The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spaulding

Umm, why didn’t I read this sooner? Labor Day weekend still counts as summer right, because this is the perfect summer read. Okay, it’s a good read regardless if you are snuggled under blankets in front of a warm fire or sitting by the pool but I’m glad I snuck it in with the latter. The cover, the rainbows, the pink hair, and burger emojis should set you up for the adorableness that is this book, but I didn’t know just how much. And, Julie Murphy’s cover blurb says it all “The queer, fat girl rom-com of my dreams!” If you are a fan of Murphy’s characters in Puddin’ and Dumplin’, Abby Ives would fit perfectly in their town. But, she lives in LA, perpetually sunny and almost perfect. She’s starting the summer of her dreams: working as an intern at the boutique Lemonberry, one of her absolute most favorite places and hopes to get a leg up in the fashion industry and has tons of ideas for their social media pages. She’s already a successful fashion blogger; she posts outfits for plus size girls on a budget but never images of herself in the clothes. Not that she’s ashamed of how she looks she just doesn’t want that scrutiny online, especially since it clashes with her mom’s work. She’s a food blogger specializing in health food, think cauliflower pizza crust and chickpea taco shells, so having an overweight kid probably isn’t the image her fans want to see. Abby is a typical teen with typical problems- she’s missing her sister who stayed at college for a summer internship, her best friend now has a boyfriend, and she’s feeling like a third wheel, she and her mom are not on the same page for just about anything, so she’s feeling a bit left out of life. Her BFF’s boyfriend’s BFF Jax is also feeling a bit left out, so he recruits Abby to help him find the best burger in town. And, now her biggest problem is that instead of one intern hired for the summer, Maggie the owner of Lemonberry chose two. Jordi Perez, a girl Abby kind of knows from school, is working at Lemonberry for the summer and Abby isn’t sure how she can handle that level of hotness and still be professional. Jordi is a talented photographer, never without her camera, and will be fierce competition when it comes to who Maggie chooses to stay on after summer is over. Jordi is one of those characters that just makes you happy. She’s isn’t sunshine and unicorns all the time, but she’s good at looking at the bright side of things. She’s not afraid to be adventurous, make new friends, or work up the nerve to kiss her crush and handle it like a pro when she kisses her back. Their romance is not without its problems, and Abby is forced to take a look at herself, literally, to understand that what people see in her versus how she sees herself. A quick read that will satisfy any cravings for burgers, romance, and friendship.