What a fun read! I'm from the Jersey Shore so it was nice reading a book with that setting. I LOVE how much the main character grew from beginning to the end. She went through all of those life lessons in order to become what she did at the end. I'm happy she got her happy ending.
It was also really cool to have a puerto rican character in the story since my fam is from Puerto Rico.

A love letter to comedy, romance, summer, and the idea of finding belonging in the most unexpected of places, SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE introduces readers to Delfina Silva-Miller on one of the absolute worst days of her life. Left without her job, apartment, and boyfriend in just a few short hours, Del is forced to pack her bags and return to the last place she ever expected to go again: her New Jersey hometown. Back in Evergreen, she only has a month to accomplish her goals—craft the perfect comedy set, navigate complicated relationships with her family members, and of course, avoid her childhood frenemy-turned-crush, Eddie Rodriguez, at all costs. But along the way, Del might just discover that there's truly no place like home, that in Evergreen she'll find success, community...and maybe even love.

This was such a fun, summery read! I was rooting for Del from start to finish, and really enjoyed following her journey. I thought the Jersey Shore setting and the characters were so well-developed, but I did want a bit more from the romance between Del and Eddie. I felt like they had great chemistry and banter and that was well established, but I wanted a little more tension between them and clearer transitions between the flashbacks detailing their relationship, and their connection in the present. Still, I'd recommend SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE for anyone in search of a sweet summer romcom! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

After having the worst day of her life, 28-year old Delfina (Del) has to do the one thing she swore she would never do - return to her hometown of Evergreen, NJ. Immediately upon arriving, Del runs into her childhood sometimes crush/bully, Eddie. With only a month to write the comedy standup routine that is going to launch her career, Del must also work on navigating her feelings towards Eddie, reunite with her estranged father, and learn that one *can* go home again.

I absolutely loved this book. From the Jersey shore setting, witty banter, and undeniable chemistry between Del and Eddie, I think this could be one of the best summer reads of 2024. All of the characters in the book are extremely relatable and well-developed. And even with their flaws, you still find yourself rooting for everyone.

The one thing I would have liked more of is Eddie. I would love to have seen more moments of him and Del as teenagers (because I would really like an explanation for some of his behavior), but I would also love to see him more as an adult too. I think it would be interesting to see how the fallout from their teenage years made Eddie into the person he is today. Plus their romance is super sweet, so I just want to see more of them being happy together.

This was an excellent debut by Betty Corrello and I will definitely be picking up her future novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was so hilarious and filled me with love and a deep connection to the main character and her journey. It was one of those books that came to me at the perfect time and will always be in my heart!

This Jersey girl loved Summertime Punchline! I picked this book by an unknown, debut author because the premise sounded like something I’d love, and boy, did I! Summertime Punchline was soft and sweet and made me feel so nostalgic for young, summer romance and tenuous high school relationships. These characters had some serious issues. And BAGGAGE! But man, were they easy to root for. Del and Eddie were both insecure and broken, but it was such a joy watching them find their way back to each other in such a beautiful, tender way. Even all the secondary characters were great and there were a few redemption stories mixed in with the second-chance romance plot line. Absolutely loved this one and will recommend to all lovers of the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a complimentary advanced reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

ok I was very excited about this book after reading the blurb. I LOVE second chance romance and was sold. I didn't end up LOVING it as much as I thought but it was still cute at parts. The flashbacks and their relationship in the past was a bit confusing and not as tension filled as I was hoping for. I did end up liking the end more and thought it was sweet!

Laugh out loud through tears! This book pulls at your heart strings from start to finish!

Del is witty, complicated, deep - in short, she is human. She makes the perfect protagonist. With the help of a cast of interesting characters Del learns some hearty life lessons that can easily resonate with all readers.

Evoking the sights and sounds of the Jersey Shore, one cannot help but "gracefully descend" into love with the characters and their stories.

I absolutely loved this book. A two-day read and I am left wanting to attend Del's set at a comedy show.

Thanks to NetGalley and and Harper Voyager Publishing for the advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

I needed a light and easy read. This definitely filled that need. Eddie and Del’s relationship was very sweet. Childhood “crushes” that meet up 10 years later and the sparks are still there. There was a “mini twist” that was a surprise but it didn’t really seem necessary to the story. The end was a bit predictable but also the perfect way to wrap up the story.

Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello is a funny but sweet romance about returning home to face a childhood one was happy to leave behind. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book on #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but hopefully, you'll put this on your TBR list.
Summertime Punchline has some hilarious dialogs written into the story. It helps when the author, Betty Corrello, is a comedian herself, but through those laugh out loud moments is also a rollercoaster of emotions the main character Delfina goes through as she returns to her home town & realizes what will truly make her happy in life.
The story does some flipping back & forth from present to past to fill in some details, but a few times, the transition isn't the smoothest so a few of the details get a little jumbled as you're reading along. Overall, it's a great story & a debut novel for Betty Corrello. I'm looking forward to reading more from Betty soon.

“…suddenly I was a human fondue pot, a vessel for melted joy.”

Exploring the world of Evergreen through Del’s eyes was a gift - from her triumph to her trauma, I was happy to be in the passenger seat. I got butterflies when she did. I snort-laughed. I felt the warmth swelling in her chest as she grew, and stumbled, and learned. What a joy Summertime Punchline is. A perfect snowglobe of salty summer sweetness.

Sweet, sexy, and smart. SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE is not only a great love story but also a lovely story of a young woman repairing relationships with loved ones she's been running from between her absent father and a crush gone wrong.

I love books like this summer romance second chance at love style books are my jam. I do wish we got more perspectives from all characters it was very much about Dels point of view and that’s fine but I like a bit more character development

Maybe it's because I grew up on the East Coast and spent my summers at the Jersey Shore, but I really connected with this book. It's a fantastic second-chance romance book with a great enemies-to-lovers trope. I loved seeing the growth in Del and Eddie from their high school days until now - especially Del; she not only has to learn that she and Eddie have changed after 10 years but that her family relationships have changed, too. This is sure to be a hit this summer!

If you’re a romance reader, like I am, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. I never wanted it to end. Love it!

This book started off promising and hooked my interest, but I was over it by about 60% in and did a quick speed read through the rest of the book, skimming mostly just to finish it. Good premise, but the story line just didn’t pan out in a way that held my interest. I may reconsider reading this book in the future because it could just be the personal funk I am currently in that turned me off. The jokes weren’t bad at least.

Summertime Punchline was a fun, second chance romance story. Del has hit a low, leaving her reeling and sending her back to her hometown. In that hometown are her deadbeat dad and her crush/sorta former bully Eddie.

Del was a good character to root for. I really tend to like stories where the main character has had a lot thrown at them and have to put everything back together. Woven throughout the story are flashbacks to when Del was in school and showing her past interactions with Eddie. There was a section of the book towards the end that felt a little long winded, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

When 28 year old Delfina Silva-Miller an aspiring stand up comedian, life crumbles around her, she has no choice but to return home to Evergreen, New Jersy. What happens when she runs into her childhood bully/enemy/friend Edgardo? Going home always bring up unresolved feelings, trauma and love.


I could not put this book down and read it in a day. This is a feel good, sweet romance novel about going back home that should most definitely become a movie. Kudos to the author for creating such a lovely story.

Sweet, sexy, and smart. SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE is not only a great love story but also a lovely story of a young woman repairing relationships with loved ones she's been running from between her absent father and a crush gone wrong. With no job and walking in on her boyfriend doing the unthinkable, Delfina is back to the place she promised she would never return to: Evergreen, New Jersey. Delfina has to write all new comedy material before the big showcase, but how can she do that when she keeps running into the guy who did her wrong in high school but also happens to even more good looking than before?

A sucker for second-chance and one bed tropes, I was invested in Delfina and Eddie's story from the very beginning. I greatly enjoyed Delfina and Eddie's dynamic and seeing how the relationships differed from high school and now ten years later. They have both grown since then but still how wounds that need tending in order to make sure mistakes aren't repeated. Seeing Delfina have to navigate all the changes and the complexity in her life around her parents and Eddie, I thought brought such believability and depth to Delfina's character. I also admired how mature and responsible Eddie is the second time around.

I so loved the tension and chemistry between the two. Hard to believe this was a debut! So happy to have witnessed Delfina and Eddie's story and can't wait to read whatever the author grants us with next!

Much gratitude to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

second-chance romance... i thought that the writing was great and its a nice summer read. i wish i got to know more about eddie's character and why he is the way he is, but we only really get del's point of view. i really loved the build up of their relationship, i just had a few quips of the timing of everything though.

I recently finished reading Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello, and it was a heartwarming and hilarious love story that left me feeling uplifted. The story follows Delfina Silva-Miller, who has always wanted to leave behind Evergreen, New Jersey and never look back. She's had enough of her deadbeat dad and her ever-temperamental crush, Eddie Rodriguez.

However, after years of hard work, Del has finally landed a spot at a huge comedy festival, where she plans to turn the often-tragic raw material of her life into comedic gold. But when she loses her job, boyfriend, and apartment in the span of a few hours, Del is forced to return to Evergreen.

Determined not to let her past distract her, Del is focused on perfecting her new comedy set and starting a new life. But when she runs into Eddie Rodriguez, she realizes that he's nothing like the boy she left behind ten years ago. As the comedy festival draws closer, Del is faced with the terrifying possibility that everything she's ever wanted might not be as far away as she once thought.

What I loved about this book was the way the author managed to create relatable and well-developed characters. Del's struggles with her past and her desire to move forward were poignant, and Eddie's transformation over the years was heartwarming.

The book also explores themes of love, friendship, and the complicated relationships that impact our lives. The setting of the Jersey Shore was vividly evoked, and I felt transported to the boardwalks and beaches of Evergreen.

Overall, Summertime Punchline is a hilarious and vulnerable love story that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming read that celebrates the complicated relationships that shape our lives.