I've become a fan of Annabel Monaghan, and her book Nora Goes of Script was so good. This one is in a very similar vein. I really appreciate that she goes for the romance of older women and the nuances of such. As a 40+ person, its kind of fun, not only to read about romances of 25 year olds. This was a lovely if a tad predictable romance, that will be a perfect Summer book for your vacations next year.

I loved Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script very much, but I think Summer Romance might be my favorite book by Annabel Monaghan! Summer Romance is heartwarming and the perfect feel good book! I highly recommend reading this book when it publishes on June 4, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P Putnam Son’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a delightful read! Annabel Monaghan has become an automatic read for me and Summer Romance didn’t disappoint. I truly appreciate the author’s use of an older, married(ish) mom as the protagonist! It’s nice the see parts of my life reflected in a rom com book. This will be such a wonderful beach read this summer!

This was a beautiful story of growth and learning your own self-worth. As a mom of three, so much of Ali's story resonated with me. I found myself highlighting so many passages and thinking "yes! this!". I loved the parallels between her relationship with her mom and her relationship with her pre-teen daughter. Again, so many beautiful words of wisdoms.

Ethan is a great MMC, someone who brings out the absolute best in her and sees her where she is for who she is. I loved the banter between them.

This was a very easy read with extremely lovable, relatable characters. It was my first read by this author but I'll definitely be coming back to her in the future.

4.5⭐️
This was my favorite Annabel Monaghan book. The romance was great but there were so many other storylines that were even better: grief, family, taking care of others, friendship, community, and more. It gave all the feels wrapped up in a happily ever after romance! I couldn’t put it down and loved Ali and Ethan’s story. The perfect summer read!

I am so thankful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It touched me in a way I was not expecting. I love Annabel Monaghan’s books, especially Nora Goes Off Script, but Summer Romance is now my favorite of her books. I loved the characters and the story so much! This is definitely going to be a book that I recommend to my friends and reread myself. Thank you Annabel Monaghan for this amazing book!!!

Ali is about to be a divorced woman with 3 kids and a loser husband after recently losing her mother (who was also her best friend). This book takes us along her life as she learns so much about herself and finds love again (with an absolute precious gem of a man)

This book was so sweet! Filled with wonderful lessons about love, grief, and relationships, it feels like a big long hug the whole time you are reading it. I love how often she felt her deceased mother present with her and didn’t shy away from being so candid about grief.

A little repetitive at times but overall really heartwarming and a great story. Anabel Monaghan always tells a wonderful story and I will always be looking forward to her next book!

So many relatable and funny quotes from this book but my favorite was: “The great thing about being an only child is that, at the end of the day, you find everything right where you left it.”

Instagram review coming soon!

Annabel Monaghan crafts the compelling complexity of real life experience (especially the hard parts) in a way that makes us feel less alone, but also allows introspection by reflecting alongside her characters. This isn’t just a flippant gas station summer romance book. Rather, Ali and Ethan’s story holds the heaviness of grief, the incredulity of parenting, the realizations of divorce, and the hope of new love. Just like in Nora Goes Off Script, the author’s humor is spot on. The tender moments of this novel, like the mundane icks of parenting with an unhelpful spouse, are portrayed with moving accuracy. But rather than lay out everyone’s struggles in a list, the author paints them as little poignant snippets in a fun, well paced story. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy from Netgalley for review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I didn’t think there was a love story or couple I could adore more than Nora and Leo but Ali and Ethan may have just taken the top spot. But Summer Romance is so much more than a love story and that’s what touched me the most. It’s a story about growth and grief and finding a way back to who you are. Each relationship Ali has was so perfectly crafted and contributed to the growth we are all so blessed to witness in Summer Romance.

I started this book before bed and wouldn’t you know this amazing story kept me up until 2:30 AM and I currently have no regrets. I laughed and I even cried as I went in this incredible journey with Ali. She grew so much and I felt the struggles she faced as a wife and as a mother. That feeling of losing yourself and then slowly coming back to who you are meant to be. This is an awesome story and I’m only sad that I don’t get to read it for the first time again. Well done!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked this book! It was a bit slow in the first half, but I really enjoyed reading the last half.

The FMC, Alice, is a mother of 3 children in the middle of a divorce while also mourning the death of her mother. We follow her as she discovers herself again after losing herself in her previous marriage. I thought her character was very courageous and strong, especially when she was interacting with her kids. I admired how she was able to pick herself up and her moments of quiet self-reflection. (Pete, her soon-to-be ex-husband, makes me so angry and I love it when she sticks it to him.) The MMC, Ethan, is Alice's best friend's younger brother who has been yearning for Alice for years. He is a reminder of Alice's true self and helps Alice find herself again. Also has the patience of a saint. And together, they engage in a romance with a deadline - a summer romance.

I was worried I wouldn't relate to Alice's character (since I'm not a divorced mother of 3), but I was wrong. I could still identify with multiple aspects of her journey and empathized with her worries that held her back from her relationship with Ethan. It was also very interesting to see how her perspective on her relationships with her mom (and even her dad) changed throughout the book. I liked how the relationships were complex with multiple layers. Overall, this was a great, clean romance novel that touched on many mature topics (grief, parenthood, divorce).

Wow. Just WOW!

I did not expect to find my first five star read of 2024 so quickly on.

Annabel Monaghan has a writing style that just flows. With the right amount of vivid imagery, great descriptive detailing, and pulling together of plot lines that make reader use imagination and gain closure. I would gladly devour another work of hers any day.

What I loved: the FMC Ali has flaws, quirks, and talks to her dead mother. She is slightly self deprecating in a way that’s so relatable of SAHMs. The town and backdrop, community and interests are all well laid out and the story is certainly one where I felt a life lesson gets bestowed onto the reader.

What I didn’t love: the beginning dig on a bit, and it took me about 10% to really pick up speed and get into the book. Once I did however, I was so glad and could barely put it down. The friendship between Frannie and Ali didn’t seem like it truly had an origin so maybe it was written in convenience. It’s believable in small towns but wasn’t adequately described for how pivotal their relationship is to the ability to carry out the story.

Amazing book, it will be added to my list of ones I wish I could read again for the first time. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

This is the second book I have read by Annabel Monaghan and she is now on my must follow list. Both books have been 5 stars. The plot, scenery, and characters are all incredible. In Summer Romance, Ali is the FMC. In the past two years her world has been torn apart. We follow her on a journey to get back to finding her original self. The one she lost when she got married. With that freedom comes a romance and it is so sweet. Monaghan writes feelings so well. Just that human connection of doubt, disappointment, joy, excitement and the happiness of those days when you are feeling like superwoman.

Once again Annabel proves what a fabulous author she is by writing yet another FANTASTIC romance!

I just loved this book, from the wrung out and stressed mother that is Ali, to the handsome and charismatic Ethan. There were many surprises in this story and I loved everyone of them. I loved watching both of their journeys from the way Ali learns to stand up for herself and Ethan, to Ethan realizing that he doesnt have to run away to live the life he was meant too1

Annabel writes characters with such heartfelt and real emotions, I love getting to go into their inner world and find more about them. She is a one click author for me and I love rereading her stories...

I legit squealed when I got the chance to read this. Big thank you! Annabel Monaghan has quickly become a go-to author for me starting with Nora Goes Off Script. Summer Romance is no different. I think this might be my favorite read of hers so far. I simply got sucked in to this world and didn't come out (or want to!) until long after the last page. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and watching them grow throughout the pages.

One of my favorite attributes about Annabel's writing is creating relatable characters that we get to see enjoy each other throughout most of the book. So many romances are a cat and mouse chase, terribly annoying miscommunications, and other things that make me go ugh. I love that we get to see into the characters relationship has they develop - it's not just finally they are together at the end of the book and it's over. I thoroughly enjoyed both main characters and was rooting for them both from page 1. I could relate to Ali in different ways as she navigates this new chapter in her life. The secondary characters are great and enjoyed their addition to this book.

Overall, this is heartwarming read that I couldn't put down. I didn't want it to end. I can't wait to read her next novel! Thank you Netgalley for this chance to read this before the publish date. I can't wait to purchase the hard copy in June!

Annabel Monaghan is becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are more deep than traditional beach reads, but so fun while still having an emotional impact. I definitely recommend this and her previous works.

I really enjoyed this one!
Ali’s job may be my dream job and she has a dog that seeks her love matches. What a great story. Definitely give this one a read.

Summer Romance is about a woman finding herself again after divorce and the loss of her mother. This is my new favorite book from this author. The story is a romance but it goes deep with the main character's relationships with her family members and friends also. The complicated emotions she goes through dealing with the loss of her mom who was everything to her but also an underlying problem to her life was really written well. The chemistry between Ali and Ethan was so good! The themes from her past graduation speech Ethan kept reminding her of hit hard. I liked how her divorce was handled in the story without her ex becoming too much of it. This is a memorable romance read that will be great to read this summer.
Thank you to Putnam books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Annabel Monaghans Summer Romance is the perfect closed door, romantic beach read. Ali Morris has lost her mother, is going through a divorce, and a stay at home mother of 3 children. Grief-stricken and heartbroken, Ali must figure out how to take back control in her life. This is a small town, second chance, romance that is sure to pull on your heart strings.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan will be released on June 4th, 2024.

A huge thank you to author @annabelmonaghan, @putnambooks, and@netgalley for a free advanced copy of Summer Romance in exchange for an honest review.

Annabel Monaghan became an author I will always read after I picked up Nora Goes Off Script. Summer Romance was exactly what I was hoping and expecting. I love the balance Annabel brings to her characters; they are good, but flawed. There is room for self-improvement, but in a hopeful and encouraging way.

Ali is still learning how life works without his mother who passed away 2 years ago. She is also one year separated from her controlling husband and they have decided to amicably divorce. They were never truly in love with each other and were married because Ali was pregnant. Scooter (a.k.a. Ethan) is her best friend's little brother who has had a big crush on her since they were teenagers. Ethan works hard to prove what a reliable, encouraging, supportive, fun, and kind partner looks like. Ali finally learns what it feels like to be in love and she finds herself and rekindles her passion for her career along the way.

I am a middle-aged stay at home mom who is trying to find myself among raising teens, so I related to some of the heart-wrenching plights that Ali was going through as a mother.

Thank You to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.