⛵️ ARC REVIEW⛵️
🌟 5/5
✍️ Elle Kennedy
📖 Pub Date- July 18, 2023

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

Elle Kennedy has done it again! Literally-every one of her books I pick up, I can’t put it down😍

I think The Summer Girl may be my favorite of all of the Avalon Bay books (Good Girl Complex, Bad Girl Reputation and The Summer Girl). I immediately felt like I was visiting old friends, while embarking on a new adventure with Cassie and Tate (Gate😌).

I felt like I was living every experience! Elle Kennedy has such a magical way of writing. The Summer Girl was no exception. ✨✨✨

Elle PLEASE give us more Avalon Bay and a continuation of these amazing characters🤗

I was a bit apprehensive going into this book as I did not like the second book in the series at all. Thankfully, The Summer Girl took us back to the vibe of Good Girl Complex!

I thought that the premise of this book was very believable as many college students and young adults are looking for some "summer fun" rather than a serious relationship. That is how things start between Cassie & Tate, but when sparks start flying, the author avoids the typical trope(s) and allows their romance to bloom and feelings to be declared. There is an inevitable hurdle for the characters, but it was nothing that will make you think less of or have negative feelings about one MC over the other.

Note: I would recommend reading at least one of the two previous books in this series before starting this one so that you have some background on the town, the hotel, and the characters.

In true Ellen Kennedy fashion this book did not disappoint. I'm a big fan of Avalon Bay and the third book was just as sweet as the first two. When Cassie-who is notably a version-comes to spend the summer with her grandma she accidentally gets trapped overhearing a breakup, one between Alana and Tate. Tate, who is the hottest guy she has ever seen in her life. And then as she tries to flea the scene, he sees her and sparks instantly fly. Except Tate, while respectful to women, has never had a girlfriend because that's just not who he is. And Cassie is looking for a summer fling, but she seems like relationship material, the kind that Tate does not believe will not want to be his girlfriend. So naturally when she propositions him for a fling, he tries to keep it platonic despite one very passionate kiss. Not only does he keep it platonic, but he offers to be her wingman and help her find a good fling.

In the meantime, both are dealing with certain family issues and pressures. Cassie is also dealing with insecurities engendered by her mother. These issues have only brought these two friends together, but what will that mean for them?

I really enjoyed this one! Very steamy (which is always a good thing), light, and captivating. I normally don't read YAs because I feel like I don't relate to that age group anymore, but Elle Kennedy is the one exception, and her books always put a smile on my face.

The only "issue" I had with this book, is there is a family event that happens later on in the book and I felt like it got wrapped up a little too quickly, but that could just be my style as a reader. Overall loved this book and highly recommend!

CW: infidelity, abortion.

eARC received for review from Net Galley

2.5/5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️/5

I’m sad to say that I was a bit disappointed by the newest installment of the Avalon Bay series. The writing had a more juvenile feel, in style definitely not in content, that the previous two books. If you have been following the series rather than reading The Summer Girl as a standalone, I think you’ll see what I mean when I say that this book felt disconnected. Yes we see previous characters play large roles but I think since the fmc, Cassie, is an outsider of the friend group, it just didn’t bring back any of the nostalgia from Good Girl Complex or Bad Girl Reputation.
As someone who has experienced some of the things Cassie did, I did enjoy her character development. I loved seeing her finally grow a backbone. Tate, however, I cannot say I’m the biggest fan of. Tate’s first POV he quite literally objectifies Cassie and makes a few other misogynistic remarks and for someone who preaches treating women with respect it was laughable how much of a hypocrite he was… like father like son I guess.
I think the last thing worth mentioning is that this book is probably more Chick-Lit than romance as the romance plot kinda took a back seat to all the drama that ensued.

I’ve never read anything by Elle Kennedy before so I was skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were developed so well that I felt like I knew them, and this wasn't just the main characters. The detail made it feel like I was there as an onlooker in the different scenes. This book balanced the right amount of romance and steamy scenes to keep it at an appropriate level in my opinion. This book was very memorable and make me want to keep reading. This book is definitely a read and I can’t wait to see what else Elle has written.

This one was the best of the series. Tate and Cassie had good chemistry and the plot was enjoyable and kept me engaged.

Cassie is in town before her senior year of college and she’s looking for some fun. She’s immediately taken with Tate but he’s not interested.

As these two grow together, we get a deeper looking at their past, their family dynamic, and where they want to go. It’s emotional and angsty in all the best ways.

I was so happy to jump back into the world of Avalon Bay. from the past two books, I already got to know Tate a little and how he is known as the good guy. It was nice to learn more about him, and see his relationship with Cassie. their banter and compassion towards one another just kept me wanting them to admit their true feelings for each other. it was also great to see how the other characters of the past books are doing. this friends to lovers story is steamy and drama filled, and I loved it. I hope there is more Avalon Bay books to come!

I really enjoyed this read! Now that spring's finally here, it definitely set the mood for this book. I felt so warm and cozy watching the characters grow throughout the story. While they did have their own challenges to face, the romance still played a heavy part of the plot, which I really appreciated. Elle Kennedy has a knack for writing lovable and quirky characters. Cannot wait to read more from her!

This was my favorite Avalon Bay book yet. Elle Kennedy really brings this story to life with so much spice from the start! I loved it so much, and loved that Cass and Tate built a solid friendship starting out.

I laughed, I cried....I felt the emotions right along with the characters with revelations of love and betrayal amongst families. It was nice to get flimpses of Mac and Cooper as well as Evan and Gen. I want to know more about Cass and Tate, but maybe if there's another one.

Be sure to check it out when it releases in July, 2023!

Elle Kennedy does not miss. I know every single time I pick up one of her books that I will be in for a treat. She knows how to write characters to swoon over and worlds you want to dive into. Love her and this book.

This was probably my favourite book of the Avalon Bay series. I liked Tate and Cassie a lot - they had good banter, and a good setup - it was cute. I didn't find the book overly spicy, apart from 1 or 2 scenes but it was still a good read. I thought that the dramatic elements kept the book interesting. I enjoyed it a lot!

This is the first Elle Kennedy book I have read. I will definitely start reading her books after this as her dialogue and story was really easy to read. Fun beach read for sure.

Story is basically young, college-aged people doing what they do in the summer. Lead character Cassie was slightly immature but I usually don’t read stories with characters that young so that might just a preference thing for me. Tate was a good male lead. Again, very on par for a 23 year olds behaviour during summer. I liked that he was responsible, hardworking and witty though. Only moment I didn’t like was him discussing Cassie being a virgin with his friend at the bar. That’s just a “yuck” for me and felt a bit out of character for him seeing as everyone sings his praises for being a “good guy” and how he hates anyone else talking about her out of turn. I don’t feel like discussing a woman’s virginity and that he has a “thing” for it is a gentleman thing to do and I’m not a prude at all. I Just felt like it wasn’t something that character would discuss with someone else. Discussing that it was a “phone sex” situation fine, and it was vague how he mentioned it, no details. Then allowing your friend to deep dive into talking vulgar about how it would go if you did proceed to have sex with your virgin friend…no. Just a heads up for other writers of romance that women don’t want to be talked about between friends. No details and your friends are not allowed to discuss “scenarios”. Tate should have put a stop to that if he were such a stand up guy.

Otherwise, Plot was easy to follow, I didn’t have to read the previous two books to catch up to the surrounding characters . All around fun summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley & St.Martins Press for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect beach read. It can easily be read as a stand alone.

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

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this as an ARC! I think this is my favorite out of Elle Kennedy's Avalon Bay series; the banter, the tension, the connection between characters... it's almost the perfect summer fling novel. I will say, the last 15% of this book got a little crazy, and I think could have stood to have been a bit more drawn out, but I enjoyed it regardless! I am such a sucker for an interconnected standalone, and I really think I like this one best out of the whole series so far. I felt like the characters were super relatable and I really enjoyed watching Cass and Tate's relationship develop. This is the kind of book that makes you wish it was summer so you, too, could find a little fling like this.

*Themes to be aware of in this one: narcissistic parent and child loss/abortion (BRIEFLY mentioned and not gone into detail, but still worth noting!:))

This book would be a perfect beach read. I read it during a cold winter and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Cassia (Cassandra) is a fun character with a lot of depth. She's devoted to those who are devoted to her and desires the love of her divorced parents. Her plan to have a summer fling sounds simple enough, but of course, things never go quite as planned.

Tate is a joy! I love that while he knew his way around the women in his town he was still respected and sought after. That's saying something about a guy, and how we was raised. He agrees to fling Cassie and they definitely fling!

I didn't fully understand Cassie's reasoning for never having intercourse though. That's a choice lots of people make but they usually aren't sexually active in other ways, basically every other way. She obviously had her reasons but they just weren't clear to me and I didn't get it.

The bombshell that happens was not something I was expecting at all but I also have a narcissist as a mother so I shouldn't have been surprised. Both sets of parents were more than meets the eye and I appreciate the author giving them individual stories.

The nicknames they gave each other, A+!! 😂

I loved the ending of the book and I sincerely hope the author considers writing a sequel!!

Thank you Netgalley, St Martins Press and Elle Kennedy for the ARC.

This is part three of the Avalon Bay series. I have read the first two parts, but you can totally read each part as a standalone. This has it all, romance, family drama and the right amount of spice. It is perfect if you want to binge read it on a weekend.

The Summer Girl follows Cassie's story, as she spends the summer in Avalon Bay looking for her first ever summer fling. Enter the love interest Tate. Cassie and Tate had good chemistry and angst together. Their moments together leading up to their eventual 'intimate scenes' are are good. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, totally binge worthy.

Overall a good contemporary romance.

This book was amazing. I loved the writing, I loved the characters, I loved most things about this book. Of course, with every book there will be things that you don't like, but I will get to that soon. The Summer Girl is the third book in the Avalon Bay Series, but it's the first that I read. I don't have the first book on my shelf, but I do have the second. I was going to wait, but this book was too intriguing to me. The Summer Girl is about Cassie Soul who is visiting her old hometown, Avalon Bay, over the summer to spend time with her infamous grandma, Lydia Tanner. But at almost 21, she's still a virgin and is looking to change that. Cassie is looking for a summer fling when she meets Tate Bartlett. Tate is the most attractive man she's ever seen, so naturally she asks him to fling her. But against his feelings, he decides it will be better if they are just friends. As their friendship develops, Tate realizes he made a mistake and wants to fling Cassie. The rest of the book highlights their relationship through their summer issues. Cassie is preparing for the reopening of the Beacon and how to handle her tumultuous relationship with her family. Tate is there for her along the way, but their families are more intertwined than they realize.

Let's start with the basics. Cassie is a wonderful girl, but she is so frustrating. I understand that there is a silver lining to everything. But girl stand up for yourself please! She gets walked all over by her mother, and she always looks on the bright side. But what she doesn't realize is that it hurts her emotionally to keep it all in. Cassie is so likeable, and it's no wonder she quickly makes friends, but I want to shake her and tell her to tell her mom or really anybody how she's feeling. Tate on the other hand was surprisingly sensitive. He is the epitome of all men. He had me swooning left and right in this dual-POV novel. I could not get enough of him, and I honestly wish there was more of his POV in the book. Tate is a golden boy who definitely always has time for a hook-up. I mean, he's the definition of no strings attached. But it is so adorable how Cassie and Tate's relationship progresses. I loved watching them interact, especially the banter between their texts. I found their relationship endearing, but it was far from wholesome. They are in a summer fling after all. As usual, Elle Kennedy's ability to write spicy scenes is unmatched. She has a special ability of writing both plot developments and bedroom developments extremely well. This is the third book that I've read by her, and it did not disappoint.

The conflict in this book was a hefty one. It left me with a pain in my chest multiple times. The best way that I can describe it with no spoilers is that family dynamics are tough. To steal a point from the book, your parents have existed since before you did, obviously. But that means that they lived an entirely different life before you were born. If you don't ask what happened before you existed, you're guaranteed to not understand the full story. I love Cassie's dad. Maybe it's because I'm a daddy's girl, but it physically hurt my heart to hear that she felt replaced by her dad. Her mother is a piece of work. I actually hated her, which means Elle Kennedy did her job creating her character. There were so many instances in which I genuinely wanted to punch her in the face, but I can't punch a fictional character as much as I want to. I think the conflict in this story is somewhat realistic. My parents aren't divorced, and my family has never had this much drama. So maybe I don't understand or relate to the storyline as much. However, once I started the conflict part of the book, I couldn't put it down. It took me two days to read the book, but in total it probably took about six or seven hours for me to finish. I don't normally like a friends-to-lovers romance, but I loved this one so much. It made my heart so happy. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this ARC. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity tor read an advanced copy of The Summer Girl!

The Summer Girl has immediately moved into one of my top 3 favorite Elle Kennedy books which is saying a lot when The Deal is one of my go to comfort reads.

I will say going into it I was a little nervous. I didn't enjoy Bad Girl Reputation as much as I did Good Girl Complex, so I had my hesitations. But this book was the perfect way to tie the Avalon Bay series together.

I loved the natural friendship and banter between Cassie and Tate. The tension built throughout the book, but we still got to see the explosion when they finally get together. I loved that they started building their relationship through a friendship, and I loved the way Cassie naturally fit in with the other Avalon Bay crew. Everything just felt so natural.

Also, everyone expects some kind of conflict in a happily ever after, and I was so surprised by the twist Tate and Cassie went through. I wasn't expecting it at all, but it fit so well and definitely added shock value.

Don't miss this one!

I was able to read this for free thanks to Net Galley, although that does not affect my opinion of the actual book. I’ll be honest and admit that it took me a second to get into this book, however as I continued to read the book, my interest grew. There’s something about Elle Kennedy and how she is able to capture a readers attention. While the ending wasn’t necessarily my favorite and there were parts I struggled to read due to it being a bit triggering to past memories, I did enjoy the book. It brought new moments of the Hartley twins, of Mackenzie and Genevieve. It allowed me to learn more about Tate, who becomes the main character, rather than someone on the sidelines, like the last two books in the series.

3.5/5 stars

When I tell you I finished this book in just a few hours!!!! Elle Kennedy executed the plot and characters beautifully. Her writing is always so eloquently put and easy to binge over lol! I love that it had romance and humor which always makes a book so much more enjoyable. Dual POV of course is always a huge plus, the chemistry & spice between Cassie and Tate is so HOT! I love that it's coming out publicly in the summer time, I highly recommend anyone to read this book, it's a perfect summer read!!