Hot Summer is a fun sapphic romance that takes place on a Love Island-type show. The plot relies very heavily on all things Love Island, and that took away from the story a little for me. If you've seen Love Island, you know there are a lot of people at the villa. This book introduced a good deal of characters that were briefly mentioned, then forgotten about. It was a little difficult to keep up with all the "lovers" and the side stories.

Overall, I think the romance was good, if a little lacking. I didn't feel a whole lot of chemistry between or connection to the characters. The romance was very, very slow burn, and I would have liked more development happening with their relationship. However, the spice was very good! There were only a couple spicy scenes, but I feel like it really paid off.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy watching Love Island and reading sapphic romance with spice.

This was alot like a queer Love Island/reality show and i really enjoyed it! The slow burn was done well and this would be a great beach or pool read for anyone! The characters, side ones included, were really fun and I could see myself being friends with them as well. Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC.

I am a sucker for queer reality TV books, and I’m happy to say this one did not disappoint! If you’ve ever watched Love Island UK and wished for a queer twist, this book is for you.

Cas has been hurt by love before, and
When her boss promised her the promotion she’s been waiting for if she goes on the reality show Hot Summer, the last thing she expects is to actually find love. Too bad the first girl she sees is exactly her type…

It could have used some extra editing here and there, but I whipped through this. Hot Summer was a damn good time.

I loved this. It incorporates all of the drama and fun of Love Island/reality dating shows and has a great cast of characters. The slow-burn romance between Cas and Ada is well-developed and makes it hard to put this book down.

While it took me a bit to get into the book, and while I don't know anything about astrology, I enjoyed this book. The way the various dates were weaved in was fun, I loved the MCs friends, and I was truly emotionally invested. Recommend!

This book is a lot of fun. I'll forever read anything with a dating show where the girls fall for each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very similar to a season of Love Island which was fun to read. I loved Femi possibly more than either of the main characters but I still liked Cas and Ava. My only critique really is that the drama with Cas's reason for going on the show felt a bit forced/excessive.

This book took me by surprise in the best way possible. I was expecting a light-hearted, cute romcom but found myself completely invested in the MCs and even some of the side characters. The humor, the feelings, the steam, it was perfection. Truly loved the story too with the reality show, and the writing made you feel like you’re actually watching it, the details are so good. Highly recommend this and already know it will be one of the top 2024 sapphic summer reads.

For those who adore reality TV, this book is a gem! “Love Island-inspired queer romance” immediately caught my attention, and I’m thrilled to say it lived up to the hype.

This is my first novel by Elle Everhart, and her storytelling had me hooked right from the start. The narrative, from Cas’s perspective, offers a refreshing take on love, especially as she enters the show with ambitions beyond just finding romance.

As Cas navigates the game, she unexpectedly finds herself drawn to another contestant, Ada, leading to a delightful romantic tension.

The cast of characters adds to the enjoyment, with their vibrant and supportive interactions. Cas and Ada’s chemistry is palpable, making it impossible not to cheer for them throughout the book.
Overall a very delightful read.

Hot Summer will be released June 27th 2024

Many thanks to Netgally and @penguinusa for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #hotsummer

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wonderful, fun book. I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun, reality TV sapphic rom com with all the summer vibes. You can definitely see that it is inspired by Love Island. I loved all the behind-the-scenes details. I enjoyed Cas and Ada’s story of falling for each other. There were a lot of characters in the story, but I felt like the author did a great job giving them all their own voice. Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read.
This is the perfect book to take to the pool or beach this summer!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced readers copy and opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this book so much! I love reality tv especially the love ones. It was such a fun rom com! This one exceeded my expectations. I hope to read more by the author in the future!!

I absolutely, unexpectedly, loved Elle Everhart's Wanderlust and was honestly just waiting for her sophomore novel. And when I found out this one was like Love Island but more diverse/inclusive, boy I was sold. I dug this book so darn much and just wanted to keep reading and reading and reading. Like, I was just dying to figure out what would happen next. Everhart brings her now-signature witty language and banter-filled style to Hot Summer. And my gosh, it was so cute yet realistic. It is mostly a slow burn, friends to lovers but there are a couple spicy AF scenes. Plus, that HEA! Yes, it was cute and all but I liked it more than others because it was a realistic time frame that's not, like, skipping 12 steps ahead just to be at the endgame. It was just right and the right time given the book's space in time.

I definitely enjoyed this book, but I did expect to like it more. I am an avid reality TV fan, so I was super excited to read this one. The story is fun and cute, but the main 2 characters lack development. They seemed exactly the same and sometimes I had trouble remembering who was who. I think my biggest qualm was that I saw the third act breakup from miles away, and I felt like there was not much closure to the conflict.
However, it is a fun read and made me really crave summer lol.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun ride! I don’t watch Love Island, and I stopped watching the Bachelor and such a while ago - but it’s still so fun to read about! Cas and Ada were great, and I loved rooting them on from the sidelines! Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced readers copy and opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

Cas Morgan loves watching Hot Summer, the dating show that pairs a bunch of singles together in paradise. When her company seeks a partnership with the show, she is handpicked as a contestant. To secure her job promotion, she must make it to the Hot Summer finals. Cas is determined to spend the summer winning over the public. But, once she enters the villa and meets Ada, a fellow contestant, her plan disappears. Ada is gorgeous and charming, and Cas is developing real feelings for her. Will Cas follow her heart or stick to her strategy?

I really liked this book, and I loved the similarities to Love Island. I would rate it 4 stars. Elle Everhart's writing was fun, and the book was nicely paced. It was a fun, summery read, with characters and couples you wanted to root for.

Hot Summer by Elle Everhart is out on June 25.

I've read a few different books with a similar premise to this, but I have to say, I think this was my favorite one yet. There was less focus on the show itself, and more focus on the characters, their development, and their relationships. It was so much fun to read, I almost felt like one of the contestants myself. Just like they experience ups and downs in the villa, you'll experience so many ups and downs reading. This book takes you so high, but also so low, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you want a book full of drama, great characters, and a cute sapphic romance, this one is a great choice! 5/5 stars.

if you are looking for a fun, fast paced, sapphic love island vibe of a book, this is absolutely for you. cas and ada are so violently easy to love and make you want to immerse yourself in their relationship. the side characters in the book are also great and add so much soul to the story.

a thing to note is that i usually dislike when books feel too much like real life. i hate reading a romance and the main characters starts posting on instagram and it just feels bleh and too realistic. this book however, given the theme and the plot, you expect all of this and it works. i never found myself uninterested because of the reality of it. it felt extremely well written and i felt like i was watching some reality tv dating show.

i would definitely recommend this read and can’t wait to come back to this book when it releases later this year. thank you netgalley and to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this incredible story!

“Cas had already known that Ada was beautiful. Could have, if she were a writer, written a thousand very pathetic, very gay poems about it.”

Okay. I'm a Love Island girlie. I’m talking- USA, UK & AUS, so when I heard this was a book for people who love Love Island I was so excited. What I didn’t expect was this to be EXACTLY Love Island. It being so identical I felt was a negative for this book. I needed something more in that aspect.

That being said…. Once I decided to put that aside the book got pretty good. It was fun, cute, and even had a few spicy moments. Overall Hot Summer was a decent summer read.

Teetering between a 3 and a 3.5.

This is going to be the sapphic romance of the summer, I promise you.

Everything about this was a cool, fruity cocktail. Just delicious and something you'd want to drink poolside. I will absolutely being re-reading at a beach.

I had a blast with these characters, Cas and Ada are a fantastic couple. Instant attraction that sizzled from the start for sure, but not a cheap instalove story. Elle Everhart takes her time and lets readers really root for these characters. And honestly, every character is given a similar level of care. The cast of secondary characters felt really real and made it easy to slip into the world of the book. I was rooting for everyone at one point or another.

The spice level was perfect. 3 scenes that were OPEN door and very explicit. Just what I like! My only issue was the avoidable 3rd act drama, but it didn't bother me too much because otherwise its just sexy singles on the gorgeous island of Cyprus just having fun, falling in love, and making out. So a little drama was needed.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!