I always love a book set on Cape Cod. Throw in a bookstore and rekindled friendships, and it’s a perfect summer read!

The premise of this book sounded like the perfect beach read: rival bookstores, female friendship, second chances, but the story fell short for me. I started this book almost a year ago and I abandoned it many times because I just didn’t connect with the characters. I don’t like leaving books unfinished, so I continued to pick it up every now and then, hoping it would get better. In my opinion, it didn’t.

Shelby, Colleen and Hunter have been friends since they were teenagers, and the way each of them act I think they are stuck forever in the teenage years. Shelby, our main character who is a successful author is the most immature of the group. And the forced second chance love story between Shelby and Justin was another downfall of the book. There just wasn’t any chemistry between these two stilted characters.

I did enjoy the character of Mia and her scenes in the bookstore. She was the youngest character but the most mature.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was pretty disappointing in the sense that I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters and their supposed friendship. There was miscommunication/lack of communication and immature, whiny characters which made the book hard to finish. I’m sure this will be for others but it just wasn’t for me.

Tis the season for a beach read - and Jamie Brenner delivers! I loved that this book really focused on friendship and the value of second chances. The scenery, the relationships, the dialogue and the feelings I got are hard to explain - it was so good! Thanks so much for the ARC, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row and NetGalley.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this eARC! Unfortunately I didn't get around to reading it. Jamie Brenner's books are fun and I am hoping to get to this title someday in the future.

A lighthearted beach read full of friendship and second chances. Three friends. Shelby, Hunter and Colleen, are all going through things in their adult life and reconnect after years. As an avid reader, I appreciated the plot and setting that involved an author and book store. The complexities of friendship and love were really front and center and not depicted as perfect which I respected as well. 3.5 stars

A book about books and bookstores, I love it! Add in a beautiful coastal town, friendships, and a little drama and I am definitely here for it! There’s family drama, rekindled love, and two adorable babies. Have I hooked you yet? Everything a great beach read is made of can be found right here.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner was an enjoyable read for me. I liked Shelby, although she should have understood why her friends were upset with her. Shelby is an author who wrote about what/who she knows. She did change the names and situations, however her friends recognized themselves in her book. Her book led to hard feelings between the friends. I loved the small town bookstore in the book. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

This is a good feel good book. Its about Shelby and Justin, they were high school sweethearts but once they went ot college they broke up. They each had their own careers. A friend of Shelby's asks her to come to her family bookstore to run it while she was on bedrest. While helping out her friend, Shelby runs into Justin. The attraction is evident and they fall in love again.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Shelby and Justin. During high school these two dated. When it came time to go to college they broke up. Shelby went on to be an author. Justin went on to working with aquatic animals. Shelby comes back when her friend calls to ask her to come run her family’s bookstore because she has been put on bed rest with her twins. She comes to help her and keeps running into Justin. Justin breaks up with his girlfriend because she hasn’t been telling the truth. He starts dating Shelby and they fall in love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner!

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner is a heartfelt and charming exploration of love, redemption, and the transformative power of second chances. Shelby Archer, an author whose debut bestseller was inspired by her time in Provincetown on Cape Cod, returns to the town expecting a warm welcome. Instead, she faces cold shoulders and resentment from those she once considered friends—those who feel betrayed by the fictionalized version of their lives in her book.

Heartbroken and struggling with the fallout of her success, Shelby finds herself back in Provincetown, this time to manage the cozy and beloved Land's End bookshop for the summer. As she immerses herself in the world of books—steamy romances, dusty classics, and the stories of the customers she serves—Shelby seeks to mend relationships and regain the trust she lost, all while grappling with her own personal and professional dilemmas.

Brenner’s novel is rich with warmth and small-town charm, capturing the magic of Cape Cod in the summer and the nostalgic allure of independent bookstores. Shelby’s journey of growth, reconciliation, and finding balance between her career and her relationships makes for an engaging and poignant read. The book beautifully explores the idea that success can come at a cost, but that it's never too late to make things right.

A Novel Summer is a delightful read for anyone looking for a feel-good story that blends themes of friendship, love, and the pursuit of personal happiness. With relatable characters and a strong sense of place, Jamie Brenner’s novel is a perfect escape for readers seeking a heartfelt, cozy tale.

As a favor to a friend, new novelist Shelby Archer manages a bookstore in Provincetown, Massachusetts, over the summer in A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner. She's been coming to the Cape for several summers since she met her dear friends Colleen and Hunter, but the reception she gets is not as friendly as she hoped. Her new, bestselling novel isn't winning over P-town natives like Hunter or her ex-boyfriend Justin that she unceremoniously ditched. Will her return to her favorite summer place reclaim the friendships she's lost and heal past hurts?

I was eager to read this novel because I've enjoyed many of Brenner's books. They're in the same vein as Elin Hilderbrand with a summer getaway to a place on the Cape, the Hamptons, and even the Jersey Shore. You know there will be drama, romance, and scenery to reel you in. This has all of those elements, but it's predictable and reads like a cookie-cutter of many other beach reads of this nature.

The main characters will bring to mind the usual stereotypes of characters from the promiscuous rich girl to the brooding ex-boyfriend with some quirky characters added. I liked the characters but wasn't so engaged with them. Some are drawn with more depth than others. At times, I couldn't understand how they all got in their own ways or seemed so surprised by predictable events. For example, Shelby seemed naïve to not realize that drawing from her experiences and her friends may ruffle a few feathers.

Some plot points were unique yet most were pretty much your usual tropes. Of course, the endings work out way too well and too quickly do people take up with others in a romantic fashion. You see what's coming way ahead of time. I will say, having worked in a bookstore, a publishing company, and writing for a living made many of the inside baseball descriptions of all those industries fun to read. I could relate in many ways, and I did love hearing from the differing perspectives of those in the industry.

While this book is standard fare, I enjoyed reading it. It's your usual beach read, which isn't really a complaint, but it's not going to captivate you for more than a few days. It's quick and fun to read along with more serious or engaging books or to take along for a weekend. I will stick with Brenner because I do like her books.

Novel Summer is a book about Shelby, who is an author who got inspiration from her first novel in a town called Provincetown.

She returns to town when the book becomes a bestseller but instead of celebration she's met with cold shoulders.

Shelby tries to move on but gets a call from a friend that they need help running a bookshop for the summer so Shelby returns.

The synopsis sounded great but I feel the author could have gone deeper. The characters and what I felt I knew about them was shallow. Shelby is also someone that makes a lot of mistakes and never learns from them. Which yes that is sometimes being human but there is no character development.

Jamie Brenner’s A Novel Summer is a delightful second-chance summer romance that beautifully intertwines themes of friendship, love, and the pursuit of dreams. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Provincetown, Cape Cod, this story offers a heartwarming look at how life’s twists and turns can bring people back together, even after years apart.

The story revolves around three college friends—Shelby, Hunter, and Colleen—whose shared love of literature initially brought them together. Years later, their paths have diverged: Shelby is a writer in New York, Hunter is an editor in Boston, and Colleen manages her family’s bookstore in their beloved Provincetown. When fate intervenes—Hunter loses her job, and Shelby returns to Provincetown for personal reasons—the trio reunites for the first time in three years. Together, they navigate career challenges, rekindle old friendships, and explore unresolved romantic feelings.

Brenner does a wonderful job of portraying the complexities of relationships—romantic, platonic, and professional. Each character is distinct, with relatable struggles and growth arcs that keep the story engaging. The author’s focus on the different dynamics at play adds depth to the narrative, making it more than just a romance. The seaside setting of Provincetown enhances the charm, making it an ideal summer escape.

However, one minor drawback is the occasional confusion caused by abrupt shifts in point of view. While it doesn’t detract significantly from the story, a smoother transition between perspectives would have enhanced the reading experience.

Overall, A Novel Summer is a sweet and satisfying tale of second chances, self-discovery, and the enduring power of friendship. It’s a perfect pick for readers who love character-driven stories set in idyllic coastal towns.

Thank you to Jamie Brenner, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, summer read that I especially enjoyed being familiar with Cape Cod. Rising author, Shelby, draws inspiration from her time on the Cape but her novel hits a little too on the mark for one of her friends. Alongside that conflict, another friend seeks Shelby's help with her bookstore over the summer. How will it be for Shelby to return to her roots? What awaits her is far more complex than one friend feeling exposed. As she helps with the bookstore while working on novel #2, she is reunited with friends and acquaintances and faced with a town that is exploring new initiatives. Will she be able to advocate for what she feels passionate about and effect change, or will the scars her novel created, force her out of the area for good? Thanks to Park Row and Net Galley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I am going to keep this brief and short. I was hoping for more of a beach romance in 'A Novel Summer' by Jamie Brenner. However, a few times I felt lost and had to reread some pages just to figure out who's point of view I was reading. The story does change between several characters, except the one best friend Colleen. I will say I did read an unedited version and hoping the published version has some sort of distinctive way marked to show the story is switching POV.

I also had a hard time relating to Shelby, the main character, with all the mistakes she kept making and not learning from them, until the very end. Glad she finally did, but man while reading I kept wanting to yell at her. LoL

I will say it was quick read, and I will give Jamie Brenner another chance and read another one of her books.

** Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Jamie Brenner for an eARC copy of 'A Novel Summer'.

I love Jamie Brenner for my character driven dramas! This was no exception - I also always wanna import myself into her settings. This was another good one!

I think that the concept of this book was an amazing idea. I lover reading books about authors, but I went into this book thinking it would have a similar vibe as Beach Read by Emily Henry and I feel like this caused the book to fall short for me. The romance fell a bit short for me and there were times when I was confused with the different POV's. I enjoyed all of the scenes showcasing life as an author as well as the story being set in Cape Cod. Overall it is a nice summer read, there just happened to be multiple points where I wanted more from the story.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner is a beautifully written, soul-soothing story about second chances, forgiveness, and the power of books. What I love about Brenner's writing is how she captures the emotional depth of her characters. Shelby’s journey is one of growth, redemption, and finding balance between her career and the people who matter most. The Cape Cod setting only enhances the story, adding a layer of nostalgia and warmth.

If you’ve loved Jamie Brenner’s backlist books (I loved Blush and Guilt), A Novel Summer will not disappoint. It’s the perfect blend of emotional depth and summer charm. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!