Summer Romance is the latest release from Annabel Monaghan and yet another winner from this author. This gripping summer story is heart-warming, emotionally impactful, humorous, and a new favorite. Summer Romance is a story that has substance, romance, and authentic, relatable life issues. Monaghan offers likable characters who are a bit older than what you find in your average rom-com, which provides a unique perspective and is utterly refreshing. She has crafted characters whom you will cheer for and who will move you.

In Summer Romance, we follow Ali Morris, mother of three children, who has suffered some significant losses in life, including the death of her mother, who was her best friend, and then her husband, who chose to walk out on her rather than provide the comfort she so desperately needed. In fact, Ali used to possess a positive energy, ambition and effervescence towards life, and then relinquished her needs and her voice when she got married and had children. Her husband leaned into this and showed his self-centeredness and demeaning manner towards his wife and Ali allowed it. So though his behavior and the demise of their marriage didn’t come as a surprise, the missing companionship and camaraderie of having a partner to share life with soon becomes evident. Ali also realizes that she has lost her own self-assertiveness, failing to stand-up for herself, and setting the kind of example she wants for her children.

Amidst all of this, Ali decides it’s time to move forward, to get dressed, get out and take her dog for a walk at the dog park. When her dog serendipitously heads straight for a cute stranger and pees on foot, Ali has an embarrassing meet-cute. When she later realizes she actually knows this stranger from years ago, something is set in motion that will change the trajectory of her summer, and perhaps her life.

This story is a quick read with a fully fleshed out story. It feels authentic and insightful while also being amusing and entertaining. The writing style is clear and consumable and the plot is engaging and heart-warming with a powerful message. Summer Romance is a feel-good, fast-paced story that you won’t want to end and will leave you with a smile on your face.

What a beautiful story! I loved spending time with Ali and Ethan! Their story was swoony and romantic and full of chemistry and tension, but, for those who don't like all the details...this book is fade-to-black so you can enjoy all the swoon without the spice. I myself am a fan of spice, but with this story I didn't mind the closed-door aspect. This book also felt especially poignant for me because I was losing a loved one to cancer as I was reading it. Ali's relationship with her mom throughout her life, her grief over losing her to cancer, and the ways she stayed connected to her mother after losing her really resonated with me. Days after finishing this book I lost my sister (and best friend) to cancer, and remembering Ali's story and her own grief journey has been a tiny bit of balm for my soul.
This was my first Annabel Monaghan book but I will definitely be reading more.
Readers can expect:
- forced proximity
- friends to lovers
- Family dynamics following divorce
- cozy small-town vibes
- fade-to-black
- self-exploration

Content warnings: Loss of parent to cancer, loss of friend to natural causes, challenging family dynamics

4.5 stars
This book made me laugh and cry. There were deeper themes of grief and depression but handled in a way that didn’t feel too heavy. It was a heartfelt romance and also about finding yourself after realizing that you are lost. Very relatable and tender. The scenery was beautiful and perfect for a quick summer read. Closed door romance.

#netgalley #summerromance
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Penguin Group/Putnam Books for the eARC.

Loved this read so much. It was delightful and such a wonderful read to kick off the summer. It was well written and had me swooning the entire time. So grateful for the opportunity to read early in NetGalley.

"When I’m quiet I can hear my heart yearning for impossible things. I want a perfectly pared-down home, and I want to hang on to every scrap of the past. 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."

Super brief summary
The romantic and hilarious story of a professional organizer whose life is a mess, and the summer she gets unstuck with the help of someone unexpected from her past, by the bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script.

I absolutely loved Nora Goes Off Script and really really didn't like whatever the title was last year so where did I land with Summer Romance?

I loved it. I love when main characters are a little older, have real life issues, and have real life emotions. Even without any steam this one still had the build and tension I love in a romance. I can't wait to see what Annabel Monaghan does next.

Thank you @prhaudio for the audio and @netgalley for this reading copy. Both formats were great but I think I preferred the audio. Either way you go, it'll be a perfect summer read ☀️

*This photo is from my girl's trip last weekend at the Cape - poolside one day, beach side the next 👌
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Ali is lost two year after the death of her mom. She is an organizer by trade but she cannot seem to organize her home or her life. She and her husband are divorcing which throws her even more. She knows she needs to be there for her three kids. A chance meeting at a dog park, where her dog pees on a good looking man's leg, leads her into finding herself, love and joy again. Little did she know it was her best friend's younger brother, all grown up. "Scooter" call him by his name Ethan is one perfect man if there ever was one! I really enjoyed watching their love story unfold. What starts as just a summer romance becomes so much more and it is a joy to behold.

I loved Ali and all her little issues. I loved her with Ethan and how he lead her back to herself. Her husband was such a narcissist!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy for review.

I tend not to read books about single parents or main characters with kids because it's not relatable for me. However, I really enjoyed this novel and the romance between a single mom and her best friend's brother. I found their meeting to be a little predictable, but I do love a cheesy meet cute.

I ADORED this book. The perfect summer read. The two main characters Ali and Ethan were just so perfect. I loved watching Alis character develop into the strong woman she was at the end. After losing her mom, she lost herself. Her marriage was toxic, her kids were sad because she was and her life was a mess. I truly believe without Ethan she never would have come out of her dark place. Ethan was loving, charming, caring and so good for Ali. This book had so many pieces and layers to it that I just adored so much. Also the dog love - that will always make a book better for me! I cannot recommend it enough!

Another summer, another perfect summer beach read from Annabel Monaghan. Summer Romance is a heartwarming story about a newly single mother dealing with grief and rediscovering love. Annabel Monaghan writes fiction for women of all ages, but it is especially relatable to women who have lived a bit of life already. Second chances at love, rediscovering oneself, and starting over are all recurrent themes in her novels that are difficult to put down. Upon finishing, I find myself already looking forward to her next book. Her characters are complex, relatable, and her male characters are swoon worthy. I highly recommend her books for a perfect summer beach read.

I have loved Annabel’s writing and this one did not disappoint! I enjoyed how there were moments that made you laugh and moments that felt very real and raw. It wasn’t all fluff but not so deep that it was depressing….it was the perfect balance! As a wife and mother I thought the portrayal of losing yourself for others was very well done!!

*3.5 stars

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!

A summer romance, a best friend’s brother? and a meet cute—sounds like the elements of a good book.

Ethan and Ali felt like real people (also Ali is a professional organizer which I think is so fun), and I loved how kind & caring Ethan was to her kids.

I liked how the author addressed grief in such a realistic and even beautiful way. It will make you want to cry, but also realize that we are so much better when we love freely, even if that results in a loss.

The book was predictable and felt a little slow at times, but I think it was cute and worth the read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I haven’t been swept up in a romance like this in a very, very long time. I finished the book in one day and stayed up way too late reading because I couldn’t put it down. It was so refreshing reading a love story about someone in their late 30s that had kids- it felt so realistic. Monaghans depiction of grief was both haunting and comforting, most importantly it was beautiful. Read this book in the summer, you will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

great chemistry and banter. I loved how Ethan and Ali discovered parts of themselves as they grew with each other over the length of a summer. Ethan had no chill and was obviously head over heels for Ali, despite the "baggage" she may bring to a relationship. He would do anything for her.

This is the second novel I’ve read by Annabel Monaghan and I just can’t get enough!!

Summer Romance is about a main character named Ali. Her mom died two years ago, she’s having a hard time coping with this, and her husband filed for divorce. She has to deal with all of this while raising three children.

She then unexpectedly meets Ethan at a dog park after her dog pees on him. After running into him a few other times, there is undeniable chemistry between the two of them.

Summer Romance takes readers on a journey as Ali begins to find herself, stick up for herself, and learn what she deserves. This is the perfect summer read and I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam Books and Net Galley for this advanced reader copy of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan in exchange for my honest opinion. This is my second book by this author and it certainly will not be my last! I absolutely loved this read!! It grabbed me from the first line! The story is about Ali, a mother of three whose husband decides he wants a divorce. Ali is not only grieving the loss of her marriage but also the loss of her mother. Enter Ethan, a handsome guy she meets at the park after her dog goes to the bathroom on his foot who just happens to be her friend’s brother! The story goes from there! It’s charming, funny, serious as Ali is dealing with her grief from the loss of her mother, sworn worthy and a feel good read! I just loved it and you will too!

“It’s starting to feel like a champagne summer.”

This was the perfect summer book to kick off my summer reading! 
It is refreshing to read a romcom with a single mom as the main character. These types of romcoms feel so real. These characters are dealing with real issues! 
I love that although this was a romance, this was a journey for Ali to find herself and what makes her happy. She is grieving her mother and her marriage and she is fighting for her life. 
This book had the same charge as Nora Goes off Script- which I adored!!
Really loved this one!!

4.5 stars! This was my first book by Annabel Monaghan but I will definitely be reading Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer. What a perfect summer read! I was engrossed in this book from start to finish. The first page hooks you in and before you know if you're finished with this amazing story. Recently I've been reading a lot of NA but it was nice to read a novel about adults, who think and act like adults. I thoroughly enjoyed both the romance and Ali's journey and development. Ali really went through it but it was so important to her character development and for readers to truly understand her. I really really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

I'm convinced at this point that Annabel Monaghan can never miss! All of her books to date have been incredible and this one lived up to that. I was rooting for Ethan and Ali throughout the whole book and I was so happy when they finally got their happy ending and Ali found herself again.

Annabel Monaghan slowly but surely overtook Emily Henry for my must read book of every summer. Her books are so compulsively readable and it was so refreshing to read a book about someone older than 22 years old! There are so many layers to the plot, but without saying too much it was so lovely to read about someone coming out on the other side of divorce, with kids nonetheless. Five stars!

This was OK. I had a hard time believing she truly didn't remember or know anything about her best friend's brother that she grew up with. I had a few other issues and started to get bored with not much happening.