It may be sad, but at the end of the story all I kept thinking was this book was so repetitive. I thought it might need one more edit. I ended up skimming through parts that I felt like I had already read. All the people were beautiful and wealthy. Not really relatable.

I did feel like the whole DNA subject and finding family was made very simplistic. I have never had to deal with this, but from the reading perspective, it all felt too easy, fast and not realistic.

The ending was predictable.

If you took a DNA test and found out a family you never knew, would you want to meet them and see if you fit in with them? For Summer, that was what she is faced with in this novel by Jennifer Ryan. There is a good mix of drama and romance to keep the pages turning. The writing and character development are also solid and will keep a reader engaged in the book.

I thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

Jennifer Ryan has a gift for writing lovely romance based and family based novels.
This is another must read from her about finding family the main character never knew she had through a DNA test. I feel like this can be a more relatable book at this time with all of the DNA and genealogy sites out there now.

Historical Fiction is an amazing genre and it is hard to find better than Jennifer Ryan. She paints a picture with her words that puts you right there while it’s happening. This book was beautifully written and will be one I read again. Sometimes you just need a good historical fiction, right? Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Summer takes a DNA test and discover her unknown father and 3 half sisters. One of her half sisters had a class project and they connected. Summer had been searching for her dad all her life but her selfish mother kept insisting he never wanted her. He invites her to stay for 6 weeks and she meets his business partner, Cody. they fall in love but her sister try’s to keep them apart and a rift builds in Summer’s new family. A good story about finding lost relatives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Summer's Gift by Jennifer Ryan in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This might be one of my favorite books I've read in several months. Such a touching story and I flew through it and then was sad to finish it. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

Jennifer Ryan writes sweet and compelling romances and Summer's Gift is no different. I love the emotional depth of her characters and these two were perfection.

I felt this story line was very believable and reflects our current society. The at home DNA kits are all the rage, but what happens when there has been lies told to family members? This is exactly what happened in this story line and the results are quiet interesting. This is a great read about interesting family dynamics and relationships!

Really enjoyed this heartwarming, action packed adventure filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and emotional turns. Highly entertaining and emotionally thrilling journey from beginning to end.

Summer's Gift was an entertaining, enjoyable read. The story line was familar but Jennifer Ryan added enough unique characters and events that it felt different.
When a young woman takes a DNA test and finds her father and step/half family, it opens up many options. When she chooses to ignore her mother and grandfather's advice and travel to meet her new family, the scene is set for ups and downs to keep her wondering if she made the right decision. And since this is a Jennifer Ryan romance, you know she'll come out on top in the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Another feel good romance from Jennifer Ryan. Summer’s Gift is an easy read that hits on some heavy topics regarding family and relationships. The main character, Summer, was easy to connect with and it was refreshing to read about someone managing life in a mature way. Definitely a great summer read! #SummersGift #NetGalley

A story about a surprise family that didn't know you existed.
Summer is a young twenty-something that, seemingly by accident, finds out she has a sister and that ultimately leads her to her father, whom never knew she existed. Cody who works for her new found father, comes to fill her in on the details of her new family and bring her "home" for a visit to get to know her family. Summer and Cody have an insta-love situation that I felt was way too fast and far fetched, the characters were so underdeveloped and had zero chemistry, it was very disappointing. The story moved way too slow; I just couldn't find common ground and the characters were so underdeveloped in my opinion.

If there was a competition among authors for queen of dysfunctional families, Jennifer Ryan would definitely be in contention for the title. This talented writer is an expert at guiding her characters through the many peaks and valleys of this particular situation, as evidenced by her newest novel, Summer's Gift.

Imagine you've spent your entire life believing - being told - your biological father wants nothing to do with you. Imagine discovering in your early twenties that he never knew you existed. Now imagine a happy, successful family unit - father, mother, two teenage daughters - whose lives are turned upside down with the discovery of the existence of a previously unknown family member. How would you feel discovering your husband had a child with another woman (before you met him), a child now competing for his love with your own daughters? As the previous (spoiled) first child, how would you handle a new sister not only stealing the spotlight from you on the eve of your high school graduation but also the affections of your secret crush? And what about Summer? Not only does she need to navigate the shark-infested waters of a new family but there's also the feelings of betrayal for the family members who lied to her for so many years.

I love how Ryan drops this bombshell into the lives of these characters then deftly navigates them through the debris as they each begin to slowly stitch the pieces of the fabric of their family back together. Will it ever be the same? No. Will it be better? Stronger than before? Quite possibly.

I really liked Summer. She's smart, accomplished, and well respected in business. She's a kind person with a good heart, the mediator in her family, taking care of everyone else while never having known true unconditional love herself. She's so deserving of love. I couldn't help but be in her corner rooting her on the entire way. While Summer is the central figure of the story and the character most fully explored, each of the surrounding characters impacted by the DNA test is also explored individually. It's fascinating to follow their reactions as their new reality sinks in. Some react better than others. Some create chaos. Ryan does a wonderful job of developing each of them, so much so that I feel as if I actually know them, became invested in them, in their growth and happiness. They are just all so real. There's also a strong romantic thread in the story (with a HEA) that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is Summer's story of growth and change with her romantic relationship being a key element of that evolution.

If you enjoy women's fiction with well-defined, relatable characters, strong romantic elements, and family at its core, check out Jennifer Ryan's Summer's Gift. I highly recommend it.

ARC received from publisher. Fair and unbiased review.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Summer and Cody. Summer has been told all her life that her Dad did not want her. Cody comes to her office to see her regarding her father. He is there to see if she would like to meet her father. Who only found out one day ago that he had another daughter. She does go with Cody to her father’s house. There are issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

LOVED this book. Super well written and a wonderful little summer beach read. I love how she entwined all of the characters together so flawlessly

DNA tests. A blessing or a curse? In this story, a little of both. Summer was a truly good and kind person given the narcissist mother she had. I say had as she wasn’t truly raised by her. She was raised by her grandfather and a series of nannies when all she ever wanted was to know who her father was and why he never wanted her as her mother told her he never wanted her. When the results come in it is more than she could have asked. A father, sisters and maybe, just maybe the love of her life. With some strife and a lot of emotions they ultimately figure it all out. An easy read and ultimately a sweet HEA for everyone.

WOW what a story this book was an absolute page turner I really enjoyed reading this book It was so good, I cant wait to read more by this author!

Nice story of finding a Father, that you thought didn't want you, but really didn't know about you. A selfish mother and a Grandfather who also keeps the secret but is your biggest cheerleader. Meet your Father, and the family you didn't know existed and find love. A lovely story, but moves too slow and very repetitive. I hard a hard time finishing this one. A nice ending, but I would have expected nothing less.

This was nice, quick summer read. The main character is a daughter who has been lied to about her father her whole life. When she finds out who he really is, and goes to visit, her life changes. I liked the new, found family part of the story, the romance involved, and the openness of the main character to try and see where this unexpected event would take her.

When Summer discovers that the father she always thought had abandoned her didn't even know she existed, her whole world changed. The lies that her mother had told her had left her feeling unwanted. So she focused her time and energy on business, which she knew she could do well. Finding out that her father wanted to get to know her and that she had this whole other family gave her hope for the future she'd always wanted, but never dared dream of.

I loved Summer's resilience and her ability to forgive, even when the people who loved her most did things that hurt her. And the sweet slow-burn romance with her father's young business partner, Cody, made the story all the more enjoyable.

Thank you to Jennifer Ryan, Avon, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.