Annabel Monaghan's books have such heart to them! I thoroughly enjoyed Ali journey and her and Ethan's story. Looking forward to the next one! I know Monaghan will be on bestseller lists for years to come.

Annabelle Monaghan never misses. This book sparkles.

Summer Romance is a cute, summery, squeal-worthy romcom with a deep message: love is a risk. To love and be loved is to accept grief and heartache and pain and change.

Ali is a professional organizer with a mess of a pantry, processing a divorce, and coming to terms with the passing of her mother. If that weren’t enough, she’s raising teens.

Meet Ethan--dog lover, skateboarder. A confident, charming cutie with a big heart and hot hands and a past desperate to pigeon-hold him.

He’s her best friend’s brother, and he’s her divorce attorney. Can’t he also be her summer fling?

Thank you NetGalley and Annabelle Monaghan for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Run, don’t walk, to add this to your summer TBR. SUMMER ROMANCE hits the shelves on June 4, 2024. Here's to a champagne summer!

Loved it! Monaghan's writing is such a delight; this is this is the third book of hers and it's such a great summer frolic. Get your seat by the pool or ocean and be sure to take this fun one on vacay in 2024.

i always love a single parent trope. she learned so much but unfortunately it was annoying that she only grew as a person because of another man pointing it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Annabel Monaghan has done it again. This is her third book I've read, no, her third book I've devoured. I love her writing and just breeze through these books. I finished this in maybe a day? While they are easy to read, they do deal with serious topics in such a thoughtful way. Ali is a newly-divorced mother of three, who is also grieving the loss of her mother. When a romantic interest breezes into town, it turns her world upside down.

Sometimes the content was hard to read -- Ali is learning how to find her voice again -- but it all comes out positively and you want to cheer her on.

Ali Morris is still recovering from losing her mother when her husband demands a divorce from their auto pilot marriage. Her life is a mess, her house is a mess, which is ironic since she makes what little money she does from organizing other peoples houses, and she needs to get her life together for her three children if not for herself.

All the characters in this closed door rom-com are delightful, from the kids to the friends to the dogs, with the exception of the soon to be ex husband. I have been losing patience with many of the rom coms I have tried recently, but I really enjoyed this one and really cared what was going to happen to these people who grew on my heart so quickly. I liked watching Ali regain her confidence and begin to stick up for herself, and how hard she tried to be the best parent she could be. I think this is another winner for Annabel Monaghan.

Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for an e galley in return for an honest review.

Five stars because Annabel Monaghan’s writing made me feel everything and things I’ve never had the pleasure/pain to feel before in my life. The writing so easily transported me into Ali Morris’s shoes. A reread forever and one I will be purchasing in a physical copy that will have a worn cover for sure. I cannot recommend louder.

For me, it’s a 3-star book. For the intended audience, it’s a 5-star book. So we’ll make it a 4. It’s actually fine, harmless, and fluffy, just Not My Thing. Or at least not the thing I was in the mood for.

This is a book about a divorcing woman with 3 kids trying to get her life together. I am, therefore, not the intended audience of this book, as I can’t relate to any of that (except the very last thing). But if you can identify with that character, and if you want to imagine starting up a summer romance with a nice guy from your hometown, then this may be the book for you, Mary Sue.

Ali felt very ‘real’ to me, although honestly just in the way that other characters like her are, not in a way that I actually know people like her. It is a cozy book that wasn’t written for me. Every single thing that happened was predictable. But, well, sometimes you want that? If so, this is the book for you.

I got this one in advance through NetGalley, but I’m not motivated to read more of this author. I have a feeling it’s all the same.

No one writes a female lead that I cheer for like Monaghan. The way Ali lost her way but did not lose herself, deep down, was so heartening and was the part related to her relationship with her mother. I particularly liked how Monaghan made the relationship layered--it was clear that Ali and her mother had a loving relationship but also sometimes loving relationships can be a crutch or make it easier to settle for things that one would not settle for otherwise. Who could not love and relate to Ethan and the particular anxiety that comes from returning to a town that where some really rough teenage years took place. One of my favorite things about Nora Goes Off Script is that there were these little quippy asides (I'm thinking specifically of Nora referring to Leo as her husband and saying something to the effect of "and that's legit") and those were in this book too. I think it does a wonderful job humanizing Ali and showing her particular sense of humor. Overall, just a lovely book.

This was such a sweet story about love, family, friends that become family and most of all standing up for ourselves. Ali was in a rut of grief over the loss of her mother and the end of her marriage and learns so much about herself in this book. This was my first Annabel Monaghan read and definitely not my last. Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ohmygodddddd I cannot get over how much I love Annabel Monaghan’s books. Cannot. Get. Over. It.

Summer Romance, which I had to FORCE myself to slow down in reading because I knew once it was over I’d be in WITHDRAWAL LAND, was like the first sip of champagne on a very exciting night. It was like the first bite into a dip that you were staring at in the oven, waiting for it to cook. It was like the first sip of rose on a hot summer day.

I am currently reading it in December and can report back that this is a fabulous book to read any time of year. But when that copy lands in my mailbox on publication day on June 4th - it’s going to just be perfection. 🤌🏻

I found myself highlighting portions of every other damn page in this book. Annabel’s writing is just so good. So good. She makes you really feel what her characters are feeling, and you are championing for them from the start. I love that she includes kiddos and that relationship and their lives in her books, and that she can touch on topics such as grief, divorce, and heartbreak, and do it in a way that doesn’t feel too heavy.

Some of my favorites that made me swoon and also have to rip the dagger out of my chest:
* References to a “champagne summer”
* “The smile of a six-year-old boy who hasn’t seen his mom in ten hours”
* “Hard pants”
* The tension and banter with Ethan and Ali, and her excitement for him…”carbonated”
* “It’s funny what you’ll do for your kids but not for yourself” 👏🏻
* The inherent heartbreak of dog ownership “and I know for sure that I will always have a dog” 😭
* “Shaving in the shower with glasses on”
* The love shared by bringing another person a cup of coffee

Annabel Monaghan was already an auto-buy author for me, but I am just so, so enamored by this book and am so excited for it to get into everyone’s hands. This is the perfect gift for a sibling, parent, in-law, cousin, coworker…you name it! I cannot recommend her enough.

Thank you to @netgalley and @annabelmonaghan for the advanced copy, I devoured it! 🥰

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I had a similar reaction to Nora Goes Off Script and I will definitely be seeking out books by Annabel Monaghan in the future. Summer Romance has great character development. The characters are very likable and I was just pulling for them to make it the whole time. My only critique is that there were a few places where it was difficult to determine who was talking or who the pronouns were referring to.

I unfortunately couldn't get into this book. It's definitely more women's fiction than romance and I was hoping for more romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance E-Copy of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan in exchange for an honest review.

"Summer Romance" by Annabel Monaghan is a truly captivating book that delves into the journey of Ali, a mother of three, as she navigates her way through the challenges of loss and starting afresh after her divorce. From the very first few lines, the writing effortlessly draws you in, making you feel like a part of Ali's world and empathize with her emotions. The author's ability to create relatable characters and weave a beautiful closed-door romance adds an extra layer of depth to the story. This book is a delightful and enjoyable read that will leave you eagerly anticipating your next encounter with Annabel Monaghan's works. I gave this book a solid 4.5 Stars! Highly Recommended!

I love Annabel Monaghan’s writing so very much, and Summer Romance is her best yet. It is smart, funny, romantic, heart wrenching and just so well done. The main character’s story arc is believable and relatable, and the grief storyline that quietly permeates so much of her reality is so beautiful and raw. I thought the romance was perfect—2 people who actively fought for each other and made realistic sacrifices and choices to make it work. It warmed my heart and made me shed a few tears. Absolutely loved it and I know I will sell SO MANY copies this summer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️She’s done it again! Annabel Monaghan writes the struggling single mom so well. She creates these characters you can’t help but root for. She masterfully connects the lived in experiences of womanhood and motherhood to romance in the most representational way.

Any book she writes I will absorbed like sunlight. I adored Nora goes off script and I devoured Same time next summer, but Summer romance transcended both for me. Dare I say the perfect summer read? Or the prefect summer time capsule for when you’re depressed in November?!

Ali and Ethan are my new favs! And while I clearly appreciated the romance of it all, what really struck me was the exploration of self love here. I treasure them and their love. The chemistry did me in. Takes swoon to a whole new level in its simplicity. But what was so compelling and special about this story was Ali’s new found devotion to herself. The romanticism of self care. The personal growth and grace she allotted durning the turbulent transformation and transition period of her life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin for the advanced reader copy! Made my month!

What a fun read! I went through all the emotions with Ali and am now motivated to organize my house! I loved Nora and Same Time Next Summer but this may be my favorite.

Definitely add this book to your reading list. It’s warm and lovely and I couldn’t put it down. I did read this over the winter holidays but to be fair, I was on a tropical vacation so it felt right.

I will always sign up for the latest Annabel Monaghan book. Her characters are robust, relatable, and feel like real people I might know.

Ali is going through the loss of her mother and her marriage and spends the summer rediscovering herself. It was a delight

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I loved loved this! My third book from Annabel Monaghan and another five star for me. I love her writing style and stories, just make my heart happy. Ethan is the total package and I loved watching the romance with Ali unfold.

6/10

I love me a good rom-com. I've said it before and I'll say it again. In fact, I just did.

The thing about a well-written rom-com, is that from the first few pages you know the entire arc of the story and you know exactly how it ends.

1. Couple doesn't like each other
2. Couple is in some way forced to be near each other
3. Couple realizes they have stuff in common but still pretend to not like each other
4. They get together
5. Something breaks them apart and they vow to never talk to the person ever again
6. They realize their undying live and come together to live happily ever after.

[author:Emily Henry|13905555] has mastered this.

Unfortunately, Annabel Monaghan hasn't. At least as it relates to "Summer Romance". And at least as it relates to my opinion of the book.

The general premise is all nice and fine. Ali's mother died 2 years ago. Ali's marriage is falling apart. Ali meets guy during the summer.

It's a good enough start to a rom-com as any. Also, Annabel's writing style is not bad. Meaning, she can create believable characters and can paint the picture of what's happening in ways that allow me to easily picture it all as if it were a move.

That's the good news.

The bad news, unfortunately, is the story line.
First of all, it's trying to be a rom-com but it's just not very funny. Secondly, it fails to follow the traditional rom-com arc. Every great rom-com follows that arc for a reason.... it works. Just watch any Meg Ryan movie.

What I was left with in Summer Romance is a story that I just didn't care about. There was little tension with the romance - it's not like the two didn't like each other and were forced together. They liked each other from the start and they stayed that way throughout the entire book.

I wonder if this book was pushed together quickly because, from what I gather, Annabel is a best-selling author and this doesn't seem to me like a best-selling book. It felt like she had a first draft of an idea but never bothered to flush out the storyline much more than the first draft.

It's too bad. It could've been a winner. Unfortunately, it's in my memory bank of mediocrity.

#netgalley #summerromance