seriously romantic: the summer before forever by melissa chambers

landon and chloe are perfect for each other. except the whole future step-sibling thing is weird. and chloe''s got hang-ups. so does landon. but it's summer, the summer before forever. and their parents aren't married yet. and maybe it's time they just enjoyed things without worrying so much about the consequences.

this young adult romance is so sweet. not overly so, as it's dealing with some real issues. chloe was nearly raped by her long time crush last semester and her strained relationship with her father isn't helped by his inability to communicate. then there's landon who is dealing with a severe learning disability, dyscalculia, which is an inability to process numbers or number patterns. he's trying to pass a remedial math course to finalize his high school graduation. a test he needs to pass in order to assure his scholarship to college, even though he's going on a wrestling program that he actually isn't interested in. his first love is football, but he thinks the accommodations they make for him in his small private school won't fly when he's at a division I program. the kicker being that he is actually good enough to go to a division I school.

landon makes chloe feel safe and respected. he makes her feel good about herself. and since so many of her issues stem from lack of confidence, being with him emboldens her in a way that allows her to grow as a person. with landon chloe is her best self.

and landon is so dreamy. he is struggling with his future, because he is afraid to go after what he really wants. and he also really wants to make chloe's dreams come true. so much so that when he puts her ahead of everything, they need to take a moment to breathe. it hurts him that it comes at a time when he wants to be there for her. she's dealing with the fall out from her assault and she's pulled away from him for valid reasons.

but as they figure things out, and figure out whether or not what they have is strong enough to last beyond summer. and beyond her dad marrying his mom, because it's a little bit weird and awkward. and also special and sweet and real. and maybe the combination of everything sounds crazy, but it's also what works for them.

**the summer before forever published on august 22, 2016. i received a digital copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review.