Four Summers Ago by Jensen Rose Long: Book Review

 **ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Love is not something Abby Steele is interested in. The only love she wants is the kind she can write about in her romance novels. But Abby’s best friend doesn’t take no for an answer, so Abby goes on one last blind date. That blind date happens to be Ben Richards, the hot Hollywood it-guy who starred in the viral movie about a wave of deadly hurricanes.

Abby doesn’t think they’ll have anything in common, but she finds herself instantly intrigued by how down-to-earth Ben is. They spend their first date laughing, crushing it at corn hole, and trying to divert the advances of several frenzied women. Their connection deepens when Abby discovers that Ben is a massive fan of her latest novel. They spend the rest of the summer falling in love, spending every moment together, and not discussing the future. At the end of the summer, Ben jets off to do the press tour for another movie. Abby doesn’t expect him to leave her heart in pieces as he promptly ghosts her. Hard.

Two years later, Abby’s book is becoming a movie and Ben is the director. She has a plan to keep her heart from getting broken again:

1. Don’t look him in the eyes

2. Keep your emotions calm

3. Don’t let him anywhere near your heart

But it becomes clear that Abby needs to tighten up her rules because she can’t seem to ignore the pull Ben has on her. Can Abby find a way to protect her heart, or is it worth risking it all again for a once-in-a-lifetime love?

The Author

Jensen Rose Long lives in Oregon with her husband and four children. She’s been writing stories since she was a kid, and this is her ultimate dream job. When she’s not living in one of her own fictional worlds, she chases her kids around in the rain and host the Authors and Agents podcast.

Book Review

This was such a sweet romance. Right away, Abby and Ben drew me in with their immediate chemistry... I loved seeing them get to know each other and fall in love. The initial part of their love story just felt very natural, and you couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after... but then we cut to a few years later as her book is becoming a movie, with him as the star and director and we learn that he had ghosted her, and it was their first time seeing each other since. I found myself wanting to see them get their second chance... but well, it might take more than a second chance for these two to finally work it all out and there were certainly a few times throughout that I found myself wanting to shake some sense into the characters. This story was definitely the perfect example of it being the right person at the wrong time... it took us on and an emotional roller coaster for them to finally get there, but it was certainly an enjoyable ride and well worth it in the end. In addition to Abby and Ben, I also couldn't help but love all the side characters and everything they added to the story too (looking at you, Duke!). I would absolutely love to see some of them get their own stories as well. 

Four Summers Ago is a closed-door romance, with fade to black scenes. While nothing happens on the pages, it does get a little steamier with clothes coming off before fading to black and some innuendo. There is some minor language as well. There is mention of miscarriage as well, with no details given. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/43Kr5ik