This was a light, fun summer read - need a book for your beach vacation? This one would be a good one to pick up.
Summer girl is part 3 of a series, but can be read as a standalone. Although, this book does have significant amount of time spent with main characters from the previous two books. Ultimately though, you will still be able to get lost in Cassie and Tate’s rapidly transforming neighbors-to-friends-to-lovers relationship.
Tate is a playboy with a heart of gold and Cassie wants a summer fling to gain experience before her senior year in college. The lovable playboy actually turns her down despite the steamy chemistry between them. This endears him to the reader even more - because who wouldn’t love the playboy that doesn’t want to take advantage to the good girl. As can be expected the chemistry between the two is just too much to keep them in the friend-zone.
This story was so much more than just the relationship between the MMC and FMC. New friendships form, as Cassie really finds somewhere she belongs. Cassie and her grandmother are close and their interactions were a joy to read. It’s the kind of camaraderie everyone wishes they could have with a grandparent. The real heartache in the story comes from the toxic relationship between Cassie and her mother. This one will eat at you as the story progresses. You will get satisfaction by the end though, rest assured.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

What a perfect summer read!! ☀️There’s everything you want in a book - it’s sweet, funny, spicy, and good vibes all around. Although this book is #3 in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the others but I definitely plan to now!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I think this was my favorite of the Avalon Bay series books so far and I have had fun with all of them. Tate is your golden boy; undeniably attractive, enthusiastic as a lover, stays friends with all his exes, but never falls in love with any of them. Cassie is the sweet girl-next-door type who is trying to break her good girl image and just have a summer fling while staying with her Grandmother for one last summer before graduating college. This would seem to be your typical boy and girl fall in lust then love story, but there’s a whole lot more going on here that made me really enjoy it. Warned off Cassie by his friend Mac, Tate puts Cassie in the friend zone after a scorching kiss leaves him wanting more. Of course he comes to regret it, but where this book shines in the development of the friendship between Cassie and Tate. It’s easygoing, sweet, and just the right amount of playfulness where it’s easy to believe these two could be good together. Definitely a case of opposites attract, Cassie is the Yin to Tate’s Yang and they find that they compliment each other in so many ways.

Every good story needs a foil of some kind and that comes in the form of Cassie’s mother—a true piece of work. Check content warnings, but as a narcissist, she creates all the drama necessary whether it’s between herself and Cassie, Tate, or with Cassie’s father. Parents play a huge role in this book and at times I thought the story might skew a little too far from the romance plot. Yet by the third act, it becomes very clear as to how and why the parental figures play a role in Cassie and Tate’s love story, and it was a refreshing alternative.

An easy summer read, I’d recommend this to anyone who can handle family drama, and doesn’t mind their MCs collegiate age. Although I prefer my heroes older, Tate’s playboy persona was a fun change up and I enjoyed reading The Summer Girl. Elle Kennedy’s books in the series get better and better and Im guarantor enjoy myself while reading. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a fantastic summer read! I haven’t smiled, laughed and felt giddy over a book in a while and this was everything I needed it to be. I loved the dual pov, the banter was amazing and the overall story was just so good. Even though this was a friends to lover romance , I enjoyed reading how they both navigated their complicated family dynamics and issues which made the story so much more interesting.

Ugh, to have a summer fling in a quaint little beach town!

This was a fun beachy read. Friends to lovers, summer fling turned permanent. Cassie and Tate were super cute together.

I was not prepared for the drama and the fact that I had to stop the book and BAWL at one part. Came out of NOWHERE! Definitely an interesting plot twist.

This was my first book in the Avalon Bay series and I will definitely be going back to read the others.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the storyline with the friends to lovers aspect.
There is just enough spicy moments to make this a enjoyable read.
The laugh out loud moments were great. I always enjoy humor in a story and this one delivered that.
Overall, a nice summer read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for an earc of The Summer Girl in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was so cute and there was so much growth in it. I really loved getting to know Cassie and Tate and seeing them finally give into their feelings and go for it.

I thought it was funny how Tate volunteered to be her wingman yet found himself to be the worst wingman ever in my opinion. I really also enjoyed the family aspect of this book and dealing with a loving family and yet dealing with really toxic aspects within your family. Honesty I found that to be my favorite part of this. I loved how Tate and Cassie pushed each other to fight for the things that they deserve.

The characters were cute, the plot was cute, I enjoyed this book a lot!

As a huge fan of all of Elle Kennedy's series, this book didnt fall short. It is such a good summer read perfect for that wsunny day on the beach or cozying up by the fire while camping. I particularly love the Avalon Bay series and this book in partiuclar because they can be read as standalones which I think is a great option for thse casual readers as well. Really great book overall!

This is the 3rd book in the Avalon Bay series but can easily be read as a standalone.

I loved how the story between Tate and Cassie developed and delivered the bombshell towards the end! such a great book, I highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

3.5-4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassie is looking for a summer hookup, and Tate does nothing BUT hookup. Cassie tries to "fling" Tate, but Tate actually likes Cassie and friend zones her instead. However, after a spicy, girl-next-door window scene, the two venture into different territory.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers, or casual hookup to lovers, trope. I didn't really like the plot twist that tore them apart (because there's always something that tears the MCs apart before HEA). But overall, it was a good summer read with some decent spice!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The third installment from the Avalon Bay series - and my favorite so far.

Lovers of the series will be very familiar with Tate, Avalon Bay's resident golden boy who can't commit... until he bumps into Cassie, who's spending the summer in the Bay before her senior year of college. They agree to a summer fling... but will that turn into something more?

A fun, spicy summer read with a closer look at family conflict to give this book a lot of heart.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

This has been my absolute favorite book so far in this series. An easy 5 stars from me. I absolutely loved Tate and Cassie's time together. Every time they were around each other I was smiling at their interactions, their conversations & their fun banter. I also liked how much they were able to help each other grow through the different things going on in their lives. Overall, I cannot recommend this one enough. It can be read as a standalone but it's more fun to know the characters from the other 2 books - so although you don't have to, I recommend reading the others first!

“Have you forgotten my most important rule of life, dear? Always leave the house dressed as if you’re going to—” “—be murdered,”

“I tried not to get attached and I failed. My heart is officially engaged.”


Cassie grew up at the bay but moved away in middle school when her parents got divorced. Her mother is very me, me, me and is rude to everyone. Her mom is her worst critic & hates her dad. A lot of insecurities stem from her mothers words & actions. Finally Cassie decides to stay with her grandmother one last summer before her grandma moves closer to them in Boston.

Tate moved to the Bay Area during highschool and is now a part time sail instructor. He is house sitting all summer right next door to Cassie.

Of course their windows face each other & Cassie accidentally sees Tate undress & he catches her of course. He airdrops his number to her and jokingly calls her a peeping Tom. 😂

Cassie’s grandmother Lydia is also the previous owner of The Beacon hotel that Mac (from the first book in the series) bought & is restoring. The grand opening is at the end of summer where everyone is coming to see it.

Cassie & Tate are constantly running into each other & the tension is there. They finally act on it & they get interrupted by Mac who basically tells Tate to stop because Cassie is girlfriend material & not just a hook up. Tate becomes her wingman & we all know where this is going to lead. He is starting to get jealous but doesn’t realize it while she starts to seek out other guys.

The summer is filled with events galore and during the charity men’s auction she saves him from the cougars by bidding on Tate & winning. Of course she gets to boss him around the def of the night. Although they are just friends they are so into each other that the tension is so high. They both get inside their rooms and they start acting naughty in the window. Phone sex & getting each other off from a distance and honestly it was hot.

Cassie’s mother is rude & horrible when speaking about her daughter and Cassie just doesn’t stand up for herself. Tate over hears everything and this is where we finally see them get to be a summer fling. As things progress between them Tate starts to wonder why should it have to end at the end of summer. Why can’t it continue?

We of course have to have our 3 quarters of the way done drama & it was not what I expected at all. This book had me smiling, laughing, & crying. I truly love this series it’s just so cute and easy to read.

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the first two books to understand the other characters who show up.

Thank you NetGalley, Elle Kennedy & the publisher for letting me read this book as an arc!!

It's been a blast to read the Avalon Bay series, and be able to experience different characters stories in each book. It's something I really love about Elle Kennedy's series is that characters readers grow attached to from the other books sometimes get their own story being told.

I couldn't put this book down. Much like the other books in the Avalon Bay series I never wanted them to end. I loved every page, and never wanted to stop reading. It makes me happy to have been able to read advanced reader copies of all the books so for. Thank you so much NetGalley for an arc of this book.

this is the third book in the avalon bay series. i wasn't sure what to expect going into this one since i didn't enjoy the last book as much. cassie is back in town for the summer to spend time with her family, friends & hoping to look for a summer fling. at first it felt like all that this book would focus on was cassie searching for the perfect fling with not much depth to anything but I was wrong about that. as i got further into the book it focused more on her family dynamics & relationships, including tate's family as well. i really started to enjoy it so much more once i got to that part. i liked the way the other characters from the series were included in this one. i wasn't a fan of the third act break up at all in this one which lowered my rating a bit. there was a mix of both things i love & hate in a book but overall, i did enjoy this read, especially the second half & i really loved the way it ended 

thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Avalon Bay is the perfect summer read! What a bittersweet goodbye to this sweet summer series. But now no matter if you are on a beach or by a lake or in a lush field The Summer Girl and the previous Avalon Bay books are your perfect summer binge-read.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: Cassie Soul is said summer girl in The Summer Girl. I really liked Cassie as I found her so relatable. Her parents went through a nasty divorce, she is studious, and a bit of a late bloomer. Sounds a lot like me. Cassie’s grandparents ran the local hotel and are now selling it as they are too old to keep running it. Her love interest is Tate Bartlett, who gave big golden retriever vibes and started his story in not such a great spot. He’s getting broken up with and he has a bit of a player’s reputation. Once you get to know him better though you will grow to like him, all he needs is the right girl to settle down with.
Setting: It’s bittersweet to leave Avalon Bay. This book had so many moments with many of our fave characters from the instalments. But it did feel much more solitary so you can definitely read it without reading the other books.
Pacing: I will admit I did struggle a bit to start off this book, I just found I was not as hooked in the beginning. When I did get fully into the story I was super engaged and read the thing quickly. I did find some plot points were not as flushed out like the games near the end didn’t even feel that necessary to the story. Plus as this was the last Avalon Bay book I would have loved an extended epilogue of some kind that featured all the characters. Now I’ll give Elle full credit she surprised me in a very specific to me way. The stepmom, dad, and half-siblings dynamic first of all. Mine is nowhere near as dramatic as this shapes out to be. But I can really relate to your parents not getting along and feeling like you struggle to open up to your family in that situation.
Romance: This book was pretty damn steamy. My fave scene in particular may have involved our two leads looking out at each other through their bedroom windows. For the emotional aspects, Elle made me shed a tear a bit over this couple (then I had a really good cry over the family dynamics).

Cassie is spending her college summer break with her grandmother. She’s also on a mission to find a no-strings summer fling, which is where popular golden boy Tate comes in.

This was pretty light for the most part as Cassie and Tate figured things out and she navigated communication issues in her tense blended family. It was pretty slow-moving for me but picked up abruptly at the end. It was very mild in terms of spice. But it’s a sweet summery read, if a bit tame. And surprisingly funny!

This book was the return to the Elle Kennedy stories I fell in love with!

Like I would assume a lot of us, I was first introduced to Elle through her her Off Campus and Briar U series, which will both hold a special place in my heart forever. As a “shy” or “nerdy” girl whose guilty pleasure was “jocks” and “playboys” who deep down had hearts of gold, you can see why I would fall in love with Elle’s writing and characters (Dean Di Laurentis will always be my #1).

After reading the first two books in the series, I did not have a great feeling about Tate. I thought Tate was going to be a terrible person who would probably cheat on the first woman he fell in love with, as we didn’t know much about him and I absolutely hated his FWB Alana. I even thought at first when I saw the redhead on the cover that this was a Tate + Alana story and I wanted to scream!!! THANKFULLY, this one worked out for me in such a positive way!

Cassie was a straight up treasure!!! She was remarkably smart, optimistic, and downright adorable. Within just a couple chapters, 𝘐 was in love with her! Obviously, Tate had no chance and that was very clear from the beginning. Through their interactions and “friendship” I grew to love Tate just as much as Cassie. A real straight-up guy, with the best of intensions and a true gentleman (except those times you didn’t want one 🥵) was what I ultimately saw in him. He taught Cassie to stand up for herself, while she taught him what love was. Such a wonderful couple not just in Avalon Bay, but in the entire Elle Kennedy universe!

I also loved a lot of the side characters. We already knew most of Tate’s friends through the first two books in the series, but we got to meet a few more and we got to meet our FMC Cassie and her family. While her mother was the bane of her existence, I loved the way her family dynamic ultimately ended up working out. It was beautiful watching her and her stepmother Nia find common ground and understanding; Nia really had me crying at the end!!! And let’s not forget about her hoot of a grandmother! Not her elderly grandma calling her out on being loud in the sack and telling her to keep her “TV” volume down with a wink! I would be mortified but unable to do anything but laugh if this happened to me! And the way her grandmother stood up for her consistently, whether it was subtle in the beginning or a complete takedown of Cassie’s mother at the end, her grandmother was a sweet woman with a lot of love and heart for her granddaughter.

Lastly, I loved how I was wrong about the cheating…or at least who was a cheater. I won’t say more than that, but that was such a weird little pop of drama at the end that I gobbled up! I hate cheating and I hate cheaters, but I loved everyone’s reaction to the situation, especially Tate’s.


Final Thoughts:

I loved their romance, I loved the side characters, and I loved how much of an emotional and mysterious journey this took us on. Do yourselves a favor and check it out!

Special thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Elle Kennedy for the advance review copy of this masterpiece! The opinions and thoughts expressed above are honest and my own.

Elle Kennedy just keeps getting better. The Sumer Girl is my favorite so far the the Avalon Bay series. You will fall in love with Cassie and swoon over Tate. This summer read was so much fun. There were so many laugh out loud moments that made this a joy to read. Still, Kennedy offered tons of depth and heartfelt moments as well. This is one of those books like a favorite movie that you want to visit over and over again.

Cassie returns to Avalon Bay to spend the summer with her grandmother and say farewell to the Beacon. She has one goal before returning to Boston for her senior year of college and that is to have a passionate summer fling. That brings us to the gorgeous playboy with a heart of gold, Tate. Cassie in all her awkward glory sets her sights on Tate but after one amazing kiss he puts her in the friend zone. The chemistry between these two and the true friendship that they build can't keep them apart for long. Cassie had a lot of character growth throughout the story. Tate is the one who helps build her up and convince her to start voicing her feelings and needs. Love, love, loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is THE beach read of the summer, and I will not entertain anyone suggesting otherwise.

I so thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this read. From the build up to the spice to the… just everything. Elle Kennedy once again hit it out of the park with this new adult masterpiece.

Seeing your parents as people- not infallible all-knowing beings- who make mistakes and giving them grace and forgiveness- or, in some cases, not, was a big theme, and one I think is so utterly apt for new adult romance. Outside of the swoony, sweet, and steamy fling to more relationship, watching Cassie and Tate navigate this life realization with their families- one already broken, and the other seemingly fairy tale perfect- was my favorite part.