Good Girl Complex was my first book by Elle Kennedy and after that I was hooked. When I found out The Summer Girl, the third book in the Avalon Bay series, was coming out this summer… I knew I had to read it on my beach vacation.

Cassie Soul grew up in Avalon Bay, but the last several years has been coming only for a week or two during this summer. But this summer is different, she will be here all summer and is ready for some fun. She is convinced she needs to have a summer fling, and the first guy she comes across seems like he will be perfect.

Tate is a sailing instructor at the local country club. He is best friends with the twins (from books 1 + 2) and always down for a good time. But only a good time.. He does not do relationships. When Cassie suggests him being her summer fling, he does not want to mess up the potential friendship and declines. But she will be harder to stay away from than he thinks…

I really enjoyed reading The Summer Girl. It was a quick and fun read with the perfect amount of spice. I thought the plot twist at the end was a little weird… and was surprised they could get past it… but still enjoyed the ending. So far, this is my least favorite book in the series but was still a 3.5 star read!

Will be on my Instagram closer to pub date!

Rounded up from 3.5
Cassie is spending the summer in Avalon Bay for the first time in years. But now that her grandmother is selling the family hotel, she wants to spend time with her family, celebrate her 20th birthday and maybe find a summer fling. Tate is no stranger to flings, and he is her neighbor. And once he meets her, he is down for one more fling. And maybe for more than a fling.
This is a friends to lovers small town romance, book 3 in Avalon Bay series, but it can be read as stand alone. It was not my favorite of the series (the second one holds this place) but I loved the setting, so summery, it makes this one perfect for a beach read. It's told in dual POV (Cassie/Tate), and both characters have a distinct voice. I'm really not a fan of her mother (but she is meant to be unlikable). The Beach Games were so entertaining! I loved Cassie's tendency to babble when she is nervous, but her lack of confidence was a bit annoying. She does redeems herself a bit when she finally tells off her mom (yay Cassie!). This book is a romance, but it's also about family and relationships (difficult ones). The chemistry between both MCs wasn't stellar, but the spice was good (that window scene!!!). All in all, this was an entertaining, quick read.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy was a great last (I think it’s the last Avalon Bay book) edition to Avalon Bay. Tate was fantastic. Cassie has a lot of baggage and the way everything came together at the very end was like.. oh good god. This is really happening, isn’t it? Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think others will enjoy it too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Elle Kennedy for the early arc in exchange for a review.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read “The Summer Girl” in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third book of the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. Full disclosure, I have not yet read the first two books but I feel this book can be read as a standalone without issue. I didn't feel as though I was missing any huge plot points by not having read the first two books.

Synopsis:
Cassandra is visiting Avalon Bay for the summer, stays with her grandmother who was the previous owner of the famous hotel but had sold it to some of the main characters from the previous novels. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and meets Tate, her neighbor for the summer. Tate puts her in the friend zone, becomes her wingman, she continues to look for a fling and well.... obviously things get complicated between the two of them.

This is a great friends to lovers trope, and an excellent beach read for this summer. It is told from dual POV which I enjoyed. While this book has some good spice, it does not distract from the plot line and has a good balance for everyone. I really enjoyed these characters and am looking forward to reading the other books in this series soon.




This was a fun and quick read, no surprises here.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Elle Kennedy for this ARC copy of Summer Girl - in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This is book #3 of the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. While this could be read as a standalone - this is a part of an ongoing series in which the characters are intertwined, and would be best read in publication order - starting with Good Girl Complex.

This time around we return to Avalon Bay to experience Cassie and Tate's love story. After her grandmother sold her family's legacy hotel - The Beacon, Cassie returns to the Bay to have one last nostalgic summer. Determined to make the most of it... she sets her heart on finding a summer fling. Her first night she literally stumbles upon Tate... being "broken up" with by his previous situation ship - Alanna (who we previously met in books 1 and 2). And after their embarrassing encounter these two hilariously find out that they are neighbors for the summer!

Seemingly stuck in an ever looping world, the pair decide to be friends despite their obvious attraction and chemistry. Tate knows she is more than a hook up kind of girl, and he refuses to hurt her. Rather... he gets himself in a situation where he agrees to be her wing man - and help her find her summer fling. But what happens when you watch the girl you are secretly pining after get involved with another man?

Through ups and downs this pair experiences the ride of a lifetime. Growth, meaningful friendship, family and love are all on the table for this Summer Girl - and you will want to tag along for the journey!

Read if you love:
-Small Town Romance
-Opposites Attract
-Friends to Lovers
-Slow Angsty Burn
-Other Men/Women

Trigger Warnings: toxic parental figure, former cheating scandal, miscarriage, and divorce are discussed throughout the book. None of these go super in depth - and aren't in part of our main characters directly, but may cause upset if they are a trigger for a reader.

A cute summer beach read! It was a light book that I read as a standalone. This book is a a bit spicy which I enjoyed. It's a quick read that was enjoyale.

Elle Kennedy always knows how to deliver a great ROMCOM. The Summer Girl is the book you will want to read this summer. Cassie grew up in Avalon…well at least for the first half of her life. Now she is back again just for the summer. Normally she is just back for a few weeks but this is the last summer before her senior year old college. But this time she’s looking for a fling.

Tate is that playboy type of guy…but he isn’t the bad boy playboy. When he is seeing a girl he is only seeing her. He is very honorable and has been taught to treat woman with respect. He isn’t looking for a relationship. When Cassie requests to have a fling with him for the summer. At first he is all for it. But her thinks this girl could catch feelings in the end and he likes the friendship they have established..so instead he becomes her wing man.

I loved the banter and the overall relationship these two had. While I did love the first two books in this series I think this one is definitely my favorite!

This book is my second 5 star review of 2023. Omg it was so cute!!!! Completely adored the two main characters and each of their families. This was an amazingly well written book that you clicked with the characters. It had just enough spice without going over board. This is the first book for me bh this author. I’d high recommend.

4.5 Stars!!!!

I was so ready to jump back into the world and characters of Avalon Bay and this book has easily taken the spot a my favorite in the series! The cameos of the Hartley twins and their leading ladies was just icing on the cake.

Cassie was such a cute, and relatable, FMC. Tate was her perfect counterpart. I loved that while he was a playboy, he was a good guy with a good reputation. Obviously their tension and chemistry leapt off the page...I mean, it's Elle Kennedy we're talking about here! But what I loved even more was seeing their genuine friendship grow throughout the book. And the storylines relating to their respective families added so much emotional depth to the story making this so much more than a fluffy romance read!

We all know that most of these easy, fun romance reads can be predictable. But the conflict that arises in this one was genuinely not what I was expecting and I appreciated the fact that I didn't necessarily see what was coming. I thought I had it figured out but, surprise!, I did not! Love that!

If you loved Good Girl Complex and/or Bad Girl Reputation then The Summer Girl is a guaranteed win for you!

The Summer Girl is a perfect beach read!

Good Girl Complex was my first introduction to Elle Kennedy’s writing. After finishing it, I binge read the Briar U and Off Campus series. I’ve enjoyed the whole Avalon Bay series, but I think the Summer Girl is my favorite of the series!

Thank you @smpromance and @macmilianaudio for my gifted copies!

Cassie is back in Avalon Bay for one last summer before her grandmother sells their family home. She’s determined to have a summer fling before returning to school in the fall. She keeps running into Tate, who is house sitting the house next door. Despite their obvious connection, he tells her they can only be friends. Obviously this won’t last 😘

In true Elle Kennedy fashion, this was steamy, sweet, and had great banter! I loved seeing the rest of the gang from Avalon Bay and how Cassie developed friendships with them. It was a fun read!

I really enjoyed this one! Cassie and Tate were the cutest, and I found this one really easy to get hooked on. It hooked me from the very beginning!

“𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 . . . 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝.“

The Summer Girl is Book 3 in the Avalon Bay Series and follows Cassie and Tate. Cassie was such a sweet and likeable FMC and her and Tate complimented each other well. I don’t often read friends to lovers, but the banter and chemistry between these two had me laughing and smiling while reading! Tate is definitely book boyfriend material. The Summer Girl is definitely one to add to your tbr and is a perfect beach read! 4⭐️

🌊𝒜𝓋𝒶𝒾𝓁𝒶𝒷𝓁ℯ 𝒥𝓊𝓁𝓎 18𝓉𝒽 🌊

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
💋Friends to lovers
💋Summer fling
💋Family drama
💋Dual POV
💋Small town
💋Virgin heroine

“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐲. “𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.”

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞.“

“𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫-𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.”

I was so excited to receive this ARC! I love Elle Kennedy's work and this one was no different! This is the perfect summer read! Mark your calendars for July 18, 2023 to get your copy!

Cassie returns to her hometown for the summer and is looking for a summer fling. No strings attached fun. She spots her perfect fling.. Tate. This heartthrob is only down for fun, no relationships. They come to an agreement of being a summer only fling. Things will end when Cassie returns back to school in August. Will they keep to the terms of their agreement? Read along and find out.

This book is my favorite so far of The Avalon Bay series! It is the story of Cassie Soul, whose family owned a boardwalk hotel on Avalon Bay for 50 years. Since no one else in the family wants to repair all the hurricane damage from years past, her grandmother has sold it. Cassie is back for the first time since her parents divorced when she was 10 years old. She's looking for a summer fling and meets Tate Bartlett on her first night in town. Tate is a well known player who grew up in Avalon Bay. He's always down for a good summertime fling but he knows Cassie is special from the moment he meets her. Many family secrets unfold as they try to keep their relationship platonic. The story was a little slow for me until about half way through. After that, it was so good! The twists kept me going and this book is now my favorite of this series. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to @Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Griffin, SMP Romance for the ARC!

First of all, I adore all of the Avalon Bay books, but I honestly think they keep getting better and better.

This was my favorite so far. Hopefully we get more?!

Cassie was very likable, and relatable, as I’m also not the best at confrontation, but I really loved how her character evolved and matured throughout the story, it didn’t feel rushed at all.

Tate was such a refreshing male lead, as we finally got to read about a guy, that while he enjoys fun and sex, isn’t an asshole at all. Just a normal, nice person. Was lovely.

The book had me smiling ear to ear at times, and tearing up others, I was so invested and I really hope we get more stories from this “world.”

Elle Kennedy delivers a great third installment in the Avalon Bay series. The audiobook is a GREAT option because it features two extraordinary narrators: Caitlin Elizabeth and my all time favorite, Teddy Hamilton. His voice is just so dreamy.

Cassie Soul is back in Avalon Bay for the summer for the first time in years. Her grandmother has recently sold the family's hotel (to Mackenzie in book 2!), and she's planning on selling her house as well and moving to Boston to be closer to family. So this summer is special. It's the end of an era for Cassie--but it's also a beginning. She decides to make the most of her summer in the bay by finding someone to "fling" with. Tate Bartlett is the first guy she meets, and they have instant chemistry. Too bad she ends up friend-zoned. But she's determined to change that. (Spoiler: he doesn't take much convincing. He's just as in to her!)

There's also a bunch of family drama. Her father and his second wife and their twin girls live in the bay, in the house she used to call home before her parents divorced. And her mom is a piece of work. (Trigger warning for emotional/verbal abuse, gaslighting, and narcissistic behaviors).

But all's well that ends well. Tate and Cassie get their happy ending, even though it's rough-going there for awhile. Honestly, I liked this one just as much or more than book 2, which I absolutely loved.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley as well as Macmillan Audio for my advance review copy and listening copy.

Loved this lighthearted love story that has a bit of spice!
Cassie comes to Avalon Bay for the summer and decides she wants a summer fling. She chooses Tate, who is the best looking guy around and begins their "fling". Time leads to feelings and .... ! No spoilers. I found the characters to be likeable and truly enjoyed this book. There was an unexpected twist, too! Great beach read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and St Martens press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This is golden retriever hero vibes done RIGHT. Tate is super sweet but not cheesy. I don’t know how she does it but Elle Kennedy is amazing at accurately writing the new adult/college age set. This felt very realistic but not too immature. So I have to say I’ve read Bad Girl Reputation from this series and was disappointed but the Summer Girl has won my heart back.

My issue with the half star is the extra characters. There are a lot of people and names thrown in when they didn’t add much to the story. Not even the previous couples because yes sometimes that call back can be cute but most of their scenes were just dialogue. It made a little bit of the beginning slow to get into (especially after such a great set up). Also, some of the time jumps bothered me. A certain night I was expecting to see the morning after of that would’ve helped develop the relationship for the reader.

But- the end had me teary eyed. I loved Cassie’s growth through not only her actions but her realizations. It felt really relatable. The small town summer setting was fun and not overstated. I genuinely enjoyed some of the extra summer activities. This is a perfect summer themed read! Thank you to st martins press via NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Pretty average summer romance book.

I thought Tate and Cassie were both cute characters and I enjoyed their banter with each other. I liked how their was a friendship between them before it really developed to more (although there were some awkward moments before that happened that I could've done without for story development). I haven't read any of the other books, but I enjoyed the side characters and all their friends.

I thought it was a little weird that the premise of the book was that Tate regrets friend zoning Cassie and basically has to deal with that considering they get together at about halfway through the book, so it was a very miniscule part. I probably would have appreciated a little more angst and build up since there really wasn't any.

It was interesting seeing Cassie and Tate deal with the various family dynamics throughout the book as well. I just felt like everything was kind of rushed with all of it at the end. There were conversations and scenes that I would have appreciated reading about instead of just having it summarized later.

Overall, not too bad. I finished it pretty quickly and it was a nice quick fluff piece.

Love Elle Kennedy and I thought this book was super cute. I loved the first in the series, and I thought that this one was great too.