I gave this book a good effort and even came back to it a few times. I just couldn’t get into the plot or characters enough and reading became like a chore. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book.

Paige Toon is quite the accomplished author. I have loved the ones I have read, but I have yet to read them all.
I first became aware of the book Seven Summers when I saw the author post a live video of herself one night in March this year. She had just finished writing it and was in floods of tears, barely able to talk. I felt such emotion watching it, and the raw connection she has to her books was laid bare for us all to see. If you can, take a look. It really shows how much writers feel about the characters and stories they share.
I was so, so excited for it, and of course a little trepidatious.
It took me a while to grasp the format of the book. The chapters are divided into 'This Summer', where the protaganist has a new love interest and then chapters from Seven Summers Ago, where her relationship with her previous love develops when they are reunited for the summer, then moving forward in time to This Summer, when her worlds collide.

I liked the story and this was semi-engrossing, but there was too much extraneous stuff that I thought slowed the pace. Also frustrated by the characters - like do you like each other or not why is this complicated. This reminded me of Carly Fortune novels with the same complaints on my end so it's surely meeeeeeeee, hi, I'm the problem, it's me. Free advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paige Toon invites readers into a nostalgic and deeply emotional journey with her novel "Seven Summers". Through the lens of her protagonist, Ella, Toon crafts a narrative that explores the transformative power of love, friendship, and the passage of time.

At the heart of the story is Ella's enduring connection with her childhood best friend, Matt. From their idyllic summers spent together in Cornwall to the complexities of adulthood, their bond weathers the highs and lows of life's journey. Toon skillfully navigates through seven pivotal summers in Ella's life, each marked by significant milestones, heartaches, and moments of profound growth.

Toon's strength lies in her ability to create authentic and relatable characters. Ella is portrayed with depth and vulnerability, making her evolution from carefree youth to a woman navigating career choices, relationships, and personal challenges all the more compelling. Matt, with his charismatic presence and unwavering support, serves as both a source of stability and a catalyst for Ella's self-discovery.

The narrative unfolds with a seamless blend of humor, warmth, and poignancy. Toon's prose is evocative, capturing the essence of each summer setting—from sun-drenched beaches to quaint Cornish villages—while delving into the complexities of human emotions and relationships. The pacing is adeptly managed, allowing readers to immerse themselves fully in Ella's world and the nostalgic pull of summers past.

"Seven Summers" is more than a love story; it's a meditation on the enduring power of friendships and the defining moments that shape our lives. Toon navigates themes of loyalty, forgiveness, and the bittersweet nature of growing up with sensitivity and insight.

In conclusion, "Seven Summers" is a poignant and heartfelt novel that showcases Paige Toon's talent for storytelling. With its rich characterization, evocative settings, and emotional depth, this book is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction and anyone who appreciates a story that captures the complexities of love and friendship across the years.

Roller coaster ride of emotion.

Finn left St. Augustine years ago after tragedy struck his family. He now lives in Los Angeles with his father, but he comes back every summer to visit his brothers, his grandparents and the friends he left behind.

Liv left St. Augustine to pursue her degree i at university. She has dreams of making her mark as a successful sculptor. She never imagined she'd stay in St. Augustine, but events conspire to keep her there.

Having known each other as children, Finn and Liv are friends. Then, seven summers ago, it became something more. Their summer romance was hot and heavy. But Finn's life and his dreams in music are in LA. And Liv's home and her life is in St. Augustine.

Finn returns each summer. Though it gets harder each summer to say good bye when he leaves again, Liv doesn't have the strength to stay away from him. Until the summer she meets Tom.

As the years pass, Liv seems to mature much faster than Finn. He comes off as selfish and self centered. He comes back each summer knowing he has no plans to stay. And the time he spends each summer seems to get shorter. But he fully expects Liv to be there for him.

While the story starts in the present summer, it spends most of the time in the past, starting with the summer it all started between Liv and Finn. I think the repetition of what occurs between Finn and Liv each summer becomes a bit boring. The time was useful to watch Liv maturing. She is a much stronger character than Finn, able to stand up for what she needs, to do what's best for her even though it hurts her to do so. And, she's willing to take a chance, to reach for what she truly wants. Finn's expectations for of Liv were rooted in his selfishness without thought for her feelings.

Though, at times I felt like I was just slogging through the same scenes again and again, in the end it was worth the time. The last few chapters, and most definitely the epilogue are the most emotional and meaningful part of the story.

Paige Toon knows how to write a story that hits you right in the feels and tugs at your heartstrings. Seven Summers is a classic tale of the right person wrong time love story between Liv and Finn taking place over a seven years timeframe. It only took them one look to find themselves instantly drawn to each other knowing that they found their person but it took them through a lot of highs and a lot of lows to get to the right place in time to be together.


Thank you @paigetoonauthor publishers and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book was a little longer then necessary for my taste however I felt like it really tugged at my heart strings. What a wide feeling of emotions while reading and I felt all the feels! I gave myself a break from Toon for awhile but this book convinced me to come back.

This is a tough one for me to rate; I wanted to like it better (like so many others did), but I really struggled to relate to the characters. They were ultimately just so juvenile and lacking maturity. Throughout the book I felt like I was reading about high school kids instead of actual adults. Even after Liv had to take on additional responsibilities, I never viewed her as a grown up. Finn was even worse. The story itself was kind of sweet and kept my interest, particularly as the book went on, and I was happy with the ending. Ultimately though, my issue with the characters kept me from liking this book more.

I typically enjoy reading romance books, but this had such a slow start it felt almost too hard to keep going. We follow the motion of Liv, our main character, and her life. She met Finn one summer and their relationship had always been a push and pull. They would always get together during the summer when Finn would visit from LA and if they're both single, they would resume the relationship they had. As we go through the story, I found that Liv is struggling with moving on in her life and is perfectly content with where she is at. Quite the opposite of Finn as he wants more out of his life and career. Liv feels like she can't really live her life and she assumed responsibilities of other people including caring for her older brother after their parents passed. The book did discuss grief pretty well and had a very good story. I enjoyed the read, but definitely wouldn't plan on re-reading it any time soon.

What a heartfelt & emotional roller coaster. It’s definitely an “all the feels” type of book which are my favorites.

Paige Toon is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. There is just something about the way she writes about pain and loss and love and hope that draws me in and makes me want to bury myself in a warm blanket with hot tea and savor the story. And I, for one, love a story that is not just a surface, easy beach romance. I love characters who are deeply conflicted and having trouble finding their way through painful moments. Having to make decisions that are difficult but must be made in order for your life to move forward is the real world. Paige made me care about all the characters from the beginning and hope for a happily ever after, and I got it, albeit different than I expected, and I loved that too.

This story was tender and heartbreaking. It is told in the present and the seven summers of Liv's life and loves. She has endured tragedy and had her life dream swept away from her and replaced by responsibility and a fun job in a bar but by no means a career. She meets Finn, a musician/singer playing at the bar and their love story begins. But they lead two different lives on 2 different continents so as much as I was screaming for Liv to go with him, I understood why she could not. Their love endures when they see each other each summer but then Liv meets Tom. I don't want to give any spoilers but will say that the anguish that Liv goes through is so real. You feel for each of the characters. And when you think you know how it ends, there is a twist to the story and a lovely epilogue as well. This was beautifully written but don't be surprised if you need to reach for a tissue at several points in the story. It is that engrossing. This was my first book by Paige Toon but it won't be my last.

Paige Toon's Seven Summers is a great beach read. Liv is an appealing lead character, her love interests ring true, and you come to care about the characters. The characterization of Liv's brother Michael is especially vivid and you can see him in his world.

The Story is told looking backward and then unfolding one summer at a time as you move from the present to past summers. The mechanism works well and it's not distracting as some time jumps can be in other books.

This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading some others. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Seven Summers in exchange for an honest opinion. This book is available now.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ½✨⭐️
SEVEN SUMMERS
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: contemporary romance
📖 448 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: ☀️⛱️🎨🐚🎶🩷🏄🏼‍♀️🎤🎹😢🍹🚁💔

𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱? 👍🏼

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴

🧡𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🧡

Thank you @prhaudio @netgalley for the #gifted copy!

@paigetoon has done it again with SEVEN SUMMERS, a beautifully written novel that spans 7 summers & multiple timelines, all seen through the eyes of the MC, Liv. The story is filled with summer nostalgia, vividly capturing the essence of its sunny settings. The single POV narration adds depth & intimacy to Liv’s journey, making her growth throughout the book compelling & relatable.

It is an emotional, raw, & real exploration of heartbreak, love, grief, regret, music, & new beginnings. The supporting characters, especially Finn & Tom, are well developed & add richness to the story, making it hard to choose a favorite, don’t make me!! Liv's complex relationships with her parents & her sweet brother Michael (I just love him ☺️) enhance the story's authenticity.

& can we have a moment for the gorgeous 😍 cover that is just the beginning of the novel’s appeal?! I will never not read a book by Toon & could not recommend this more!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ summer romance / nostalgia
◽️ multiple timelines
◽️ 2 different lives/paths
◽️ grief & starting over
◽️ love triangles
◽️ wrong time, right boy
◽️ beach towns

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Liv & Finn meet 6 summers ago in Cornwall & are bound together by a tragic night. Despite Finn's life in LA & Liv's in Cornwall, they promise to reunite each summer if they are single. This summer, Liv meets Tom, a mysterious newcomer, & they fall for each other. For the first time, Liv envisions a future without heartbreak every autumn. She faces an impossible choice, especially after learning the shocking reason Tom left home.

What a gorgeous, beautiful, heartbreaking and achingly tender story. A fun, light rom com this, is most definitely not, What it is however is a deep and heartbreakingly human story about life, loss and love and a great reminder of how short our lives are.

The story follows Liv and Fin and their relationship over several summers while jumping between the past and the present.
I fell in love with their love story from the beginning. They are both very lovable characters with very complicated life situations doing their best to chase their happiness and live their lives to the fullest.

I flew through the first 70% in one day but I had to slow down because a great deal of the writing hit too close to home so please check the trigger warnings. I do with that the epilogue was longer. I also didn't see any of it coming and I was left sobbing.

I will be reading a lot more Page Toon from now on. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and #NetGalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

A heart wrenching and emotional coming of age story. Beautifully written and relatable with characters that are easy to root for. Told in alternating time lines with a "will they won't they" tension.

Told as a duel timeline between the present day and the events of the six previous summers, Toon writes an emotionally beautiful, complex love story.

I found the story to be not just a romance, but a coming of age story as Liv gives up on her plans she had for her life and becomes sort of stuck. This was extremely relatable to me and I really connected with her character.

It’s so hard to review Seven Summers without revealing too much and spoiling the read for others but I absolutely loved this read. This was my first Paige Toon novel and I will be absolutely inhaling all of her other novels!

** thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC and chance to read and review **

4.5 Stars! ⭐️

This book was absolutely HEARTBREAKING but I really loved it! Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions that will have you invested from start to finish…but maybe have some tissues ready because boy did I cryyyy 😭

I loved the setting and the dual timelines worked so well for the story - I couldn’t put this down once I started.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for the ARC! 🩷

Wow, I loved this book!! Seven Summers is a heart wrenching, emotional rollercoaster that you won't be able to put down. I love a book that gets me to reach for the tissue box, but can also make me giggle and Seven Summers did not disappoint. I had conflicting feelings of not wanting to put the book down vs not wanting the book to end. I enjoyed all of the characters!! Special shout out to Michael's comedic relief -it was an A+. This is my first book written by Paige Toon, and you bet I will be reaching for her other books in the near future!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I can easily see this book made into a miniseries, as we follow the love story of Liv and Finn over seven summers. Liv is a sculptor, with a goal of moving to London and working for a studio when a tragedy strikes. Staying in St. Agnes, Liv has her friends and her brother to anchor her when she meets Finn. Their attraction is undeniable, but Finn lives in LA and only comes home for summers. Their relationship deepens, but difficult decisions remain. Recommended if you like emotional love stories with ups and downs. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.