So I really wanted to love this because… the cover… it was not for me it felt off with the pacing/storyline and cringe worthy at moments. I usually DNF most books I’m not vibing with but I just kept holding out thinking it may pivot and I would fall in love. Not the case. I know someone out there will really enjoy it and I’m curious to see what others think.

We’re gonna file this one in the “no thank you” slot and just move on.

Here’s the thing, I’m a sucker for bad Hallmark/Lifetime movies - but those just don’t translate into books for me. This is like a bad Hallmark/Lifetime movie with all the cheesy tropes and while that works great for a movie, it’s terrible for a book. It made the book feel long and even the narrator couldn’t make this interesting.

The characters were unlikable, the storyline was everywhere - it was like taking that 1hr movie and turning it into a 10hr audiobook. It just didn’t work for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the audio copy!

This was bad. The narrator was horrible. I’m really disappointed because this book has such a cute cover and I had such high hopes.

I’m not really interested in reading books about characters in their early 20’s. I’m too cranky and old to read about children.

The writing was…I have no words. It was bad.

This was a pretty fun second chance at love, small town romance with a unique twist. Christmas in July but make it a behind the scenes Hallmark movie. This story features Ivy, a debut screenwriter who has returned to her hometown where they're filming her Christmas movie that she based on her first love and high school sweetheart Nick - aka the guy who dumped her on Christmas and who she hasn't seen in years.

The plot of this one was a little convoluted but I enjoyed it. Ivy is in a relationship with her movie producer but seeing Nick again is bringing up all kinds of unwanted feelings. Add in a heaping dose of jealousy when he starts hanging out with the actress playing Ivy and things really get interesting.

Good on audio, this was a solid debut I'd recommend to fans of Nora goes off script by Annabelle Monaghan or super predictable Hallmark holiday romcoms. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

This was such a cute romance book! I really, really enjoyed listening to it! I can’t wait to reread at Christmas!

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 Dreamscape Media for an eARC copy of The Summer of Christmas, by Juliet & Keith Giglio, narrated by Elizabeth Coyle. This is my honest review in exchange!