Justin and Emma are both inflicted by the same curse. Everyone they date goes on to find their soulmate. They decide to date for the summer to break the curse. 

I love this book so much. It is absolutely hilarious, I must have looked insane laughing out loud to the audio while walking my dog. Though it is a really funny book, it also addresses some pretty heavy topics such as child abandonment, PTSD, and mental health. 

I think that Emma's PTSD was approached in a sensitive and informed manner. Emma has an incredibly rough childhood. Her mother dealt with a lot of mental health issues and would often abandon her for long stretches. Emma has trust and abandonment issues, her mother would pop in and out of her life always offering her a sliver of hope and then ripping it away. She can never get attached to anyone out of fear of them leaving. That is until Maddie. 

As a child she eventually ended up in foster care, where she was placed in Maddie's family. Maddie becomes her "docking station", her safe person. Maddie is the most incredible friend. She sacrifices setting down roots to ensure her best friend is cared for and loved. She is there for her through the thick and thin. I want a Maddie book! 

Even though it was

a difficult decision and really hard on Justin, I am glad that Emma took the time to work on herself and to heal before jumping back into the relationship.  It would have ended in disaster had she not taken the time to work on herself first.

Justin has endured a few crappy years, his father has recently passed away and now his mother is going to jail, leaving him to raise his 3 siblings. Justin is so compassionate, understanding, and selfless. He is lite ally the definition of a golden retriever BF.

Him crossing the lake on the floaties! My heart!

 

The surprise, was honestly not a suprise to me.

As soon as she mentioned her mom was Amber and that Emma was going a DNA test, I put it together. Daniel (book 1) was Emma's half brother and Amber never told her about him, never told her about any of her family. I did really appreciate how all the worlds came together in this book. I even appreciated the Neil redemption-ish story. It is easy to see Amber as a horrible person, but she obviously has severe mental health issues and needs help.

Tropes: fake-ish dating, slow burn, found family