This book is how a big hug feels. WOW.

I stayed up until 2 am reading this book last night and I already have a book hangover this morning. What a brilliant story from Annabel Monaghan, definitely my favorite of the three books I've read.

Getting lost in an unhappy marriage and having to start all over and find yourself after a divorce is so relatable. I really empathized with Ali when she finally stood up to her ex and started choosing herself and her future over being "nice and accommodating".

Ethan's (Scooter) storyline was also very touching. It's hard coming back to a place where everyone knows you and wants to think of you as the teenager that they knew instead of the adult that you are. Having to constantly remind people that you've grown up and changed is frustrating and it makes you not want to visit home because you feel like you regress to your old unhappy teenage self. I was so happy seeing him grow and find a place for himself in the community, while also reminding everyone of who he is now. Speaking of the community and town, Annabel's description of both was amazing and made me wish I lived there. One day I want a big house with a yard and neighbors who I am best friends with (that is when I'm done with big city living).


Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of Summer Romance and Annabel please keep writing!

Sometimes you just have to throw shit in the pantry.” So begins Annabelle Monaghan’s newest novel “Summer Romance.” Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose crazy life is anything but organized. Reeling from the death of her mother, her husband who wants a divorce and with three kids and a dog in tow, Ali sets out to reclaim her life one summer and in the process discovers so much more.

Annabelle Monaghan delivers a wonderful story that will tug at your heartstrings, make you laugh out loud and have you wish you could step into the story and be friends with the characters. While Summer Romance delivers on the romance, it also delivers so many beautiful life lessons for readers of all ages and stages. So in the words of our protagonist Ali Morris, be the “architect of your own life.” And in my words for Ms. Monaghan, thank you for sharing your magical gift of storytelling. Your stories delight me, touch my heart and always leave me with pearls of wisdom.

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM, G.P. Putnan Son’s and Annabelle Monaghan for providing me with this digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I truly loved this book!

Thank you Annabel, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
This book is in my top 5 best romance books I have ever read. It was perfection!
Annabel writes a flawless love story that is grounded and realistic. Neither character is without flaws, but the characters were so self aware. Ali and Ethan found their slice of happiness by finding each other. The desire to be free and take ownership of yourself and your story, was delicious to read. The story never stalled, Annabel paced this story beautifully. It was heartful and made me have butterflies the entire read.
Ali asks if it's okay to be hooked on another person, well I am hooked on Ali and Ethan. Their love story isn't loud or boisterous. It's subtle and patient. Annabel created something really special with this book. Clear some space on your book shelf because this is a must read!

BONUS POINTS to Ethan for the dog names. You would just have to meet them to understand.

This book is so good! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

LIKE: *The main character, Ali. She is so relatable, and still a good mom while grieving the loss of her own mother. The majority of my highlights in this book had to do with her thoughts on children and parenting. Just excellent.
*The ridiculous dog park meet cute
*A boy obsessed
*I laughed out loud, and I cried

DISLIKE: *Ali is a professional organizer and this book made me feel guilty for ignoring my own clutter in order to read (but not guilty enough to put it down)

Just like she did with Nora Goes Off Script, Annabel Monaghan knocked it out of the park with Summer Romance! This book gave me all of the feels and had me rooting for Ali and Ethan, but even more than that it gave me hope for every woman who has ever lost herself along the way. I loved this book and didn’t want it to end! Thank you Putnam Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Summer Romance is a book with so many emotions and stories intertwined, the romance is great but the self-discovery of the characters is even better.

This is my second book by the author and I must say that I love her writing, the pace feels so light and easy to enjoy. From the beginning of the book I was hooked on wanting to know more about Ali's life and the people who surround her. I loved reading Ali's character development throughout the story. At the beginning she realizes that she has been “missing” for several years, stuck in a marriage and a life that was not completely designed by her, and during the book we read how little by little she is coming out of that darkness and embracing who she is again.

The romance part FASCINATED me, there’s chemistry from their first meeting and every interaction between them was so damn charming. I liked how that relationship developed and how they dealt with the obstacles that came their way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for allowing me to read this incredible book in exchange for an honest opinion 💘

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan is a solid five ⭐️ romance read that should go to the top of your summer TBR pile. Monaghan weaves the stories of Ali, a divorced mom of 3, and Ethan, the town screw-up (he’s anything but), into a heartwarming summer romance that epitomizes a solid and healthy relationship., heavy on feel good romance. I also appreciated how so many other relationships were intertwined in the novel, leaving you with a smile on your face.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Books Putnam Group, and Annabel Monaghan for the ARC, it truly was a delight.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced copy!

Now for my review:
Wow, I absolutely LOVED this book! Ali’s character was written so well showing how easy it is to lose yourself and to give in to a significant other while in a relationship. All of her thoughts and feelings felt raw and relatable. And Ethan! Gahhh. He was so lovable, charming, and FUNNY. I laughed out loud numerous times, especially during his and Ali’s first encounter.

The relationship with, and grief Ali experienced after the loss of her mother, gave me major One Italian Summer vibes. It showed the complexity of the love and loss of a parent, and had me so emotional. The inner monologue Ali had when talking to her mom broke my heart.

I was rooting for Ali in her journey to find herself and her happiness again.

This book was just so beautiful, fun, comedic, and so well written. I felt like I was there in the story with the characters. I’d have finished it in one sitting if I hadn’t had adult responsibilities.

4.5 amazing stars!

I have to say, one thing I love about Annabel Monaghan's books: I love how properly grown-up her characters are. Sure, they each have their own baggage and insecurities, but everything is discussed and then eventually resolved in such a mature, adult way. That's rarely the case in many of the books I've read, and I feel like it makes her stories all the more richer.

Although the lead characters took some initial warming up to, I quickly found myself engaged and unable to put this book down. I loved Ali's humorous and extremely relatable inner dialogue, I loved Ethan's entire storyline and how sweet he was, I loved the discussions about grief, in all of its many aspects. This book was just beautifully well done, and I will certainly be recommending it to everyone I know. By this point, Annabel Monaghan can do no wrong and she is an auto-buy for me. Five stars!

Summer Romance is another excellent read by Monaghan.
Monaghan has done it again. This book again digs deep into emotions and comes out with a story with depth and love along with the mess that is life filled with love, grief and hard decisions. It addresses the risks of love head on. My only complaint is getting to read this early means a longer wait for Monaghan’s next book.
In the book you have a recently divorced mom who is struggling with the grief of losing her mom. She struggles with grief and lose on multiple levels and how you can sometimes lose yourself and life and parenting swirls around you. There is a wonderful dog park meet cute with a man who is smitten with her and she has to find herself again to be able to accept it. There is wonderful characters and sub character relationships. This is a fun read perfect for summer or a beach read. I loved it.

Ugh! What a delight this book was. Annabel Monaghan can do no wrong in my mind.

I have a tendency to read a lot of romance books that revolve around tropes that deal with people who already know each other (friends to lovers; enemies to lovers, etc.). So it’s really refreshing to come across a book that has a meet cute - although I’m not sure Ali will find it very cute that hers started with her dog peeing on Ethan - and watch their relationship develop.

Like familiar people tropes, these characters have their own baggage, albeit independent of each other and they learn to overcome that together. For Ali, it’s grief over losing her mother and navigating single motherhood. For Ethan, it’s trying to overcome the person everyone thinks he still is.

Annabel Monaghan has a beautiful way of writing that immerses the reader so deeply that they become the protagonist. Everything Ali felt, I felt - even if I had never had that same experience before. Her grief was my grief. Everytime she had a visceral reaction to Pete, I felt my blood boil. Her fear and excitement over trying something new was mine to behold as well. To say you root for Ali through this book is to minimize the depths of emotions Annabel manages to pull out. And to watch her climb out of her grief to become who she is proud to be is captivating.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

*thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions herein are my own.*

This is my new favorite Annabel Monaghan book, and no one is more shocked than me! I’m typically not super into books with recently divorced FMCs, and I’m also super picky about single mom/dad books. They often feel unrealistic to me (like the author has never actually had kids and clearly has no idea what they’re like), or the kids just get in the way of the plot for me. This book handled both of those aspects perfectly and I loved it.
It felt like a warm hug the whole way through, the mom aspect was extremely relatable to me, and it handled the themes of grief and loss with so much care. It just felt very real and hopeful. Annabel’s writing reminded me of Kate Clayborn in this book (which is a great thing!).
I laughed, I squealed, I felt all those butterfly feelings of new love, I cried, and I cheered for Ali as she found herself again after loss. The romance plot was great here, but even better was the love story of Ali with herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Annabel definitely has the gift of storytelling. She engages her readers emotions and pulls them into the characters lives—like inviting them over for tea and a chat. She doesn’t shy away from the harder sides of life, but that’s what makes her stories more full figured. But even though they may incorporate some of the less desireable aspects of life, the books wasn’t unnecessarily heavy. Not necessarily sweet but still gentle.

This was amazing!

Ali Morris is just moving through life numbly after the death of her mother when her husband asks for a divorce. She’s now a single mother of three with a struggling home organizing business and seemingly little direction and motivation because of all she’s been through.

Without giving too much away, Ali embarks in a summer romance that changes everything for her. We get to watch her come back to life.

Put shortly, I loved this book! I loved all of the characters (except Pete obv.), and I loved watching Ali work through grief and see that her mom was always with her. I loved Annabel Monaghan’s Same Time Next Summer, and I think I loved this even more! She is an auto buy author for me!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was absolutely perfect. I adored this love story! It felt like you were on a journey with Ali, as her friend while she grieves her mother and tries to reconcile her future as a divorcee with three kids. In life, we often feel like we're supposed to pick up the pieces independently without asking for help. This novel felt like like a breath of fresh air! Life is hard and sometimes we need someone to help nudge us along and help us see ourselves how they see us. I would 100000% recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Just perfect. *chefs kiss*

I was unsure what to expect with this book. I adored Nora Goes Off Script, and was disappointed by Same Time Next Summer. Which direction was Summer Romance going to fo?

The short answer: Itself. The long answer: All the best parts of Nora Goes Off Script times one hundred. I absolutely loved it!

Summer Romance follows Ali Morris - a mother of three, recent divorcee, and daughter in mourning. Ali is likable, relatable, and all the other '-ables' I would use to describe my best friend. Along comes Ethan, seemingly hardworking and respectable, who turns out to be her friends once-goofy younger brother.

I loved how this booked not only touched on navigating romance as a divorcee, but also a single mom and someone who is in their late 30s. The character development between Ali and Ethan is on point, and while I don't always loved closed-door romances I found this one to be highly believable. We need more books like this!

I can't wait to buy my own copy once this releases, and read it in the summer! Between Summer Romance and Nora Goes Off Script.. Monaghan has quickly become an 'auto-buy' author for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for my ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have loved Annabel Monaghan's other books but this could possibly be my favorite! She manages to write fun, romantic stories that are still so well written and smart. Just as I have recommended her other books to many customers, I will be recommending this one to anybody who wants a great book that will leave them smiling, laughing, and rooting for a happy ending for this lovable characters.

I will definitely recommend this book to library patrons who enjoyed "Nora Goes Off Script," but this one just didn't do it for me. The storyline may have hit too close to home for me in the death of a parent aspect. It's well written and fans of her other works will certainly enjoy it.

I really enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's newest novel. I loved so many of the characters and really appreciated the deeper topics covered such as grief, rediscovering yourself, and thinking about the ways your decisions impact others. I'll be recommending this one to friends - it's really the perfect summer romance!

I have enjoyed all of Annabel Monaghan's summer offerings, but this, by far is my favorite.

Ali is finally about to make her divorce final. With 2 tween daughters and a 6 year old son, she is ready to face the summer of summer camps and soccer practices. Her mother has recently passed away and she finds herself having "conversations" with her to help sort through her situation. She and her elderly neighbor have a close relationship, each helping each other face the changes in their lives. When Ali's dog "marks his territory" on a man in the dog park, her summer starts out with a bang. As the summer progresses, Ali helps him clean out his parents' house, she is, after all, a professional organizer, in trade for his legal assistance with her divorce proceedings. As the title suggests, Summer Romance ensues.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a can't put it down kind of a read. Because I read this as an ARC, I read it at the start of January. While the season was incongruent with the book, the message of a fresh start resonated loud and clear.

Highly recommend.

I received an Advanced Reader copy via NetGalley from Penguin Random House / GP Putnam's Sons.