This book was ok. The description says it’s “hilarious”. No, no it’s not. I appreciate the book being more mature but the themes have more to do with dealing with grief and loss and finding oneself through it all. I’m not really one for books that subject you to the characters every thought. I get bored. So I was kind of bored a lot reading this. It was predictable and made me feel kinda meh. The most feeling I felt was Phyllis. Dear, sweet Phyllis. I love her. Solid ok, three star read.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for providing me an advanced reader copy of this novel via NetGalley.

Ali is in the middle of a divorce, still grieving the death of her mother and learning to be a single mom to her 3 kids. Her friends insist she get out of the funk she’s been in and the day she finally does, she meets someone and ends up with a date. The next thing she knows, she’s in a whirlwind summer romance with Ethan.

This book had SO much heart. There were a lot of heavy subjects being tackled in this book but it never felt anything but lighthearted and fun. Both characters are instantly loveable and you find yourself rooting for them to come out on top. When they both give in to each other, the romance will pull at your heartstrings in the best ways imaginable. This was such an amazing, summer romance read.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Annabel Monaghan and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions in my review are honest, voluntary and my own.

Best friend’s brother, summer fling, grief, family dynamics - I really enjoyed reading this one! Ali, a professional organizer, is struggling to organize her own life amidst a divorce, raising her three kids, and still grieving the loss of her mother. When her dog picks out a handsome stranger for her at the dog park sparks start to fly. Then she finds out the handsome stranger is actually her best friend’s little brother. The two continue a summer fling but it becomes complicated when real feelings become involved. Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ever since I read Nora Goes Off Script, I’ve loved Annabel Monaghan’s writing style. Summer Romance is no exception. Ali is listless and unmoored after her mother dying 2 years ago and her soon to be ex asking for a divorce on the 1 year anniversary of her mother’s death. With her kids at camp and sports, she spends her days helping her best friend, Frannie, with the accounting books at her diner and re-organizing other people’s lives when she doesn’t want to touch her own.

One day, after Ali takes her dog to the park, the dog pees on a handsome man (Ethan) making the meet-cute instantly awkward. But Ali feels something for the first time in at least a year that doesn’t have to do with anyone else. So she leans into it and goes on a date with Ethan and has grander feelings.

Ali is so relatable. She’s struggling to cope with the loss of her mom. She’s trying to repair her personal life amid the divorce decrees set by her selfish almost ex-husband. Ethan is also a lawyer and helps her with that too. Ethan has had a crush on Ali since they were in high school (unbeknownst to her) and helps her take charge of her grief and growth. This is a closed door romance but an easy one to dive in.

Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for this eARC. Summer Romance is out now.

Annabel Monaghan does it again 🥹 I loved everything about this book. It was sweet, raw, quirky, and so bingeable. I found main character Ali to be incredibly relatable, and I loved spending time with her as she rediscovered herself after the death of her mother and the end of her marriage. I hate when kids in books are over the top sweet and cute (real kids have tantrums—and lots of them), but Ali’s kids were realistic and dynamic while still providing some comic relief. They were perfect!

And Ethan. Steady, lovable Ethan. What a great love interest. I loved every minute of Ethan and Ali!!!

I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll wrap this up by saying it’s easily going to be one of my favorites of the year. Highly recommend!!!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
☝️Single POV
❤️ He falls first
👩‍👧‍👦 Single mother
🥹 Lovable characters
📖 Bingeable reads
🚪 Closed door

I really.need to stop believing that the cute illustrated covers are leading me into light summer rom-coms. Despite the title and the bright tropical colors, this isn’t a light-hearted read.

Don’t misunderstand! I did enjoy Summer Romance, but the romance was secondary (tertiary?) in the story. Ali is dealing with the death of her mother and the death of her marriage while single-parenting her three kids and working at her part-time organizing business. While at the dog park she runs into an attractive guy who she fails to recognize as the younger brother of her best friend.

There were some really good moments in the book. I may refer to anything other than sweatpants as “hard pants” from now on. And since my divorce was handled through mediation, I loved Ethen showing up to the appointment in a powder blue tux. I would have liked to have had an Ethen for that.

Again, I did enjoy Summer Romance. It’s just another instance of the cover taking me in one direction and the story yanking me in another.

Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

3 stars
This was a disappointment to me honestly... I enjoyed "Nora Goes Off Script" but felt "Same Time Next Summer" as well as this one fell short. This was my third chance to enjoy this author, but I will probably not read any from her in the future, womp womp...

LOVED!!!! Annabel Monaghan did it again. This is the perfect summer read. Ali is ready to take her life back when she meets Ethan at a dog park after her dog pees on him. Their lives could not be more different but they are drawn to each other. The relationship between these two was adorable and I didn't want the book to end.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I was so glad I read this book. There was so many things to love about it. Although there was a theme of loss, it focused less on the grieving and more on the healing. A mom who is recently divorced and also getting over the loss of her mom may actually be ready to put herself out in the dating world. At least just for the summer. This was a relationship built on a healthy mix of new found love, communication and no red flags. It was fun and lighthearted and a perfect choice for a summer read.

I simply adored this book. It was the perfect summer rom com. I loved the small town setting. A friend of mine hated all the talk of skateboarding and I was worried about it going into the book, but I did not see a problem with it at all! I loved it! I loved Ethan! It broke my heart how everyone treated him/viewed him in Beechwood. But I simply adored him in Devon! I loved the journey we took with Ali from the beginning of the book, as she was still grieving her mom, adjusting to getting divorced, how she grew and found herself as a woman, as a mother, how she gained confidence.

It also made me want to reorganize every aspect of my house.

Closed door contemporary mf romance. I loved the author's writing style and the female lead was so relatable. This was a pretty quick read and I definitely recommend it.

This was my first anabel book. I loved it so much. It was perfect for summer! Highly recommend her books!

Oh, I love Annabel's books so much. As a woman in her mid thirties with children, I really love her characters- there's not a lot of romance authors out there who feature FMCs that represent us, and do it so well. Ali is a mom of three whose children are identical in age, gender, and personality to mine, which made me love this book from the first ten minutes. Not only that but writing moms is hard, especially mid-divorce moms. Annabel could have made her pathetic, bitter, bitchy...but instead she was just a super loving mom trying to do her best and recognizing that she's better off. Her ex isn't evil- most men of our love stories aren't- but he's just this side of gross that he is very, very realistic as a man. He shows up, but reluctantly. His head is a bit up his own ass, but he's not aware of how far. He makes little comments, often unsolicited and needling. It's never enough for her to complain about without seeming petty or emotionally needy, especially since he's so ~driven~. It may strike a chord with a lot of other post-divorce moms or even just women who has EVER met a man.

The story between Ali and Ethan is very sweet and I loved both of them. Ali regularly made me laugh with her inner-monologue, calling out her own silly desperate acts- like searching spots around town for him. But it's all relatable! We've all dressed up hoping we run into someone and feel ridiculous when we don't. Ethan is a golden-retriever, but also a grown man, so you never aren't rooting for him.

The romance was gentle, patient, with vocal consent, and closed-door. Another 5* for Annabel Monaghan!

Summer Romance follows a recently single mother of three as she navigates her life following the loss of a parent and her ended marriage. I loved following a main character in her upper 30s and seeing the realities of how complicated it can be to start dating when you have children. I was skeptical of the romance portion at first, but I was completely enamored by the end. Full of tenderness, humor, and lovable characters, Summer Romance is perfect for fans of clean romance.

I received an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgallry and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book before it released. Unfortunately at this time it isn't for me. I had started it and read a few chapters now and again but wasn't feeling the storyline and again it's just not the book for me at this time.

Summer Romance was the book I needed in my life to remind me that I'm not grouchy about romance books, I just have to find the right ones that bring me absolute, unadulterated joy!

Summer Romance is a story about two people who are really different but bring out the best in each other and have a really great chemistry that just feels effortless. Ali is going through a divorce, she is a mother and has a lot of responsibilities in her life that keep her grounded in reality. Ethan has such a vibrant energy that brings out the fun in Ali yet also values her need to be a mother and fulfill her responsibilities at home. They have such a wonderful and easy dynamic that it honestly felt like a breath of fresh air every time they were together on the page.

I loved that this was a romance built out of unforeseen circumstance but that despite their differences in life they supported and built one another up in really tender ways. I loved that Ali was in a more mature season of her life but through Ethan she was able to see what she had been missing all along in a partner. I loved the character growth and her chats with her deceased mother that change and shift as she grows throughout the story.

It was adorable, I loved the quiet moments to the more intense ones. The conflict was realistic and not drawn out. Dare I say this was the perfect little Summer Romance and one I will recommend over and over again this year!

Another wonderfully well-written romance from this author. I loved both main characters, and all the details of their lives. This author's distinctive style always draws me in and sticks with me after I finish the book. I can't wait for her next one!

This book was such a cute and perfect summer read! Have yet to read an Annabel Monaghan book that I didn’t love.

Super cute life/love/self discovery after divorce story! I love that the MMC wasnt the typical brut that’s 6’5” and built like a brick wall. He was an average guy that was kind & caring and I loved his involvement in the community.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Annabel Monaghan, and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Unfortunately, I do not think Monaghan's books are for me. I read Nora Goes Off Script a couple of years ago and just thought it was okay, but I wanted to give her books another shot, and I ended up liking this even less. I think there were some sweet parts, and I do like that Monaghan writes older women characters than your typical 21-year-old protagonist in romance. She writes about very real doubts and anxieties, such as motherhood and finding your purpose again, in a believable way, which I commend. I just did not like at all how <spoiler>Scooter/Ethan goes on that first date fully knowing who Ali was and didn't tell her!! The book read as he was very obsessed with her all the way through, which came across as creepy to me rather than sweet lmao. I also hated how he idolized the high school version of her and basically was like "you're a pushover now". Even though she had things to work on from how her husband repressed her, it didn't mean that there ~wasn't~ other ways she had grown and was stronger than she was back at 16, and I didn't feel that the book recognized that. Also, every time he told her not to answer her phone when she was like "i literally have kids"?? bye!! </spoiler>