--3.5 Stars --

This book was sweet! I’m a big sucker for Christmas themed things so the ENTIRE premise of this book was absolutely singing my name as I read through it. Honestly, I really really enjoyed this book!

Let’s start with Ivy, the girlfriend once scorned. She was a great character! Spicy, vibrant and willing to go after what she wants. Her love for Christmas was inspiring and the way that she channelled her rage at Nick through killing him off in a script she writes was *chefs kiss* Loved it.

Next we meet Nick, the wrongdoing boyfriend. Not only does he have a wonderful redemption arc within the story, he also just seems like a nice person. However, the way and the reason he broke up with Ivy were very “in her best interest” couldn’t he have just said that instead of saying what he did? Bleh, lying grates on my nerves like no other. Also, naming a wine after her and calling it “Posion Ivy” and having it become the best seller LOL. Dude did himself dirty.

This story made me smile so many times throughout reading it that I genuinely lost count. It was sweet, it was well thought out and it was literally Christmas in July! How could I not love this book?

If you need a sweet read, with a really epic secondary cast, this is definitely the book for you! Ivy and Nick are definitely folks that I’ll be rooting for!

Thank you @netgalley // @sourcebookscasa for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

While the concept for this one is cute, the execution is lacking.

It makes sense that this one was written by a couple of screenwriters with television Christmas movie credits. I can see this concept being adapted for the small screen, but their writing style unfortunately did not translate well to novel form for me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF. I don't like to give star ratings to books I choose to DNF but NetGalley requires one, hence the lower rating.

I was so looking forward to a cute rom-com and was hoping I'd find it in The Summer of Christmas, especially with such an amazing cover! Unfortunately, I was left disappointed.

I didn't make it far into the story before I just couldn't keep reading on. The writing was frustratingly choppy and all tell-not-show. This is NOT a direct quote, but here's insight into how it felt to read: "(Character) was confused. Her phone rang. She answered it. They talked for five minutes. (Character) hung up. She went to sleep." It felt cold and distant. It was impossible for me to connect to the characters when I wasn't made to *feel* anything for them, or any scene. Like I said, I admittedly didn't make it far, but skipping ahead to see if anything changed or developed, I saw that it didn't, so I decided to move onto a different read.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and the authors for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one was cute, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I wanted to love it. I loved how unique the storyline is. The characters were fun. I love Christmas in the summer. BUT…The writing wasn’t quite my style. Sometimes I got confused and after awhile I just didn’t want to keep reading the lines over again. Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

2.5/5 (rounded up)

Okay so I really WANTED to love this book! I enjoyed for the most part, the romance, but felt there were just too many character perspectives, and the third-person narration would swap between characters in a confusing/ unclear manner for me to keep pace with. Additionally, because of how many characters there were, it was hard to get a good grasp of the characters and grow to really like any of them. I was not a fan of the early break-up (and the ending reasoning for it, I thought it was plain dumb and did not like Rick.) overall, the plot just felt blah to me.

Brief Plot: Years ago, Ivy & Nick were happy together working on ending the long-distance portion of their relations, until Nick just ends the relationship completely. To mourn it, Ivy writes a Christmas based screen play, and Nick creates a wine after her. 5’ish years later, her screen play is being adapted in their home town, and filming will be at nicks award winning winery. Is their relationship actually over, or is the high school sweetheart duo gonna reconnect?

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca Publishing for an eARC copy of The Summer of Christmas, by Juliet & Keith Giglio. This is my honest review in exchange!

This one was rough for me. While the storyline had promise the writing was really scattered & hard to follow. The plot seemed more fit for a made for TV movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating : ⭐⭐⭐✨

I loved the premise of this book and for the most part it was such an entertaining, I'm a sucker for any form or Christmas story, and this was truly such a treat! 😍

But at times, the writing & pacing of the story felt a little off, taking away from the overall reading experience.☹️

However other than that, this was such a delightful Christmas read. Ivy & Nicks story is definitely a must read! 💖

I can't wait to revisit this during the holidays!

The Summer of Christmas is a easy reading romance about a screenwriter and her childhood sweetheart realizing they have less in common than as their lives go in separate directions. The book is a light hearted mix of Christmas fun and summer vibes but just didn’t work for me unfortunately. I found the female lead a bit of a pushover and didn’t connect with the male lead. I would recommend this book to movie buffs as the screenwriting elements would hold their interest well.

Reading this book felt like I was watching a classic hallmark movie...in fact, hallmark movies are referenced in the story! I loved how descriptive the writing style was for this book - I felt like I really was watching a movie because I could picture the scenes so clearly in my head. Although it may have been intentional given the rom-com storyline, the plot felt a bit forced and fake, so it was hard to believe this story could be real outside of a movie scene. I love a happy ending, and this book delivered!

This book has so many of the elements that I enjoy in a rom-com. With a cute cover, a small town, and a second-chance romance, I was excited to dig in. Ultimately, I ended up wanting more from the story. Both Ivy and Nick are focusing on the past and their past feeling, good and bad, for one another. I hoped for more show of their emotions toward each other in the present in order to truly root for them. I liked so many of the other characters in the story. While unique and interesting, I felt like we didn’t get the complete picture and would have enjoyed more details.
My favorite character was Griffin and was always happy when the POV switched to him.

Overall, this story has a cute plot with lots of potential.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the arc.

Going into The Summer of Christmas, I adored the premise. Ivy Green is a screenwriter about to catch her big break with her screenplay based on her high school sweetheart, Nick Shepherd; the only catch is production will take place in her hometown where he still lives, and with him on set everyday, the two are forced to question if they ever really got over each other. Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. I loved the actor who played Nick’s alter-ego, Griffin, and while I thought at first it felt random to have his perspective included along with Nick and Ivy’s, he became the character I rooted for the most and I wanted to keep hearing more from him. The POV did feel inconsistent throughout since we got so many voices chiming in. This book relied a lot of telling instead of showing and it took away from a lot of the chemistry between characters. We got so much of Ivy and Nick’s thoughts, as well as the thoughts of the background characters, we didn’t see a lot of moments of them, so it didn’t feel like the communication between characters was really there and some of the dialogue felt forced. And Ivy and Nick lacked a lot of self awareness, and Nick felt like a very selfish character. Ivy also had some selfish moments, but I did like her character though—she’s passionate. I wanted more from them—more communication, more vulnerability, more passion, more moments that made their reconnection made sense, but the story relied so heavily on their past to show their love that the present didn’t get the spotlight I would’ve liked to see. I did like the movie set setting and I thought that added a fun dynamic to the story and allowed for a lot of side characters to shine. This is a quick Hallmark-like rom com with a great premise, but wasn’t really the book for me. I do think it might pan out better as a movie than a book though and the cover is absolutely adorable and the Christmas in July elements are a fun touch.

The concept of this book drew me in but the execution utterly failed. I found the characters to be childish and unlikeable - most of them made illogical choices and acted like they were teenagers again. The story jumps around a lot, and the POV changes randomly, which I found really hard to deal with. Both Ivy & Nick are stuck in the past and seem unwilling to let any hurt they carry go, no matter how large or small. Overall, this book is a mess.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. The writing in phrasing in this book was a little hard to understand and didn't flow well.

✨I had a great time with this book. I loved following Ivy and Nick's story as they have great chemistry. There are some very cute moments between them. It feels like watching a movie. I find the idea of Christmas in the middle of July original.

💖 The authors provide a lot of description that makes us want to be part of their story.
The book is third person. And there’s some pop culture references. If you love tropes like second chance / small town romance with holiday theme. You will certainly enjoy this book.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

When I tell you I was PUMPED for this book…I was pumped. It was easy and fun, but a little too cheesy. I think the concept is genius but it missed the mark on execution for me. There were so many characters at the center and I think that took away from the main storyline.

But, if you love Christmas and need a little joy, this book about filming a Christmas movie in the Summer will be a great beach read. It’s about heartbreak, following your dreams, and soulmates among the glamour of Hollywood.

Synopsis:

“A hopeful LA screenwriter behind the scenes of her first exciting successful filmA dramatic face-to-face with her first love—who broke up with her five years ago at Christmastime (the jerk!)The magic, mystery, and hijinks of making a Christmas movie—in the middle of summer!A second chance for everyone to get things right, finally

Up-and-coming LA screenwriter Ivy Green is about to have her life turned upside down. Her movie, based on her and her high school sweetheart, Nick Shepherd, is being filmed in her hometown. In the middle of summer, during the month of July, the production crew creates a winter wonderland Christmas.

Nick is less than thrilled to see Ivy after all this time. Especially because in her movie version of their relationship, she kills his character off. To complicate matters, Ivy isn't sure of her relationship with the producer, the town is overflowing with movie stars and adoring fans, and worst of all—the actress playing Ivy develops a crush on the real Nick! Now, with renewed and confusing feelings about Nick, Ivy is determined to see if there is anything left between them, but in the end, Ivy will need to re-write her life script to finally get everything she ever wanted.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—How much do I love a Christmas story and movie? I thought it was such a clever concept to discuss the filming of a Christmas movie since they tend to shoot them out of season.

The Tone—I read this book after a challenging week and it was easy, fun, and joyful.

The Setting—It takes place in Geneva, New York which is not too far from where I live! I had never read a book that takes place there so it was fun to know a lot of the references.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—I’m picky with pacing and this just missed the mark. It was like a race for no reason.

Too Much Going On—Sooooo many characters with wonderful discoveries to make and not enough time to tell them, leaving everyone feeling one dimensional.

Writing—The authors are screenwriters and that was evident in the writing. This would be a fantastic film! But I think with books, less is more and focusing on Nick and Ivy would have been more than enough.

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

loss of parents (past/brief), boating accident

Is there anything more magical than Christmas?! Perhaps only Hollywood can beat that! 'Cause movies can do anything. They can make you think rich people are unhappy, hard work always pays off and love conquers all. They can even bring Christmas back in July so that you can rewrite the script of your life and live your dream. But what happens once the cameras are turned off and you have to face reality?

Ivy wrote a script based on her love story with her "dead to her" ex boyfriend Nick and now it is being filmed in her hometown! While this means she gets to live her dream, it also means she has to deal with renewed and confusing feelings about Nick who is still very much alive in this world and in her mind. Suddenly, Ivy starts to wonder if she needs to re-write her life script to get back everything she thought she lost.

The Summer Of Christmas is a fun rom-com that flashes before your eyes like a comfort Christmas movie you just can't help but watching over and over again. It has all the necessary ingredients to let you have joyful moments of serenity and help you lose yourself in the magic of Christmas... even in the middle of summer!
I personally would have liked a slower and more constant rapprochement between the two main characters, but I understand that the authors wanted to give us the kind of story you see in christmas movies. And in those movies everything always happens quickly and kind of unexpectedly because the protagonists have to let faith and magic help them understand what they're trying to deny.
So, that’s ok. Overall, it is a really fun and enjoyable summer (or shoul I say Christmas 😅) read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oof. I selected The Summer of Christmas because I loved the cutesy Christmas themed cover and the blurb sounded fun and interesting. I tried really hard with this one, but believe all the bad reviews. It was a slog that I admittedly couldn't even get through. The writing was so awkward and disjointed. It was a lot of telling instead of showing with perfunctory 'then this happened and this happened.' I think the major issues point to the fact that the writers are screenwriters and not novelists. There is an extreme amount of movie references and filming jargon that is explained to death. This would have made a much better Hallmark movie than a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy of this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an eARC of the book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed below are my own.

Being a huge fan of Christmas romantic movies, I couldn't possibly pass up an opportunity to read this book. It has the word Christmas in the title and a cute cover. These are probably the only things I actually liked about the novel.

The premise was enticing - after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, the heroine writes a movie script about their love story and ends up getting her script made into a film - in her home town where her ex lives and works.

The book wasn't for me - I DNFed it at 45%.

The writing is very poor - the sentences are short and choppy, they are far too simple and lack any and all imagery. The text abounds in unneccessary repetitions and explanations that appear too close together in adjacent chapters or even different parts of the same chapter!

Another thing that really bothered me was the constant use - and explanation - of movie terms. Even the most simple ones are explained every couple of pages which got super irritating very quickly. Honestly, this book reads more like a dictionary that a work of fiction.

I didn't like the characters and felt like they were rather meh in they portrayal.

I love the cover and premise of this book, but in all honesty was a little confused by the movie industry jargon. The characters, bath main and secondary are fun and bubbly and there was plenty of humour and some obvious chemistry between the two main characters. I thought I’d love this book, but in reality I just liked it. The narration sometimes felt a little disjointed so I found it hard to get as absorbed by the story as I normally would.

I thought this was ok! I loved the concept but t was so hard for me really get into. The was quite a bit if film lingo and movie references that I didn't get which is a me problem but trying out an author's debut novel really sets the ton for whether you'll read more from them in the future. I will try out more but this one just wasn't for me.