I thought it was a lovely written story. Just the right amount of romance. It wasn’t over the top and definitely not raunchy (my preference).. This was not the first book I’ve read by this author and thus will not be the last.

Rating: 4.25/5 
Benefits of a summer romance: it’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken...

Another amazing book by Annabel Monaghan! Ali Morris is working through the grief of losing her mother when her husband decides he wants a divorce. Ali's got no fight left, she's living in a messy home with her three kids and surviving in sweatpants. The day she finally decides to take her wedding ring off and put on "hard pants", she starts to breathe again. 
Monaghan created yet another world for us with these relatable characters that are going through so much growth and fighting for what they deserve. This story is an emotional journey about second chances and never being too late to ask for what you want. I teared up the way I seem to do with all of her books, and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection.
Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Charming town, appealing characters, and a dog! I really enjoyed this book, which is a sweet, Hallmark Channel-y read (in the best way) read. It has occasional serious moments - divorce, grief - but treats them with the lightest of touches. This would be a wonderful airplane or beach read.

This will be available on June 4 - thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the advance copy!

Loved this book!! I love this authors ability to create such realistic feeling characters and situations—it creates such an immersive feeling. The characters and stakes feel real, not at all contrived. And I loved the journey of the male lead—exploring that idea of going home again as an adult really resonated with me. Will absolutely recommend.

This was a great read. Read it in a little over a day. Could definitely have beach/summer read potential. Love the MMC. Reminded me a lot of my early relationship with my now husband. Definitely made me nostalgic.

I have so many butterflies after reading this that I’m going to have to open a lepidopterarium!

There was so much I enjoyed about this story but I’ll do my best to distill it down to 3 things.

1. A love story built on the FMC and MMC being fully themselves…while discovering more about who they really are. They are the architects of their own experience!!
2. The descriptions. Ali falling for Ethan and describing feeling like she is carbonated! Wow. Brilliant.
3. The representation of the joys and pitfalls and challenges of the mother/daughter relationship.

Not only was this a fantastic love story. It was also like ASMR reading about all the organizing.

This is a perfect beach read for summer.

I want to thank NetGalley for a copy of an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My review may contain spoilers.
This story was about a middle aged mom who was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders: a messy divorce, managing 3 kids and trying to figure out who she is to her core again. In comes Ethan and changes everything for her. She feels alive again. She feels excited again!
Honestly this book was exactly what I needed and I read it at the perfect time. I just got a dog myself so if you guys catch me at the dog park trying to find my Ethan this summer stay cool. I don't think Annabel Monaghan can do any wrong when it comes to her sweet romance novels.
10/10 for heart felt hallmark type of love
0/10 for spice and I actually LOVE that.
Am I getting old?

I love Annabel Monaghan’s books and this one was no exception! I don’t feel like there are enough romance novels about moms and this author really did them justice. This is a story that is heartwarming and encouraging. I even found myself laughing out loud at parts. A quote that is said many times throughout the book “you are the architect of your own experience” resinates profoundly.
The author’s note at the end also brought a deeper perspective to the book and made me tear up. I already can’t wait to read her next novel!

I love this book so much! You can feel the chemistry between Ali & Ethan. I adored both of them. Ali is still grieving the loss of her mother. She’s soon to be divorced & has lost her way. Ethan has his own identity issues in his family & town. I laughed a lot but was still moved by her clear depiction of grief. This book is well written, funny, poignant, and completely charming. Annabel Monaghan has created a world you won’t want to leave.

It’s been two years since Ali’s mom passed away and one year since her husband asked for a divorce. She’s finally ready to move beyond her grief and be more present in her life. She runs into a handsome guy at the dog park and ends up going on a date with him. Unfortunately, he turns out to be her friend’s screw up younger brother. This throws her a bit, but much to her surprise, she likes him too much to stop seeing him. But their romance has an end date as Ethan is only in town for the summer.

I loved this book. There are no hooks and it’s a completely “normal” storyline; as in, this could be anyone’s life story. So Monaghan pulls you in by making you FEEL all the feelings for these characters. You want Ali to get back to her old self and Ethan to be comfortable in Beechwood. A lot of books have a miscommunication trope where you’re screaming at the characters to get their heads out of their asses and figure it out. But with Summer Romance, I had no idea how they were going to resolve their issue. So romantic, so sweet.

I loved this book! This is my first book by this author. I’ve heard so many good things that I thought I should give her books a shot and I do not regret! Her book had very realistic characters that make you feel like you actually know them. She sucks you in the book. Thank you for giving me a chance to read this beautiful book!

The second I finished this book I was texting my mom, my sister, my sister in law and my friend to pre-order it. I loveddddddddd this book. I absolutely loved it!! I feel like I will genuinely miss every single charcter now that the books over. I laughed, I cried. I loved the love story but also the relationship that Ali had with her daughter, the raw look at parenting a teen. Would give this a billion stars if I could.

Monaghan has done it again - summer romance is a fresh, heartwarming story that reminds us it’s never too late to find love and to take a chance 🌟 i will definitely be re-reading ali and ethan’s story during this summer at the beach!

read if you like:
- best friend’s brother trope
- single moms
- INTENSE eye contact
- MMC falls first and hard
- dogs with people names (and lots of personality)

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this e-ARC.

I have loved all of Annabel Monaghan’s books and “Summer Romance” did not disappoint! There’s something about the way she writes where she pulls you into the story and you feel everything that happens to the characters. I originally thought “Summer Romance” was going to be light and fluffy like a summer romance can be (ha ha) but it wasn’t. This book was heart felt, made me think, and I enjoyed the journey Ali went through. I love when characters grow! There were some interesting choices made along the way, like how is skateboarding sexy? But it worked!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

This was a sweet story that I happily binged in 24 hours. Ali is a newly single mom of 3, who recently lost her mom and also lost herself over time. I loved the romance with Ethan, but even more, loved watching Ali rediscover herself. It will be a perfect beach read when it comes out in time for summer.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy to enjoy in the dark days of winter!

The beginning of the book was a little slow and sad/depressing but in an understandable/familiar way? But it makes you immediately root for Ali. I ended up loving this book so much.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this book was completely five stars and I don’t give those away.

This book captured my whole heart. We come across Ali, who has had some life changes recently and is trying to figure out where she is in life. She decides that this summer she’s going to have a champagne summer. This book had it all it had heartbreak and romance. I loved all of the extra characters it gave off that small town. Everybody knows your business vibe. It would be the perfect book to read on your summer vacation.

This was a fun, quick read that I used as a pallet cleanser between two heavier books. I loved Nora Goes Off Script and was excited to read another by this author. In my opinion, it was not as good as Nora Goes Off Script, but still enjoyable. Ali is a newly separated soon-to-be divorced mom of three who works as a professional organizer. She meets a very nice man at the dog park and, it turns out they have a shared past. The relationship between the two is predictable and could have used more tension and excitement, but the characters are very likeable and there are some funny moments. Overall, a delight, a good beach read, or, in my case, a good January read.

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Summer Romance was a 5 star read, with every single word! I laughed out loud and smiled constantly throughout the book, but it also hit with deeper emotions of personal journey and growth. As a 38 year old mom and auditor who LOVES spreadsheets and binders, Ali seriously resonated with me. I absolutely loved Annabel Monaghan’s writing throughout. I highlighted so many quotes about growth, motherhood, and grief, as well as the cute and witty banter. The entire storyline was well-paced, relatable and completely believable from start to swoony finish. I could not put it down! I loved her other books, but this has catapulted Annabel Monaghan into my favorite author category.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC!

This was cute! A sweet, heartfelt romance, perfect for a quick read. The character development of the MFC, Ali, was rewarding, and I thought the MMC, Ethan, was adorable—a book couple you couldn't help but root for. I'm always a sucker for characters in their thirties navigating the reality of life and its unavoidable obstacles, and this story delivered. Their ongoing banter and dynamic together did not disappoint, either. However, I was a bit skeptical of the believability of their meet-cute at first, and I wanted more Frannie! Overall, a solid 4/5 stars. Annabel Monaghan has become an auto-read author for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!