Elle Kennedy does it again! i love her books and the continuation of this series was so good. i could use a little more spice, but that’s just me

Cassie grew up in Avalon Bay but hasn’t spent more than a week there since her parents got divorced. She returns for summer to help her grandma sell her business and house. Cassie develops friendships and relationships during this summer. There is some drama when her mother comes to help but ultimately brings Cassie closer to her father, stepmother, sisters, and even her boyfriend as well as his family.
I really enjoyed this summer beach read. It was a good friends to romance story packed full of some interesting family drama. I really enjoyed it and it was a very quick read for me.

4.5 ⭐️The best book so far in the Avalon Bay series and can 100% be read as a standalone (as I forgot about most of the characters in the previous two books).

When Cassie Soul ends up in Avalon Bay for the summer to spend time with her family, she meets Tate Bartlett, a local who is known for being a bit of a player. It isn’t long before a friendship forms, and the attraction makes Cassie determined to have a summer fling without any strings attached. However, as the two spend more time together, they discover that their feelings are way stronger than they ever intended them to be.

While this book was lighthearted and full of humor, there was also a lot of emotional topics integrated throughout the story, which I think makes this unique for an Elle Kennedy read. One of the biggest, was a broken mother/daughter relationship that at times was difficult to read about. However, Cassie’s new support system along with her resilience and positivity, made it easy to cheer her on. I also loved how her two younger half sisters were integrated into the story and all the smiles they brought! With regards to the romance, Tate was a great hero, and I loved the chapters from his POV! The audiobook narration was excellent.

Read if you like:
-Friends to lovers
-Vacation flings
-College age
-Complex family relationships
-Small town beachside setting

Thank you SMP Romance for the ARC and ALC! Pub Date 7/18

This one was so much fun! It had the perfect summer beach vibes. I absolutely loved Cassie and Tate's relationship with each other. Their friendship made the romantic relationship even cuter once it happened. I wasn't a fan of the beginning back and forth between the two, but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. I also loved getting to see more of the characters from the previous books.

Thank you to the publisher for this e-arc!
I love Elle Kennedy and this book just screamed summer vibes! It was so good and held my attention well.

Cassie is back in Avalon Bay for her college summer break, something she hasn't really done since her parents divorced and her mom moved her to Boston. Her Grandmother just sold the family hotel and Cassie wants to enjoy the summer at the Bay with her family. She's also in the market for a passionate summer fling. She happens to run into one of the hottest guys she's ever seen on her first night back and can't believe her luck!

Tate is a sailing instructor known for never committing to a relationship. He has spent his whole life in Avalon Bay and is usually always down for a fling. As soon as he starts getting to know Cassie though, he realizes that the last thing he wants is to hurt this beautiful, cool, smart redhead who makes him laugh. He immediately friend-zones her but the more time they spend together as friends the more he thinks he has made a huge mistake.

I really enjoyed Cassie and Tate's love story! It was a little bit slow at first but I started getting more and more invested. I love how Tate pushed Cassie to stick up for herself and always be honest with her feelings. Cassie and Tate also have to deal with some family drama along the way which kept the story more engaging. This is a great summer romance, especially if you have enjoyed Kennedy's other books!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Another enjoyable NA romance from Elle Kennedy!

I have, for the most part, liked Elle Kennedy’s books. However, after loving Good Girl Complex and being disappointed in Bad Girl Reputation, I didn’t have high hopes for The Summer Girl. However, I ended up really liking it! It started out super slow for me, and I got a little tired of the constant talk of physical attraction/relationship. Once I got about 30% in, I actually really liked the progression from attraction to friends to lovers, plus the usual drama from the Avalon Bay crew.

Overall, if you like Kennedy’s other books, I think you’ll like this one! Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and Kennedy for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer Girl is my favorite in the Avalon Bay series. I love how Elle Kennedy intertwined the history of the town with the characters in this book. This is exactly what I want when I think about a summer romance. Tate and Cassie are summer fling goals. I love the banter between these two, it made for a fun and enjoyable read. Tate is the confident playboy while Cassie is the sweet awkward summer girl.

Absolutely would recommend!

I was excited to read this because I really enjoyed Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series, but I just don't think this one was for me. I found the dialogue strange- some of the slang that they used felt inauthentic to people in their early twenties (felt like an older person trying to sound young), and then they would also randomly use big, unusual words that felt too old for them. I also found it uncomfortable how often the size of Cassie's boobs were discussed and the words that were used to describe them. A lot of the descriptions in this book felt repetitive, too. How often can one person use the word wryly??

I did like the focus that was put on Cassie's relationship with her parents, and it was nice to see how Cassie and Tate made each other into better people. Plus, I will say that I didn't see the twist at the end coming! Overall, this is a classic beach read, but not the kind that I like.

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 (5★ on GR)

𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶️🌶️ 2.5/5
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Cassie spends the summer in Avalon Bay with her grandma to help prepare her for her move to Boston. While there, she decides she wants a no strings attached, summer fling. After befriending Tate, one of the locals (also her grandma’s temporary next door neighborhood), he immediately puts her in the friend zone. Tate quickly realizes he can’t actually keep his feelings for her to himself and decides to give her summer fling idea a chance.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
» Girl Next Door
» Summer Fling
» Friends to Lovers
» Rich Girl x Local Nice Guy

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 💭
Welcome back to another · h o t · g i r l · summer at Avalon Bay! Honestly, I think this one may be my favorite of the three. If not favorite, it definitely came close to Good Girl Complex. Summer time, girl next door, and friends to lovers vibes. I’m here for it!

Tate [mmc] was very very like-able. We love a nice local guy who sails boats and climbs up the side of our house to come in through our window…. Just another Elle Kennedy book boyfriend to add to the list. Also, Cassie [fmc] is a fellow red head. So obviously I was easily convinced I’d love her 👩🏼‍🦰

Thank you @ellekennedy33 , @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Make sure to add this one to your preorder list! Publication date is July 18th, 2023.

I was hesitant to start this book as I liked Kennedy’s Briar U and Off-Campus series but I didn’t make it past the first few pages of the first book in the series. However, I need not worry as this was fun to read! Kennedy does a great job at making comedic and light reads with just the right amount of serious matters to make it have depth. Cassie and Tate exuded chemistry and I loved their open communication. It was a friends to lovers story well done.

Oh man, I loved this story so much! Cassie and Tate were hot.

I loved all the sailing and boat references with Tate. And so happy he was able to do that trip. Honestly, dream goals, right there.

I loved Cassie's character. She is so relatable. Especially her not want to stir any pots and avoiding conflict. I loved that Tate helped her and gave her the confidence for her to speak out about herself and her needs. He didn't let her fade into the background.

Summer flings are hard to navigate. And I loved seeing their fling unfold.

The Beach Games were so much fun. Zale was an instant favorite (I hope we see more of him in the future). Loved catching up with Coop and Mac, Evan and Gen and the opening of The Beacon! I could picture the hotel beautifully in my mind.

That twist, never saw coming. I was in shocked.

Summer Girl is the third contemporary romance in the Avalon Bay series. Cassie Soul is visiting Avalon Bay over the summer to spend time with her grandmother. While she is in town, Cassie is hoping to spend time with her family and find some cute guy to have a summer fling with. Enter Tate Bartlett, a fun loving guy who also has a degree in flings. Will Tate give Cassie the fling she’s been hoping for or something more?

This is the second book I’ve read in this series and I surprisingly wasn’t a fan of the first book I read, but this one was completely different. I connected with these characters from the very beginning and I was so invested in what was going to happen between them. I loved this book and it was the perfect summer read! Cassie and Tate were perfect together and I loved their banter and friendship, as well as the romance. This book was more like what I expect when I pick up an Elle Kennedy book, I connected with the characters and couldn’t wait to see what played out for them. The family secrets and relationships in this book also added a lot to the story. I am team Cassie and Tate all the way! If you are looking for a fun summer read with strong vibes and just the right amount of steamy romance, give this a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC version of this book!

This is the 3rd book in the Avalon Bay series. I did not read the first two books, might have missed the connections with the other characters a bit but honestly didn't feel like I had to read them in order!

Cassie Soul is headed back to Avalon Bay for the summer and is staying with her grandmother. Her parents divorced years ago and she feels like her dad replaced her with a new family and she can't stand her judgmental mom. Cassie decides this is the summer she wants to have a fling, before heading back to college. On her first night in town Cassie meets Tate Bartlett and they decide to be friends instead of a fling. But can they just be friends?

This book has a lot of spice, family drama, and quite a surprise ending. This is THE PERFECT summer read!

At first I had a bit of a hard time getting into this. It seemed like every other romance. But the more I got into it, the more I started to like it. I enjoyed Tate. I was waiting for the typical bad communication breakup about 3/4 through but there was a twist I did not expect which made me enjoy it that much more. I would recommend this to romance lovers.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect summer read! I look forward to visiting Avalon Bay every summer, it is a vacation within a book. Elle Kennedy has a wonderful way of writing these books as an escape into the world of the people of Avalon Bay. I was excited to see we were going to get to know Tate better in this book and I was not disappointed. He surprised me by having so much depth and that he was such a gentleman. Cassie is the perfect summer fling for him.

Cassie was very easy to relate to and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. She has an adorable awkwardness that makes her feel so real and made her someone I would love to be friends with. Her frustration with her parents was very well written and was a strong emotional journey that fit with this character perfectly.

Cassie and Tate's relationship in this book feels very natural and not forced. I could feel there feelings for each other grow and their desire for each other was amazing. They have the perfect friends to lovers relationship.

This is the third installment of the Avalon Bay series and my favorite of the three. It had the perfect amount of spice, the characters were easy to like and was a fun book to read. It could definitely be read as a stand alone book but I highly recommend reading the first two books before you read this one so you know more about the other fabulous side characters in this book. I am hoping there are more books in the Avalon Bay series!

I am grateful to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an digital ARC of this fabulous book in exchange for a honest review.

Cassie returns to the family beach house in time to celebrate her 21st birthday. She is hoping to find a summer fling and runs into Tate. He puts her in the friend zone immediately, but regrets it. Most of the book they’re toeing the line of being friends or having a romantic relationship. As they deal with their feelings about each other, more secrets come to light about their quaint beach town.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and it will not be my last! This is the perfect summer read… the setting at Avalon Bay sounds like the perfect beach town. The story has a great plot line, but I did want more from the characters! Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

I’ve read most of Elle Kennedy’s books at this point, I’d consider myself a fan. That said the Avalon Bay series is probably my least favorite of her stuff. Just in general, I’ve found the characters not quite as likable and the plot lines a little less pressing.

I’m thrilled to get the chance to continue this series with an advanced copy and even more thrilled to say: I easily enjoyed this book more than the previous 2 in the series. The premise was definitely different from the others, a little less dark (until the twist towards the end…) and a fun, spicy, friends to lovers trope done well! I honestly also just felt like the main characters were a little easier to feel sympathetic towards, which helped!

Elle Kennedy always delivers a fun and enjoyable reading experience! This one fell a little flat for me when compared to the others in the series (and just other EK books in general), but it was still a fun read, and a great kickoff to my summer reading. Pick this book up if you want to be transported to the beach, or just want to re-live those golden days of summer from your late teens and early twenties.


Thank you to St, Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

Elle Kennedy’s works were my original foray into romance, and I’ve loved reading her Avalon Bay series. I was so excited for The Summer Girl - I love Elle’s banter, the relationships she’s able to build, and the friend groups. This definitely delivered!

I loved the way Cassie & Tate met, and the tentative friendship they developed. Cassie trying to break out of her shell by having a fling - and propositioning Tate - was sweet, funny, and you could feel the awkwardness of his rejection. Their playfulness in the aftermath, though, was so lovely to read. I SO enjoyed Cassie’s blabbing-when-nervous thing - I felt that in my soul! And Tate’s cocky assuredness that quickly melted away as he fell for Cassie (without realizing he was falling for her).

How they ended up being friends and developing into more was beautiful to read. I loved that Tate wasn’t a player - he was genuinely a nice guy, who communicated and shared his feelings. Cassie wasn’t a wallflower, either, and stood up for herself when the situation called for it. Plus, the accidental-next-door-neighbours trope is always really good for some forced proximity & steamy times.

This was the perfect summer beach read, and it was so fun to revisit Avalon Bay!