Summer Romance is about Ali, who is a professional organizer, recently divorced, her mom (who she was very close with) died two years ago, and her life has been a bit of a mess. She is a mom who is constantly putting her kids first and forgetting to take care of herself. But with a little sign from her mom, she decides to make a change and be open to new things!

Ali is such a likable and relatable character, watching her learn, grieve, grow and open herself to being loved is wonderful. There were many things I personally wasn't expecting in the book and I enjoyed being a little "caught off guard". Annabel's writing style is beautiful and I can understand why she gets so much praise as an author. I also loved the length of this book. I'm excited to get my hands on the physical copy when it releases.

Thank you NetGalley!

Trigger warning: loss of a parent

Annabel Monaghan is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Summer Romance, and it did not disappoint! We meet Ali exactly two years after her mother's death and one year after her separation from her husband. In order to be a better parent and role model to her children, Ali knows that she has to past the grief of her mother's death and learn to be "seen" again following the separation and subsequent divorce. Enter Ethan aka Scooter aka her best friend's younger brother.

Y'all...Scooter made me swoon. He was such a dreamy character who truly allowed Ali space while also pushing her to become the best version of herself again. The plot was wonderful, the ending was wonderful, and the supporting characters were wonderful. What can I say -- I thoroughly appreciated so many aspects of this book, and I encourage everyone to read it.

Aww this was the perfect romance to read right around Valentine’s Day! So cute! I loved getting to know Ali and was so happy to see her with someone as loving and supportive as Ethan! This was such a sweet story and was honestly inspiring to watch her grow with her job and move on from her marriage and all the grief from her mother. This was my first Annabel Monaghan book but certainly won’t be my last! I’ve already ordered Nora Goes Off Script!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. It took me a minute to get into this, but I loved it. Pete was the perfect villain, Ethan was swoony, and Ali’s character arc as a mother, ex-wife and individual was lovely! This would be a wonderful book club book - lots to discuss!

Annabel has done it again! Absolutely loved this story, perhaps most of all of her books. A must read, and it reminds everyone that every end might just have a new, even better beginning around the corner!

This book! The whole time I was reading I felt like I had a hanger in my mouth. So. Much. Smiling. There were some sad heart wrenching moments here and there but I adored every single word.

This book is seriously going to be hard to top this year. So incredibly thankful to have received this ARC from @netgalley and @penguinbooks

Ali is newly separated mom of three and quite frankly a hot mess at the moment. A former accountant turned organizer that has the most disorganized house of anyone she knows.

Ethan, known to his hometown as Scooter, is happily living away from the hometown that still sees him as a screw up until his parents decide to leave their life behind to him and his sister calling him home. But he is absolutely not staying. He has a very happy life back in Massachusetts, thank you very much.

Cue a dog park and Ali’s dog deciding he’s the one for her and marking their territory, literally. Except Ali doesn’t realize it’s her best friend’s younger brother until she’s already falling.

This is the feel good book of the summer. Release date is June 4, preorders open now.

This is my favorite Annabel Monaghan book so far. Honestly.

Ali Morris has recently lost her mother and has taken it very hard. On the one-year anniversary of her death, Ali's husband, Pete, tells her he wants a divorce. On the second anniversary, he tells her that it's time to file for the divorce. He's a real gem; always thinking about what's best for him. Meanwhile, Ali is at home with their three kids trying to keep thing afloat. She is a professional organizer but at the start of the story, she is anything but organized in her own life. She then meets a handsome guy at the dog park when her dog pees on his foot. He is familiar to her but she doesn't really know why until she meets him again at her best friend Frannie's parent's house. Turns out the handsome dog park guy named Ethan is Frannie's younger brother Scooter, who happens to be a successful lawyer and lives about 4 hours from their hometown of Beechwood. Ethan agrees to represent Ali in her divorce in exchange for her services in helping him organize his parent's house after they leave it to him to move to Florida. As they spend more time together, their friendship starts to turn into something more. But he has his life in Devon and she has her life with her kids in Beechwood. How can they make this relationship work?

I really enjoyed reading this. The writing flows and is so natural. Having lost my mother eight years ago, I could totally relate to the feelings Ali was going through. So many memories and things you want to hang on to at the time of death, but are afraid to let go of because that makes death so final. But life goes on, right? We can get rid of the stuff, but hopefully the memories live on. I loved Ali and her story with Ethan. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author for letting me read an advanced copy. The story had a lot of humor, romance, and emotion. What more could you want in a Summer Romance?

I’m not crying! You’re crying! Annabel Monaghan got to me again!! I love that she writes about women in their late 30s who have messy lives and buy their underwear at Costco. Her female characters are relatable and real.

As the story unfolds, Ali begins to take chances and rediscover herself. As her relationship with Ethan grows, she understands that she let her husband, Pete, demean and belittle her, slowly grinding down the capable, independent woman she used to be. She realizes that her mother, with whom she had an incredibly close relationship, enabled Ali to ignore Pete’s selfish behavior while she was busy raising her kids and running a household.

Ethan, on the other hand, supports and cares for Ali in a way that she has never experienced before. Initially, Ali thinks that their relationship is only meant to last for the summer. But soon, she realizes that her heart is in danger of breaking and she must decide whether she wants to risk a future with Ethan.

"Summer Romance" is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. The characters are relatable and genuine, and the themes of family, humor, and romance are beautifully interwoven. If you enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's previous work, "Nora Goes Off Script," you will not be disappointed by this gem of a novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

A fantastic summer romance read!! I love how, through their relationship, Ali found her way back to herself and Ethan found a way to be at ease with his own growth in his hometown. Would definitely recommend!

Such a great author and an enjoyable beach read. By far one of my favorite books that I highly recommend to my friends of this genre. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.

📚 Summer Romance
✍ Annabel Monaghan
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ closed door

➡ She may help other people declutter for a living, but Ali Morris's life is in dire need of her own services. Two years after her mother's death and a year into a separation from her husband, she's barely holding it together for her three kids and isn't quite sure when she lost herself.

When a chance encounter at the local dog park leads to dinner with a handsome stranger, Ali gives in to feelings she hasn't felt in years...or maybe ever and tells herself a summer romance may be just what she needs. As the summer progresses and she begins getting her own life in order, she'll realize that what she thought of as a summer fling may actually the love she's deserved all along.
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for an advanced copy of Summer Romance. All opinions are my own.

🎯 What I loved: I fell in love with Annabel Monaghan's writing after reading her debut Nora Goes Off Script and have loved all her books since. Monaghan has a great way of making her characters completely relatable and while her stories still harbor the magic of romance, she never shies away from flawed, raw emotional characters that feel like they could be your best friends. In Summer Romance, the main characters Ali and Ethan bring out the best in each other and seem genuinely compatible. Summer Romance had me laughing, sighing and cheering for Ali's comeback every step of the way and I'll be recommending it to everyone as the perfect book to kick off a feel-good summer.

🙅‍♀️What I didn't: I appreciated the depiction of Ali's grief but was a little thrown off by her 'conversations' with her deceased mother. A lot of this is explained in the author's note at the end though.
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Read if you love:
* mistaken identify romances
*best friend's brother
*love after divorce
*single mom
*relatable portraits of grief
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See also: This Could Be Us, Nora Goes Off Script, Yours Truly

This book is so wholesome. I laughed, I cried, and I wished it wasn't over. It was so easy to slip right Into this story. These characters felt like old friends, this town felt familiar. It made me feel nostalgic for a place I had never been.

Ali Morris is a professional organizer, but the irony is, her own life is a mess. Her mother passed away two years ago and she has been drowning in grief when her husband asks for a divorce. She is now a single mother of 3 figuring out life after divorce. The day she takes off her wedding ring and puts on real clothes, the ultimate meet-cute happens: her dog pees on a very handsome man at the dog park. Ethan smiles and Ali is captivated. The last thing she needs is to add dating Into her life, but a little summer romance can't hurt, right?

I was eagerly anticipating diving into "Summer Romance" by Annabel Morgan, and I'm thrilled to say that it lived up to my expectations! The story and characters were wonderfully crafted, showcasing Morgan's skillful writing. My only desire was for more humor, as I couldn't help but envision this as a fantastic rom-com. Nevertheless, the overall experience was delightful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the well-written narrative.

I think Annabel Monaghan is my favorite romance writer. She has this great feel for characters and dialogue that’s so real. She’s one of the few writers that also makes you feel like you could simultaneously be friends with her as well as her main lead character. This book in particular is about a divorced mom who ends up hooking up with a kid (now grown man) from her home town. There are sweet, funny and touching laments and it was for me another knockout..

This is the PERFECT summer beach read. Summer Romance left me feeling all the warm fuzzies and is laugh out loud funny. It is perfect for fans of Nora Goes off Script and Evie Drake Starts Over. Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for the ARC!

This book was well written and I thought the characters were developed well. It was a perfect summer read and very real. The characters were relatable.

I received an ARC of this highly anticipated book (thank you, NetGalley and Putnam Books!). "Nora Goes Off Script" was my favorite book of 2022, and I loved Annabel Monaghan's follow up, "Same Time Next Summer".

I'll be honest, I was skeptical -- ANOTHER summer love story? But the freshly divorced single mother protagonist drew me in immediately. Ali is the single most relatable character I have ever read -- and her arc is absolutely incredible. The way she grows through this book is both realistic and inspiring, and her love interest is an absolute precious gem of a man. I highlighted so much in this book, but my favorite theme was relating the risk of falling in love with dog ownership. You know it's gonna hurt when it ends, but man is the joy ever worth it.

A completely random aside -- all I could think about when reading Pete's character was that absolutely abhorrent husband in "Me Before You" (played in the film by Matthew Lewis). His scenes were sad but so well written and bitingly funny.

Monaghan has done it again. Top notch banter, fluid prose, handling big sad scary topics with grace and growth and the perfect amount of humor. Her understanding of parenting and parent/child relationships always brings me to tears. Pre-order this book immediately. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a perfect summer beach read! I’ve loved all of Monaghan’s books and this one is definitely no exception. All the characters are well thought out in a way that doesn’t make you feel like something is missing. The main characters are in their late thirties and there are main themes of grief, loss, family, and love.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for my advance reader copy!

Another hug of a book from one of my favorite authors!! I loved this single mom, reverse age gap, best friend's little brother, 'summer' romance that sees Ali slowly awakening from the grief over losing her mother and the fog of an unhappy marriage when she bumps into Ethan (aka 'Scooter') at the dog park.

Unbeknownst to Ali, Ethan has harbored a crush on her since they were kids, never thinking he'd have a chance. Unfortunately he's only in town for the summer to help deal with the house he inherited from his parents who moved to Florida. Willing to take anything Ali will give, Ethan agrees to a no strings attached summer relationship and also barters his legal services with her divorce in exchange for her organizational expertise cleaning out his parents' house.

Oh so swoony and sweet while also tackling touch subjects, from rediscovering your 'self', single parenthood, divorce, grief, new love, loss and all sorts of complicated interpersonal relationships (romantic, friendship, co-parenting, etc). I really related with Ali and sped through this book. Another homerun and must read summer read sure to deliver on ALL the feels!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I will be buying a copy as soon as it comes out and recommending to all my friends, especially those who enjoy authors like Ali Brady or Sarah Morgan.

I adore Annabel Monaghan's writing so much. I think this book captures the ups and downs of grief so well, and not just grief in the sense of death. Ali is not only grieving the death of her mother, but the death of her marriage, and I think this book portrays how it feels to start completely fresh. And talk about a meet cute... I really loved this book and the characters so much.