Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

Published by Jay Bell Books
290 Pages

Blurb: Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change. The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life,
but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.

Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

Review: Something Like Summer is a coming-of-age story and so much more. In part one, we experience life through Benjamin's eyes as he develops a growing infatuation with newcomer Tim. Both in their junior year of high school, Ben worms his way into Tim's life and they enter into a secret relationship filled with sweet highs and heartbreaking lows. In part two, we skip ahead a few years and follow Benjamin as he works on rebuilding his life after parting with Tim. Although he meets someone new and falls in love, his feelings for Tim are closer to the surface than he cares to admit, and his inevitable reunion with Tim is bittersweet. In part three, a few more years have gone by and Benjamin is once again reunited with his old friend and first love.

"Love isn't meant to be hidden away and life is too short for shame."

Love is messy and complicated. It's heart-wrenching at times and sweetly satisfying at others. Benjamin experiences all of this in his romantic relationships. This is a tragically beautiful love story with richly developed characters who are lovable, relatable, and wonderfully flawed.

If you enjoy this book, you'll definitely want to read Something Like Winter, which takes us through the same time period, and many of the same events, but from Tim's point of view.

Review by Madison