This was a beautiful story of two people trying to come to grips with tragedy and navigate the complexities of life after loss. The author drew me into the storyline and portrayed compassion and empathy for the main characters. This book also discussed several issues that are found in today's world and how to navigate them with a Christian worldview. It was a unique story and unlike any other that I have read before. I would recommend this as a quick and easy read.

The Summer of You and Me
Denise Hunter
April 22, 2025


Maggie is heading home to Seacrest, North Carolina. Each visit is difficult. Ethan´s family is there. She promised to come back for the summer. School is finished and her 4 year old daughter is ready to see her grandparents. They will be staying in their guest cottage. Each year since Ethanś death is almost as tough as the first year. She was pregnant when he left. He never met his beautiful baby girl. His folks still pressure her to dwell on his existence. Her sister in law, Erin has become her best friend. She helps but the only person who cares about her needs is Joshua, his brother.
The Summer of You and Me will be published on April 22, 2025 by Thomas Nelson. I was able to read and review Hunter´s latest novel via NetGalley. I appreciate being allowed to read the advance copy of her latest book. Once again she provides her readers with a passionate story of a family's struggles with an unfortunate loss. It is most difficult for his widow. How does she create a new life for herself and perhaps find a new father for her daughter. Family is not enough to overcome the loneliness of being alone. This excellent story is delightful. Readers will find it a welcome journey for the protagonist. Do enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advanced e-reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoyed the relationship and connection between Maggie and Josh - it was very easy to root from them despite the conflicts they face. Occasionally the storyline was a bit slow for me and I found myself struggling to finish, however by the end of the book I found I still enjoyed reading it. The slight mystery aspect to it was a plus!

An unforgettable summer...

I feel as though I have done The Summer of You and Me a disservice as I read a book before hand that had a very similar plot. Because of this, what I felt was missing in The Summer of You and Me was highlighted by what I had enjoyed so much in the previous book. I also felt as though the writing did make it hard to find the characters believable or to connect to the characters, but I am one reader who rarely connects with characters. The plot line of The Summer of You and Me is one of my favourites, so I did think this was an okay. I was surprised towards the end with the twists and turns which is a bonus!

First 5 star read of the year! Wow, at first I was put off by the relationship dynamic of the MMC & FMC but the storyline was so good I was able to look past it. The FMC was married to the MMC brother who has passed away some years back making the love interests former in-laws.

The story also had some mystery elements as a young man who happens to look like the FMC deceased husband randomly pops up in town. So they go on a mission to find out who this man is and why does he look like her husband.

The writing was spectacular. I was intrigued from beginning to end. This was definitely a page turner. I stayed up all night reading this because I just couldn't put it down. The way the author was able to use her words and writing style was indescribable. I felt like I was watching a Hallmark movie in my mind. This was my first book by this author, however it won't be my last. The chapters were short and easy to read as well. This is a 10 out of 10 will recommend.

This is the story of Maggie and her young daughter who are still trying to recover from the death of her husband. Her brother in law Josh has been her rock all along. When Maggie sees someone who looks just like her husband, her world is overturned and she is left with many questions. Was her whole marriage a lie? She and Josh are on a mission this summer to figure it all out. This is a great easy read and I finished it in 2 days. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming and that made it even more enjoyable. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was my first book by this author and I'd love to read more of her work.

Denise Hunter tackles a variety of issues in this heart-warming and uplifting story. Maggie, a young widow with a five-year-old daughter, Zoey, has gone to spend the summer at her in-law’s beach house. Maggie’s brother-in-law, Josh, lives near the beach house, and he has been her friend and a great support person since the death of her late husband Ethan. Their summer takes on a whole new look as the days go by. Intrigued by a mysterious person and heartache from grief and loss and unknowns are wreaking havoc on what was supposed to be simply a delightful summer by the sea leading up to the 5th anniversary of Ethan’s death. Don’t worry, the story basically has a happily ever after in the end, but it is hard to make it to that point. Lots of tears and hardship are in store for Maggie, Josh, and their families. However, what I appreciated a lot about this book, besides the wonderful characters, the excellent plot, and the multiple conflict points, is how Denise Hunter tackles difficult inter-personal relationships, specifically, difficult family relationships. She does not dodge them or make them pretty on the outside, rather she delves in and walks the characters through situations that we likely encounter with loved ones or close friends in our own lives. Maggie’s mother is narcissistic and the author walks her through those interactions and that situation quite well, with Maggie needing to set boundaries and talk things through with someone else. Josh also has a difficult relationship in his life, and the author again walks Josh through some difficult conversations and the reader can see the results of that. This is something that has been lacking in Christian fiction for a long time, and it is so refreshing to see it and learn from it. I highly recommend this book. It is a great, summer-themed literary escape and it is also a great personal growth book too. Read it. You won’t regret it!

This was my first Denise Hunter read and I will definitely read more of her books. This is a story of love, loss, family and so much more. Maggie lost her first husband, Ethan, and she has never really gotten over him. She comes back to her summer home and spends time with Ethan's family and his younger brother. Josh is in love with her and has always been. (I really enjoyed reading the characters that were brought to life in this book.) They end up with a mystery to solve and the last 25% of the book unravels this mystery with a huge twist. Will Maggie and Josh end up living their happily ever after? Will she let go of Ethan? Add this to your TBR as it would make a great beach read!

Thank you Net Galley, Denise Hunter and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions shared are my own.
The Summer of You and Me is expected to be released April 22, 2025.

Cute romance novel with very little spice. I thought it was predictable at times, but not in a bad way and there were still some surprises in the plot. The writing was well done and not heavy handed. Would recommend this to other friends as a sweet, enjoyable summer read.

Maggie is spending the summer at the beach with her daughter. Maggie lost her husband five years ago and is just now starting to live again. Josh Reynolds is her brother-in-law and her rock since Ethan died. Josh fell in love with Maggie over twenty years ago and has kept the secret from his family. As the summer starts Maggie sees a man that looks just like Ethan at the amusement park. As Josh and Maggie search for the man they become closer together; can Josh finally let Maggie know he is in love with her?

This book was really good. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. I enjoyed it so much. I can't wait to read more by this author.

The Summer of You and Me is an exciting, heartfelt book that hits all the right notes! It has a bit of everything, too, which I love. There's a great romance, but there's also mystery and drama and a healthy dose of inspiration.

All of that came through lots of twists and turns. Romance books are usually pretty predictable, but I loved how this one played out! It was certainly sweet, but it had hard moments, too, and they came in really unusual ways.

The Summer of You and Me is the perfect beach read. Denise Hunter has penned another winner!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter had me yearning for sunshine weather and the joy of a book I couldn’t put down. Absolutely fell in love with the characters as they took me along with them in life’s struggles and unpredictable outcomes. I recommend reading this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions are my own.

This was the first book I've read by Denise Hunter and I really enjoyed it. As I was reading it, I thought that it would make a good Hallmark movie. When I looked up the author, I see that she's written several books, 3 of which have been adapted to movies by Hallmark. It was an engaging story and I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing and ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Ooh, I wanted to like this so badly. I think remarriage as a Christian is definitely a touchy subject, and I feel like this story was not the best example of it, unfortunately. I loved both of the characters individually, but their relationship lacked a lot of depth and felt very circumstantial and immature. The mystery kept me reading, but once it was revealed, it weirded me out more than anything, so was unfortunately disappointed in that regard. I love most of Hunter's books. but sadly this one was a miss for me.

3.5 stars but rounding up to 4⭐️
I have liked this author’s other books, but this one didn’t quite work for me. It’s not a bad book, but something about the writing was off putting. For example, the term of affection “honey” was used way too often and seemed unnatural for the relationship between a brother-in-law to his late brother’s wife. It didn’t work. I also realize this is an arc, but the amount of typos took me away from the story.
With all that said, I still liked the story of a woman trying to find out what really happened to her husband and searching for love again. I did not like the conclusion to the “suspense”, but it could have been worse.
I will continue to read this author’s future books, but would like to see her write in 1st person next time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I was unable to read this book. The PDF format with production marks and text that I was unable to adjust was very difficult to read, and it kept failing to download to my mobile device (was only able to access it via desktop browser). But because I could not adjust the text to be larger, it was too small for me to read on desktop.

The writing was beautiful. But the characters were awful. The book came to a screeching stop when I realized Maggie was in love with her husband's brother. It kinda felt like it came out of left field.

All in all, it was just ok.

I think I struggled with this one because I had trouble relating to Maggie. The book started off with a mystery - which I love. Did Maggie see her husband, who died 5 years ago, at an amusement park? Immediately, I’m invested. Loved the setting, loved the characters. Loved that Maggie is going to spend time in Seabrook with her husband’s family and with her daughter and explore her feelings, trying to get some closure. Then it got weird for me. The more the story evolved, the more you begin to see that Maggie is in love with her husband Ethan’s brother, Josh.

I think I felt bad for Ethan throughout this novel. His wife was always in love with his brother? His brother was always in love with his wife? Just didn’t feel right. Felt like a real betrayal, so I had a hard time rooting for this romance.

I still give credit to the author - it’s well written. Just the storyline hit me wrong.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

The Summer of You and Me did NOT disappoint. I have always enjoyed Hunter's works, but this one shined. Masterful plot twists, an unexpected ending, dealing with grief and forgiveness, and looking toward a hopeful, joyful future. So much packed into this novel.

Releases Apr 22nd. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheSummerofYouandMe #NetGalley.