The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is definitely going to be your must read this summer! I couldn’t put it down. Hunter has a way of writing that connects you to the characters and makes you invested in the story. Maggie Reynolds is a widow with a 4 yr old daughter Zoey. Her husband and High School sweetheart Ethan was killed which triggers her abandonment issues. Josh is her brother-in-law who has always been there for her sans Zoey. Unbeknownst to Maggie, Josh has been in love with her since they met. Coming back to Seabrook,NC she sees someone that looks exactly like her husband. Could he still be alive? Who is this look a like? Will Josh finally win her heart? You don’t want to miss this book. Thank you to #NetGalley, #Thomas Nelson Fiction and #Denise Hunter for the Arc book. This is my honest review.

The Summer of You and Me is a fascinating story. It is much more than a romance.
It is a story of family dynamics, of loss and hope; of manipulation and self esteem and of yearning and love. It is a unique story to be sure.
There are lots of twists and unpredictable turns. And lots of lessons learned. It kept me guessing the whole time what was going to happen next. I was never right until close to the end.
Josh, Maggie and Zoey stole my heart.
I did feel the story began slow but the ending was perfection.
I highly recommend!
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.. The opinions are entirely my own.

This was a beautiful story and I am so glad that I read it. These characters were realistic, charismatic, and their stories were relatable. I never wanted to leave this book, but the ending came anyways.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Each time I read a book by Denise Hunter, I am never disappointed. Her writing style is something that resonates with me completely. This is a cute Christian romance story with some mystery & intrigue woven in. I think it is different than her other books but in such a
good way . Maggie is a widow & mom, coming to terms with her husband’s death. It has been 5 yrs since Ethan was killed during a war. Maggie and her daughter return to Seabrook, the place where she grew up & fell in love with Ethan. While visiting her in laws, she goes to a fair in town, she sees a man that looks just like her late husband. As her and Josh ( Ethan’s brother) start investigating he confesses his feelings to her , he has always had a crush on her. The characters were written with such emotion and depth , and had flaws like the rest of us, which made it that much more relatable.

This book had a little bit of everything.. mystery, love, family dynamics, healing and personal growth. I loved this story and it may be my new favorite.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Pub date : April 22, 2025

This is the touching story of Maggie, who must decide the path for her life after losing her beloved husband, Ethan. It’s been nearly five years since his passing and Maggie, along with her four-year-old daughter, Zoey, are back in Seabrook, North Carolina, for the summer. This is where Ethan's family lives, including his sister, Erin, and his brother, Josh. Both are close friends of Maggie’s, and Josh, especially, has been there for her and Zoey.

Maggie is slow to accept the untimely death of her husband, so when she glimpses a young man at a carnival who looks exactly like Ethan, she thinks it could be her late husband. She sees him disappearing into the crowd and, although she tries to follow him, he is not to be seen again, at least not that evening.

Josh agrees to help Maggie track the unknown man down, and after an exhaustive search, they find he works at the carnival.. Josh, though skeptical, is also startled at the resemblance this young man has to his brother. Is this Ethan’s doppelgänger or something much more personal?

This is a fascinating story of unrequited love by Josh, Maggie’s brother-in-law, who both she and her daughter adore and are thankful for. Josh has secretly been in love with Maggie since they were teenagers. Still, the fact remains, she was always his brother’s girlfriend.and later wife. The unreciprocated love Josh has for Maggie has interfered with his ability to love anyone else, and he has bounced around dating many, always quickly moving on to the next one. For this reason Maggie thinks he’s a man who can’t commit too one person.

This a heartfelt, story of love leaving readers yearning for the two to enter into a more intimate relationship.

Denise Hunter is a gifted storyteller who evokes feelings of warmth, security and love between wonderful characters.

This book has a very interesting plot! It’s sort of a slow burn romance, but that makes sense once you get to know Maggie and Josh. The author did a great job navigating the grief involved and all of the character’s relationships within the story. Most of this book felt very realistic.

I can’t wait to read more books by Denise Hunter!

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction, Denise Hunter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I'd give this book a solid 4. There were times that I wanted to rate it higher, but then it seemed to bog down for me and get lost it its own evolving story. I just didn't feel like the 5 year time wait after the husbands death was as realistic as they wanted it to be. People need support and they desire to be happy. I just think that everyone would have moved on with life a little more quickly than what is portrayed.
Good romance and good friends-to-lovers story. I love how much Josh cared for Maggie. What a great guy.

No sex, language, or violence.

I received an ARC of this book and this opinion is my own.

I received this as an ARC.

This was 100% a book not for me. The plot and characters kept me interested but I strongly dislike contemporary style romances written in 3rd person that is just a personal preference so by that I was already uninterested when I cracked this open.

That aside, I found a lot of the romance aspects pretty cringe like Josh using honey sweetheart cringe so that was no from me too.

I could see how some people may enjoy this probably women in their 40s or older but I just don’t think I’m the demographic for this.

As I branch out into the contemporary romance genre, I thought I might give this author a go. I cant say I loved it but I did like it. I just didnt feel the chemistry between Maggie and Josh.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book. I’ve read Denise Hunter’s books for years and they just get better. I love a good romance with a little mystery thrown in and this story doesn’t disappoint. It’s a story about learning it’s alright to love again after losing a spouse and letting go of lifelong disappointments.

The Summer of You and Me, the story of Maggie and Josh, is an enjoyable read. Young widow Maggie returns to the town of Seabrook for the summer with her adorable four-year-old daughter, Zoey, and to mark the fifth anniversary of her husband, Ethan’s, death. The plan is to join Ethan’s family, including his brother, Josh, in scattering Ethan’s ashes at sea. While still grieving, Maggie is ready to move on with a new chapter of her life. Without giving away any spoilers, here’s what I really liked about this story:

The characters are very well-drawn/written. As I read, I became more invested in their lives, not just Maggie and Josh, but secondary characters including Maggie’s BFF and sister-in-law Erin, young Will (and later, his mother), and, of course, Zoey. While not rooting for Maggie’s despicable mother (who would?), I liked the scenes where she interacts with Maggie and hoped that Maggie would eventually put some space between herself and this toxic person.

The dialogue is well-written and genuine. Interactions among all the characters, in nearly every situation, ring true. Ms. Hunter also handles grief and the grieving process (there is NO timetable for grief), with a deft and compassionate hand. She also does the same for issues of abandonment, and, with Maggie and Josh, the myriad of emotions brought up by them and others, including their respective parents, when the couple starts dating. Personally, I was cheering for them from the beginning!

Here’s where the story fell short for me. While attending a local carnival, Maggie sees someone who could be a dead ringer (no pun intended) for her late husband. It shakes her to her core. After confiding in Josh, who’s always been her friend/protector/source of comfort and support (and not incidentally, in love with her since they were teenagers), the two set out to find this person. That’s where the story became implausible to me. Not only do Maggie and Josh jump to conclusions all over the map, they barrel head on into a brick wall of conclusions! It just got a little tedious for me. However, within all the twists and turns, Ms. Hunter leads us to a satisfying conclusion with a final twist that yes, I saw coming, but that was a good thing!

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Summer of You and Me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Five years ago, a woman lost her husband. Now she visits his family and connects with his brother. Can they find love?

why did this break me more than i was prepared for? lol the summer of you and me hit me out of the blue and i have no regrets!!! i had a enjoyable time reading this one by ms hunter, my first but not last. thank you netgalley for the arc!

THE SUMMER OF YOU AND ME is another winner from prolific author Denise Hunter. I have been a longtime fan of her work, which, in my humble opinion, does a better job of exploring the psychology of characters so much better than the majority of romance authors. There is more "why" here than in some "cardboard" romances. The same is true with this new novel. There are just enough twists and turns to keep us interested without the plot devolving into soap opera territory. We are lucky to have a new work from Denise Hunter, who is clearly a fabulously talented author with real insights into the human psyche. I also appreciate the spiritual message, which never becomes preachy. Maggie and Josh are on a captivating journey, and it's a privilege to be on it with them.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

First note before I forget. Denise hunter is randomly placed throughout the book where it certainly shouldn't be. And so is the title of the book. Just a note for the author or editor to review that.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm so happy to have read a book without sexual content! It's so hard to find a good cute romance.

Finding out Josh was Wills father was definitely a wrench thrown in there. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it wondering if that actually happens in real life at that age.

This book has a twist that I didn't see coming, but I loved it. Without spoiling it, the twist leads to deeper relationships and eventually more trust. While this is a great beach romance read, it's more than that. Give it a try!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions Express in this review are completely my own. This book left me wanting at the end. I had more questions than answers towards the end that I wish were better explained. It was a beautiful story from beginning to end about friends to lovers but there were definitely gaps. First Josh's childhood illness was thrown in the middle of the story and threw me for a curve. It would have been better explained if the author explained that in the very beginning. Also Will's story seemed thrown in as an after thought as well. It really wasn't necessary except to give Josh hope at the end. The title also doesn't really go with the subject matter at all which had me scratching my head. Also the relationship with Maggie and her mom seems unfinished. Didn't go into depth about why it was the way it was. Her father leaving her doesn't explain her mother's actions. Lastly, why this title besides that their live came to fruition in the summer. Josh has been in love with Maggie for longer than just a summer. The story was okay I just felt it was unfinished.

The Summer of You and Me is a fun he-falls-first romance. Josh and Maggie's journey to love is a bumpy one, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes, but they ultimately achieve their happily-ever-after. I loved the beach vibe, especially with a foot of snow out my window. The story reminded me there are warmer days ahead! And I was happy to see Maggie healing from some of her many hurts in life and making some positive changes toward fulfillment and healing that had nothing at all to do with Josh. She didn't just try to fix everything by finding a man and hoping he would 'complete' her. Overall, another solid romance from Denise Hunter with a sweet, satisfying ending.

Loved this. Fell in love with the characters, loved the mystery and the plot twists. Just all around loved this. I imagined Maggie’s mom as Emily Gilmore from Gilmore girls. Less lovable than Emily for sure but that’s who I pictured.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this ebook.

This was such a good book. So many things happened and I couldn't figure out where it was going. I had to put it down for a few days once because I got emotional with the story. Such a good story and so glad I was able to read it!