**some plot spoilers below**


TW: teen pregnancy, contemplating abortion, unsupportive parent.


This was a sweet YA story about young love and navigating life. I haven't read many books that handle teen pregnancy with such care. It wasn't meant to be a cautionary tale of having unprotected sex and the consequences of getting pregnant like many teen pregnancy stories are.

The author didn't create a story of shame, but rather of resilience. So often do stories isolate the heroine to shame her and put the burden of figuring it out on her. While the author still allowed Ellie self autonomy and choice, she still created Leroy's character to be supportive and not pushy. He had a very kind reaction and allowed Ellie time and space to sort through her emotions.

Ellie's mom didn't react well and pressured her into choosing abortion or adoption, but Ellie made the decision to keep her baby even without her mom's help. Leroy's parents also didn't place shame on Ellie and offered her support and a home in whatever decision she made. Again, stories often don't offer this healthy storyline and I found it to be refreshing.

I ended this story with my heart warmed. Finally a story with a supportive and loving hero, supportive set of parents, and a success story of being young parents.

There is a stereotype that teens and young parents will undoubtedly fail and this is harmful. This model and expectation already sets young parents up for failure. I believe there should be more supportive stories like this ❤️

**Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of Summer of '98!

I was so excited to see that Tay Marley was releasing this book. I had JUST finished the QB Bad and Me and LOVED IT SO MUCH!
First of all, I"m a 90's girl myself. I graduated in '99 so I absolutely LOVED the 90's references in this one (the music, the fashion, all of it). It took me back to high school and that was so fun. Honestly, it was probably my favorite thing about the book.

I loved the story of Ellie and Leroy. They meet while Leroy was on a college visit. It is a quick love, but Ellie spends the summer with Leroy at his home in Colorado. They are a super cute a sweet couple. I enjoyed their families and friend characters as well. This book was full of summer adventures, also some challenges, but overall I liked this book. Definitely recommend!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that this is Drayton's parents story. I can't wait to read more from this author!

The Summer of '98 is a romance about young love. Tay Marley writes such a sweet story about to young adults falling head over heels for each other during the summer of '98. Ellie and Leroy are adorable together and I was captivated by this book from the very beginning.

Ellie is a young woman who just graduated high school. She goes to a local frat party to celebrate with her best friend. She locks eyes with a charming young man named Leroy. They instantly hit it off. Although she is inexperienced, she feels an undeniable attraction to him and they spend the night together.

The story picks up a few months later. Ellie is on her way to Colorado to spend the summer with Leroy and his family. When they are together, they feel like the only two people in the room. Their parents are skeptical about this relationship knowing that they are young, but Leroy's parents begin to notice that they may be the real deal.

Although this was a quick love story, I liked that they spent the summer together because they got to know each other better. I didn't think it was rushed because they did spend almost every moment together. I liked that Tay Marley allowed readers to get to know Leroy's family and friends. Noah, Cass, and Leroy's parents were great supporting characters that helped these two always find their way back to each other.

I thought it was refreshing to read about Ellie's mom. She is always supportive and stricter than most and I think this added a genuine nature to the book. I felt like this made the book more real and raw, especially after Ellie and Leroy's relationship becomes more permanent.

I give The Summer of '98 4 stars. Although this was my first time reading Tay Marley, I loved the easy to read writing style and sweet characters. This is a love at first sight romance that is tested as the story progresses yet it highlighted the beauty of young love.

The Summer of '98 is the perfect quick summer read. Tay Marley builds a world that feels like stepping into a time machine and landing at the beginning of the summer of 1998. The story revolves around Ellie and Leroy, chronicling their relationship from the very beginning to their perfect ending. I enjoyed the balance of romance and the sensitive approach to mature topics. Ellie and Leroy's relationship is the star of this book, taking readers through the ups and downs of new young love. I wished that the conflict would have come a little sooner in the novel, but I did enjoy the time spent on building the nuances of Ellie and Leroy's relationship.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To start I was having trouble getting into it at first but then it took off. It was a slow build, but in the kind of way that you don’t even realize it happening until you’re so enthralled in the story and characters that it’s like your there. The characters were of a wide variety of personalities so that keep it very interesting from all points of view. I
Would definitely recommend this book for Anyone who loved YA romance. I would also 100% read any other books this author publishes.

Ellie and Leroy become quickly entwined when the start college at Baylor. While they have a passionate one-night stand, the two can't stay apart. Leroy pushes for more and Ellie has reservations, but wants him too. However, at this early time in their life, the timing just doesn't feel right. Is what they have passion or life-long love?

The love story was quick and instantaneous. I never really got to know or like the main characters. The plot arc was obvious. The setting did not feel realistic and it is easy to feel that the author is not from the US.

I was cheesing so hard while reading this. It’s very rare that a fictional couple seizes my heart from the very first page but Ellie and Leroy did just that. Their story is one I couldn’t get enough of and one that made me cry and laugh simultaneously from pure happiness.

I think Tay did a great job of bringing the setting and characters to life in a way that made me as a reader feel a part of Ellie and Leroy’s journey. It’s one I adore with all my heart and will recommend as one of my favorite love stories.

I also love how precise the time period of the novel was. Set in the 90s, I think the author did a phenomenal job of bringing it to life with her detailed descriptions of the clothing, visual settings, and music. I also really liked the writing style, it made for a very fast and engaging read.

Overall I would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, wholesome and romantic teen love story that is reminiscent of many favorite 90s movies.

I tried for months to get into this book. Unfortunately, I was not able to get into the writing style and characters. And it's not that it was bad, just not my cup of tea. The synopsis looked very good. I'll try again toward the end of the year to see if I can get into it, but for now I have to file it as a DNF. For what I did read, I'd give the book 3 stars; okay, but not the book for me.

This was such a fun story, Im a sucker for a romance book and this one was perfect! I can't wait to read more from Tay Marley!

Ellie and Leroy are so cute & it was fun to have a story set in the 90s with the music, the fashion, that era.This book is engaging. The writer makes it easy for the reader to visualize the story and feel connected to the characters and the storyline. The dual POV was done so well. These characters are so full of innocence and the story just flowed
i will read every single book tay writes! 😭
this books was sooo good so cute so well written!

Content: Gobs of sex and swearing, mature themes.
18+ (Maybe older)
I received an arc of this book through netgalley.

So, first the good things. The writing was good. There were some decent parental role models. It takes place the year my oldest son was born. That's...yeah, that's pretty much it.

I seem to be in the minority from the reviews I've read, but I really, really hate this book. Why? Well. My dad's name is Lee. And that's just creepy. But also:

The setting was weird. I graduated from high school in 1995. But the constant references to 90's bands was annoying.

No mother who was THAT worried about her daughter being sexually active would allow her to spend the summer at the home of a boy she had never met. Trust me on this one.

Leroy is controlling at some times and spineless at others. Noah is an unspeakable. Cass is a jumbo sized moron. Ellie is desperate. It's sad.

Here comes an unpopular opinion, but shouldn't the father of a child, especially one that the mother professes to LOVE, be involved in the conversation about how to proceed after an unplanned pregnancy is unearthed? I get that he's the chicken and she's the pig in that breakfast feast, but come on.

The whole epic love thing just fell flat. I didn't pick up on a real emotional connection between Leroy and Ellie. There appeared to be a pretty strong physical connection, though. And by that I mean: This book seems like it was written as an excuse to write teen sex. I hated it. This was a big fat DNF for me. I rarely fail to finish arc's because I feel obligated to read the whole thing in order to write an accurate review. And I tried. But...just...no way.

I’m surprised this book was YA to be completely honest. I was a little thrown off for how descriptive the book was for a younger audience. I’ve read adult rom-com books that were less descriptive than what the author Tay Marley had chosen to write. On the other hand, I loved the characters; how relatable they were and how supportive Marley made them when Ellie and Leroy’s summer plans turn around when they found out that at eighteen they are about to become parents after having been together for one night. I'm hooked on the series now and am excited to go back and read the first book: The QB Bad Boy and Me.

Tay Marley is a new author to me but that’s about to change because after reading The Summer of 98 I can’t understand why I haven’t come across this author before now.
This is a sweet easy to read book that I believe is the prequel to book one and its Drayton’s patents Ellie and Leroy’s story. The Summer of 98 follows Ellie and Leroy when they they go on a summer of crazy adventures through Colorado but it’s not just the fun times there are plenty of heartfelt moments in this great read. This is a couple who conquered all the twist and turns that teenage love threw in their way and a couple that made it to adulthood still together.this book really shows us that love is strong and love conquers all if we just give it a chance and believe.

“The Summer of ‘98” by Tay Marley is a tender instant connection young adult romance about a rich football jock falling for the timid girl from the wrong side of the tracks. A sweet and sometimes predictable story of young love and the realities of life.

Blurb: Leroy and Ellie unexpectedly meet at a party and have an insta-love meet cute. Only a month later Ellie travels to Denver to spend time with Leroy and falls in love with not only Leroy, but his family. Both are faced with tough choices and new responsibilities. Can love blossom with so many indecisions?

This couple is almost too perfect. The first half of this book was mostly about falling in love and the development of a short term relationship. The angst is minimal and their isn’t much tension to propel the story forward. Even though I loved this couple, I didn’t really get to the good stuff until the book was almost completely over. An adorable couple, but the plot really fell flat for me.

This was a cute, easy-to-read love story! I haven't read the first book, The QB Bad Boy and Me, of which this is the prequel. I'm sure if you're a fan of that book, you will most definitely like this one and enjoy the connections and nods to the original, which is about Ellie and Leroy's son.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of the "love at first sight" trope because I never find it to be too realistic, but in this book, I thought it worked. Tay Marley also has a nice flow style to her writing that makes it easy to understand what's going on and visualize the scene. Ellie and Leroy aren't the most fleshed-out characters, in my opinion, but I liked their chemistry together and I thought they had several cute scenes. I also enjoyed the '90s references!

Overall, this is a cute YA read for those looking for an easy summer book.

**I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you NetGalley, Wattpad Books and Tay Marley for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This is technically book number 1 in a series, but written second. I have not read the book following this one, though, so I had no idea what to expect.
I really wanted to like this book. I always enjoy good YA/NA books and the plot of this one had me instantly interested. I just couldn’t get over the excessive sex talk. I found myself distracted and uncomfortable because I just kept thinking... these are teens. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no prude. I was a teen once, too, but now at 25 I’m just not interested in reading that kind of stuff! I DNF after a few chapters because I just really was into it!

I had such a hard time reading this one. The relationship was not developed and also moved at too quick a pace. Ellie and Leroy show their immaturity with how they handle all types of situations. Many of which were their own making. Leroy was better than Ellie though. Right from the start they would promise their parents one thing and they go and do what they promised not too with no or very little regard. Thus said, I just couldn't like the characters or even secondary ones which were just as bad. I know it was supposed to be 1998 but other than a few plugged in references it could have been current.

I mostly read mystery/thrillers, but I'm working on branching out a bit this year and trying to read more romance and women's fiction. When I read this synopsis it really intrigued me, and I am so glad that I picked it up! I read this book in 12 hours tops, I literally just couldn't put it down. I loved Elle and Leroy's relationship so much! I am super excited to more from this author!

I haven't read the first in this series so I may not have connected with the characters as much as I would have had I read the previous novel. I will say this is a fun tween book, and I think kids will like it. I enjoyed myself, and it is what it sets out to be, a beach read. I rec for beach read fun.

A prequel to The QB Bad Boy and Me. About Drayton Lahey’s parents Ellie and Leroy and how they got together. A dual POV’s.

Ellie and Leroy meeting at a party in her hometown to spending the summer together at his hometown. Leroy a football player was as sweet as can be. Ellie is sweet and naive. Instant attraction between the two from the moment they meet. Plus, a big surprise that neither of them planned for. Faced with hurdles will they be able to make it through.

Overall a quick and sweet romance read about first loves. Read it in one sitting.

*Received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review*