Cool for the Summer

By: Dahlia Adler

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

"Witty, wise, and disarmingly tender. I am hopelessly devoted to this summer dream of a book." (Becky Albertalli, New York Times best-selling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

Dahlia Adler's Cool for the Summer is a story of self-discovery and new love. It’s about the things we want and the things we need. And it’s about the people who will let us be who we are.

Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life.

Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.

Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she's finally got the guy, why can't she stop thinking about the girl?

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

©2021 Dahlia Adler (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Lighthearted but still tackling serious issues, this audiobook makes for an entertaining, funny, and heartfelt listen." (Booklist)

“Adler captures the radiance and joy of summer love and perfectly mixes it with all of the longing and wonder that comes after. Filled with nuance and charm, and queer girls you can’t help but root for, Cool for the Summer will leave readers grinning long after they finish.” (Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl and Verona Comics)

"A little bit sexy and a little bit sweet - Dahlia Adler has written the perfect summer romance, filled with humor, joy, and self-discovery. Cool for the Summer is a delight and an anthem to self-love all at once.” (Aminah Mae Safi, author of Tell Me How You Really Feel)

Great YA and Bi Rep!

Another great one by this author! I love a dual narration timeline. I loved living in Lara's head. I rooted for her, but also got annoyed with her which is the sign of a good protagonist!

This is a five star book! I read it in about a day!

Light and fluffy

I enjoyed "Cool for the Summer". Natalie Naudus did an excellent job narrating the story and voicing all of the diffident characters. Listening to Larissa unconsciously swoon over Jasmine, while simultaneously trying to convince herself that she was only into Chase, was quite amusing. I will say that there were quite a few scenes where I was cringing a bit. It was a fun read, but I will say that it was mostly fluff, and not a ton of actual plot. I did like seeing a queer, Jewish, women of color as a main character though.

I would read this book again!

amazing

I loved this book so much! It ended with the couple I was rooting for. One of the amazing points of the book was the confusion that sexuality can bring to someone who has only experienced one way of love. Coming out only a year ago, this story was relatable. I absolutely loved it.

Great narration & Bi representation

I did find myself wanting the characters to honestly communicate and I was annoyed when they often did not. But that’s sort of what the whole thing was about in the end.

Awesome book

Really fun book to listen to. Would recommend to anyone. Really enjoyed Lara’s coming to terms of her sexuality. All the characters were well written.

Really liked it

I loved this book. As a country singer once wrote, Wisdom in your youth would be a lot less fun. I felt the main character had to go through everything she did to get to the end. Great story!

My Summer Of Discovery

Lara had a crush on Chase since they were kids. When he finally noticed her they are seniors in high school and she is confused about a girl she met the past summer. When Jasmine walks into the school on the first day of the year it’s becomes a roller coaster of emotions. A coming of age romance. Narration is flawless.

Cool for the summer

Super good definition kept me interested and I LOVE the ending. There was a lot of cringey parts but in general it was great

Cute story, fantastic narration.

Cool for the Summer is a cute summer read about love and self-discovery, that will probably work best for queer and questioning teenagers.

Despite my original less-than-stellar rating for the book, I felt that the audiobook version deserved more.
Natalie Naudus is a gifted narrator, with an extraordinary ability to infuse passion in the characters she inhabits.
I'm pretty sure she could narrate a love story between two cast iron radiators, and still manage to bring me to tears.

I enjoyed the story, and loved how the author made it clear that it's ok to be queer regardless of any labels. That, to me, was the most important message in the book.

This was my first book by Adler, and I went in without any expectations.
Despite that, the character work felt a bit weak.
And while that didn't detract from the overall message, a stronger characterisation would have made the book more enjoyable for this reader and possibly other more mature readers.

Definitely made me Hot for the Summer

I adored this one almost as much as as Under the Lights. The love story and kisses were the best! I related so much to it. It was definitely worth the wait