Annabel Monaghan writes the perfect summer romance (pun intended) every time! This gives all of the feel good summer vibes while also delving into real topics like dating after divorce, dealing with grief, family dynamics, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Thanks to PRH/Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC.

Annabel Monaghan did it again. From the beginning we fall in love with Ali and Ethan. This story has everything you want in a summer romance- a little spice, a love of romance and laugh out loud moments. If you’re looking for the perfect summer read I highly recommend this book, and all her other books for that matter!!

"Her parenting and gardening mottos are the same: 'Pull the weeds and let God do the rest.'"

Ali has had a rough couple of years.  Her mom died, and then a year later, her husband asks for a divorce. Things seem to look up when she meets Ethan at the local dog park. Ethan's only visiting, though, which means this new romance can only last for the summer, right?

I was so engrossed in this book.  Ali and Ethan bring out the best in each other, and those are my favorite type of romances.  Ali lost who she was for numerous reasons but was able to find herself at the end.  I couldn't help but root for her.  Ethan was dreamy and easy to love.  I connected with the characters so much. The icing on the cake was the cute beach town that was the setting of the story. This really is the perfect beach read for the summer. 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I finished this book in one night because I could not put it down. It was such a compelling story. Her first novel, Nora Goes off Script, is one of my favorite books and Annabel Monaghan is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. This is a perfect summer read.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This is the third book by this author that I’ve read (and requested from NetGalley) and I’m always happy to read another! I really like her writing style. Though I feel like we sort of get to know the characters but I’m left wanting a little more. This book is a really quick read. I don’t particularly like family drama, especially marital issues so I didn’t l love that aspect of the story, but I really liked Ethan and I especially liked how he interacted with her kids.

Would recommend.

I don't have much of a relationship with Annabel Monaghan. I DNF'd her last book, Same Time Next Summer, but am still interested in Nora Goes Off Script. That being said, I don't think I'll read future books by this author.

It might be because I came to this book straight off Funny Story by Emily Henry, which was so thick with character development and emotional weight, that this book directly after felt incredibly superficial to me. Ali's recently gone through hardship -- first her mother dying, immediately followed by her husband announcing he wants a divorce -- and she tells us she's swallowed in grief, but we as the reader don't truly get to see it. We see the periphery of it and hear her bemoaning it, but we don't experience it firsthand. Just like we don't get to experience Ali and Ethan's past firsthand, which I would've liked to see more of so this current relationship -- him being her best friend's little brother, her not recognizing him at first -- has more stakes. So the complications are more fraught.

This is a short book, so I can't begrudge it too much, but with many books, I wanted more depth. More development. I wanted Pete to get told off more than that one brief time. I wanted more behind the scenes of Ethan's decision to leave Devon. I wanted more Frannie.

Just...more.

Loved this one. A mother of three, mid divorce decides to take off her ring and make the transition from "soft" pants to "hard" pants - spoiler alert - that means out of your sweats into pants with a zipper! And on the first day she does, she meets a guy at the dog park, they go on a date, and its the best date of her life. I loved Ali and Ethan, together and separately. Just light, fun and so enjoyable! Definitely a summer treat!

Ali Morris specializes in professional organization. She lost her mother two years ago and her husband requested a divorce a year later. After two years in a daze, she begins to emerge and removes her wedding ring. At the dog park, Ali encounters Ethan and they engage in light flirting. Ethan invites her to a baseball game and they enjoy their time together. However, a visit to her best friend's house reveals that Ethan is her best friend's younger brother. Ali and Ethan develop a friendship, which they keep hidden from her children. As Ali's estranged husband agrees to finalize their divorce through mediation, he is displeased to find Ethan accompanying Ali, not realizing Ethan is a lawyer there to protect Ali's interests. Ethan, who is not a local resident, is in town only for the summer to visit his family.

A great summer romance for us all to enjoy! I loved this sweet love story. It was full of self exploration and growth but was fun a focused on finding joy! I loved the characters and their community. It was closed door and very mild spice but had enough depth that it wasn’t too sugary sweet/cheesy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are mine alone.

Summer Romance follows Ali, a freshly single mom off her divorce and her journey to rediscovering who she is after her marriage, reclaiming her youth, and truly learning what makes her happy. Although I couldn't personally relate with Ali's journey, I felt like Annabel Monaghan's ability to write depth into Ali's character and reveal the reasons why her previous marriage fell apart, allowed me as the reader a lot of space to empathize and honestly feel very invested in her self discovery journey. I wish I could've got into more details of Ali's personality, at times I felt like I never fully got to know her, but regardless I did appreciate her character.

The love interest in Summer Romance, Ethan, was a delight to read about. I absolutely love when romantic leads have lengthy history between them, in this case Ethan and Ali have history spanning back to childhood. I definitely felt the chemistry between Ethan and Ali, but at times I struggled to really buy into them being "perfect for each other" because their relationship did develop rather quickly. I think I would've enjoyed more of a slow burn given the context of the divorce and seeing Ethan support her in her self discovery then deciding to explore something romantically. Regardless, I loved how Ethan became a rock for Ali and I found the scenes with Ali's ex husband and Ethan to be very entertaining.

The thing I potentially enjoyed the most about this book was the setting. To me Summer Romance read as the perfect, atmospheric beach read. The imagery painted practically had me tasting the salt water air at home and made me wish I was reading this on the beach somewhere.

Summer Romance did lack a little bit of depth and believability in the romance for me to see it as a favorite, but I would absolutely recommend Summer Romance for your next beach read!

Thank you so much GP Putnam’s Sons for the ARC.

Rating: 4/5
Warning: divorce
Steam: closed door

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did love this book! Summer Romance was such a feel good book that brought together women’s fiction with a romance. It gives similar vibes to Nora Goes Off Script, our heroine is starting over at the end of her marriage. Figuring out who she is outside of her identity as a mother, wife and daughter.

Things I loved: I found the hard pants storyline so funny. Ethan is someone I was routing for so hard and I do wish I got a bit of his perspective. I loved the relationship Ali had with her kids. All the organizing.

Annabel Monaghan is someone who writes books that are so relatable and realistic. This is also one you could gift your mom (or grandma) when they inevitably ask for a rec this summer.

✨ Pub Day: June 4, 2024 ✨

“Worrying about someone is sorta expecting them to fail.”

Ali was grieving the loss of her mother when her husband announced he wanted a divorce. A year later, Ali is still wearing sweat pants and barely holding it together for her three kids. As romance novels go, Ali meets a cute stranger named “Ethan” at the dog park and discovers he just might be what she needs this summer, but he comes with a secret.

Aww, this was one of my favorite romances. @annabelmonaghan is an amazing author. I think this is my favorite of her three books.

I adore Ali and Ethan. They’re for sure one of my favorite fictional couples now. I flew through this book and couldn’t put it down. Told from Ali’s perspective - she struggles pulling herself up from the extreme grief caused from the loss of her mother. Watching Ali build back her selfesteem was heartwarming. I loved Ali’s support system too- her friends and family. Good character development and likable characters made this romance better than most.

✨ Genre: Romance
💛 Steamy rating: Mild
🤬 Profanity: Mild

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Perfect summer read! I loved Nora Goes Off Script and this follows the same vein. Well built characters, emotional without being a tear jerker. Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: 6/4/24

Annabel Monaghan is always a win for me! This was a great slow burn, best friend's brother romance. I loved the small town vibes. I love her writing style and highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a short and sweet romance read

This is a new to me author, and I’m a big fan. I really enjoyed this story of a single mom, best friends brother romance. The writing was lovely and flowed so naturally. The characters and development were so good. There is zero “spice” in this but that was not missed. It was overall a really lovely beach read.

Lo amé, sentí el sufrimiento de Ali y me alegre cuando era feliz, sólo quería que tuviera una buena vida.

Este libro es viaje por el autodecubrimiento de Ali, una mujer de 38 años recién divorciada, mamá de tres niños que sigue de luto por la muerte de su mamá. Ella se da cuenta que su vida no es como la imagino, a lo largo del libro vemos como fue que llegó a ese punto y como dejar de ser observadora y toma el mando de su vida. Además hay romance, ¿qué más se puede pedir? No diré nada más sobre Ali porque vale la pena ir a ciegas.

Todo esta narrado por Ali y aunque prefiero que este narrado por ambos, en este libro es necesario que ella sea la única protagonista para que veamos todo su desarrollo y crecimiento, pero me gustaría otro libro narrado por Ethan. La historia es perfecta para tener dos libros sin importar que se repitieran algunas partes porque se verían detalles que no se pueden apreciar en este, además lo conoceríamos más afondo y no sólo como el interés amoroso de; podríamos ver como superó lo que le pasó en la adolescencia, en como se convirtió en abogado hasta que lo abandonó y empezó a trabajar en lo que ama, como sobrelleva 3l sentirse una decepción para sus padres, en como el skate lo salvo y que ahora es un maestro para muchos niños, ufff hay tantas cosas que no sabemos y me encantaría ver. Annabel, ojalá puedas escribir el libro de Ethan.



It’s funny, what you’ll do for your kids but not for yourself.


I myself am a ball of unfocused longing. When I’m quiet I can hear my heart yearning for impossible things. I want a perfectly pared-down home, and I want to hang on to every scrap of the past. I want a break from my kids without missing a single minute of their lives. I long for a partnership, and I long for freedom. I long to be enmeshed with someone without losing myself. I want all of it.



Not for the first time today, I try to retrace my steps to figure out how I got from being the girl Ethan remembers to being the woman sitting in this place right here. The most disturbing part of the balance of power in my relationship with Pete is that I was complicit, chipping off pieces of myself and offering them to him until all that was left is who I am now.



I open my mouth to speak and nothing comes out. I’ve had nightmares like this where I’m trying to scream but I’m not able. There’s just too much anger behind every word. I’ve kept my mouth shut for so long, it’s almost like my body knows that if I start I won’t stop.


He pulls me close and we watch my kids laugh with his parents. I feel all of it. The love for my kids that sometimes feels like it could engulf me in flames. The burning love I can still feel coming from my mom, like it’s something alive inside of me. And the way Ethan feels like a thing I have been waiting for my entire life.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for an advanced copy of this book.
This was so sweet! I love a second chance romance and a terrible ex-husband. I'm a little over the 3rd act break up but we all knew how this one was going to end. Very clean and fun read!

****Publishing June 4, 2024****

Have you ever felt like you are stuck in a rut? This is how Ali Morris felt. Still grief ridden from her mother’s death 2 years ago. Her husband left her 1 year ago, and she has her kids to raise as a single parent. Instagram reminds her of self-care. With juggling a divorce, an ex, and kids, can she pull it together and have a little fun with a summer romance?

A heartfelt, fun, and entertaining Rom-Com! I love how Annabel Monaghan’s writing just draws you into an entertaining and enjoyable story with laugh-out-loud and heartfelt moments. Annabel captures the emotions and stresses of everyday life that evolve around relationships, parenting, family, and friendships. This book will have you turning the pages to find if Ali can juggle it all while having a little fun! Is she able to create a life that makes her happy? A refreshing read that leaves you feeling satisfied in the end! A great book to take on vacation or to read by the pool!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam (G.P. Putnam's Sons) , I was provided an ARC of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute and fun! Annabel Monaghan does a great job of creating such likable but real characters that you automatically cheer for. Ethan was so swoon worthy! I was so sad when this was over. An automatic add to beach bag read.

This was such a great read. The fact that it was a best friend’s brother romance was a given that I was going to enjoy it. I just didn’t know how much. Ali has really been through it and let herself fall to last place in her failed marriage. Scooter shows up as Ethan and surprises her. He makes her feel loved and appreciated and like she is back on top of the world. I just couldn’t get enough of their adorable romance. Almost like they were back in high school together. It was truly adorable. This was definitely a binge read and the audio was great. It was fast paced and even the third act breakup didn’t bother me that much.