This was an interesting book. It had lots of moving parts that were different to me, so it took a little getting used to. But eventually it all played out well and the story fell in line and made sense.
Best friends brother, late husband's brother, infertility situations, lots of drama!

The story itself is a little anticlimactic. I think the most interesting part of the story was resolved in the first few chapters, then it took a different direction that was not very interesting to me. And there was just way too much every day monotony. Writing 101 is to edit out everything that doesn’t further the story, and there was just so much of that.

**Thank you netgalley and publishers for a review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This book was a good read I love a good summer romance book. I was intrigued by each character and the way their story was built. the ended had me surprised and I really enjoyed my time reading this book.

Hunter always writes compelling and complicated family dynamics.
I felt so bad for Josh because unrequited love is the worst, especially when it’s his sister in law Maggie.
I thought Maggie relied way too much on Josh for emotional ,support and couldn’t see the tree from the forest.
There were a variety of plot twists that kept me guessing what would happen.
I’m glad Josh got what he had longed for, actually two things.

A beach, reunion, starting over story with a mystery.. I have never read a book by Denise Hunter, I now am a new fan. So many books, especially written for Summer are the same. This one has many of the elements of the usual story, but with a twist! The twist makes this book one you can't put down.

I love that mystery was in this book! A sweet romance with a good plot. I definitely recommend reading this before summer wraps up!

I love Denise Hunter's writing! The Summer of You and Me is such a sweet story full of relational complications and surprises! Josh was such a good uncle and brother-in-law to widow Maggie without letting anyone know he has secretly been in love with her since his early teens. Can you imagine being at a carnival and seeing someone who looks like your late husband? How is this possible? I was impressed with Josh and Ethan's loving family but did not have nice thoughts about Maggie's mother! You won't want to miss this contemporary sweet story of family relationships and romance. I received a complimentary e-book of The Summer of You and Me through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Wow, just wow. I did not see all the twists and turns coming in this one. It’s a classic friends to more romance where he falls first and hard, but it’s also layered with mystery that keeps you hooked. I was completely blindsided by the ending in the best way. I absolutely loved it. This was only my second book by Denise, and I’m officially hooked. I’ve already started collecting more of her work.

When Maggie finally feels ready to move forward after the death of her husband, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with someone who looks exactly like her late husband. How is that even possible? Someone is hiding secrets from the past, and now they’re bubbling up at the worst possible moment. The timing of the lookalike’s appearance couldn’t have been worse.

Josh has loved Maggie his entire life, but as the wife of his late brother, she was always off limits. This summer, he’s finally ready to tell her how he feels, but he doesn’t know if she’ll ever see him that way. And with the mysterious lookalike stirring up confusion and old wounds, his long-awaited confession might not get the chance it deserves.

Y’all, this was such a page turner!!! And Josh, oh Josh. He is absolute perfection through it all. Patient, selfless, with a heart of gold. Even after having his heart shattered when Maggie married his brother, he stayed by her side, always giving, always supporting. It’s the ultimate friends to more love story, and it stole my heart.❤️
I gave this one 4.5, rounded to a 5!

I need to read more books by Denise ASAP!

I always love a new Denise Hunter book! Lots of wonderful, likeable characters and a great storyline that will have you feeling love and heartbreak throughout the story.I listened to the audio, and the narrator did a great job! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Summer of You and Me" is another great story from Denise Hunter. This the sixth book I've read of hers, and each one has been filled with relatable, flawed characters who are just trying to make sense out of life.

In this story, Maggie is preparing to observe the fifth anniversary of her husband's death in Afghanistan, and she's finally feeling like maybe she's ready to move on with life and perhaps even to find love again. But that all comes to a screeching halt when she sees someone who looks just like her husband Ethan, then loses him in a crowd. She knows she can't rest until she finds out who the man is, but to do that, she first has to find him again. After all, they never saw Ethan's body. They were simply told he was dead. Could there have been a mistake? Could he be alive after all? The answers to those questions are necessary before she can do anything else.

Enlisting the help of her brother-in-law Josh, she sets out on a mission to find this mystery man and figure out who he is and why he looks just like Ethan. But what they discover is something that will redefine both of their lives in ways they never anticipated.

And that's what makes this story so great. It sucks you in from the very beginning, and as you come to know and care about the characters, they show you exactly who they are, warts and all. And when they finally come out on the other side, made stronger from the experience, all you can do is cheer for them.

Thank you to Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I loved this book. Maggie searches for this mysterious man that looks like her late husband. And she has her brother in law who is secretly in love with her help. I love that this is a clean romance and it will keep you guessing right from the beginning.

Maggie is a young widow trying to move on after the loss of her husband Ethan who died 5 years ago in another country while serving in the military, but when she sees someone who looks just like him it brings up a lot of questions. Could he be alive? Could it be his son from a long-ago affair? Could Ethan’s dad have had another son from an affair?

Maggie is doing her best as a single mom to her little girl Zoey, and is close friends with Ethan's sister Erin and younger brother Josh who has been in love with her for years without her realizing. I have to say, it made me cringe every time Josh called Maggie "Honey." She's his older brother's widow so that felt really weird.

I liked how unexpected and surprising the answer was. Read this if you like some drama, some mystery, romance, friendships, good and bad family relationships, and a happy ending.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

The book is about lost love, unrequited love and hope. The book tells the story of Maggie who has been a widow for a couple years but in order to move on she needs closure. So she goes to the one place offering closure (the place where it all started) throw in a brother-in-law that has always been in love with her and a glimpse of a man that looks like her late husband healing and moving on may not be as easy. What a read!

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Unbeknownst to Maggie, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds, has been in love with her since they first met all those years ago. But his brother ultimately won Maggie's heart, and Josh's unrequited love has ruined all his relationships. If Maggie is ready to move on, then Josh is ready to lay it all on the line and come clean about his true feelings for her.

But his plans soon get put on hold when, shortly after Maggie returns to Seabrook, she runs into a man who could pass for Ethan's twin. But he disappears into the amusement park crowd before she can confront him.

The event rattles Maggie, stirs up impossible questions, and sends Josh and her on a quest to discover the man's true identity. But their search ends up raising more questions than answers—and soon Maggie isn't sure she wants those answers after

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is a sweet Christian romance and mystery novel that gives all the summer vibes. As one who enjoys a clean romance, I have enjoyed many of Hunter's novels and this was no exception. There's a little bit of everything you could want in this one: mystery, intrigue, romance, healing.

Maggie lost her husband Ethan five years ago when he was killed in action at his military base in Pakistan. Maggie was pregnant at the time. Now she and her young daughter have returned to Seabrook where she grew up and fell in love with Ethan. While attending the local fair with her daughter, she sees a man who looks exactly like Ethan, but she loses him in the crowd. As she and Ethan's brother, Josh, begin to investigate, Josh confesses his fealings for her - he has always loved her and felt like it was a good time to tell her but now she's distracted with finding this mystery person. I really enjoyed the way we got to see the character's growth and learned about them and their flaws and how they relied on each other and the Lord through hard times.

I thought this book was very well done and if you're looking for a clean, sweet romance sprinkled with some mystery and without blood and gore, then this is a great choice.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Summer of You and Me is everything I love in a Denise Hunter novel—tender, emotional, and full of hope. This story pulled me in right away with its coastal setting and heartfelt characters.

I really connected with the themes of second chances and forgiveness. The romance was sweet and slow-burning, and I appreciated how both main characters had real struggles and past hurts to work through. It made their connection feel deeper and more meaningful.

The writing is gentle and engaging, and I found myself turning pages late into the night. It felt like a breath of fresh air—warm, soothing, and full of heart.

If you're looking for a clean, uplifting romance with real emotional depth, this one is a perfect summer read. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for eARC!

ARC/ ALC REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maggie Reynolds is looking forward to spending the summer in her hometown of Seabrook. As a young widow and single mother, she has every intention of using her vacation to soak up the sun and connect with family. However, her plans are thwarted when she spots a man who’s the spitting image of her deceased husband. Before Maggie can confront the stranger, he disappears into a large crowd. Shaken by the uncanny resemblance, she launches a full on investigation into the mysterious man. Will her mission unearth a dark secret, or is this simply a coincidence?

If you are looking for a summer read that not only offers beautiful writing, but a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of romance, than look no further than Denise Hunter’s latest book, The Summer of You and Me.

This is the second time that I have had the pleasure of both reading and listening to one of Denise Hunter’s books. I am blown away yet again by the depth of her writing. Not only does she keep me on my toes with her brilliant plot twists, outstanding character development, she isn’t afraid to tackle difficult subject matter.

This book confronts topics that center around narcissism, abandonment, death, and grief. While one might assume these topics make for a depressing story, it is the exact opposite. You will leave with a renewed sense of hope and faith.

This book also features:
-he falls first
-forbidden love
-found family

Special thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Denise Hunter for allowing me to read/ listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

*While you can’t go wrong with however you consume this book, I highly recommend listening to it on audio. The story is narrated by the very talented voice actor, Kim Churchill. Teaming up, Hunter and Churchill make the ideal duo. Churchill draws on her years of experience to bring Hunter’s words to life.

What a beautiful yet heart-wrenching story it was.

This book deals with the grief of losing a loved one, trying to move on and falling in love with another person.

This book evoked different emotions in me. At some point, I was giggling, and after a few moments, I felt emotional, and then I felt butterflies because of Maggie and Josh's new budding relationship. I loved all the Joey parts and liked how the family dealt with all the matters and past revelations.

And I loved how the author portrayed both Ethan's and Josh's relationships with Maggie, and how she portrayed the fact that loving someone new doesn’t mean you’re replacing the person you once loved — it just means your heart has grown in a different way.

This was so beautifully written and immaculately constructed, and the pacing was a bit slow, but overall I had a heartwarming experience. I can't recommend this book more.

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is beautifully written and I could not put it down.

Five years after her husband's death, Maggie is finally ready to let go of him and the dreams she had for their future. A summer at Seabrook, where she and Ethan first became childhood sweethearts, seems the perfect time and place to find closure. Plus, she gets to spend time with his family, the Reynolds, whom she loves like her own.

Unbeknownst to Maggie, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds, has been in love with her since they first met all those years ago. But his brother ultimately won Maggie's heart, and Josh's unrequited love has ruined all his relationships. If Maggie is ready to move on, then Josh is ready to lay it all on the line and come clean about his true feelings for her.

Maggie and Josh’s characters are relatable with all the sweet moments they shared and the twists throughout the story kept on the edge of my seat.

This is my first book by Denise Hunter and I am definitely looking forward to reading more. I loved everything about this book and would highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely voluntary and my own.

After 5 years of morning Maggie’s is finally ready to let her husband go. Her brother in law has always loved Maggie. Just as they are connecting, she keeps seeing her deceased husband around town. It was a great story to read.

Thirty-six year old Maggie has been widowed for five years when her husband was killed while on his tour of duty. She had a great relationship with her in-laws, including her beloved brother-in-law Josh, who has been a stand-in dad for her daughter. Maggie's relationship with her own mother is toxic and continually causes wedges between them. At the carnival, Maggie thinks she sees her deceased husband, Ethan. She goes to Josh with this wild tale and they embark on a mission to find this person.
The story takes us through grief and recovery, loyalty and betrayal, and long-standing relationships.