This is my first Paige Toon book, but I will definitely be reading more after this one! My heart strings were pulled at throughout the story, and I couldn't help but root for multiple loves that were presented... Couldn't put this one down, highly recommend!

It's probably been a solid couple hours after I've finished this book and I still feel like my heart has been ripped outta my body and repeatedly stomped on, but somehow weirdly still warm and fuzzy? Is that a thing??? This is my first novel I've read by Paige Toon, and now it won't be my last!

I was drawn to this book after reading the description–I do love me a love triangle, and especially when they're done well. Set in multiple timelines, Liv, an aspiring sculptor and lover of her hometown, first meets Finn, an up-and-coming musician/songwriter with a tragic past. Their whirlwind romance has all the aspects you want in an all-consuming first love: excitement, passion, all the butterflies. However Finn's career takes him to LA, whereas Liv's life has always been firmly set in her cozy, beachy hometown (honestly if I were her I'd also never want to leave!!).

Six summers pass, and Liv meets Tom. Let me tell you, I immediately fell in love with Finn. He has all the charm you'd want in a MMC, and his chemistry and love for Liv was so captivating, I could NOT imagine someone else strolling right on in and stealing away my heart! But what do ya know, Mr. Tom-maple-brown-eyes did just that!

This was such a beautiful story of the differences in first and second loves–how love itself has layers, and the understanding and maturity that grows as life moves on. It is also a story that alternates between really high-highs, and really low-lows, and isn't afraid to show the grayer sides of a character. And I cannot say I've ever experienced an epilogue like the one in this book, but my GOODNESS. 

I will say tears were shed, so a very special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sharing this advanced copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts...and a giant pool of tears.

The good: Beautiful descriptions of Cornwall, England. I could picture Seaglass and Stippy Stappy and the cliffs and the sea. I felt like I was there and I really want to make a trip there one day (and i live on Cape Cod) for the relaxed beachy vibe. And streets with names like Stippy Stappy. The playlists and songs were a great touch and I love that the author included a playlist at the end. I’m going to check out the songs! At first I didn’t understand what was happening in the “after” part but once I did I loved the twist on “seven summers.” And I absolutely adored the character of Michael. Probably the most built out character and it pays off.

The not as good: I was never consumed by this book and it took me a long time to finish. There were some chunks I skimmed past because it felt unnecessarily long. I think this book could be a good 50 pages shorter and be that much better. It was a good read, and extremely well written, but I never felt compelled to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Paige Toon

Paige Toon really has a way of pulling you into her stories. Having read a handful of her books at this point, I’ve never been disappointed with any of them. Having said that, Seven Summers has been my favorite that I’ve read so far.

Olivia returns to her home town of St. Agnes with grand future plans of travel and sculpting. However, after coming across the beautiful Finn, as well as some major life changes, so begins Olivia’s fork in the road.

Seven Summers is a love story at heart but also explores the meaning of friendship, true love, and also the love of family. I adored the backdrop of St. Agnes and Perranporth. Paige’s descriptions of these towns were so beautiful that I felt as though I was there! So much so that when I looked them up, they were exactly as I had pictured.

Seven Summers alternated between warm + fuzzy feelings and also pulling at my heart strings. I absolutely adored this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I looooved this book! I didn’t know what to expect because I was unfamiliar with this author, but this book is a romance with lots of heart. I really liked all of the main characters and found them very authentic and believable. It is reminiscent of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, which I also loved.

Liv Arterton, a sculptor living in a beach town in Cornwall, has an arrangement with Finn, a musician based in LA, that every summer when he comes home they will reconnect if they are both single. However, then tragedy strikes, and everything is up in the air.


The story picks up quickly, and once I was about three chapters in, I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book, and I will looking for more offerings from this talented author!

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for my ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an ARC of this amazing book! This review is of my own opinion.

Seven Summers is a novel about two epic love stories that have been forged in a place of grief. This book made me laugh out loud and shed quite a few tears, it broke my heart into so many pieces, and made me feel attached to every one of the characters. Liv is determined and strong, but still recognizes that she needs a shoulder to cry on. Finn is the band guy, with luscious hair and “Indie vibes”. Then there’s Tom. Mysterious, but so sweet Tom! He comes in at the right time, when Liv needs him most, and she doesn’t even know it!

I hated the tragedy that struck Liv and Michael, but Paige Toon really knows how to bring the story full circle. I grieved with Liv and felt her pain! But I love that she found peace in sculpting, which is her passion! Toon plays with your feelings throughout this entire story and I love her writing style! I really enjoyed how she switched back and forth between current and past summers.

My only complaint about Seven Summers is the epilogue. I really wish Toon had made the epilogue apart of the story, rather than rushing to finish up the story. What was written in the epilogue wraps up these love stories SO well and I really would have rather we spend more time in that part of the story than other, more drawn out parts. We saw so much of Finn throughout the story and not enough of Tom! I wanted to see the relationship between Liv and Tom blossom!!

Over all, I fell in love with this book! I would definitely recommend reading this novel to anyone and everyone! It will break your heart into pieces, but Paige Toon will put it back together again by the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Seven Summers" by Paige Toon had the potential to be a heart-wrenching and emotionally charged tale, and it did have its moments. The writing skillfully weaved between the past six summers and the present, offering a glimpse into the rollercoaster of emotions that Liv and Finn experienced over the years. The portrayal of heartbreak, love, and life's messiness was captivating.

However, my enthusiasm for this book waned as I reached the end. My primary gripe with "Seven Summers" is the decision to relegate the epilogue to an afterthought. It felt like the most significant part of the story, something I had been eagerly rooting for since the beginning, was swept under the rug. Why keep readers waiting until the very end for such a crucial revelation? It left me feeling unsatisfied and wishing for a more integrated storytelling approach.

Additionally, Liv's inclination to be drawn to people with painful pasts and traumatic experiences became somewhat repetitive. It felt like a recurring theme that wasn't explored or resolved meaningfully.

The introduction of Tom, a mysterious newcomer to Liv's hometown, felt abrupt and somewhat forced. He was brought into the narrative only for Liv to ultimately return to Finn, leaving me questioning the purpose of Tom's character in the first place.

On a positive note, I did appreciate the storytelling technique of jumping between the different summers, which added depth to the characters and their evolving relationships. It allowed readers to witness the growth and changes in Liv and Finn's lives.

Ultimately, "Seven Summers" had moments of emotional intensity and engaging storytelling. Still, it fell short of its potential due to the placement of the critical epilogue and the underdeveloped exploration of specific themes and characters.

Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

This story really captured my heart until the very end. I enjoyed the writing and the back/forth timeline between the Now and past seven summers. The heartbreak, love and life experiences were captivating, raw and messy.

My one pet peeve is that the epilogue should have been part of the main story - it was THAT big. It’s what I was rooting for from the start. Why put it all as an after thought?

Liv is back from University, and Flinn is filling in as the lead singer of a band when their lives collide. Although they grew up going to school with each other, they were never part of each other's crowds until that summer. Some things just happen, and two souls are forever entwined. But Finn's home is in Los Angeles, and Liv's home is in Cornwall. They know the long distance will never work, so when Finn comes back each summer to visit - if he is single and she is single... As the years go by, what seems like a simple solution naturally gets complicated as both of their hearts want one thing, but their heads want another.

A sweet summer romance read.

The character growth from summer to summer and beyond was really special to experience.

For a cover, I picture something like People We Meet on Vacation, but Cornwall.

I thought the book was pretty good! Not the biggest fan of love triangles so when that was happening I was a bit put off, but a good summer vacation read nonetheless.

‘Two epic love stories. One impossible choice.’

P. Toon is so talented at playing with yo feelings! She begins with this smooth kind of build up, chock full of excitement and hope and she makes it so easy for you to fall madly in love.
Then she snatches back! Lol!
But she doesn’t stop there. She does it again and again and she does it so successfully in Seven Summers.
Liv, our female MC, is so well written, she feels like a friend.
So when she’s happy, you’re happy, when her heart breaks, yours does too. And it’s one hell of an emotional roller coaster. One I was grateful to have been able to read so I absolutely l recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 5.21.24.

Would you put your life on hold for a few weeks of love each summer? This is exactly what Liv and Finn need to decide. I absolutely loved this story and couldn't wait to get to the end. I felt emotional when the characters were sad. This is a love story/drama and definitely pulls at your heart strings. I felt as torn as the lead character. This book was just the right length, not rushed and not drawn out. I really, really enjoyed it.

I did not know that this book was a love triangle (sometimes love square) going into it, a trope I hate, but I actually ended up really liking it. The book is told is a single POV, alternating between the present, where Liv is getting to know Tom, and the past summers, where she sees Finn. It heavily touched on grief. I liked both relationships and while I did like how it was resolved, it was a melancholy and bittersweet ending.

Paige Toon’s latest novel takes us back seven years to a seaside village in Cornwall where we meet Olivia recently returning home for the summer following college graduation. Liv, an artist, has plans to leave Cornwall at the end of the summer to pursue her career in London. On her first night home she reunites with her lifelong friends and is reintroduced to an old schoolmate, Finn. Liv and Finn grow closer throughout the summer and when tragedy strikes Liv’s family, he helps her move past her grief.

The timeline moves forward to the present summer, Liv is still in Cornwall and living a life she didn’t expect, but she feels happy enough. She unexpectedly meets Tom and with his friendship and support, makes some needed changes in her life.

I enjoyed the shifting timeline and loved the way the story unfolded. Paige Toon has knocked this one out of the park and I as a longtime fan, I always look forward to reading her work.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Life is full of choices and this book explores what one might have to do with the choices that are made and what is best for her. Meaning… the main character Liv! It was a lot of romance, heartbreak, loss, grief, coming of age, all those things that make a story juicy! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As expected by the title, the book goes back and forth between the past and present years of summers. It’s a sweet, charming romance located in England.

Liv is an aspiring artist who’s just returned from sculpture coursework in Italy to her coastal hometown.

Finn is in town from LA to visit his UK family. He’s a singer, songwriter and is filling a spot in his school friends band for a few weeks.

Their story makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time with the prim and proper ways between them and the good old time gentleman ways with the male characters.

It’s a heart breaking story about loss changing the direction and even location of your life.
We can have dreams of where we want to be or go with a career or passion to only be squashed by devastating loss or situations that put us on another path we didn’t imagine.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin publishing.
#family #grief #secondchances #slowburn

5 stars 5 stars 5 stars!!

Wow, this is one of my favorite books I have read so far this year. This book was captivating from the very beginning and really drew me into the story. There was a lot of ups and downs as we go through the book, it was very emotional and heartbreaking at times. The characters were brilliantly written and complex. I was sad when the book ended but I was overall really happy with how it ended.

Liv and Finn went to school together but really meet in a bar on the Cornish coast. By the end of that summer they have really hit it off, but Liv's life is here while Finns is in LA. They make a promise that when Finn returns each summer, if they are single, they will be together. Liv and Finn find it harder and harder each summer since they both love each other. They end up stopping their summer flings and focus on their own lives. Finn meets someone else in his life while Liv falls for a man named Tom. I don't want to give anything else away, but the end of the book goes through Liv and Toms relationship and ends with a real twist.

Overall, this book was really special to me and will be a book that sticks with me. It wasn't your average love story, it was so much more. I am looking forward to reading more from Paige Toon after reading this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed Seven Summers! It was a lovely, yet heartbreaking story of Liv.
I felt some events happened suddenly without much story or little explanation, wondering if I had missed a paragraph or page. I loved Michael’s character and that everything sat well for Liv in the end.

This was my first read by Paige Toon but I look forward to reading more by her! I appreciate NetGalley and this ARC!

This is a well written story but I just couldn't get into the story overall or the characters. It's kind of a romance, kind of a coming of age, kind of a dealing with grief story--I guess in that way it is a lot like life. But I didn't find the characters very interesting or compelling.

Paige Toon has done it again! An emotional and captivating story about two people whose love for each other never fades spanning over years and years. With Finn's past, it hurts to be in Cornwall where Olivia resides, but the thought of leaving her only family behind to go to LA where Finn is hurts just as much. Will fate ever allow them to be together how they both yearn for? Then Tom comes into the story, changing everything.

I always appreciate the emotional depth the author has in her work and the character complexity. You know it's never going to be an easy read, but it's always worth it in the end. All I can say is I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful ending... both Tom and Finn get their happy endings.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the digital advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.