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Sunset Summer
-Graduate high school
-Get a boyfriend
-Go to college
-Have a career
-Start a family
It seems to be the way most girls plan out their life following their senior year of high school, but not Elli Jensen. She's ready for college and a career, but there's no way she's letting a guy in until she's well on her way to the dream she can't wait to pursue.
But for now it's just summer. And that includes the two-week annual retreat her church hosts for seniors.
She isn't expecting anything to change, but summer seems to have a way of surprising everyone. Before she understands what's happening, she's reconsidering the plans she had laid out for the future. Is it possible that God might have a plan for a guy in her life now?
Little did I know that everything was going to change that summer. The summer that became known as My Sunset Summer.
-Get a boyfriend
-Go to college
-Have a career
-Start a family
It seems to be the way most girls plan out their life following their senior year of high school, but not Elli Jensen. She's ready for college and a career, but there's no way she's letting a guy in until she's well on her way to the dream she can't wait to pursue.
But for now it's just summer. And that includes the two-week annual retreat her church hosts for seniors.
She isn't expecting anything to change, but summer seems to have a way of surprising everyone. Before she understands what's happening, she's reconsidering the plans she had laid out for the future. Is it possible that God might have a plan for a guy in her life now?
Little did I know that everything was going to change that summer. The summer that became known as My Sunset Summer.
- GenresContemporary
First published June 1, 2019
About the author
Jesseca Wheaton
13 books193 followersJesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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June 4, 2019Coming soon! If you’d be interested in reading and reviewing it, I’d love to send you a copy! Just shoot me a messege and let me know.
August 14, 2024
5 stars. There is something so poignant about reading books written by your friends when they were young adults/late teens, just like you were, and you were all figuring out life together. Half my love for the book might be nostalgia, not gonna lie. It means so, so much to me personally.
Apart from that, there’s still so much to love though. The trip with its VBS/church camp vibes. The deep bestie friendship. The wonderful hero. The adorable romance. The humorous banter. And the deep message of a sunset summer.
I was not expecting to be impacted so hard. The theme of trusting God and letting Him change our plans resonated very much with me. So did the theme of trusting Him with waiting on relationships. The story is well written, very sweet and real and vivid, and I was totally picturing it all in my head. I love how Ellen fell for Hunter because he was such a godly man… which he so totally was. It’s such a refreshing take on romance.
Yeah, this is pretty crazy cute, y’all, and I still love it. It’s so restful and encouraging. <3
A Favourite Quote: “...he was a man who had a heart for God. And you know what? Even if a girl isn’t intending to fall, that makes a guy really attractive.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: ‘He smiled at you.’
‘Oh, that. Lots of guys smile. It’s polite.’
Apart from that, there’s still so much to love though. The trip with its VBS/church camp vibes. The deep bestie friendship. The wonderful hero. The adorable romance. The humorous banter. And the deep message of a sunset summer.
I was not expecting to be impacted so hard. The theme of trusting God and letting Him change our plans resonated very much with me. So did the theme of trusting Him with waiting on relationships. The story is well written, very sweet and real and vivid, and I was totally picturing it all in my head. I love how Ellen fell for Hunter because he was such a godly man… which he so totally was. It’s such a refreshing take on romance.
Yeah, this is pretty crazy cute, y’all, and I still love it. It’s so restful and encouraging. <3
A Favourite Quote: “...he was a man who had a heart for God. And you know what? Even if a girl isn’t intending to fall, that makes a guy really attractive.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: ‘He smiled at you.’
‘Oh, that. Lots of guys smile. It’s polite.’
December 29, 2019
WAYYY overdue review. I really enjoyed this sweet, summery novella and the portrayal of a surprise romance between two committed Christians who had very separate dreams of their own that they were chasing. They are faced with a sudden difference in the “life map” and I loved how they tried to work through it in a God-honoring way. They were just so cute together!
The friend Anna bugged me with her over-the-top teasing (I’ve even quarrelled with my own best friend over her teasing me in our younger years and that’s something I never put up with at all...) and wish that had been addressed as having been premature and potentially hurtful (I mean, if the guy breaks your heart and your friends tease you over not having chased him enough 😬🙄...it’s awkward for all parties involved...anyway, I’ve always been strongly against it until the relationship is obvious, confirmed, and public.) But that was really my only big fuss with the story!
Content: squeaky clean.
Christianity: obvious and well spoken
Thanks to the author for a free reading copy. A positive review was not required.
The friend Anna bugged me with her over-the-top teasing (I’ve even quarrelled with my own best friend over her teasing me in our younger years and that’s something I never put up with at all...) and wish that had been addressed as having been premature and potentially hurtful (I mean, if the guy breaks your heart and your friends tease you over not having chased him enough 😬🙄...it’s awkward for all parties involved...anyway, I’ve always been strongly against it until the relationship is obvious, confirmed, and public.) But that was really my only big fuss with the story!
Content: squeaky clean.
Christianity: obvious and well spoken
Thanks to the author for a free reading copy. A positive review was not required.
June 12, 2019
This was a sweet story told in first person by a girl fresh out of high school. I liked how she felt sure of the direction her life was going only to have things turned around. This had a very good message of trusting and praying for God to show His will and not just going our own way.
I didn’t really care for the teasing about guys between the two girls, but it wasn’t too bad. I guess I just never did that with my best friends growing up so it felt awkward. But that was my only complaint.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
I didn’t really care for the teasing about guys between the two girls, but it wasn’t too bad. I guess I just never did that with my best friends growing up so it felt awkward. But that was my only complaint.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
June 14, 2019
This was a sweet little romance that I enjoyed. I liked the message about God changing your plans and the fact that even after the plan is changed, we don't necessarily know where it's going, or get to get there right away. And I really liked the fact that their relationship was built more on character than on physical attraction. The main couple were both really sweet, and I loved Ellen's friendship with Anna as well. About the only thing I wasn't a huge fan of (besides the fact that I wanted more!!!) was the fact that they started saying "I love you" before even making their relationship official. I have no problem with taking a relationship slow, which is what they wanted to do, but that did not seem slow to me. Other than that, though, I liked the story a lot. :)
I received a free copy of this book from the author. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.
Content--a few hugs and a kiss on the top of the head; talk about falling in love and the emotions
I received a free copy of this book from the author. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.
Content--a few hugs and a kiss on the top of the head; talk about falling in love and the emotions
June 6, 2019
It was love love lovely! A sweet sweet romance with a lovely little story and a plot that's sure to please. So original, so cute. So short and adorable.
Thank you Jesseca for letting me read this dear little story.
Thank you Jesseca for letting me read this dear little story.
June 10, 2019
Awww, oh my goodness! I loved this. :) Such a sweet story! The plot was adorable and the descriptions were great. I did think it was a bit predictable and a slight bit preachy, but other than that, definitely lovely. I really liked how they chose to put God first in their relationship (or non-relationship XD). Being a conservative Christian gal, this was a story I didn't cringe at. All-in-all, a great read.
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
June 11, 2019
This is a five star for sure! I absolutely loved this book! It spoke to my heart in different ways...I especially loved the emphasis on trusting God. It’s hard to do sometimes...but in the end it is so worth it!! His ways are always best! I definitely recommend this book to teen girls! And y’all, let’s just say the romance was ADORABLE!!!! And all caps didn’t even give it justice. Can’t wait to read more by this author! Great job Jessica!!!!!
June 7, 2020
Wow, can Jesseca Wheaton write refreshing, clean, God-honoring romance! It’s a breath of fresh air. I love how the characters’ focus is on God and His plans, and they’re willing to do everything necessary to seek and follow Him. I love the willingness to wait. I love how they aren’t even looking for or even wanting a girlfriend/boyfriend. I love the “old good friends” angle.
Ryan was an amazing character. Anna was a mostly nice best friend, except her over-the-top teasing and obsession with Ellen falling in love seemed unhelpful and premature and awkward. She did have some wise advice at times, however. I also would have liked to hear more about Rosie and the other teens at camp.
The themes of trust and sunset resonated clearly and strongly. An excellent sweet read!
Ryan was an amazing character. Anna was a mostly nice best friend, except her over-the-top teasing and obsession with Ellen falling in love seemed unhelpful and premature and awkward. She did have some wise advice at times, however. I also would have liked to hear more about Rosie and the other teens at camp.
The themes of trust and sunset resonated clearly and strongly. An excellent sweet read!
October 7, 2019
Cute story and I loved the setting. I would have liked to see more of the relationship over the two weeks, but I did like the end decision and you could definitely see how the two strived to honour the Lord with what lay ahead. Also, the teasing was *slightly* too much...to the point, I was getting aggravated with Anna. But overall thoughts, I love how well Jesseca writes and she's definitely an author to look into if you haven't already :)
November 14, 2019
I figured this would be an appropriate read since I'm about to go to a church camp and all, plus I'm 18 and trying to decide what in the world to do with my life next so I related to the MC.
Likes:
-The title/theme. I just enjoyed/related to it so much.
-The best friends
-Ryan (I know, a minor character, but still, I love those brother-sister friendships)
-The love-interest. He was a pretty amazing guy.
Neutral:
-The Lymie character. (I'm a Lymie myself) She was such a minor character that the Lyme didn't come into the story much besides to give a reason for a certain MC to be there. (Which I thought was such a creative and sweet way to do it.) But as for the Lyme aspect, it was there so little that I don't feel I can say whether it was accurate or not. :)
Dislikes:
-The typos -- typos as well as just the strength of the writing had so much potential and could have been REALLY good with another edit or perhaps some more betas.
-The love-interest. He was a little too perfect, I think he could have used a flaw or two. :)
-The teasing between the besties about guys -- it just seemed a *little* over-the-top. Not that girls don't do that, but they might not do it in front of a reader quite that much. ;)
Likes:
-The title/theme. I just enjoyed/related to it so much.
-The best friends
-Ryan (I know, a minor character, but still, I love those brother-sister friendships)
-The love-interest. He was a pretty amazing guy.
Neutral:
-The Lymie character. (I'm a Lymie myself) She was such a minor character that the Lyme didn't come into the story much besides to give a reason for a certain MC to be there. (Which I thought was such a creative and sweet way to do it.) But as for the Lyme aspect, it was there so little that I don't feel I can say whether it was accurate or not. :)
Dislikes:
-The typos -- typos as well as just the strength of the writing had so much potential and could have been REALLY good with another edit or perhaps some more betas.
-The love-interest. He was a little too perfect, I think he could have used a flaw or two. :)
-The teasing between the besties about guys -- it just seemed a *little* over-the-top. Not that girls don't do that, but they might not do it in front of a reader quite that much. ;)
December 7, 2019
I had pretty mixed feelings about this. It was a cute idea, but I didn't really love any of the characters and some things were just to perfect. Like the guy being in the military, and he just happens to have a sister that needed him.
I found the friendship between the girls realistic, but a little grating. I don't really like a high amount of teasing, and I have never understood calling each other "child."
The plot was kind of cute, but I just didn't care enough about the characters to feel invested in how it ended.
I found the friendship between the girls realistic, but a little grating. I don't really like a high amount of teasing, and I have never understood calling each other "child."
The plot was kind of cute, but I just didn't care enough about the characters to feel invested in how it ended.
November 15, 2019
I read “Sunset Summer” this past summer and really enjoyed it. It was a sweet book with a relatable story. I really wish it had been longer though. :) Aside from Jesseca Wheaton’s Question of War series this is my favorite by her!
February 20, 2020
This story is super cute and very easy to read! There's a wonderful message in it as well! I enjoyed it! :) You should defintely check it out!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews