The Summer I Found You
Author: Jolene Perry
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Release date: March 1st 2014
Pages: 256
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: NetGalley - I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
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Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The title and cover of this book are very misleading. I was expecting a light summer romance, but that's not the case at all: The Summer I Found You is a romance, but it's definitely not light. And it's not even set in the summer! I really don't understand why this book was marketed with a title and cover like that, wen the novel is set in the spring and the beach isn't mentioned once.

Asides from this confusion, I really enjoyed this novel! Or, I should say, I enjoyed Aidan's part of the novel, and that made it worth it for me. I've read a couple of books now that deal with PTSD have veteran main characters, and Aidan's story is intriguing. I really enjoyed reading about his struggles and getting to witness the journey he undergoes in The Summer I Found You. The only thing I thought was underdeveloped in regards to Aiden's character is his decision about what he wants to do in the future: that seemed really random, and I wish we had gotten some more insight into this decision-making process.

Kate, though, I just couldn't get myself to like. I found her situation interesting: I've never read about a main character living with diabetes before. But as a person, I just couldn't connect with her. The way she makes bad decision after bad decision about her health, and tries to keep her disease hidden from Aidan, frustrated me to no end. Throughout the story, I just wanted to shake her and make her realize how stupid she's being. My issues with Kate's character made it hard for me to like the romance storyline, too.

Even though I couldn't connect with Kate's character, I still liked the originality of her story, and I enjoyed Aidan's story enough to make this book worth a read. I'm still confused about the title and cover, though...