Review by Booklist Review
Seventeen-year-old best friends August and Valentine run a secret summer business in their vacation-centered New England town. At the behest of concerned friends or family, their Summer Love, Inc. breaks up bad relationships. The two friends themselves don't fall in love or date--that is, until Ella changes everything. As he breaks down the wall he's built since his sister's death, August finds that Ella is their most challenging case yet; meanwhile, Valentine is starting to see the boy next door in a new light. This summer-before-college novel highlights the scary feelings of change and growing up. August and Valentine are being pulled in different directions, and while they may have their disagreements, their strong platonic friendship is a highlight of the novel, as is August's journey of opening himself up after a loss. Wrapped up in a summer romance is a story of grief, loss, and growing up, making this a perfect read for fans of Jenny Han and Kathleen Glasgow.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Mather takes a time-worn trope from adult comedies and gives it a comical and poignant teenage spin with this novel that's sure to connect with readers. Seventeen-year-olds August and Valentine (Tiny) share a dream of attending their top college choice and just like many ambitious kids before them, undertake a job to help them reach their financial goals. Only in their case, their business is breaking up teenage couples at the request of loved ones as part of their agency, Summer Love, Inc. Tiny, as the brains of the operation, has outlined rules they must follow for their business to be a success, with the biggest one being don't fall for the target. They are so close to meeting their financial goals with one final job, but this one presents a different challenge when the target shares a similar storyline with someone close to August. While seemingly successful in catching on to their latest project, this could be the one where they get too close. Reading the story through the switching viewpoints of August and Tiny presents all their situations from slightly different priorities which will make this book enjoyable for teen readers seeking a funny yet impactful book. VERDICT A worthy addition to any YA collection, especially for those looking for a romantic comedy that tackles some important relationship struggles many teens will deal with as they reach their college years.--David Roberts
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Enterprising teens moonlight as relationship assassins. For the past two years, 18-year-old best friends August Mariani and Valentine Sharma have been successfully running their business, Summer Love, Inc., which specializes in breaking up toxic teen relationships at the request of concerned parents and friends. Business is booming, and, with dreams of affording Berkeley in the fall, the duo accept their most challenging--and potentially lucrative--case yet. The Beckers need August and Tiny to orchestrate a breakup between their daughter, Ella, and her controlling boyfriend, Justin, in less than four weeks. Pretending to be cousins, they infiltrate the inner circle of Ella's prep school friends with a plan to help her see Justin for what he truly is and to realize she deserves better. But as August and Ella connect, the walls he's carefully constructed after the death of his sister start to crumble--and suddenly, business gets a lot more personal. Not that he can tell Tiny, who for the first time is keeping secrets of her own. Told in alternating perspectives, the plot suffers from an occasional identity crisis; the two storylines don't always flow harmoniously. Still, Mather's deft hand at developing characters with rich emotional ranges will leave readers smiling through their tears as she explores themes of grief, family, friendship, and love. Most central characters are cued white; Tiny's stepdad is Indian. Final art not seen. A tender, honest, heartwarming ode to platonic soul mates. (Romance. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
