Look out, we have our hit of the summer! Ethan will be stealing the hearts of all readers! Ali was an amazing character. She was likeable and someone I think many people will find themselves being able to relate to. This book pulls on all the heartstrings. I loved it! 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Summer Romance, is as is title describe itself. A summer romance, or at least what Ali is thinking she is getting, meeting with Ethen. the romance is very very sweet, a good light read for the upcoming hot days.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

God bless Ferris and his "ability" to pee on the right guy!
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And when life gives Ali a loss, she gets stuck in the suit. This is a story about grief, about rebirth, and the hope that love can return. Ali, a professional organizer, takes care of everyone, everyone except herself. When she meets Ethen, she didn't imagine that this would be anything but a summer romance. The story is easy to read, nothing intricate, a pure and simple love story, at times a little banal. It's a perfect summer read.
But I must admit that it was nice to see Ali reborn, and regain trust in others, and above all, to fall in love with herself again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ali Morris is stuck. Stuck in grief. Stuck in silence. Stuck in sweatpants.

Since her mom died, and her marriage ended, Ali has cared for everyone around her and stopped caring for herself. Well, it started long before her ex told her he wanted a divorce, a year to the day after she lost her mom.

Ali has a lot of people to look after. Her three kids. Her elderly neighbor. Her clients. But she is a professional organizer who has foot-high stacks of mail towering in her kitchen.

The day she finally takes off her wedding ring, and puts back on hard (ish) pants, her dog Ferris pees on a handsome stranger at the dog park. And, to Ali’s surprise, the handsome stranger looks at her in a way no man has looked at her for a long long time.

The last thing a single mom needs is a man who’s been called unreliable. But Ali likes this man and likes herself around him. What’s the harm? After all, it’s only a summer romance.

Annabel Monaghan has done it again! I adored this book.

It has so much heart! I was as moved by Monaghan’s depictions of Ali’s grief, intergenerational friendship, and parenting as I was by the romance (and the romance was very very good).

I can’t recommend this one enough (and all of Monaghan’s books!). This may be my favorite of hers! It will be released on June 4.

I knew from page one, that I was going to love this book.

The main character was a great protagonist, and I can relate to her in many ways. I loved the playful relationship that develops between Ethan and Ali. Watching Ali heal from her previous relationships was refreshing.

Ali Morris’ life is in a bit of an upheaval. Her mom died two years ago and her husband Pete left her. She is a professional organizer but her own life is not. I get this too. Ali has three children she is raising and a dog names Ferris. It is time for Ali to put her life back together. She takes Ferris to the dog park and meets Ethen and his dog Scooter. Here she decides to start a summer romance with Ethen. Ali’s summer romance will help her heal and learn to laugh and love again. Which is just what she needed.

Best thing about this book? Ethan, hands down. The way he pined for Ali since high school? Swoon. I will say, I feel like Ali moved on really quick from her marriage. Also, the fact that her kids were unbothered by it all seemed a little bit unrealistic as well. But the romance was on point, and I am here for all the romance! Once again, Annabel Monaghan had me staying up late to finish her book. Great read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks the NetGalley and publisher for this advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this story of what was meant to be a summer romance but turned into so much more. In typical Annabel Monoghan, this closed door romance deals with more than just a romance story. Each of the main character is dealing with growth, change, and families both genetic and found. I loved the relationship between Ali and Ethan as well as the quirky side characters. This author will continue to be an auto buy for me!

Ali has not been herself since the death of her mom two years ago. She’s getting divorced ( and happy about that), and she’s lost her will to wear anything but sweatpants ( indifferent about that). The good things in her life are her three children, her best friend, her dog and her organization business. One morning Ali meets Ethan when her dog pees on his shoe. There’s something about him she really likes and a summer only romance would be perfect.
Cute but nothing special.

This book was just what I needed to get back into reading and a cute little summer romance (hehe pun intended)! As cute as this book was, it made me be sad for my one year old puppy who this book reminded me quite regularly was going to die one day. But overall, super cute book and would recommend it!

I loved Monaghan's Nora Goes Off Script and was so excited when I received this one from the publisher. Summer Romance is about a woman who has recently lost important people in her life and the book follows her as she toggles between being a mom and carrying on her life with a guy she meets. The book flies by which is always a plus when you want/need an escape. Unfortunately, for me, it fell flat. The characters weren't complex enough. I didn't feel for Ali. Her losses didn't feel genuine (and I'm someone who has had similar loss in my life). The plot was too simple for me without enough "meat" to keep me interested. Is this book a way to escape? Sure. But there are better books out there to scratch that itch.

4.5 stars! Balm for the soul. An honest, heartwarming story about love, grief, and starting over. Also - dogs. So many excellent, bittersweet dog references.

Home-organizer and mom of three, Ali, is treading water after the death of her mother and her husband asking for a divorce. But a meet-cute at a dog park (!!!) makes her start to believe there are more "best moments of her life" to come.

It's an easy, sweet read that feels just right for summer. Great chemistry. Lovable characters. The beginning was a bit slow pacing-wise, but as soon as the love interest enters the book, I was hooked.

For anyone who likes:
-He falls first
-Single mom
-Late 30s protagonists
-DOGS

Monaghan does it again with "Summer Romance" (out June 4th!). Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I said it a couple times and I'll say it again: Annabel Monaghan is an automatic author for me. Forever. And with Summer Romance, she did it again. We had a couple warm days where I live so I obviously picked up this book to get into the summer vibes, which I feel Monaghan's books are perfect for. On this novel we follow Ali during the process of getting divorced, with three children and battling with grief after losing her mother. She got lost somewhere along the way and didn't even realize it (I can 100% relate to that), until one day she meets someone unexpectedly that makes her feel like herself again. Summer Romance is soooo fun, I swooned so much. I took my time reading it because I didn't wanted it to end. Get on it!!!

Super cute quick summer romance. Loved all the side characters but Pete sucked so bad. Will definitely read more by this author!

I think this is my favorite book by Annabel - I laughed and cried and could totally relate to the ass of an ex husband! I loved her strong female role model and will be recommending this to everyone in our book store ( we all love Annabel and are thrilled she comes to visit us at Athena Books)

“I dropped off his lunch. Toilet paper.”

Annabel Monaghan delivers a main character that is relatable on so many levels. Joining her as she navigates grief, motherhood, dating, friendships and career changes, you will find yourself laughing out loud, embarrassed for her and cheering her on. It’s a great read and I highly recommend if you enjoyed Nora Goes off Script to pick this one up and enjoy it this summer!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this!

Ugh, there’s so much I can say about Summer Romance. I loved it so much! This story kept me smiling & kicking my feet throughout the whole book.

Ali rediscovers herself after dealing with the grief of losing her mom and her separation. The strength Ali gained in this story was really inspiring. It also shows that just because you had kids and got divorced, doesn’t mean your life is over. There’s always more life to live and more experiences to be had.

Ethan was just the right guy to help Ali get out of her comfort zone. I loved their connection. Ethan has ultimate golden retriever vibes. I think Ethan and Ali are perfect for each other! I just wish there was an epilogue because it would’ve been great to see what happens next in their relationship!

Overall, I loved this book from page one to the end! Annabel Monaghan DOES NOT MISS! 100% recommend adding Summer Romance to your summer TBR ✨

Tropes: summer fling, best friend’s brother, found family

It’s hard to describe why I love Annabel’s writing so much, but I guess it comes down to her honest portrayals of women’s lives and how tough moments (and choices) shape their personal growth. “Summer Romance” absolutely lives up to that expectation, complete with heartwarming details, redemption arcs, and yes…tears. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next! Thank you to #NetGalley for my copy.

Summer romances are always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken.

Ali is a professional organizer, but there’s nothing as unorganized as her own life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left a year later. She hasn’t put on pants with a zipper in who knows how long.

When she finally decides to move on, she’s shocked on her first outing that she gets noticed, or well, her dog claims someone. That leads to a discussion and Ali’s life ends up being messier than she imagined. But there’s nothing wrong with a summer romance, right?:

As soon as I finished this book, I was wishing that I could read it again for the first time all over again, it was just that good. I loved how this book was full of lovable and relatable characters. Pete was the worst and made me think of exes from my past!

This book was emotional, while also being romantic. I just loved how the writing made me feel so many emotions over the course of the book. I loved that it was a romance between more mature characters, not saying there is anything wrong with younger characters, just that these characters happened to be my age so that was nice. It was nice how the author handled being forced into single motherhood and just trying to figure out how to be your own person while taking care of kids.

I loved the relationship between Ali and her teenage daughter. I think there were some amazing examples of good parenting that took place throughout the book especially when it came to teenage girl drama.

I loved Annabel Monaghan’s prior books and will continue to read all the books she writes. They are just so good, and I think everyone is better than the last!

Thank you so much to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

I reeeally wanted to like this but it felt flat for me! Characters weren't relatable, dialogue was forced and emotionless at times, and it was just overall okay. I think if I were a mom maybe I could appreciate this more.
The romance was cute but didn't get me that invested, it just felt like a cute surface level read that won't really leave me impacted. I think a lot of people will enjoy this one though, its not a bad book by any means, just wasn't for me.
I still love her other book Same Time Next Summer and definitely recommend that one.