This was an enjoyable read and hit on several “hard” topics such as loss, divorce, mental health, etc. However, Annabel did a great job of balancing all of these out so as to not overwhelm readers. I found Ethan’s character refreshing yet a bit “every man” like as he truly seemed to exist to make the lives of those around him easier in whatever ways they’d accept. Overall, this was a solid summer read and Ali’s personal growth really kept me hooked to see what would happen next.

I anticipate this will be one of my favorite books of the year. I have read all of Annabel Monaghan's books and I think they just keep getting better and better. I'm not sure if I'm her target audience or if everyone feels the same level of connection to her main characters. I felt both seen and lighter as I was reading this one in so many ways. I also felt inspired and empowered. I was definitely rooting for Ali and Ethan. And, well, I loved the romance, it's so much more. Also, there are dogs! Read it!

Audio review: The audio was excellent. The narrator captured the story and characters perfectly.

I loved this book so much. The romance was perfect. I appreciated the mom perspective and the supportiveness of the best friend. One of my favs I've read.

Annabel Monaghan is without a doubt, one of my favorite modern author's and her first novel, NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT is a book a read and reread with so much enjoyment; I was therefore overjoyed to receive an advanced copy of SUMMER ROMANCE, Monaghan's latest, in exchange for my honest review. A big thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons.

SUMMER ROMANCE was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and it did not disappoint for one page! I loved this story of Ali and Ethan, loved Ali's kids and her house and her relationship with her neighbor, and so much more. This book absolutely charmed me from start to finish and I've already recommended to friends and family, and will continue to do so. Just a delight that I will reread for years to come!

I adored Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan. This is my third book by the author, and all have been five stars for me. Summer Romance was a delightful story with enjoyable and interesting characters. Another wonderful summer read by Annabel Monaghan!

I’m not typically a romance reader but this book was part of a summer reading program at my local indie so I decided to try it. I’m so glad that I did!!! The characters are realistically written & the romance isn’t cheesy at all. I read this in one sitting & I look forward to reading everything that she’s written

How could I not love this book?!
🩵Ali is a professional organizer (I love a good organized pantry)
🩷They meet at a dog park
💛And it all takes place over summer
And in some romance + friendships + family and we have a fun + love story.

“𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰, 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨.”

#summerromance #annabelmonaghan #bookrecommendations #bookreview #beachread #romancebooks #romcom #booksanddogs #summerreading #summerbooks #bookstagram #readmorebooks

LOVED Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan!

I could easily relate to Ali and her struggles to reassert her previously strong sense of self in the wake of a divorce, along with her fierce love for her children. The 1st person narrative and the way she conveys her innermost thoughts and fears ring true as she navigates the loss of her mother and tries to find balance between her relationships. The setting was magical and I enjoyed how love unfolded when and where she least expected it! This was a delicious story full of hope and heart!

I’m adding Monaghan’s previous novels to my beach bag right now! Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

This was like a palette cleanser after all the tougher-subject books on the last week or so. I loved Nora Goes Off Script and have meant to read this one for a while (thank you for the copy, NetGalley!). It was just the sweet, romcom swoon-fest that I needed! I felt the grief, and the heartache of letting yourself become someone you don’t recognize. And the love story was just wonderful and swoony…it’s no wonder I got through it in less than a day! Great read if you need a pick me up!

there’s just something so special and REAL about a contemporary romance featuring a FMC who is in her 30s!!!

as someone who has gone through a divorce and had to learn/grow/heal and find her voice again, Ali’s story was so intimate and comforting to me.

this book really does a beautiful job of capturing the beauty in the mundane parts of every day life, while also exploring the complex aspects of grief, heartbreak, and moving on.

100% recommended - the perfect beach/pool read!

*content warning: death of a parent, grief*

thank you to NetGalley, Annabel Monaghan, and G.P. Putnams Sons for the ARC!!!

Another great beach read by Annabel Monaghan. Sure, the romance is fun, and the writing is fast paced and accessible, but what I really love about this book and her previous two, is the way she weaves in true family dynamics and emotions. Monaghan delved into the complexity of a mother daughter connection and ultimately, how to overcome the loss of such a powerful relationship. Highly recommend

5/5 i absolutely love this book. If you’re keeping track, that’s her 3rd 5 star rating in a row for me. Idk how she does it!! This book is deep but also fun + swoony + full of love. It reminded me of The Awakening I read in highschool. . But in reality, Ali truly has a coming of age. She learns to stand up for herself, she deals with the grief of losing her mother, she learns what she wants in life; and while some of it is with his help, a lot of it is self discovery. And while that’s a deeper topic, especially talking about divorce with children, I was smiling + kicking my feet the entire time. I loved this book + and it would honestly be a great recommendation for anyone.

i love love love annabel monaghan and will read anything she writes. this one was no exception. ali is going through a divorce with three children. she is a professional organizer and her life is the least bit organized. she starts a summer romance with a guy she meets in town - (her dog pees on him!)- who turns out to be the brother of her very best friend. sounds like a rom com, right? in all the best ways. their story is endearing and the sweet summer read you want to soak up on the beach. i hope this gets optioned into a movie. well done annabel -- i adored this one!

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Annabel is one of my favorite romance authors! She kills it everytime. This one wasn't my favorite of hers, but I still loved it. 90% done and I started to bawl my eyes out - I did not expect to cry!!

Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose own life is a mess. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember.

It isn't until Ethan comes to town that Ali realizes how far off track she has gotten. While Ali and Ethan have a summer romance, Ali embarks on a journey of self discovery. A cute summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy of this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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.