Elle Kennedy's books have been hit or miss for me. The misogyny present in some of her books, including this one, makes it hard for me to be able to recommend them.

This book follows Cassie and Tate who are spending the summer as neighbors and develop a friendship that becomes something more. I like the summer vibes, but not much else.

The virginity trope rears it's ugly head again in this book, and perhaps it's more of a personal gripe, but I really hate hate that trope. Especially the way that it is handled here.

Overall, I really wanted to love this book because there are few things I love more than a summer romance, but this just fell flat for me.

I really enjoyed this one. The story was a bit different than what I thought was going to be presented, so i loved that twist. I also loved the hardships that Cassie comes over because it's a realistic and relatable. I loved the characters and how they developed throughout the story. The beach vibes were also do fun because now I'm craving summer.

Solid 4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassie returns to her home town for the summer and is looking for a summer fling. The first guy she encounters is none other than play boy, Tate. She approaches him for a summer fling and he turns her down!! Like hello humiliation and how do you even recover from that 😮🫠

Shockingly, Tate and Cassie become neighbors (she’s staying with her grandmother for the summer and he is house sitting next door)! They become fast friends — which I love me a good friends to lovers book!!

Things I loved about this book:
- Tate telling Cassie her feelings were valid and to stick up for herself
- Seeing a guy cry and have emotions 🙌🏻
- Watching Cassie form a relationship with her dad/stepmom and her getting out of an abusive relationship
- The “core” friendship gang accepting Cassie and having her compete in the “Beach Games” 🐠
- Tate and Cassie accomplishing some of their lifelong goals and dreams apart from each other


There’s also a shocking discovery between the 2 families later on into the book which literally maybe me gasp 😱

Tropes:
Friends to lover, playboy/virgin, neighbors, summer fling

I haven’t read the first two books in this series, so it’s possible that I’m missing some character building and development from those. As it is, the Summer Girl fell pretty flat for me. The characters felt two dimensional and stereotypical. There’s also a lot of strange body shaming and painfully corny dialogue, and I found myself cringing every few chapters. The story itself works well as a cookie cutter romcom, so if you’re in the mood for a no frills, basic romcom then this could definitely scratch that itch.

The Summer Girl will be released July 18th. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Summer Girl in exchange for my honest review!

3.25 stars

As a fan of Elle Kennedy's romance novels, I was excited to dive into The Summer Girl, her third entry in the Avalon Bay series. The romance between Cassie and Tate started out charmingly enough, their chemistry and the breezy atmosphere making it all pretty fun. But then I noticed how the narration repeatedly refers to Cassie's apparently massive breasts, doing it in a way that almost made me feel like this aspect was the only significant thing about her character. It gets toned down as the book progresses, but it's still not something I cared for.

Another element that bugged me even more was the book's deployment of the virgin trope. Cassie is a virgin when she gets together with Tate, so there's a whole bunch of talk about how concerned they are (though the concern is more on her side) when it comes to her having sex. The thing is, Kennedy falls back on an incredibly outdated portrayal of virginity that claims you're a virgin until—well, how shall I word this here—the P enters the V. If you do anything else, the book seemingly doesn't consider those things as giving up your V-card. It was frustrating to read about, considering how much virginity persists to live in our world as a social construct, its prominent roots in purity culture, and the misogyny it helps to perpetuate. This whole aspect was enough for me to knock my rating down half a star.

I know I just spent a good chunk of this review criticizing the book's usage of the virgin trope, but I want to make it clear that I did like quite a bit about this book. It isn't just for the romance, either. I also appreciated its handling of the relationships that Cassie and Tate each have with their own parents. I can't really say that much more without dropping spoilers, but I'll just praise Kennedy for adding heart to the story by exploring some interesting nuances in those dynamics, especially in the third act.

Overall, I'm landing on a score of 3.25 out of 5 for The Summer Girl. If I were to recommend a Kennedy romance to a friend, I wouldn't necessarily rush to pick this one, but I'm still glad I got the chance to read an eARC of it. I'll definitely continue to pick up more of Kennedy's work.

3.5 stars! I enjoyed this one more than I originally thought I would. The beginning was a bit cringey, but I ended up getting so invested in the story -- not only in the relationship between Tate and Cassie, but in both of their own storylines as well. I didn't see the twist coming, and I thought it was very well done. I did think the resolution was a bit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed the story.

Super sweet novel! I thought this was lovely. Tate and Cassandra start dating when she visits his town for the summer to see her dad! They have a super cute summer fling (New Adult genre), but at the end of the summer her mother causes all kinds of drama. Will they stay together?

Kennedy sadly continues to disappoint. I really want to enjoy her books, but there are so many red flags.

Cassie returns to Avalon bay to celebrate her 21 birthday, when she learns her grandmother is selling her boardwalk hotel. she hasn't been there in years and is looking forward to a great summer. cute romantic comedy,

Listen, I am not really a summer girl at heart but let me tell you, this book had me wishing I was on a beach with a cold drink in hand. What a great installment to the Avalon Bay series.

This book was a lot of fun to read. I really liked Cassie and Tate. I enjoyed watching them go from "I'm sorry for accidentally eavesdropping on your breakup" strangers to friends, to kissing, then being friend-zoned, then turning into friends with benefits 😂 And then watching them develop true feelings for each other was just *chef's kiss* adorable.

This book is basically what summer fun is all about. However it wouldn't be an Elle Kennedy book without any drama, so expect some of that too. Even so, this was a lighthearted, easy read and I enjoyed it very much! I anticipate this being a popular summer read for sure.

Thank you for the ARC!

I love Elle Kennedy so I was so excited when I got to read and review this one early! Cassie’s character was an absolute gem—she was so sweet and I was rooting her on the entire time! The characters in this book are ::chef’s kiss:: perfect! Tate was everything anyone could want and has that water/surfer guy vibe that is just adorable! This book is a perfect summer rom-com and I am excited to re-read it this summer near the beach!

THIS IS WHAT I WANT IN AN ELLE KENNEDY BOOK!!!! I gobbled this up in one sitting! I didn’t want to put the book down until I was finished and let me just say… Cassie has buried herself in my book memory! She is such a lovable character. Tate felt as dreamy as he was described and he, too, had me hook, line, and sinker! Great book! Great beach read! Great anytime read!

Super cute rom-com complete with family drama, friendship, nicknames and a hot sailor/surfer guy. Continuing the journey in Avalon bay we get to meet Cassie and learn more about Tate.

This book was very different from the first two in the series. Cassie is a summer girl that comes to Avalon Bay during the summers. She is quirky and has a very complicated relationship with her family. Tate, as we saw in the previous books is a sweet guy known for his many flings. After multiple run ins and living next door each other while Tate house sits, they form a friendship that turns to more. I like how this book did not go in the direction that I thought it would in terms of their relationship. Tate was so much more sweet and sensitive that I was expecting. The drama was also outside their relationship which was a nice surprise. The drawbacks were that although I loved Cassie and her growth throughout the book, I missed her quirk and rambles as the book went on. I also could have done with a little more oomph in the beginning of the book. All that being said, this might be my favorite of the series. I felt like the connection and bond of these two was strong. I loved some of the banter, and how we got to see a little of other characters such as Mac, Cooper, Even, Gen, and Riley from the other books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martain's Press for the ARC!

Summer Girl
My favorite Avalon Bay book yet. I loved the dynamic between Cassie and Tate. Cassie is a good girl who is looking for a fling and Tate is the local playboy who doesn’t want to settle down. It is such an easy summer/beach read with a friends-to-lovers trope. There was plenty of angst between the characters and a lot of personal grown within each characters roles. I did not see the twist coming and was devastated for both characters when Cassie’s mom and Tate’s dad’s infidelity was made evident. I thought that the situation was handled with grace within the pages. It had the perfect amount of steam that fit within the narrative well. It was an easy read that left me feeling the warm fuzzies.

The Summer Girl
Five freaking stars.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okaaayyy the first two books were so good and cute, I love them bad boy twins Evan and Cooper. But… HOLY HELL. Tate is up there in book boyfriends. I am still swooning over him. He loves his parents. He loves his dogs. He is absolutely adorable with Cassie. Tate Bartlett is just A++. Also him bringing Cassie out of her self-consciousness and constantly telling her not to be hard on herself and trying to help her use her voice to speak up for her self. The level of support is just ugh. Kill me. So freaking sweet.

Cassie is quirky and fun. Honestly hilarious too. I love it when I can love and can relate to the FMC. It makes it so much easier to love the book. Her finally being able to use her voice on several different matters in the ends. It did something to me, I really related to her and I was tearing up at her reconciliation with her dad and step mom. I’ll just leave it at that.

The amount of times I actually laughed out loud while reading also is a HUGE win in my book. I love it when a book can make me laugh, cry and feel all the feelings. And I did all of those things.
I love the small town trope the most because we still get peeks of the couples from the previous books too. That’s always a favorite of mine, plus there are so many side characters that are so easy to love just as much and I hope we get a book for each of them at this point😍😍

This was definitely my favorite of the series.

This is a hilarious rom-com, but Grandma Tanner gives great advice for thriller fans: “Always leave the house dressed as if you’re going to be murdered”

Elle Kennedy is beloved by so many of the reviewers I follow, so it’s my turn to finally read one of her novels. “The Summer Girl” is the third in the Avalon Bay series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. College senior Cassie grew up in Avalon Bay as a child and is back for one last full summer before her grandmother, former owner of a beachfront hotel, moves up north. Cassie has always fantasized about a summer fling here, so it’s now or never. She accidentally witnesses Tate being dumped and sets her sights on him. Unfortunately, Tate, town-slut as he is known, has inexplicably put her in the friend zone only.

Told in the two amusing POVs of the main characters, we know what they think about each other, but we have to wait for them to reveal their feelings. There’s a universe of likable characters (well, except for Cassie’s “me, me, me” mother). Their banter is witty, charming, sparkling and addictive. You can’t wait for their next unexpected encounter (and the expected one). Of course, there’s family drama swirling around as well. And what will happen when the summer ends?

I loved it! 5 stars!

I am now officially an Elle Kennedy fan, too! I’ll be looking for the previous two books in the series soon!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Griffin and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Cassie initially thinks Tate’s eyes might be green, but a previous main character of the Avalon Bay series, MacKenzie, makes an appearance with her very definitely green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The moss-draped oaks that keep withstanding the storms are a true representative of coastal South Carolina.

Gosh, WHAT a summery read!! I pictured myself chillin' on the beach devouring this one. Elle Kennedy is hit or miss for me typically. I did enjoy this one though! It is the third book in a series, but I believe you can read them as stand-alones. Such a fantastic beach read in the sense that it's light-hearted and easy to read. It makes me want to see what's next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin, Netgalley, and Elle Kennedy for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let me tell you, I sobbed at three different occasions which despite some of the other reviews that I have given, does not occur all that often. I loved Cassie and Tate together; you could feel the sexual tension and chemistry between them from chapter one, yet in many ways it still feels like a slow-burn. I greatly appreciate Kennedy's take on the friends with benefits troupe, as it was not the sterotypical one side falls head over heals the other is dead set against relationships. Both go into it not believing anything longterm would work, and even as things move on, they still are conflicted about it. It felt real. The ending though. Now that I was not expecting, would not have even guessed it. I am not sure how I feel about all aspects of some of the things that went down, however I also appreciated how it was resolved and how it was not treated as some magical fix. It was complex and I appreciated how Kennedy made it a point to show how things are not always black and white, which is something people tend to forget these days. Despite my mixed feelings about the end, I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy in July when I plan on rereading the entire series while secretly hoping that there are more books planned for this series because I am obsessed.

First, thank you NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for my copy in exchange of my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I knew that there were two other books in the Avalon Bay series but I had not read them before. I didn't feel like there was anything missing that made reading The Summer Girl confusing. So it is safe to say this book was a good standalone novel.

I think this book is perfect for YA because the MC's are on the younger side and it made the book slightly harder for me to relate to. However, this does not mean I didn't really enjoy it! It reminded me what it was like to be in my early twenties and shaping who I wanted to be. The romance between the MC's was nice too. I love myself a (spoiler) "just a fling" that turns into a full on romance long term!

The story was well written and I think the plot was well thought out. I like the other characters that showed up in the story and felt they were a good addition to not only the book but the growth of the two MC's.

I would definitely recommend this book as a good old, quick and enjoyable summer read.