Cassie is ready for a summer of fun. She’s on the hunt for a fling, but instead she meets Tate: dreamy, gorgeous Tate who she quickly shares a kiss with. But Tate is quick to tell Cassie he can’t be what she needs, until wing-manning for her turns into jealousy and he realizes he was wrong.

Cassie and Tate are cute if not a bit cringe. I wish they were a little older, as the story felt really young at times (aside from the spicy moments). Regardless, the story was a cute summer beach read. I haven’t read the other books in the series but it didn’t cause any confusion and I liked seeing glimpses of those characters in this story.

By far, this is my favourite book out of the Avalon Bay series. I really enjoyed Cassie and Tate's relationship and it had all of the tropes I really look for and enjoy in my romance novels. Friends to lovers, forced proximity (they were neighbours!) and banter. The family drama was unexpected but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I devoured this book, I didn't realize this is book 3 in Elle Kennedy's Avalon Bay Series but I am excited to dive into the previous two books and get to know the characters of Avalon Bay even better.

This is the perfect beach read, it is fun, flirty and just the right amount of spicy. It delves into a lot of complex family issues e.g. a narcissistic parent, infidelity and divorce which may be triggering for some readers. I really loved the main characters, Cassie and Tate. I found them both to be very genuine and vulnerable. Cassie has been through a lot in her life as a result of her parent's divorce and her mother's narcissistic tendencies. She has worked hard to build up walls to protect herself from the neglect and insensitive comments, however, Tate helps her find her strength to finally stand up for herself and know her worth.

Being the third book in a series there were a lot of relationships which I assume were established in the previous book but The Summer Girl can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. I absolutely loved the relationship between Cassie and her grandmother, Cassie's relationship with her sisters was equally adorable.

This was a very enjoyable read and I can't wait to read more from this author. I loved that she didn't shy away from complex issues but handled them with such care.

When it comes to beach reads, I’m the kind of person who wants something that will charm me. I essentially want a fizzy Taylor Swift song in book form: meet-cutes and banter and sparks and swoons – but also some spice and drama for good measure.

And I am extremely pleased to say that The Summer Girl fits the bill exactly.

The story follows Cassie, a rising college senior who is spending the summer with her grandmother and looking for a fling, and Tate, the local golden boy and town playboy who somehow never breaks a single heart. I related hard to Cassie’s social awkwardness and rambling ways, and absolutely adored Tate – he may be a blond, but you’ll love him anyway.

While this book is largely a swoony, sexy, summer neighbors (!!)-to-lovers story, there is a dose of family drama, as Cassie’s mom is a textbook narcissist, and Elle Kennedy highlights the mental and emotional labor that dealing with a narcissist takes on everyone around them – but especially their family.

Though The Summer Girl is the third book in Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series, it definitely can be read as a standalone – and honesty, I think it’s my favorite of the series.

It’s cute, it’s fun, it has banter and sparks and spice. All in all, it’s what I’d call a perfect beach read.

4.75🌟
2.5🌶️

If you enjoyed The Score from her Off-Campus Series, you'll also probably resonate with this one, at least for me Tate and Dean were cut from the same cloth. The banter between our two character's is witty and funny with a small dash of dry humor and the attraction and heat between them is so captivating I could not put this book down. She really is starting to hit us with the "I did NOT see that coming" and I honestly love being totally surprised. I really felt Cassie's relationship with her dad was so on par with my experiences, we really unlocked some emotions within myself, and just once again proving how well thought out and written these characters are. I also really enjoyed that we got little glimpses into Cooper and Mac, and Evan and Gen as little nuggets that really felt like you were totally immersed back with the group. As a whole, I always love Kennedy's writing, she makes it so easy and enjoyable which is why I'm such a huge fan of hers. She get's me every time with how easily relatable situations and reactions are, the characters growth and feelings, and the genuine laughing out loud banter between the two reminding me of my own relationship often times, so it's pretty obvious, The Summer Girl was easily and happily another Elle Kennedy book that I really adored.

THE SUMMER GIRL - ELLE KENNEDY
4⭐
PLOT - Cassie Soul comes to Avalon Bay to spend an entire summer with her grandmother and ring in her 21st birthday with her estranged father and his family. She wants to enjoy her summer by finding a summer fling she meets Tate who is a known player but in meeting Cassie he refuses to be her fling as she is not those sorts and puts her in friend zone but theri mutual attractions makes it impossible to ignore. To add to this is their respective family drama for when secrets unfold their relationship may not survive.
MY THOUGHTS
I hv read both the previous books in the series but this can be read as a standalone and i enjoyed it the most.
I loved the whole small town business owners competition with various beach activities. Tate and Cassies friendship turned attraction and there is quite a bit of steam too. I enjoyed Cassies character development was really good and her final interaction with her mother who kept demeaning her. The last bit of family drama was a bit too much for me but overall it was an enjoyable beach read this summer.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Avalon Bay series and, therefore, the third Elle Kennedy book I've read. I have really enjoyed this series - very light, very steamy, simple and predictable story lines, fun characters. I think this one might have been the most predictable, although there was a twist at the end I didn't see coming. I honestly think the book could have done without it? But no question this one kept me reading. If you're looking for a fun beach romance, consider this one!

One of the many things I liked about Tate and Cassie's relationship is they challenge each other to be their true selves rather than being the versions of themselves other people want them to be. I also really enjoyed they each gave the other a nickname they couldn't stand.

Friends to Lovers
Her First Time
Neighbors
Spice/Love Lessons
Summer Fling

Elle’s Avalon Bay series is the perfect summer romcom you’ll want to take along and read on vacay.

Out of the three books in this series, I must say this is my least favorite—but enjoyable nonetheless!!

3.5/5 ⭐️

I just finished an arc of The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy! Thanks so much @netgalley for the arc

Rating: 2.5⭐️ (rounded down)

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and I was so excited because I’ve heard so many good things. But honestly, this book was a huge disappointment.

I didn’t really like the fmc Cassie, she was a little frustrating. And the mmc, Tate, was honestly just a huge player. I understand in the beginning not wanting to get involved because they don’t want to catch feelings, but having a m**terbation scene in the window with each other? What?

The way they talked about sex and arousal in this book also grossed me out. “The filthy picture he paints makes my nipples tingle” like what? I honestly could not stand any of it.

Also, I understand being self conscious about having big boobs, but it was mentioned EVERY OTHER SENTENCE how she had a skinny body and DD’s. Like it felt like her whole personality.

Honestly, this book was just a disappointment and I probably won’t be reading any more Elle Kennedy soon.

I had such high hopes for this book with the immense Elle Kennedy hype I've seen all over the internet and after reading the Deal and loving it. However, I was left disappointed. The writing was fine, but the characters all gave me the ick and I had such a hard time rooting for anyone. Definitely didn't live up to my expectations.

This book was AMAZING. I loved it so so SO much, and if it wasn’t for life getting in the way, I would’ve read it in one sitting. It was a 10/5 star romcom for me. This book was so good that I changed my review of the first book in the series from five stars to four because this is what a real five star read is.

The Summer Girl is a dual pov romcom that revolves around Cassie and Tate. Cassie is a new character introduced in this series, and I loved that. I really liked getting a new character, and I loved that she was the granddaughter of the owner of The Beacon Hotel. She was honestly my favorite female mc out of all three books, and Tate was by far my favorite male mc. Tate was the breath of fresh air we all needed after the moody drama of the Hartley twins. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of reading about the twins, but Tate was just so much better. He was light-hearted and funny and honest with himself about his feelings and never majorly messed anything up. It was great. They gave me Garret and Hannah vibes, and those two are some of my favorite characters ever.

Elle Kennedy absolutely killed it with this one. She always has good books, but not all of them have that extra spark. The whole Off-Campus series was great, but only The Deal had something magical. Do you know what I mean? The whole Avalon Bay series was great, but the Summer Girl had that spark. Hands down my favorite of the series, and a must read!

Cassie is looking for a fun, summer fling. Enter Tate who is the king of flings but after being warned off of Cassie he agrees to help her find another candidate for her fling. But the two cannot deny the chemistry between each other. They agree to be friends with benefits but their feelings just continue to grow.

This was such a fun beach read! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the egally in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for a chance to review this book early. I was approved for both physical and audio ARCs. I listened to the audio. Love Teddy Hamilton! I've immensely enjoyed this series and was happy to be back in Avalon Bay for Cassie and Tates story!

So poorly written that I had to force myself to finish it. Do yourself a favor and save your money as it is not worth the cost.

“The need to belong is deeply ingrained in us. I think it’s because there’s no worse feeling in the world than being on the outside looking in.”
- Elle Kennedy, The Summer Girl (Avalon Bay, Book 3)

ARC review 📝 Am I the only one terrified of love triangles?! Just me?! Oh well. I am. I knew this would be Tate’s book and I skipped the blurb because I was terrified of seeing Wyatt’s and Alana’s names there. But I forgot that Elle Kennedy is a queen and would never do us dirty like that 👏🏼🤌🏼

And that’s how we get to meet Cassie. Now, Cassie is my favorite. Cassie is a Gen + Mac blend with her own shine. Cassie is also the best character-person I’ve ever met. And I mean it because that betrayal at the end by the one person I wasn’t expecting… I would’ve flipped. And she… understood. I’m telling you, best character-person ever.

And Tate knows it too. From the first time these two strangers meet under quite uncomfortable circumstances, you could feel the chemistry there. But more than any attraction, a chemistry of easy friendship. An easy friendship with tons of pull sure, but friendship nevertheless.

I really thought Bad Girl Reputation would be my series favorite. Boy was I wrong. This, this was the one. Although I’m still livid over that betrayal. Okay, others may not see it as a betrayal. But I trusted this betrayer. I thought, “we’re cool! You’re nice” 👀 and then… not cool. Not cool at all. Like I’m still not okay with the whole thing and I finished the book hours ago.

But back to the review. This book is amazing. Elle Kennedy is amazing. Tate and Cassie are amazing. LL Cool J aka Pierre is amazing. You get what I’m trying to say: go preorder like I did 😎

What’s inside:
🖤contemporary romance
🖤neighbor romance
🖤friends to friends with benefits to lovers
🖤close proximity
🖤small beach town romance
🖤dual POV

NA. 5 stars ⭐️

Thank you so much @netgalley @stmartinspress @ellekennedy33 for this eARC. This beauty will be out in the world on July 18th. 🫶🏼

Be prepared, you're going to fall in love with Cassie and Tate! This is hands down my favorite if the series. Favorite characters make appearances, there's a ton of humor, and just the right amount of angst. Not to mention the sweet and sexy romance that has you so invested. I love these escapes to Avalon Bay.

I’m not new the the Elle Kennedy game and this is my third time visiting Avalon Bay. Oh my, the men just keep getting better. Cassie & Tate are a top notch couple. Tate might be my fave Avalon bay man so far. I read this book in a day, somehow Kennedy’s books are filled with something that just captivates me and I end up flying through it. I was truly captivated and this one actually brought tears to my eyes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Quick Hitters:
💋Virgin FMC
👀F-Boy MMC
🫶🏼Friends-to-lovers

Quick Summary:
Cassie hasn't spent time in Avalon Bay since her parents separated, but with her grandmother selling her boardwalk hotel, she decides to spend the summer there. Cassie went looking for a summer fling, and finds the perfect candidate, Tate Bartlett. But when Tate meets Cassie, he feels differently about her than he has other girls and friend-zones her. But he soon realizes that was a mistake because he wants Cassie...

Thoughts/Feelings:
This is the third book in Elle Kennedy's Avalon Bay series. They are standalones but interconnected setting and people. Honestly, this was my favorite book of the three in the series! I really, really loved the characters. I loved their growth as well as their relationship and how it was shown on the page.

Thank you @netgalley and @ellekennedy33 for the #advancedreaderscopy of The Summer Girl! All opinions are my own!

This is a NA romance that follows Cassie spending the summer in Avalon Bay and searching for a “fling”. She meets townie Tate and they play will-they won’t-they and then (of course) they will but Cassie has to go back to Boston for her senior year of college in the fall so they ABSOLUTELY CANNOT FALL IN LOVE………

There were some hard-hitting topics in this one. It wasn’t all fluff. The biggest is Cassie’s toxic relationship with her narcissistic mother. There’s a cheating plot, an abortion, a miscarriage, a lot of fat shaming. Most of these revolve around Cassie’s mom but they’re definitely integral to the central plot.

I prefer romances where the characters are in their late 20s at the youngest but readers who like Elle Kennedy and her college and new adult characters will really enjoy this one.