I loved being back in Avalon Bay with Tate and Cassie. I loved getting to know them and watching them getting to know each other. The story was so fun and their chemistry was great!
I debated between a 4 and a 5 but decided on 5 because I would love to own the paperback.

"𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳."
"𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚."

The perfect summer read does not ex——

This book is so fun. It’s sexy, it’s angsty, it’s flirty and fun but also serious at times. You really do get a little bit of everything:

☀️ Summer romance
☀️ Friends/ Friends with benefits to lovers
☀️ Dual POV
☀️ Beach town setting
☀️ Virgin FMC
☀️ Cinnamon roll MMC

Cassie is visiting her grandma for the summer and first but she meets happen to be the very sexy boy next door, Tate. We love a good neighbor romance! Cassie is looking for a summer fling and who better to fling with than Tate?! And then, as they say, the rest is history.

I completely fell in love with Cassie and Tate and their fun, flirty banter. And the spice?! I was not ready! I know Elle Kennedy is no stranger to spice so I should have expected it but it caught me by surprise in the best way. The window scene!!? 🥵🥵

This book didn’t just deliver in the romcom department, but explored some very real tough subjects such as divorced parents, family drama and the fear of being vulnerable with those closest to us. There were also plot twists I did not see coming which is a huge plus.

I have loved all the books in this series but I think Cassie & Tate might be my favorite. Fair warning, though, you’ll wish you were on a beach town somewhere with a hot neighbor next door to have some fun with. Or is that just me!?

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @ellekennedy for the advanced copy.

🌊 Book Review 🌊

Happy Pub Day to The Summer Girl, book 3 of the Avalon Bay series by one of my favorite authors @ellekennedy33 . Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC. Both Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation were 5⭐️ reads for me, and The Summer Girl joins their ranks. It's my new favorite of the series and one of my top 10 reads of the year.

✔️ He's a player, she's a good girl
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Small Town
✔️ Bachelor Auction (a rare trope nowadays but A FAVE)
✔️ Let's Just Be Friends
✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Teach Me
✔️ It's Just Sex

The Summer Girl is about Cassie who is just in town for the summer since her grandmother will be moving out of Avalon Bay. She wants to have a summer fling, and how great would it be if this super hot guy who finds her amusing and not awkward would be her flingee, giving her some experience in bedroom matters. Unfortunately, playboy Tate is hesitant. He's not a relationship guy and her inexperience freaks him out. He's super attracted and wants to just stay friends, but that is proving to be impossible.

So we all know that Elle is masterful at writing great banter, pining, and spice. This book exceeded my already high expectations. Not only that but the emotional storytelling with both Tate and Cassie's relationship with their families was incredibly told and moved me. I am a stoic Capricorn and my eyes were watery during this read. This joins just 3 other books as a lock for one of my top 10 reads for this year. 5⭐️ - I highly recommend (especially if you loved The Mistake from the Off-Campus series).

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

I am so pleasantly surprised by this book, I didn’t love book 1 in this series, and then I liked Bad Girl Reputation more, and now this one is significantly better and definitely my favorite in the series. It was a touching friends-to-lovers romance and I loved the neighbors aspect. It was heartwarming and entertaining!

Elle Kennedy hasn't failed ne yet!

I absolutely loved Tate. Was he a f-ckboy? yes! BUT HE WAS RESPECTFUL AND ADORABLE!

I also loved Cassie and felt so sad for her. Her mom was a monster.

I do wish her big boobs weren't mentioned every chapter.

The Summer Girl is the third installment in Elle Kennedy's Avalon Bay series. I really enjoyed the first two books, but I have to say I think this one is my favorite so far.

It's always fun to return to the small beachy town of Avalon Bay and this time we get to see the town through the eyes of Cassie Soul, a young woman who used to lived there but hasn't been back in years. She's there now to spend the summer with her grandmother and she also hopes to have a bit of fun and find herself a summer fling.

She has a pretty funny meet cute with local hot guy, Tate Bartlett, and immediately thinks he would be an ideal candidate for her fling. In a surprise twist, Tate turns her down but says he would love to be friends with her and to even serve as her wingman to help her find her fling.

If you enjoy a good friends to lovers story, you'll love this one because the chemistry between Tate and Cassie is just wonderful. There's tons of fun, flirty banter but they also connect on a much deeper level and I just enjoyed watching them get to know one another as the summer went on.

There's also an extra twist involving secrets and family drama just to add some dramatic flair and keep you turning those pages.

If you're looking for a perfect read to take with you to the pool or beach, grab yourself a copy of The Summer Girl. You won't regret it!

The Summer Girl was my first book by Elle Kennedy and now I want to go back and read the first two books in this series. Being a New Englander, I especially loved the setting and the sailing storyline.

I loved how Cassie and Tate interacted with each other. Their banter was excellent and they had great communication. Their chemistry was amazing and the spice was chef’s kiss.

I have to keep this spoiler-free, but I cannot tell you how much I’d like to have a conversation with one of the characters because that woman needs a stern talking to! If you know, you know!

Overall, this was a fast and fun book that screams beach read. I say give this one a try!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Cassie is visiting Avalon Bay for the summer. She grew up here until her parents divorced when she was in middle school when she went to live with her mom, only coming back to visit her father a few times a year and for just a few weeks every summer. This summer she plans to spend the entire summer there and decides she wants to enjoy a summer "fling" while there, something she hasn't done before.

Tate has lived in Avalon Bay since about the time Cassie left, and they run into each other on one of her first nights in town. They both have attraction and Tate is interested, but is also concerned about Cassie's feelings so friend-zone's her. He even offers to be her wingman as she looks for a fling candidate.

The Summer Girl is a perfect summer read. I fell into this story quickly and didn't want to put the book down. I hit a little bit of a hiccup when Tate was first backing off because of his fear of feelings, but stuck with this book and am so happy I did. The Summer Girl is such a complex, multi-layered story with the romance being just one aspect. Each of their families play critical roles in this story, and I felt very invested to see how things were going to wind up. I even found myself tearful at one point, and I rarely cry when reading. I loved how everything comes together in the end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 18, 2023

A fun/sexy summer read with a few icks. So much talk about Cassie’s bra size and virginity and this quest for her to lose it in addition to the unnecessary smoking, and the emotionally abusive mother who constantly wrecked her kids body image was quite off putting. It’s very stereotypical and immature (the characters are in their early 20s and it’s written well that way). If you want something mindless with a bit of steam that takes place near the beach, you found it!

The Summer Girl is by far my favorite in the Avalon Bay series so far! The characters were a blast throughout the book. The backstory to Cassie’s told throughout mixed in with her growth was genius. I loved the friends to lovers between Cassie and Tate every step of their relationship was built on trust and chemistry. There was very serious topics that really made them work well together. This is at the same time a light fun beach read. Elle Kennedy is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the Arc. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc for my honest review.

The Avalon Bay series is the perfect fun beach read and the Summer Girl fits right with the first two. The main couple for this book is a fringe fuckboy "Tate" and a Summer Girl who grew up in Avalon Bay as a child but has since moved away with her Mom, though still has roots in Avalon Bay "Cassie".

Tate and Cassie have a chemistry from the first meet cute, even though they deny it.

Tropes:
Opposites Attract
Small Town Romance
Friends with Benefits to Relationship


Possible Triggers:
Narcissist Parent
Cheating
Blended Family disruption

Elle Kennedy never disappoints. I always feel like I am at home and at peace when I read her work. I loved being back in this town, and being with these characters again. I also loved meeting the new ones!! I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting and can not wait to own the physical copy! Already have a couple of my friends reading it as well :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Summer Girl
By: Elle Kennedy
Book 3 Avalon Bay
Pub Date: 7/17/23
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

This one really surprised me. I’d been dragging my feet on reading it but found that I really enjoyed it.

Cassie Soul is in Avalon Bay for the summer. She grew up there until her parents divorced when she was 10 and she moved to Boston with her mom. Her mom got sole custody unfortunately, she's a huge narcissist, which has cost Cassie a lot of pain over the last decade of living with her.
While in town for the summer Cassie stays at her Grandmother's house, this is the last year for that, because at the end of summer, her grandmother is moving to Boston.
Tate is a sailing instructor at the country club and also works part time at his dad’s boat dealership. But during the summer he housesits at the house next-door to Cassie’s grandma’s when Cassie’s friend stands her up for a summer party, Cassie meets Tate for the first time. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and she thinks Tate is the perfect candidate. But Tate is very hands off. He just wants to be friends but will that stay that way?
This is the 3rd book in the series and there are some big surprises with all the parents involved. Definitely worth the time to read.

This story was the type I would expect of a summer read. It has a nice little romance between two likeable characters. Well written with a character voices that make it sound very realistic. There are twists and turns of course that challenge the relationship but everything works itself out and make it a solid read. I encourage to check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Oh. Okay. Well... This wasn't as problematic as the first book in the series. That being said, this book does has some classic (and problematic) Elle Kennedy quirks, such as the way she writes women and pits them against each other. Aside from that though, my main problem with this book is just that it wasn't interesting. The premise and plot are incredibly overdone, including by Kennedy herself, and nothing was believable. From the drama, to the character quirks, to the moments of attempted humour, everything was so over the top and cliche. I couldn't buy into anything. And listen, my favourite genre is fantasy. I am not asking for things to be realistic. I am simply asking that characters behave in a way I can imagine real people acting. So overall, this was an easy summer read, but not an engaging one.

I have enjoyed this whole series and would love to visit Avalon Bay!

I absolutely adored both Tate and Cassie. I loved their first meeting and how you felt the sparks (and you know they did), but they tried to deny.

Cassie is visiting the bay, once her home, this summer and staying with her grandma. When her parents got divorced, Cassie moved away with her mother, but visits in the summer. Her dad is remarried and has two younger children. She feels his wife doesn't care for her. so stays with her grandmother.

Tate moved to Avalon Bay as a teen, after Cassie moved away. He works at a marina teaching sailing and also helps out at his family's business. He doesn't "do" relationships. But despite being a one night stand type of guy, he is sweet and kind and the ladies love him, even those former one night stands.

There is family drama. There is growth and coming of age. And there is some great friends to lovers romance.

I switched between the ebook and the audio and I will say, the audio was amazing!

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

rating: 5 stars
spice: 1.5
tropes:
- friends to lovers
- golden boy
- small town/summer fling
- virgin FMC
- neighbors

I'm going to say it… and I'm not sorry… but Tate hands down takes the number one spot over the Hartley twins in this series! He is such a cinnamon roll, goofy, caring guy! Plus I ADORED Cassie. She was too funny, especially on her babbling rants around Tate :joy: The two of them together were simply a match made in heaven!

Something about this book just stood out to me more than the first two. I can’t place my finger on it but I think it mainly has to do with the humor and close friendship Tate and Cassie build with one another! Though there were certain difficult and sad themes in this story, it didn’t overpower or take away from the happiness

Overall this was a cute steamy summer read and an excellent addition to the Avalon Bay series! I can’t wait to see where Elle takes us next with this crew!

thank you to St. Martins Press and Elle Kennedy for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Cassie is back in Avalon Bay for the summer from Briar U (!!) to stay with her grandmother as they say goodbye to the family’s Beacon Hotel (sold to some familiar faces!). This summer, she’s looking for passion and a no strings summer fling. Tate seems like the perfect candidate, but decides to keep their relationship platonic. That is until neither of them can take it anymore.

This has been my favorite in the Avalon Bay series! The family DRAMA was so messy I could not look away, but I absolutely loved this journey for Cassie’s character development. The neighbors element of this story felt like T Swift’s You Belong With Me video — but make it spicy 🔥. The Summer Girl is the is a fabulous read for your summer TBR!

You’ll Find —
Friends to Lovers
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Virgin FMC
Summer Fling

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s, and Elle Kennedy for the gifted digital review copy!

I love coming back to Avalon Bay for the summer, almost as much as the author does! Elle Kennedy has created yet another sweet beach read involving Tate and Cassie and their decision to be each other's current summer fling. With Tate as the townie and Cassie as the granddaughter of Avalon Bay 'royalty' so to speak, they find themselves with much more in common than they first thought. Both characters are really nice people despite Tate's rep for being a player and never interested in having a real relationship with Cassie as the ultimate people pleaser, always finding that silver lining to any situation she finds herself in.

These two are very attracted to one another and even though Cassie's adorable rambling and a few verbal missteps on Tate's part threaten any chance of being that fling for one another, being neighbors for the summer definitely helps with moving their chemistry along. I loved that Kennedy allows both characters to be vulnerable yet remain playful as well. Tate and Cassie simply get one another even though their families couldn't be more different if they tried. But then Kennedy very cleverly drops a bit of a bomb towards the end that once again shows just how in sync these two are, shocking them both.

All the supporting crew from the two previous books are here as well, providing good-natured ribbing, new friendships and even a bit of love-life advice when needed. The townies and the 'clones' mix well within the pages of these books, Kennedy showing that money doesn't have to make a difference when it comes to matters of the heart.

The Summer Girl is a charming book that has plenty of wit, plenty of heartfelt moments and just the right amount of steamy goodness. Tate and Cassie made me laugh, sigh and smile. Their summer fling is just the beginning of a forever kind of love and I can't wait to see them again in future books.

4 big stars!

It’s exactly what I hoped for with an Elle Kennedy book! She delivered an enjoyable read with chemistry and banter throughout the story. Loved revisiting other Avalon Bay characters too. Did not want to see this story end.