Its finally 80 degrees in Chicago and I wanted to read something summery. Thankfully Berkley sent me this e-ARC.

No wonder so many people say this is Most Anticipated Summer Read of 2023. In my opinion, this book is the best you can read this summer. I’ve always enjoyed reading love again-not again dynamic storyline and this story although a little predictable is absolutely breezy, sweet, and so soulful. Its friends to lovers, slow burn love story, that all contemporary fiction readers will enjoy. Highly recommend.

I loved so many things about this - Garland's inner journey to realizing her feelings for Stevie, the cozy summer camp vibes, Dara asserting her enjoyment of singledom and getting to stay that way, the silly camp and sibling rituals the Magnusson have - but I struggled with the timeline. Everything that happens flows from a plot beat standpoint but even with the magic of summer camp it still seemed like a Lot for all of one week. It's still a great summer story and Garland's later in life queer realization resonated a lot with me.

I love this book and the representation that it provides. We need more LBGTQIA stories of joy and love, not just heartbreak and tragedy. This is a very cozy summer read that I hope everyone reads.

I absolutely adored this book! I didn't want it to end. I would have absolutely read a whole 2nd book about her 2nd summer at Camp. There was so much growth in the main character in multiple aspects of her life. I loved that it wasn't just romance and featured themes of family bonds and self discovery. I've already been recommending this book ❤️

I can always count on Bridget Morrissey to write a fun, zany, and authentic love story. Her voice jumps off the page and made Garland feel so realistic and like a friend I'd know in real life. I've been waiting for a summer camp romance and Bridget Morrissey was just the person to deliver on that. Sweet, funny, and a fantastic summer read!

This BOOK. A sapphic love story at adult sleep away camp. Just wow. So at first glance there were things I was not liking about this book. It is very much insta-love and also starts with a vision of the future. However, it just grabbed me in the end. It was soo wonderful and charming. I’ve never read Bridget Morrissey before and she writes some really wonderfully romantic lines. My heart did a flutter! I loved how gentle this story was approached and how the late-in-life coming out story was not the entire focus. I loved how they became better people at camp and with each other. Just lovely.

Definitely a cute story! Who wouldn't want to go to an adult summer camp with Color Wars!?

The instant alliance made between Garland and Stevie was adorable. The two have amazing chemistry, even without trying. Garland's character focused a lot on her past, but Morrissey was able to tie it all up by the end. I loved that Stevie's family kind of adopted Garland as one of their own and made her feel welcomed and supported throughout the 6 days at camp, and in the after. I couldn't stop laughing when Garland's catchphrase became "hee-haw"!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC.

That Summer Feeling by B. Morrissey, published by Berkley Publishing Group is the perfect beach read. Light, witty and fun a LGBTQ+ story tells it the story of divorced Garland attending summer camp and meeting her new love.
Well written, 4 stars.

Finished ✔️ That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey

4 ⭐️’s
May 30th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

When a divorced woman attends a sleep away camp for adults, she reconnects with a man from her past… only to fall head over heels for his sister instead.
This was a unique story and difficult than the typical books I read but I enjoyed it.
Love the characters dynamic
It’s beautifully written in a unique way.
Yes, I’d recommend it

#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems #BookProblems101 #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BookwormProblems101 #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #DeesReadOfTheDay #DeesBookOfTheDay #DeesBookReviewsOfTheDay #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #BridgetMorrissey #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #ThatSummerFeeling #NetGalley

“That Summer Feeling” was an adorable queer romance and I thought the story between Garland and Stevie was cute. This one was definitely more of a slow burn, and I often found myself wishing for more early on. Garland and Stevie have such a natural chemistry! They had light banter, funny quips, and had an ease which you didn’t question! The running joke about the birds throughout the story had me dying of laughter every time. I loved seeing Stevie accept Garland for who she was and Garland didn’t feel like she needed to be a different person around her. I really enjoyed how real Garland was. Morrissey illustrated her flaws and insecurities so well, which made her an extremely relatable character. I couldn't stop picturing the camp from The Parent Trap. I would LOVE to spend a week at Camp Carl Cove! Thanks to Bridget Morrissey, Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to reading what Bridget writes next!

If you are looking for a sweet and light-hearted LGBTQ romance, this is one to read. It has all the vibes of a rom-com and just gives you the warm fuzzies.

Thank you Berkley for this digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 stars!

I have to admit, I may not have requested this book if I had realized prior that it was an instant-love story. (I didn't read other reviews first.)


That being said, there were things I enjoyed, such as:

- I loved that there was some diversity in gender/sexual orientations.
- The witty banter was very amusing and consistent through the entire book.
- I like reading books in 1st person POV.
- The concept of an adult summer camp (which I didn't realize was a real thing!) is so appealing! That feels like such an inner child healing experience!
- I enjoyed the quirkiness of all the characters and how they each had something likeable (to me).
- At first, I wasn't loving the way this story portrayed a "gay awakening"- it felt unrealistic because it seemed too uncomplicated. Then I realized that, that is the goal, isn't it? To someday not have to endure so much suffering and stigma for coming out. So, it was nice to see this normalized and get a story where it didn't have to be so hard.
-I liked the 'found family' - but again, it just seemed so dang fast.

The things I didn't enjoy:
- Instant-love, it felt way too unrealistic, but I did enjoy the Uhaul lesbian joke which seemed to recognize this.
- The characters weren't very relatable for me, personally. Likeable, sure, but not exactly relatable.
- The storyline itself didn't grip me and leave me wanting more each page turn - it was very predictable but that's not necessarily bad. It just wasn't what I expected.
-I felt like I was wanting more from the characters - maybe fewer side characters and going deeper into their stories.

Overall, this wasn't a bad read. It's got some great things going for it and I think it'll find the right audience!

Spice: Low
TW: mentions of divorce and infidelity

The characters are lovable and the setting is twee (on purpose!). I especially loved the found family among the larger group of "adult campers". Definitely will take you back to how summers felt as a kid, but...with hot sex.

I wanted to love this book so badly, but sadly it fell short for me. I enjoyed this author's two recent publications and I was excited to jump into this story.

The main thing that I couldn't get on board with were the two main characters. I couldn't connect with them and I especially did not like Garland. She was too busy living in the past or the future and although I understand that getting out of this mindset was part of her journey, I couldn't help but be annoyed by her. Her relationship with Stevie was too familiar too fast. They literally fell in love in the five days of the camp. If you don't like insta-love, skip this one.

The storyline and the characters in general were too immature for my taste. You could have changed their ages to teens and the story would have been the same.

I know some really enjoyed this, but I didn't, unfortunately.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: mention of infidelity and divorce

This one just didn't grab me. There wasn't anything wrong with it, and it will grab others, I[m sure!

Ok so I'm having a hard time figuring out how to convey how much I loved this. I'm not usually a fan of insta-love but I wanted to give this a try anyway because the cover and the description just hooked me and can I just say, thank god I did! Garland and Stevie may have only known each other for six days but I'll be damned if I don't believe they're in love by the end.

For real though, I got chills multiple times and I love Garland so so much. (I love everyone in this book honestly.) Stevie is adorable and I love the relationship betwen Dara and Garland. But I love Garland so much. The journey she goes on over the six days at camp hit me square in the chest. It's been a long time since I related to a character so much.

Also, if anyone knows of adult summer camps with these vibes, please let me know I would like to book my stay.

This book was so good. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book since the concept seems like something that could be either a total miss or hit. The author did such a good job with the concept and I found this to be one of the best romances I've read this year so far. I found the characters to all be so great and I loved how all the relationships were so loving and positive. Even the relationships that weren't that great were dealt with in such a healthy way and I adored it. The LGBTQIAP+ representation was phenomenal. I love how it was normalized and we never got the typical scenes where someone comes out and everyone makes a big deal out of it. There's a time and a place for that sort of coming out scene, but we don't get enough depictions of people getting to be who they are and figure themselves out without needing to have big conversations with everyone and put labels on things right away. I also found the self-growth for the characters, especially for Garland, was amazing. For a book that takes place over the course of a week, Garland grew so much as a character and it was amazing. Finally, the pacing in this book was spot on. I'm a big fan of short chapters and the author kept things moving so well. I can't sing the praises of this book enough. I highly recommend it for anyone interested and think it will be a big hit when it's released.

I adored this! I found the book to be a fun and compelling romance novel that kept the pace moving. The romance was natural, believable and swoon worthy; I was rooting for them the whole time. Strongly recommend!

This book has the best plot and now I want to go to an adult summer camp! Only I'm not looking to fall in love I just need a vacation! This is such a unique story that I devoured it in one sitting! I loved it so much!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy to read and review.
-Rating 4 stars-
This was a super cute, light hearted but dash of tragical mishap, lgbtq romance.
I’ve been reading more and more romance lately and this was definitely a palate cleanser after a lot of heavy and darker romances. Thanks to the author for creating such real and beautiful characters that you just want to go back and revisit here and there to see how they’re doing.
I’ll be on the look out for more from this author in the future!