I read this as a standalone, having not read any other book in the 'series' and I find it definitely stands up on its own despite the ever expanding cast of characters who come and go throughout this story and whom I'm fairly sure have their own more in-depth stories earlier in the series.

Cassie is visiting her grandmother for the summer and the book opens with her observing a break-up. Try as she might she can't escape undetected and meets the freshly single Tate. Despite her desire to have a summer fling and his want to move on, more than a few obstacles get in their way to them finding one another. Lots of steamy scenes for this young couple paired with sailing adventures, shopping for turtles, family drama and good old summer vacation vibes. This will make a perfect beach read!

I am enjoying this series by Elle Kennedy. I think the first book in the series was my absolute least favorite, but they have gotten progressively better as the series goes on. This is a fun summer read.

I loved the first two books in this series and this follow up was the best thing I have read in a long time. Elle Kennedy is an autobuy author for me every time. This book was incredible.

Every time I come to Avalon Bay, I love it. Elle Kennedy always delivers a world that you can escape to, whether it be with hockey hotties on the outskirts of Boston or beach boys that make you blush.

I was SO excited to know that this was Tate’s story after admiring him from afar in Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation. He had me swooning at every page turn. I also related a lot to Cassie and reading the heartbreaking way that these two were connected and didn’t even know it was a whirlwind.

This book is perfect if you’re looking for summer romance, Outer Banks vibes, and some Soul searching (see what I did there? ;)) I can’t wait to read her next one!

The Avalon Bay series just keeps getting better and better! This is my favorite yet — Tate and Cassie made me giggle aloud several times over the course of this book. Elle Kennedy has such a way with witty dialogue, and it shone here.

I love a beach read, and this 100% delivered. An A++++ summer romance.

I loved going back to Avalon Bay!

However, Cassie is my least favorite. I was glad to see Tate get a book, but this one was just okay compared to the first two. It felt a bit more juvenile than the others. I felt like there was way too much emphasis on Cassie’s breast size and it was mentioned one too many times. We get it. She’s skinny with DDs.

I did like the character growth they experienced. Overall, I liked it to be able to continue on with the other characters and see how their stories were progressing.

This book was OK. I'm finding it more and more difficult to enjoy these books because they all feel like I'm reading the same book but with some minor plot variations. The characters don't feel all that original and the storyline feels a bit tired and overdone.

I wanted to give Elle Kennedy's writing another shot, but unfortunately, I was left disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I read this before reading the others in the series but it definitely made me want to go back and read the previous two. I enjoyed Cassie and found her really endearing—especially her babbling when nervous. So relatable haha. Solid amount of spice but it didn’t take over the plot. Perfect summer read?

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It turned out to be my favorite from the Avalon Bay series! Cassie is a new and lovable character that joins AB group. She is a great addition and definitely comes into her own during this story. Tate was not who I would have originally expected to be the love interest, but by the end had me falling head over heels. These two definitely brought the spice🌶, and this book would be a great summer read.

•𝙽𝙴𝚃𝙶𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚈 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆•

“’𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙’ 𝐼 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼’𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑𝑠.“

Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martins Press & Elle Kennedy for this eARC!!

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️|🌶️

𝑃𝑢𝑏 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

•book three in avalon bay series•
𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟

📖 𝚂𝚈𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚂𝙸𝚂:

Cassie hasn’t been to Avalon Bay since her parents divorce. She’s back for the entire summer helping her grandmother finish the sale of the family hotel. Soon, she meets Tate, Avalon Bay’s lovable and respectful player, and they quickly form a flirtatious friendship. Tate thinks Cassie deserves more than a fling, all he knows, and puts her firmly in the friend zone to protect her feelings. As time passes, Tate soon starts to regret his decision - can these two go from friends to lovers AND survive the secrets that comes to light?

𝚁𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙴𝙽𝙳 𝙸𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴:

✨Friends to Lovers
✨Small Town Romance
✨Family Drama
✨Witty Banter

💭 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂:

What a great book! The Summer Girl is the third book in the series, but the first that I’ve read. You don’t have to read the books in order, but the first two books would have been helpful with certain references that were made. The beachy vibes, good times, and the heat keeps you wanting more!

Cassie and Tate 🥹 I love when characters go from friends to lovers and share witty banter. And Elle Kennedy - ＱＵＥＥＮ of witty banter!

The spicy times are pretty hot! 🔥 My favorite intimate moments were when Tate and Cassie just talked with each other, though. Cassie struggles with voicing her feelings and needs, so I loved, loved, LOVED these moments!

The family drama that ensues 😳 I did love that the book is revolved around family - whether those family relationships were good or bad - but that plot twist though — like woah.

🤟🏼

Cassie is looking for a summer fling. Her first night in Avalon Bay she meets the hottest guys she’s ever seen. Turns out he’s also he next door neighbor. Things get spicy as Cassie embarks on the summer of a lifetime in beach town Avalon Bay. Full of that summer nostalgia, competition, passion and an unexpected twist.

I love love loved this read! Would be perfect a perfect vacation read 💖

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC. I give here my free opinion.
And I really liked it !

Cassie comes for her last summer at Avalon Bay. Indeed, her grand mother has decided to sell her famous hotel, the Beacon, and to move to Boston. Cassie, who has grown up in Avalon Bay, has left the city when her parents divorced, when she was ten. Since then, she has lived with her toxic and narcissist mother in Boston, seeing too rarely her dad and new family who remained in Avalon Bay.
She meets a cute Surfer-boy, Tate, at a party. She's just looking for a summer fling, and even if he's interested at the beginning, he prefers to remain friends, not to play with her feelings. But the attraction is too strong. And while their friendship is growing, their fondness is too. And perharps, they could become friends with benefits ? Only for summer ? Until the opening of the hotel, and a crushing revelation...

Once in a while, a little summer romance is my jam. And we have here a sweet friends to lovers that I enjoyed reading. And I haven't read the others Avalon Bay books, and this one can perfectly be read as a standalone. Once again, my heart has been torn form the characters, and I even drop a tear at the end !

This was an enjoyable but formulaic story for the first 75%. The last quarter added depth and transformed the book into an above average character study. I loved that things weren’t neat and tidy for everyone, because life isn’t neat and tidy. Don’t worry, though, there’s definitely a HEA!

The tension and banter between the MCs was on point, and while the spice wasn’t frequent, it was very hot. Tate was a total cinnamon roll, and I fell for him hard. If you’re looking for a comforting romance with strong characterization and a hefty dash of steam, Kennedy never disappoints.

My favorite of the series so far! I'm glad we finally got Tate's story. The ending felt a bit chaotic but overall I really love Kennedy's writing.

This book is a great beach read. A fun and entertaining friends to lovers with a lot of spice! I enjoyed the storyline, the characters, the chemistry, and the family dynamics. The Summer Girl is book three in the series and I believe can be read as a stand alone as I have not read the first two books and did not feel I was missing any of the storyline. I enjoyed this one a lot and plan to read the first two books in the series as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a quick and easy read that I enjoyed. Definitely would recommend especially for a binge reading.

I have read the previous books in the series. With that being said… wow this series needs to end. This was rather immature, childish, and mainly very cringe. It was hard to get through as it, but the added body shaming subplot pretty much ended it there.

Review:
I loved Tate and even Cassie at times, but mostly this book was boring. It hashed the same details and emotional states over and over and over again without presenting anything new, and all the action of the story happened in the last two chapters. I liked the previous Avalon Bay stories I read, but this one seemed even more insular than the previous two and it wasn't as compelling. It was a book about avoiding dealing with the hard things, and boy did it by avoiding most of the interesting plotting and pacing I know Kennedy is capable of bringing.

Synopsis:
College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday…and maybe find herself a summer fling.
On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy.
Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone…only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time.
And maybe even something more.
As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light.

Elle Kennedy is just one of those authors that will forever have a chokehold on me with all her books. The Summer Girl was really no exception. Every time I read one of the Avalon Bay books, I'm never surprised at how sweet they are compared to other Elle books.

This book was adorable and sweet, the characters were a lot more relatable and funny than in previous AB series books. This is a great summer vibes book to get you feeling ready for the warm weather, the beaches, and all the fun things that come with summer break vibes.

Tate was easily the best guy in the Avalon Bay series (in my opinion) and the spice between the two characters was well written and filled with chemistry.

It was a quick easy read & one I'd definitely pick up again to read while lounging out in the sun!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a FREAKING book!! I know anything Elle Kennedy writes will be amazing but The Summer Girl went above and beyond. The entire storyline was completely believable, the descriptions and details made me feel like I was Cassie and Tate. I wish I was them and their friends all at the same time.

The series obviously has been wonderful but this was the best one yet. Thank you for writing this for us!!!

Cassie and her grandmother come to spend one last summer before their family hotel reopens under new ownership. Cassie plans to spend the summer relaxing, but her biggest goal: find a summer fling to lose her virginity to so she can return to college ready to have fun.

Right away, Cassie meets Tate.. but under pretty awkward circumstances. That doesn't stop her from finding him attractive and thinking he is the PERFECT person for her summer fling. But her turns her down! The rest of the story plays out in a fun, flirty and sexy form - making you wish you were either Cassie or Tate; young and having a summer fling one last time.

SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!!