Summer After Summer, the debut novel from Lauren Bailey, is a very successful modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Bailey puts her own unique spin on all the things you’ve come to expect from Austen’s works: drama, angst, and rich people going to each other’s houses.

Olivia is fleeing New York City and the end of her marriage by agreeing to move back to her childhood home in the Hamptons for one last summer as her reluctant family prepares for its sale. What she doesn’t expect is that the man who has agreed to buy the palatial beach home is none other than her teenage boyfriend, Fred. It’s been five years since they last tried to make a relationship work with each other. Will the fifth time be the charm or have they always been doomed in love?

I wanted to read this because of the Hamptons setting and the potential for older characters (second chance romance x 5? They better be in their mid to late 30s!) and Summer After Summer delivered on both fronts. The Hamptons setting is vivid and could almost be another character in a story that already features a full cast! The story is told in two timelines with Fred (37) and Olivia (35) in the present and flashing back their first summer together 20 years ago. The past timeline periodically jumps ahead 5 years as we follow along each time the two reconnect over the years. I love the way the chapters alternate between timelines to really propel the story forward. Plus, the pop culture references in the past are all detailed and spot on!

Fans of the original and of Austen’s works in general will appreciate the way Bailey honored the premise while adding her own twist. The characters are a bit flawed and at times unlikable, but that also feels appropriate considering the source material. I highly recommend this for readers who like reading about rich people problems and drawn out will they or won’t they stories. Overall, a very successful debut and the perfect beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A contemporary retelling of Persuasion, set in the coastal Hamptons. A light, easy read, ideal for summer. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for the opportunity to read this eARC. 3/5 stars.

Summer After Summer is an emotional and captivating Persuasion retelling that I thoroughly enjoyed. As a devoted Janeite, I am often reluctant to read contemporary retellings, but I thought this one did the job very well - stayed true to the spirit of the story while making it fresh and modern.

Thanks to the publisher for the aARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars

A modern retelling of Persuasion, set in the Hamptons against the backdrop of old money and new - with a healthy dose of tennis thrown in.

This was an enjoyable and easy read, though I can’t help but feel like I’ve read this story a 100 times. It needed something original (I guess that’s where the tennis comes in) to make it stand out, because there are a lot of second chance romances set at the family summer house on the market at the moment.

Would still recommend for a summer/beach read!

I really enjoyed this book! I've read a good amount of summer romances that take place in the Hamptons, but this one stood apart from the others. I thought the whole Taylor family was very unique, and I was fascinated by their old money/no money ways. I loved hearing about the house, I feel like I could picture it easily. The tennis element of the story was really fun to read about as well. I think that the structure of the book made it easy to be engaged, it was almost like a mystery at times. I will definitely be recommending this book to patrons and friends. I think that people who enjoy Annabel Monaghan's books would really enjoy this book. Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a nice romance read. Ended as expected. The characters were well written. Cassie and Fred met as young teens so weren't mature enough for a lasting relationship. They let other things get in their way. As many times as they reconnected, they also walked away from each other. Until they finally grew up and realized what was truly important. The relationships between Cassie and her sisters, Sophie and Charlotte, were something I could identify with. I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author.

I can definitely see this book being a hit this summer. It’s such a good romance, second chances story. It was slow at times, but I am glad I read it.

This is the first book that I've read from Lauren Bailey and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

When I saw the cover I loved it then I read the blurb and I was intrigued. Such a great read

Have you ever watched a friend involved with someone that you just know is wrong for them? Where they go back to each other over and over? This is exactly what is happening to Olivia and Fred in Summer After Summer.

Olivia lives in the Hamptons right on the ocean and spends her summers there getting tan and enjoying the beach. She meets a newcomer to the area, Fred, and sparks fly immediately.

The two begin a dance that honestly becomes exhausting. I am not going to lie, the angst of these two almost made me not finish the story. But, there were little nuggets dropped throughout the story that I wanted a resolution to and I’m glad I stuck with it.

This book reads a bit like teenage drama, which is fine. I just wish some of it could have been cut out in order to move the story along. Like, how many times can a couple break up and get back together??

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Summer After Summer is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and introspective romance that explores second chances, family, and personal growth.

Solid debut novel with a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”. Liked the back & forth timelines but felt the second half of the story dragged a bit. Enjoyed the tennis elements & think this will be a fun summer read for lots of readers. Thanks for the advanced copy, NetGalley!

This was such a page turner I couldn't put it down, every detail and new information about their love story had me wanting more and more.
Some parts frustrated me, like how rarely the fmc stood up for herself when it came to her sisters being insufferable but she did show some growth. I kinda did guess the "plot twist" but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less.
I was rooting so hard for Fred and Olivia's love story, their relationship is truly the definition of right person wrong time except the wrong time was through out 20 years!!!!
Overall this was a fun emotional read and impressive for a debut.
Finally thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Press for an ARC of Summer After Summer.

Plain and simple, the author made a lot of really odd choices throughout this book.

There were weird, inconsistent tenses, the switching between American and British vernacular, and an odd switching between relaxed and formal writing.

It was so distracting it kept me from really enjoying the story.

Not a winner for me!

Summer After Summer is an excellent book to read anytime of year! Olivia and Fred’s romance has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I can’t believe this is Lauren, Bailey’s debut novel. I loved reading about the history of the Hamptons, the geography, but most of all the love story from Olivia‘s perspective. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to to read this, NetGalley!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I loved this book. It has everything that I want in a summer read. A beach house, past loves, alternating points of view.

A creative retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion set in the Hamptons. Olivia and Fred are in love from the beginning, yet can’t seem to shake the star-crossed nature of their relationship. Following their story over 20 years, and the one summer that brings them back to where it all began this roller-coaster romance contains all the marks of Persuasion while being an entirely enjoyable unique story of its own.

I loved this- a persuasion inspired second chance story with all the summer fling drama and upper class family tension *chef’s kiss* This book was super cinematic and it was so easy to just get sucked in to Olivia and Fred’s story! I loved seeing all the ways their timing wasn’t quite right until it finally was- the tension, the pining! It felt a little like a grown up The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Pineapple Street in all the best ways. I can’t wait for people to DEVOUR this when it’s out this summer!

Thank you, NetGalley, Lauren Bailey, and Alcove Press, for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved and adored this book! It's truly a masterpiece, and it's hard to believe that it's the author's debut novel! Lauren Bailey has crafted a wonderful, emotional, heartwarming, powerful, and beautifully written modern retelling of Jane Austen's classic "Persuasion." This book will tug at your heartstrings, so be sure to have your tissues handy!

The story follows Olivia as she returns to her family home in the Hamptons to help pack up the estate. The buyer turns out to be her first love, Fred, whom she met 20 years ago at the age of 16. Despite their complicated past and the timing never seeming right, Fred has always been the love of her life. As Olivia navigates her feelings and the complexities of their relationship, the reader is taken on a journey filled with first loves, fate, family, friendships, loss, hope, deception, heartbreak, courage, passion, tension, chemistry, and spice.

I was captivated from beginning to end! This delightful story is simply perfect. If you're a fan of Emily Henry, then you will love this book. I cannot recommend it enough! It deserves all the stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis (From NetGalley):

"A woman returns to her family's Hamptons beach house for a final time—and a final chance at the love she's lost before, in this contemporary retelling of Persuasion, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Rebecca Serle.

Olivia Taylor’s marriage is in a death spiral when she agrees to come home to the Hamptons to help her father and sisters pack up the family estate. If it looks like she’s running away from her soon-to-be-ex Wes and New York City, well, she is. But someone has to take care of things, and that’s always been Olivia’s role in the family. After years of financial trouble, someone’s finally bailing them out with a huge offer to buy their beachfront property, which is a good thing, although it means losing the home she grew up in, where her mother died, and where she first met Fred, the love of her life.

It’s been five years since the last time things blew up between Olivia and Fred, but much longer since the first time. At this point, Olivia fears it was never meant to be, so there’s no reason to feel butterflies in her stomach at the idea of seeing him again. They’ve already tried, and tried again…and again…but she’s newly single, and she isn’t the same person she was the last time–and Fred has changed, too.

This time, things will be different. Maybe, just maybe, the fifth time’s the charm."

In conclusion, this book is an enjoyable romp in the sand, perfect for your summer reading list. You may lose track of time and get a burn, so wear your sunscreen and indulge in this absorbing story. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC! Summer After Summer follows Olivia as she returns to her childhood home to help her father and sisters prepare the house for sale. Her marriage has been struggling and so this offers the perfect escape for Olivia,. When she gets to the house, however, she begins to doubt her choice as she discovers that the buyer of the house is none other than her first love, Fred. The story then alternates between the present and the past as we follow Olivia and Fred's first meeting and their love story as they reunite and separate every five years. Could this be the final chance for their love or are they destined to go their separate ways one final time? Summer After Summer is a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion and readers of both will pick up on parallel characters and storylines. This is a charming read, perfect for fans of second chance romance books.

Well that was an emotional rollercoaster! Good thing I love rollercoasters lol. This is a modern version of Jane Austin’s Persuasion. It’s been a while since I’ve read it, so I can’t do a full comparison. There are many similarities though and I like the modernization to present day. If you are unfamiliar with Persuasion, it’s a first-love and a second chance at love trope with a few twists.

I enjoyed reading this and I may re-read this in the future after re-reading Persuasion. I look forward to this author’s next book.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.