TLDR Plot Synopsis: Cassie is the new girl for the summer in Avalon Bay. After growing up in the area she is back for a final summer to sell her grandmother's house and witness their family hotel's grand reopening. While there she meets her handsome neighbor, Tate, and they begin a flirtatious friendship that they both enjoy a little too much.

Spoiler-Free Review: Important disclaimer is that I did not realize this book was part of a set. I have not read the other Avalon Bay books and was a little concerned that this would ruin my experience in reading this one. That was not the case. I really liked this book. The characters were genuine and enjoyable (some of the side characters being so enjoyable that I'm now reading this series backward to read Jen and Mac's stories), and the plot was simple. I liked that there wasn't a lot of manufactured tension, besides the major event in the final act. I'm not sure if everyone would enjoy this since it was a very simple story, but for romance readers, this is a PERFECT beach read. It's light, summery, and still has some emotional overlay to back it up.

Nit-Picks:
Calm down with the CONSTANT talk about how big Cassie's boobs were. It was so tiresome and almost felt like it was written by a man in those moments.

I love beach town books, anything that feels like summer. I’d die for, and this book gave me all the summer feelings.
The summer girl is a duo pov, showing Tate and Cassie a set of characters with some insane chemistry, and lots of tension.
This is the third book in the series (which I learned after reading, so it could be read as a stand-alone), so I’m sure I would love much more after the first two books with the same setting of Avalon bay and characters.
It took me a lot longer to get through then expected, but I still really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend everyone who loves the summer beach feel to also give them a read.

in hindsight i probably shouldn't have requested this book. i don't enjoy books about college-aged kids. this story felt off - there were inconsistencies in pacing - the initial framing of cass' relationship w her father was super confusing. the middle was good, ending felt haphazard and rushed. i felt some important scenes occurred off-page.

i feel like if you changed how cassie talks about her dad at the beginning of the book it would be a lot less confusing to me!! just my two cents.

I absolutely adore Avalon Bay. It seems like a perfect beach town, with all the drama and hooking up that happens in a perfect beach town.

Cassie and Tate? Perfection. Sure, there’s drama and family issues and a fake wingman situation and dating mishaps with other people. But the two together? They’re like every other Elle Kennedy couple. And the Briar/Avalon crossover? Sign me up for that any day.

I loved how both characters grow during the summer. It’s like…adulting suits them?

Excellent read along the same lines as any Briar U/Off Campus book.

I never know when I'm requesting a book by the cover, that it's part of a series. I am always pleasantly surprised when I can read a book that's part of a series, without reading the books that came before it, first. That was the case here! I read a lot of thrillers, so it's nice and refreshing to read a book like this, that is lighthearted and lovey. A beachy summer read, that features family relationships and romance. Loved this book!

Such a good romance! The characters were likable and believable. The story was great and the steam was perfect!

The best type of romcom possible is where you actually care about the characters, and this was precisely the case here! The heroine was complex yet likable and I was rooting for her all the way!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a great time with this book, I completely forgot this was part of a series (whoops) but I will be going back and reading the first two for sure. This is going to be a great summer read, and I can honestly say it holds up as a standalone too.

I though Cassie was really relatable, and the conflict that she has with her parents and the toxicity of her relationship with her mother was lovely to explore. It did fall into some tropes like the virgin girl that has a fling with the town's fuckboy, but you can tell that is where it is going pretty early on and decide if that is for you or not. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Elle Kennedy or to someone that wants a cute summer romance, especially if they are in the 18-23 year old age range.

I’ve read all of the books in Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series and by far, The Summer Girl is my favorite. I couldn’t put it down after I was gifted an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. I think Tate and Cassie’s story brings Elle Kennedy back to the sweet and interesting storytelling that captivated me in her Off-Campus and Briar U series. I’m so happy she’s back in the groove after I didn’t love the first two books in the Avalon Bay series as much. This is a must-read if you are an Elle Kennedy fan!

E-arc by St. Martin press.
It’s book three of the Avalon series.
Honestly I haven’t read the first two books but now I must read those two books. Let me tell you I enjoyed the book from the beginning to the end. Picture this , it’s summer vacation and instead of just 3 weeks you decide to spend 3 months. What else would you do? Why not a summer fling. And the fling turns into a romance. Add some little chaos. And you have the perfect book. I’m going to be honest. It was page 342 that I honest I had a tears on my face.

This might just be my favorite book from the Avalon Bay series. I loved Cassie and Tate as characters so much.The book starts off a little slow but really picks up in the second half. The twist towards the end throws you for a loop for sure. This book is definitely more focused on family dynamics than the previous books. However its all really relatable and really hits home if you have divorced parents.

The Summer Girl is the third book in the Avalon Bay series focusing on Tate’s story. I did read Good Girl Complex, but did not read Bad Girl Reputation, and this book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone. Kennedy did a good job of filling in readers on the first two books without giving too much away or taking away from Cassie and Tate. I love the friendships of the Bay and wish I was part of the group.

Avalon Bay is not as spicy as the Off Campus books so if you’re looking for a whole lotta spice, I recommend reading The Deal.

This book definitely had a little bit of spice but also served up a side of serious as you deal with complex parent/ children relationships. Overall it is a feel good, heart warming book that definitely had me heating up in this cold winter month!

I recommend checking out The Summer Girl! Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

The Summer Girl is a story about Cassie spending her vacation in Avalon Bay in search of her first summer fling.
Its a somewhat coming of age story of a young girl figuring out life and what she wants. She meets tate who she seems to value too much to lose her friendship over a fling therefore he decides to be her wingman instead. I mean what could go wrong there? Am i right? We've seen this trope too many times. So I am not surprised this is the path we are going down. The relationships in this book are pretty standard and average, not much stands out.

The plot is the average comtempory rom-com with some trigger warnings sprinkled in such as abuse, miscarriage, cheating etc. The cover screams summer read but in reality it is not.
Fairly misleading to be honest.

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

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

This book is everything you need for a fun, quick, Summer romance read! This is the only book that I've read in the Avalon Bay series, but it definitely won't be the last! The couples from the other two books make an appearance in this one, but it can definitely be read as a standalone.

When Cassie Soul comes to Avalon Bay, she knows what she wants: a summer fling. She's ready to throw away her V-card and have the summer of all summers. When she meets Tate, the local ladies man, she knows exactly who she wants the subject of said fling to be. Of course, he decides she's too sweet to lose as a friend, but he offers to be her wingman. That'll totally work, right?! The relationships that blossom and blow up in this story will leave you smiling, crying, and sometimes crying through the smiles!

2.5 ⭐️ This was a pretty standard young twenties, summer at the beach, romance book. I didn’t feel like it blew me away, but it also wasn’t bad. I really disliked the relationship between Cassie and her mom. Which was sort of the point I guess, but it still seemed way over the top. The body shaming was ridiculous, especially considering it’s mentioned how tiny she is on numerous occasions. All the family stuff in this book was heavy. I definitely think you need a bit of drama or conflict to make a book great. This book took that expectation and overkilled it. Body shaming, emotional and verbal abuse by a parent, cheating, divorce, discussion of miscarriage, etc. It was just trying to do too much. I would have liked to see more of those giddy moments in a new relationship as you’re starting to discover each other. I think it would have helped balance the book out a bit. Would I recommend this summer read to a friend? Probably not. There are too many other great summer romance reads out there.

Elle Kennedy does it again! I was a little worried about reading this book in the Avalon series due to not really liking Bad Girl Reputation. I am happy to say this book did not disappoint! I appreciated the relationship Cassie and Tate had starting out as friends and quickly evolving into more. I was very surprised at the shocking twist at the end with their parents. If you enjoy Elle Kennedy's other books, I would highly recommend adding this to your TBR.

I absolutely loved this book. I have to admit, I am a huge mood reader, so I tend to only read romance in the summer, but when the arc for this book appeared, I couldn’t turn it down. I loved the characters in this book. I especially loved that both MC’s voiced their opinions and communicated with each other and had a relationship that didn’t feel toxic.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was a little worried about how I would feel reading about a story involving side characters that I had not really met yet in the past Avalon Bay books, but I immediately fell in love with Cassie and Tate. It was a great meet cute and spice level was perfect.

I rarely look on Net Galley anymore. There are so many books I want to read that are already out that I only request ARCs I really want to read and know I'd pick up when they come out. Enter Elle Kennedy. I'll read anything she writes and when I saw she had a new Avalon Bay novel out, I knew I had to request it. I was so excited when I received this ARC!

Summertime in Avalon Bay is bliss. The ocean, boardwalk, The Beacon, and more. It sounds like the perfect summer getaway and is for a lot of families. One of those families is Cassie's, whose grandmother recently sold The Beacon hotel to Mac. Cassie is staying with her grandmother over the summer and is bound and determined to have a summer fling. She's 20 and it's time. She's always had a relationship and this summer she just wants to have fun with a hot guy. Enter Tate Bartlett, who is house-sitting for the neighbor. Tate has to be the hottest guy Cass has ever seen, and after the two share a passionate kiss, he decides to friend zone her. She's sad but determined to make the best of a bad situation. The two end up being tight friends and Tate realizes that maybe he was wrong. Maybe he can have what his parents have...

I freaking loved this. I loved being back in Avalon Bay and seeing the characters that I loved in the previous books thriving. It was so cool to hear about The Beacon reopening and Cassie learning to speak up for herself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Once again, Elle Kennedy does not disappoint! This is was the third book in the Avalon Bay series and it was definitely my favorite!

Cassie is spending one of her last summers in Avalon Bay before her grandmother sells her house. She decides to have a summer fling before going back to college. She meets Tate her first night there and after they make out, the next day she realizes he is house sitting next door to her. Tate isn’t the relationship type, so he puts Cassie in the friendzone, but quickly realizes that won’t work.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful, hilarious, romantic, and just overall great! It even has a surprising little plot twist! I finished it in one day and I know this is one I will read again and again. I have read thirteen of Elle Kennedy’s books and I loved each and every one of them! She is an instant buy for me! I love her writing style and her books have a little bit of everything!

Make sure to read The Summer Girl! It will definitely be a #booktok book!

📘: The Summer Girl by Elle
Kennedy
🗓 Pub Date: July 18,2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and St.Martin’s Press, for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!