I cannot express how much I loved this book! The characters, the town, the whole story- it was perfection! I loved Ali and Ethan’s story but this book had so much more than that. I was so invested in the whole Hogan family too, and Phyllis’ life. I’ll be telling everyone to read this book and thinking about it for a long time.

What an amazing read!! I first discovered Annabel Monaghan when she wrote 'Nora goes off script' and i fell in love with her ease of writing. Annabel is able to create characters that you care about, root for and loathe. I always look forward to her books and was so over the moon to be selected to read this one first.

I loved Ali and Ethan. It was a wonderful twist of their past and i rooted for them every second. I laughed, I cried and i was thrilled with this book. What a perfect summer read where I felt like i could smell the salt air and taste the food at the diner. I cant wait to recommend this!

Just when I thought nothing could top Same Time Next Summer - Annabel Monaghan does it again! Ethan and Ali from Summer Romance have my heart. I feel like I must start by saying this book has two of my favorite tropes - golden retriever MMC and best friend's brother?! Immediately yes. But Ethan is the ideal book bf, he is unwavering in his affections for Ali and the whole thing just melts my heart. Ali is going through a divorce while mourning the loss of her mother. Her story is so inspiring and I loved watching her change and grow for the better. The perfect summer vibes, the character evolutions, the sweetest love story. I could read this one over and over!

I feel bad rating this book so low because it's well written, but I just couldn't get into it. Annabel Monaghan definitely writes novels for readers in a certain stage of life and I just happened to not be included in this one. I love her other books though, so I will definitely be continuing to read her work in the future.

Oh my goodness, THIS BOOK. This might be my favorite of Monaghan’s. Everything from the story to the characters to the setting was just lovely. Ali was such a relatable character, especially as a mother. I loved the book’s look at the mental load mothers take on and how sometimes it can feel like you lose yourself in it a bit. Seeing her stand up more for herself with her ex husband was amazing too. AND ETHAN. Ethan was incredible, not just as Ali’s love interest, but as a man trying to show his family and hometown that he’d grown up since high school. Their chemistry was just electric and I was giggling and kicking my feet in the air several times. Highly HIGHLY recommend this one for a fun and also emotional summer read.
CW: death, grief, divorce, death of a parent

Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Goes Off Script was one of my fave romances so I was eager to read another Monaghan love story. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations.

I thought it started off well. Ally is a middle aged woman headed for a divorce from her husband Pete, grieving from the loss of her mom, and managing her three young kids. She meets Ethan and there’s an instant attraction from Ally, but definitely not from me. I like my romances somewhat believable and was finding it hard to believe she was attracted to a nearly 40 year old man on a skateboard at a skate park because for me this would be a hard pass.

After the fresh start, the book took a turn for me. I didn’t feel invested in the characters love story and the story was slow. Ally also talks to her dead mother in the car. This seemed strange to me as well, although the authors note clarified that somewhat.

Thank you PRHAudio for a #gifted audiobook

Monaghan gives us such relatable female characters.

Ali's mother passed away two years ago. On the one year anniversary of that, her hsuband tells her a wants a divorce.

She's struggling at this point during the divorce trying to figure out who she is.

She takes her dog Ferris for a walk and meets Ethan, when Ferris decides to pee on Ethan's leg. Ethan is a good sport and flirts a bit even.

Ali spruces herself up and goes out and about hoping to meet him again. And then she realizes that Ethan is actually her friend's younger brother and she knew him as Scooter back in the day.

Ethan brings out feelings in her. They go on some dates. A romance blooms. And more importantly, Ali gets her mojo back and finds who she is outside being a wife and a mom.

This was an inspiring read and the audio was fantastic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC and PRHAudio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the early read of Summer Romance, I love Annabel Monaghan’s books, and I really think this one was the best to date. The characters had so much heart and wit; I could not put it down. Easily a 5 star summer beach read!

For lovers of Annabel Monaghan, this book does not disappoint. She is the best at romances about women with a life and a mind and children and a dog and a messy house. Ali is grieving her mother and her marriage. She's a protagonist that we can route for, and Ethan is a sweetheart with a sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This was such a nice summer romance. It has best friend's brother, it's always been you, and deals with grief. This is a really good, heartfelt book that you have to read this summer! Annabel Monaghan is quickly becoming one of my fav authors

This is definitely a summer book to add to your TBR. It’s filled with tension and longing but still lighthearted. While it is a romance story, it also weaves in themes of grief, healing, and family dynamics.

My favorite of Annabel Monaghan’s! The tension, build up, sweet raw emotion—this book was everything I love in a romance. The dialogue was funny with multiple laugh out loud moments. Loved the ending. 5 star story all around!!

Love, friendship, grief, healing, parenting, silliness, passion, understanding…this sweet book has it all. Much more than a summer rom-com, you’ll feel all of your feels reading this story! And the dog analogy 🥹🥹🥹

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!

This one is, unfortunately, a dnf. I gave it 20% before I gave up.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor, but that's about it. It read a bit clinical to me, ie I couldn't really feel what the characters were feeling. Since I am someone who loves angst, this one was doing nothing for me, so I bailed.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this so much. I love Annabel’s books — I love her writing and her stories. They feel so cozy and warm and this was no exception.

I loved the journey Ali goes on throughout this book and the romance was so sweet 🥲 I feel like Annabel is so good at writing chemistry and depth with her characters. I also loved the kids and the dynamic Ali and Ethan had with the kids!

The summer vibes were also so good! The descriptions made me feel like I was on the beach in Long Island which I love so much.

This book also touches on grief and Annabel wrote it so well.

It’s also closed door which I always appreciate!

Highly recommend adding to your summer tbr!

This was such an enjoyable read! It portrayed life in a very real way; covering loss, divorce, love, and other tribulations while still managing to be fun and lighthearted. The relationship between Ali and Ethan was so easy and so right. Their relationship is goals and I have zero criticism.

Summer romance is a beautifully written story about love, grief, and finding yourself again. Ali is a mother of 3 going through a divorce and is trying to navigate this stage in her life and motherhood, while also grieving the loss of her mother. I love how raw this story is with everything Ali is feeling and the depth there is to her character. She meets Ethan while walking her dog. I enjoyed all their cute encounters and moments. Ethan is a such a gentleman!! He puts her at ease, consistently shows up for her, and makes her feel safe. Ali can be her true self around him. I adore them!! I love how gentle and supportive Ethan was. It was heartwarming seeing Ali finding herself again and her spark reigniting.
Annabel Monaghan’s descriptive writing makes you feel as if you’re right there with the characters and brings out all your emotions. Something that stuck with me was the importance of finding happy moments along the way, the little things truly are what make memorable and beautiful memories as well.

This is a perfect summer romance book and highly recommend it! Can’t wait for everyone to read this.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnum, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC to read and review.

This was a light enjoyable read for me. Touching on some heavier themes such as divorce and death, but without being depressing about either. Ali's marriage has fallen apart on the one year anniversary of her mother's passing. Living each day on autopilot isn't helping to heal from either of those things. A chance meeting with a handsome stranger right after her husband announces he's finally moving forward with filing for divorce just may be exactly what she needed to get back on track. I really enjoyed reading Ali's realization of who she is outside of what she conceded to be in her marriage. The conversations she has with her dear departed mother in her car were touching and showed how we all deal differently with grief, especially coming to terms with things you wish that person had done differently in life. I will certainly be checking out more by Ms. Monaghan in the near future!

I loved this book! This is a story of Ali, a middle aged mom of three, who has been separated for a year from her husband and is now finalizing her divorce. She is also suffering from the grief of a recent loss. She runs into a character from her past a things only get better from there. I loved the characters, the plot and the witty writing. It was a fantastic read.

A complementary copy was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own

I loved this so much. From the grief, to the joys and struggles and motherhood, to the swoony romance, to the beautiful setting—it was all perfection for a summer read. This was a romance with a lot of heart and depth. Definitely a perfect kickoff to the summer!