Annabel Monaghan has this way of capturing a summer feeling in every one of her novels. This was about a woman who’s getting a divorce and finding a new love this summer. It was dreamy. Quick read! Loved every minute of it.

I loved this book so much!
As a mom of 4 kids, I loved that Ali was a mom who loved her children but also desperately needed to find her own person. To find out who she was.
“ 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.”

Her love story is so sweet and truly deserved.

Thank you so much for the publishing company as well as NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive a copy of this book and exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was a wonderful book. I went in, not knowing too sure how I would feel about a book like this, but I am so blessed that I took a chance on this book. I loved everything about it. It gave me all of the emotions and I could really relate to the feelings that the characters had. This second chance not just Romance, but life is, something that is beautiful because there are gonna be situations that we don’t anticipate and we need to be strong enough to be able to pick up the pieces for ourselves.

Ali’s mom died 2 years ago, and her husband asked for a divorce exactly 1 year later. She’s a professional organizer whose own house is a mess. She hasn’t put on real pants or taken off her wedding ring, and she definitely isn’t looking to meet anyone. Until one morning before she goes to the dog park when Ali decides to take off her wedding ring and put on overalls. Those almost count as real pants, right? Of course that’s the day she runs into Ethan who is just in town visiting family. He asks her out and she decides a summer romance might be just what she needs.

This was another great book by Annabel Monaghan. A sweet story with people who have actual problems and reasons to not be together. Life is complicated and a summer romance sometimes works out to be something more. Great characters all around on this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

First of all, Pete has got to go. Who asks for a divorce on the one year anniversary of your mother's death. Take that trash out.
But in all honesty this book was perfection. I love Sco-- Ethan and the little community he built for himself. I love the sister homes and Greer's drama is exactly what is happening with my niece right now, so we'll done on relatability.

summer romance by annabel monaghan🦮🛹🌊✨

rating: 4⭐️(spoiler free)

i’ve read all of annabel’s books so far and they’ve all been so fun and easy to read (about 300 or so pages each!) this one felt like if you combined the setting of this summer will be different by carley fortune and emily henry’s general writing style into one book!📕

this book discusses topic of grief, motherhood, finding a sense of self/identity, and rediscovering & establishing boundaries with yourself and others. so it is a bit more on the emotional side.

the setting of the book was really summery & fun, perfect for this time of year☀️I enjoyed the main characters individually but couldn’t really feel the connection between them, which is why i docked it down a star😭but they do go on fun little adventures that were fun to read about🛶

overall, it was a fun, summer read & as always, Annabel created a wonderful story!🧡

It’s going to be hard to put my love for this book into words. Annabel Monaghan writes the most endearing and special adult love stories.

The world would have you believe that romance and excitement ends at 30 and that irks me to my core.

I’m so incredibly grateful for Annabel’s books.

As a mom to girls this one was especially poignant. The mother daughter relationships (Greer+Ali / Ali + Fancy) are so beautifully written…I found myself in tears more than once.

Just read it okay? It’s perfect.

P.S. Don’t skip the author’s note. It’s sublime and incredibly moving.

Another fun, summer romance from Annabel Monaghan. This book doesn't shy away from real life family drama. But still leaves you filled with hope and warm fuzzies for the summer.

ARC Review of Summer Romance
by Annabel Monaghan
🫶🏼🔆🌊🛹💛🌭

I received this post-publishing ARC of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan from NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam.
Summer Romance released everywhere on
✨ June 4, 2024 ✨

First of all, I love ANY book that transports me away while I’m reading. There’s something about a coastal small town book which instantly makes me feel like I’m in a daydream of summertime. Author Annabel Monaghan painted a beautifully picturesque look at a fictional Long Island beach town. At times it felt very ✨summer in the hamptons✨.

Ali is fresh off her divorce from Pete and navigating the world in a manner which will allow her to best provide for her three children, Cliffy, Iris and Greer. The only problem is that her lifeline, her mother, passed away a year ago, and she’s been drowning ever since. Ali’s best friend Frannie helps keep her afloat and finally tells Ali, it’s time to start fresh. Insert —> Frannie’s younger brother, Ethan (Scooter).

Ali once knew Scooter as Frannie’s younger, childish, immature brother. But he’s grown up now, and he’s Ethan, a lawyer, and advocate for his local skatepark and all its child attendees. Ali surprises herself by how quickly she’s taken to Ethan and the excitement that comes with a new relationship, or dare I say it… Summer Romance.

Tropes:
✨ coastal small town New York
✨ single mom of three
✨ best friends younger brother
✨ DOGS!
✨ skateboarding
✨bed and breakfast

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 STARS

My only critique: I wish, Ali and her mom’s story (talking with her dead mother) would have been discussed and analyzed more. And I also would have loved for Frannie and her parents to re-examine their look at Ethan to see him as a professional, and mature man that Ali sees, instead of the immature boy they raised.

Last note: my favorite character: Phyllis 🫶🏼 I loved the emotion and sentimentality Ali’s elder next door neighbor brought to this story.

#summerromance #annabelmonaghan #coastal #newyork #smalltown #forcedproximity #hea #skateboarding #singlemom #divorced #bookreview #arcreview #smalltownromance #romancereader #booktok #bookish #bookstagram

The format was not readable, I’m not sure why it downloaded that way. Planning to try to read the actual published version in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan! Thank you so much for an advanced copy. I read this book and partially listened on audio through my Libra FM copy, and I was hooked on these characters.

I just felt like the emotion in this book was so real. The second chance romance (on so many fronts) just grabbed me by the throat. The book has some serious moments, some lighthearted moments, and it did have me tearing up a time or two while listening especially. I just feel like Annabel Monaghan writes characters that are real to me and that emotions so similar to mine, that she gets me and what her readers want. Her writing is unique and so good!

I was hooked on this one and could not put it down.

Annabel did such a great job with this book. I listened to the audio and it hooked me. I didn't want to stop listening. Ali is going through a divorce and custody arrangements for her children. So, it's not all fluff and I could relate. It was so fun to live vicariously through Ali having a summer romance with an old friend. Seriously, just grab this one.

This was such a fun book to read! I love this author's books and this was no exception. I flew through it and could not put it down!

Summer Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ali is a soon to be divorced mother of three. She is still grieving the loss of her mother who passed away 2 years ago. She is struggling with her job as a professional organizer. While at the dog park she meets Ethan. The way their relationship develops as Ali tries to figure out dating while being a single mom was so sweet! I love that this book had an older MC and also one of my favorite tropes! This is such a perfect summer read!
I loved Same Time Next Summer and can’t wait to read Nora Goes Off Script! Annabel Monaghan is definitely an autobuy author for me!
Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks and @penguinrandomhouse for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan was a sweet, small-town romance full of hope and second chances. I read this very quickly. It was easy to get invested in the characters and their lives. I appreciated the main character’s daily challenges and juggling as a mom. Another great read from Monaghan!

As with all of Monaghan’s novels, this is a closed-door romance.

Special thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC via NetGalley.

Ali is a soon to be divorced mother of three, still grieving the loss of her own mother two years earlier. She’s down bad. And then she meets Ethan. ✨✨✨
•
Annabel Monoghan writes with her whole heart. She has a way of making ordinary stories feel magical, and it reminds me to seek the joy in everyday moments. ✨ I love that her characters are older (40ish) and dealing with things I can relate to. If you’re a daughter, wife, ex-wife, mother, neighbor, or friend, I think there’s something here for you. Add in some small town in the summer charm and it’s a winner! Enjoy!
•
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the e-arc! I will read anything Annabel writes!!

A lovely story that makes you feel all the feels. The perfect, throw in your beach bag and get swept away in the story summer read!

This was nearly a one-day read by a highly comedic and talented writer. I knew what I was getting (the title is literally “Summer Romance” amidst the pastel colored cover images), and the book checked most of the boxes of a classic beach read. The best part of the book was the dialogue and snappy one-liners from the author. But I never GOT the chemistry between Ali and Ethan. It was described in detail, but I never felt it viscerally in my gut - not like with Nora and Leo, the erstwhile MCs of Monaghan’s first book, which I adored. This book was more redolent of Same Time Next Summer, the author’s sophomore effort, which was pleasing but sadly, not memorable. The book deals with heavy issues like the breakdown of a marriage, death of a parent, etc, but the heroine was written as a very easy-to-root-for MC, and given many funny lines. If you like the lightness of dialogue and summer romance tropes, you’ll likely enjoy this book.

“ You are the architect of your own experience”

I love anything Annabel Monaghan writes and this book was another home run! Ali rediscovers herself over the summer through the process of her divorce, grieving her mother’s passing, and dating her best friend’s kid brother. She learns a lot about herself by both looking back at her past and imaging her future, as well as taking some advice from her elderly neighbor. The setting is beautiful, and Ali’s resilience is a great example of feminine and motherly strength. This book is a good reminder to “feel your feels” - even if they aren’t always the most comfy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! One of my favorite books of the year so far

Yes, yes, yes - Read this book

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan looks bright and cheery like we want a summer read to be. But then it hits the reader with every single emotion under the sun! This book was an absolute delight to read and I didn't want to put it down. While it does have it's adorably cute and romantic parts, this book also deals with some heavier topics (including loss of parent, grief, divorce, rediscovering yourself, etc) it does so in such a great way. Maybe at this stage in my life I could relate more to Ali than some of the other FMCs I've recently read, but this book was just perfect for me. I have to say that it was a breath of fresh air to read a romance where both main characters were in their upper 30s and spoke and acted like adults in their upper 30s. I loved it. Ethan was a mature, communicative man. There was no messy miscommunication, no childish whining, nothing like that and it was so refreshing. I also, personally, loved that it was a closed door romance. I know many love spice, and that's fine, but the heart fluttering romance is here and the spice is not needed to get across the love Ali and Ethan have for one another.

I really enjoyed Ms. Monaghan's book Nora Goes Off Script A LOT, but I think I loved Summer Romance even BETTER. Five shining, beautiful, glowing stars. And I'll read anything Annabel writes from now on.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.