I love to read books that feature bookish characters so when I saw that Jenn McKinlay’s latest novel, Summer Reading, features a “swoon-worthy bookworm” who falls for a non-reader, I was excited to dive in and meet these characters.

Set on Martha’s Vineyard, the story follows Samantha “Sam” Gale, a talented chef who was recently passed over for a promotion she should have been a shoe-in for. Angry and frustrated because she thinks her dyslexia is why she was passed over, Sam quits her job and moves back home and into her dad’s house. He and Sam’s stepmom are traveling for the summer so this will give her the opportunity to regroup in peace, her only responsibility being to chaperone her 14 year old stepbrother, Tyler, who she hasn’t had much of a relationship with in the past. Sam has no idea how life changing this trip home will be.

I’m going to say up front that while I really did enjoy this book, it wasn’t my favorite Jenn McKinlay book, mainly because the story felt a little uneven for me. I adored the part where Sam and Tyler really start to bond as brother and sister. They morph from practically strangers to true siblings throughout the course of the book and it’s a relationship that both of them clearly needed in their lives. I also loved the bond between Sam and her best friend, Em. Em is that kind of supportive friend who immediately asks whose butt she needs to kick when she learns someone has hurt Sam, and Sam is the same way for Em. It was lovely to see them looking out for each other.

The romance was actually the part of the story that I wasn’t completely sold on. I really liked Sam and Ben together. Ben was definitely a swoon-worthy bookworm as advertised and I was a big fan of the way he didn’t underestimate Sam’s intelligence once he learned of her struggles with reading. I also very much liked that he didn’t try to “fix” her but instead incorporated reading aloud into their time together so that he could share his love of reading and stories with Sam, just as she used some of their time together to share her love of cooking with him. As much as I enjoyed watching them spend time together, I didn’t quite feel the same level of “sparks flying” chemistry that I’m used to experiencing in romance novels. Since I didn’t experience that, I didn’t completely buy into them taking the relationship to the next level.

There were also a few dramatic side plots, including a big health scare for one of the side characters and a search for a long lost parent for another, and I felt like the story would have been better if those had been a bit more streamlined as I felt the side drama pulled me out of the story. There’s a grand gesture to end all grand gestures though that fully pulled me back in and had me grinning like a fool and finally buying into Sam and Ben as a couple, so all was well in the end.

As I said, Summer Reading was not my favorite Jenn McKinlay novel, but it’s still definitely worthy of going in your beach bag this summer.

Summer Reading was an enjoyable read. I liked the characters and found the story interesting.

Both Samantha and Bennet are so sweet and likable. I quickly and easily wanted to see them together. I really enjoyed Samantha's budding relationship with her 15 year old brother. Their quick coming together was a joy rather than having to endure an angsty drawn out relationship.

McKinlay did a great job writing in Sam's dyslexia. It was an eye opener for me of what it's like to live with it.

Everything in this story just works out so well. Even the super stressful search for Bennet's father and dealing with his mother, comes to a nice conclusion.

Summer Reading was definitely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

A girl who has sworn off reading due to her dyslexia and a gorgeous book-obsessed male librarian meet on a boat in the most comical and not so cute way, and the rest, as they say, is history. When Sam meets Ben on the boat on her way to Martha's Vineyard, she feels connected and intrigued by his good looks and well-read nature. But when the boat docks, she loses sight of him before even catching his name. While visiting her friend at the local library, Sam runs into handsome boat guy (Ben) again, only to realize that he is the library director. Soon they find themselves spending more time together in this delightful romantic comedy.

A fun and engaging novel about family, relationships and learning about yourself. Samantha is dyslexic, and returning home after many years away is a fresh start with her teen brother and friends. Her interactions with the world around her are different and inspire those around her but also inspire a love of stories within her. A definite summer beach read.

✨𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪✨

Thank you @prhaudio and @berkleyromance for this complimentary audiobook and gifted copy.

For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who has dyslexia, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.

Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.

An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she’s always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.

𝘍𝘶𝘯, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭!
This is my kind of perfect summer read or to read at any season to be honest, it was just a great read. Loved the characters, loved the chemistry, loved the story, loved the setting. Loved everything!

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 by @mckinlayjenn releases today May 16, 2023.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Beach vacations are my favorite!

#summerreading #jennmckinlay #prhaudio #PRHPartner #prhinfluencer #berkleyromance #BerkleyPub #romancebooks #romance #audiobooks #pubday #pubweek #newrelease #booksandcoffeemx

this was truly perfect summer reading, set in martha's vineyard (TAKE ME THERE) in a quaint small town, with great main characters. i loooooved that the male MC was the reader here (take that, gender norms!) and that dyslexia was represented so honestly in the female MC. the sibling relationship between the female MC and her brother was SO sweet and i really enjoyed seeing it blossom over the course of the story! this one was just a really lovely read.

Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram

𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: friends to lovers, small town, Martha’s Vineyard setting, cute meet cute, neurodivergent rep, bookish male lead, sibling relationships

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚”

⬆️ We’ve all been there, girlfriend 😂

So our female lead: got passed on for a promotion, left her job as a chef in a big city, and decided to spend the summer in her hometown.
Male lead is a librarian who’s only visiting the island for the summer.
They meet at the ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard. How? I won’t tell because it’s a cute scene 😂

Anyway, this book is perfect for all your beach read cravings! I love that this was set in Martha’s Vineyard! This literally made me miss the island and I’m itching to visit it soon!

I love the dyslexic representation and it honestly made me understand this better. Like how reading really is difficult for them and thank god for the existence of audiobooks! But I mean, A HOT GUY READING TO YOU? Seriously only in books 😂 actually he was reading her smut - so it does have some spice, my spice seeking friends 😉

I love the development of the sibling relationship between the lead and her brother too! It’s one of my favorite storylines in this book.

One thing I didn’t like is the third act breakup because their relationship seemed so mature but I guess men freaking out when things get too real is accurate? 🤷‍♀️ It did make way to a cute ending though so I guess that was needed in the story.

💭 Are you a good cook?
☕️ I’m decent buuuut very recipe based lol. I reread cooking instructions multiple times just to make sure I don’t mess it up 😂

I'm all about the summer reading right now. Jenn McKinlay does great cozy mysteries, but her romances are just as delightful. I loved the romance, characters and setting of this story.

Out of work chef Samantha Gale visits her hometown of Martha's Vineyard over summer so she can look out for her younger teenage brother. She meets a handsome library director, Ben, and sparks fly, although Sam is dyslexic and not a reader. Ben helps her work on a cookbook she longs to write, honoring her Portuguese cooking history. She helps Ben search for his father, whom he has never met.

I wanted to read this novel because I enjoy beach reads, liked the setting, and like foodie details - which I knew would be included, with a chef as lead character!

This was a delightful rom-com with a heartwarming romance, a sweet family story (especially Sam bonding with her younger brother Tyler), and some more serious themes as well (Sam's neurodivergence and Ben's search for his father). It was well written, with likable characters (not just the leads but Sam's brother and best friend as well), a summer setting I really enjoyed, and one of my favorite recent rom-com storylines.

I enthusiastically recommend Summer Reading for fans of beach reads, heartwarming romantic stories, and summer settings. This is the first book in a series and I am already looking forward to future reads by this author!

This book was a fun and easy read. I also felt like I learned so much about dyslexia and how to make it easier when you meet people with dyslexia. This book is a great summer read. I immediately loved Sam and Bennett. The book deals a lot with family and relationships among step children. This book will make you laugh out loud and maybe shed a few tears.

I'm a sucker for books about books and that led me to pick up SUMMER READING by Jenn McKinlay. I loved the foodie references and the Martha's Vineyard setting was especially perfect for summer, but I had a hard time feeling invested in the main character's chemistry and connection. Their love story didn't jump off the page to me in the same way that other relationships have. Admittedly rom-coms aren't my preferred genre but I do enjoy them as a light palate cleanser in between heavier summer reads, especially in the summer.

What I most appreciated was the neurodiversity/dyslexia representation and the way the book was structured to be more accessible to dyslexic readers. Overall, I'd recommend this one to tried and true fans of the genre but for readers who dabble in rom-coms may have better luck with another book.

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)

This was an enjoyable book about a woman who has to chaperone her brother and hates the library until she meets a hot book nerd there where she accidentally destroyed his book. This was a fun summer read for me which was perfect for this time of the year. I really the storyline of this book as I don’t believe I have read a book where the girl isn’t a reader but the guy is. It was nice to get an opposite approach. I enjoyed the conflicts that were in the book but I do have to say that it kind of killed the romance part. There were too many breakups for my liking. The pacing was great and I enjoyed the New England-themed setting. This book doesn’t mainly focus on romance but also self development and sibling bonds. This book is in Sam’s pov and I wish we had a couple of the male leads as I wanted to know what he thought.

Sam has Dyslexia and is told to take care of her brother while her family is on vacation. She is a chef and I loved it when she talked about the food. I enjoyed her story and seeing her growth throughout the book. The main side lead is Bennett and I just wish we got his POV. He was a great male lead and I loved reading about him. There weren’t many side characters but I did enjoy seeing Sam and Tyler build their sibling relationship. The romance was cute but not the best with the opposites attract trope. It wasn’t spicy but there were steamy scenes.

The ending was well done and I enjoyed the HEA. This book was well written and I enjoyed how cute this book was. There are some triggers for readers as it does get deep into some things but I think it’s a book you will read if you are at the beach. I do recommend checking this book out if you have time as you won’t regret it.

📖𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜
✍🏻Jenn McKinlay
🗓️5.16.23
💘Contemporary Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If there’s one thing I’ve recently learned about myself, it’s that I love a foodie romance. Summer Reading was love at first sight as soon as I saw the cute cover, but once I realized the main character Samantha was a chef, I was completely smitten by the mouthwatering food descriptions.

I also enjoyed the Martha’s Vineyard setting, the female friendship, the sweet sibling relationship that develops between MC Samantha and her younger brother.

I also loved that the author included a neurodivergent character with dyslexia, and appreciated the author’s note so much.

The chemistry between Sam and sexy librarian Ben is so good, and I thought it was adorable that book loving Ben would read to Sam.

The audiobook narration was fantastic, and I highly recommend narrator Kelsey Navarro Foster.

Thank you Berkley Romance, PRH Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

overall, summer reading by jenn mckinlay was a pretty solid read! i thought the introduction of the FMC and MMC was pretty adorable and amusing, and i really enjoyed the martha's vineyard setting of the book. the "new england summer" aesthetic really added to the overall atmosphere and energy of summer reading. the only thing i found to be a little irritating is the FMC's inner dialogue on her dyslexia. i've never met someone with dyslexia who approached their condition the way in which she did. i found it to be a little unrealistic when she was claiming all of her past relationships failed SOLELY because her boyfriends discovered she had dyslexia. i don't think whether or not someone having dyslexia is a common determinant for many people in relationships.

the "third act misunderstanding" felt a bit put off until the last minute, and then rushed. mckinlay did a pretty solid job on writing foreplay, but the FMC and MMC constantly being interrupted was very unsatisfying.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣-𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙢, 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙮, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙩-𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜.

📍 Read if you like:
• Summer Reads
• Foodie Romances
• Books About Books
• Martha’s Vineyard

This was such a surprise of a read, I loved the summer romance vibes it gave and the mention of food recipes throughout the book.

Our main character, Samantha, has dyslexia and I thought it was very well portrayed. Sam spends the summer in Martha’s Vineyard watching over her fourteen-year-old brother.

She meets Bennett, who is a librarian and loves reading. I loved the twist where the guy was the reader, it was interesting seeing the role reversed.

The book itself was a bit too long and tired to be too much. At times, it felt so overwhelming.

However, I do think this author talked about these difficult topics in such a moving way.

While this is mainly a romance, there were so many other themes scattered throughout the book. Sam was finding her way to become a chef.

I also really enjoyed the family relationships and how they grew throughout the book. For example, Sam and her brother, Tyler, developed a stronger sibling relationship that I found enjoyable.

Overall, this was such a delightful romance read perfect for the summer. I enjoyed the talk about reading and books, Sam and Ben didn’t have a big connection - but I still enjoyed following both of them. This would be the perfect beach read this summer!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Bullying, toxic relationship, death of parent, cancer, medical content

Read if you like:
📚 Women’s Fiction
💕 Romance
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Dynamics
🏝️ Martha’s Vinyard
🧠 Dyslexia Rep

This one is definitely marketed more closely to a romance and does end with an HEA but it truly felt a bit more Women’s Fiction to me and not as romancy as other books I’ve read from this author.

My absolute favorite part of the book was the inclusion of dyslexia representation through the FMC and how the author started with an authors note regarding this inclusion and that the book has been published in a dyslexia friendly font and layout! This truly is the thing that means the most to me because the author didn’t just write about dyslexia but also did the work to ensure her book would be published in a format that is dyslexia friendly!

Aside from that, my expectations definitely were for more romance based on the marketing for this one but it truly was more I felt about the FMC’s journey with her family, her dyslexia, the MMC’s search for his dad, and then the romance came as a glue to those plot points to move around through all of them.

Overall, not my favorite book from Jenn but I will definitely still be reading more from her and encourage those that read this one to really take the time to listen to the struggles the FMC has and how little things truly make all the difference to be inclusive of everyone.

Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC of this one in exchange for my review!

“She seemed completely absorbed in her book. Her gaze was focused on the page, her posture relaxed. Reading was an immersive experience…Just because I could listen to a book while I did the dishes didn’t make it not immersive. It just freed up my hands.” 👏🏻👏🏻

This book calls into question…what counts as reading? Is it physically reading a book? Listening to a book? Reading a magazine? And I say…who cares!

I just loved the representation of dyslexia and Samantha’s neurodivergent brain. I loved her story as she healed from years of torment about her disability, all while falling for the local hot librarian!

Samantha and Ben’s story is a sweet and tender one where the damage incurred by each makes them uniquely capable of helping the other through their struggles and, ultimately, healing. Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this is the quintessential beach read so grab a copy and throw it in your beach bag this summer!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC.

Oh my goodness how I loved this book! It’s another addition to my list of “Best Books of 2023”. Take this one to the beach, lake, or pool and prepare to fall in love!

The romance is beautifully developed, and the characters are people you’d love to call your friends. A house nearby in Martha’s Vineyard sounds great too!

Sam is a well-known chef who is euphemistically “between jobs”. She’s had a difficult time reading her entire life, she’s dyslexic. She’s developed workarounds so she can get by in a world that reads, and her dyslexia has made her particularly in tune with the people around her. Jobless, she goes to her father’s house to watch over her 15 year old half brother, with whom she’s never been close.

It’s the height of irony that she meets, and is attracted to, Bennett, who is acting librarian for the town library. His mother is a famous artist who refuses to tell him who’s father, and he’s determined to find out. How can these two possibly be together?

The author explains dyslexia beautifully, and I was fascinated by the coping mechanisms that dyslexics develop to overcome their differences.

I highly recommend this book, it’s a “must read” for romance lovers. 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was a great summer read. Our main character Sam has dyslexia and I thought the representation for that in the book was awesome. The whole book is about Sam spending the summer in Martha's Vineyard watching after her 14 year old brother and trying to find a new chef position.
We also have some romance between her and Ben, a library director and book lover. I did like how the male was the book lover in this read as it's usually the female, that was a fun twist.
Overall I enjoyed this read. It was fun, romantic and dealt with some tough topics. I do feel like it was trying to do to many things though. It was a little scattered for me if that makes sense.

I am a serious sucker for a summer story, and this one did not disappoint. The setting was awesome, the characters were so well-developed, and the romance was on point. I loved Sam & Ben and their unconventional (and yet somehow totally conventional) love. I adored the inclusion of audiobooks, cooking, dancing, and friendship. Sam’s sibling relationship with Tyler was so much fun, and her friendship with Em was so special.

At some points, I found the plot predictable, and the mention of Sam’s neurodivergent brain a little repetitive. I think maybe it was slightly unrealistic for me to believe that Sam really thought a librarian couldn’t like her just because she was dyslexic. Plenty of readers have relationships with non-readers. Opposites attract, after all.

Overall, I thought this was a fun summer read & I would definitely recommend it!