I am never disappointed when I read a book by Denise Hunter. Her books are always quick reads. This can be a good and bad thing. I was not ready to finish this story. I will definitely read anything that Denise Hunter writes.
If you like clean romances, this book is for you.

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

This one gets five shiny, Summer stars from me. 😎

Up until I read this upcoming release, I had only picked up one Denise Hunter book. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.

Not long ago I saw this one available in audio on NetGalley. Here I am just four days later -- already done. I would turn it on to walk the dog and then kept listening in the car, during other chores, etc. It was hard to put down.

Here are five elements that made this a real winner for me:

😎The summery setting with the MC Maggie staying at a beach house and enjoying outside time with her four-year-old Zoey and extended family.
😎The mysterious stranger. How could someone who looked just like her husband be walking around in the town they once lived in as a married couple.
😎A military widow representation and a look at the aftermath of losing that loved one during deployment overseas.
😎The extended family of Maggie's beloved husband Ethan rallies around her and has such a healthy and life-affirming attitude.
😎That Epilogue was simply delightful. What a heartwarming ending to Maggie's sometimes stressful Summer.

Bonus reason: That cover! 🎡

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for both an audio and digital ARC of this release scheduled for April 22, 2025. All opinions are my own.

3 ⭐️
No spice, just kisses
⚠️ Toxic parent relationships
Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC! I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was a different genre for me and was definitely interesting! I liked the main characters and enjoyed their romance, but didn’t feel overly connected to them as a couple. However, the emotional side of things—getting to see them navigating their personal traumas and dealing with the impacts of their childhoods on their relationships was really great to walk through and added a nice depth to the characters and the story.

The suspense/mystery side of things definitely fell flat for me. It was very predictable and I honestly didn’t really understand a lot of their reasoning/thought processes. It was a kind of boring addition to the story that I could have gone without, even though I was intrigued to get answers.

This book was overall okay but I enjoyed the writing and would recommend it to others!

***Warning: Contains a potential spoiler***

Maggie Reynolds has escaped for the summer to Seabrooke, North Carolina. She and her daughter, Zoey, are just getting by in life as they are still emotionally recovering from the death of her husband, Ethan, five years prior. When one night at the fair she spots a man who looks exactly like Ethan. Emotionally, distraught, she reaches out to her close friend and protector, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds.

As the summer unfolds Maggie and Josh grow closer as they investigate the identity of this mystery doppelganger. Their search sends them traveling all over, meeting new people, and asking uncomfortable questions—all in their search for answers. As they spend increasing amounts of time together new—an old—feelings rise to the surface. Now, what began as a summer escape, becomes every complicated for Meggie in many senses!

As usual, Denise Hunter delivers a clean and sweet romantic story that can be read by all adults blush-free. I would definitely recommend this story to my family and friends who are fans of sweet romantic books. I will continue coming back to Denise Hunter for more of her wonderful novels!

***Potential Spoiler*** This book contains mention of war death, cancer, and sperm-donation/IVF. I would urge caution for anyone who may be triggered by those topics. As a faithful Catholic, I always like to mention that IVF is not condoned by the Catholic Church and my recommendation of this book in no way means I am recommending IVF. However, I still believe this book is worthy of a recommendation because it tells a clean and compelling story.

Many thanks to Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors. This book is a perfect example. She is a master story-teller. Her books pull so much emotion out of me.

In this book we meet a family 5 years after the death of a loved one, Ethan. The story focuses on Maggie, who was married to Ethan and Josh, his brother. The plot is excellent and I was drawn into the story immediately. I thought for a while that I knew where I was being led, but I was wrong. I truly love how the book ended and was happy that I was wrong!

The characters are perfectly developed. They definitely went straight to my heart and I care about them still, now after I finished the book.

I recommend this lovely book and hope other readers find the enjoyment I did while reading it.

A sincere thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading a complimentary copy of this book, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Over the summer, when Maggie is on summer break from her teaching job, she comes back to her hometown for a visit. I loved both Maggie and Josh, the brother of Maggie’s deceased husband. Add in a cute kiddo, and they have some great times together! And then Maggie sees someone and can’t believe her eyes. She and Josh then go on a mission, searching for answers. This was a sweet romance, but seemed to drag at times.

The Summer of You and Me is a beautifully written story that sweeps you into a world of love, self-discovery, and second chances. Denise Hunter has crafted a unique storyline that stands out in the romance genre, keeping the narrative fresh and engaging from start to finish.

The characters are all incredibly likeable—relatable, heartfelt, and easy to root for. Their chemistry feels natural, and the emotional depth they bring to the story makes it easy to get invested in their journeys. Just when you think you have it all figured out, a twist at the end surprises you in the best way, adding another layer of meaning and impact.

Though I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, it would have been more of a 4.75. It’s a highly enjoyable read that lingers with you after the final page. Fans of Christian romance with a touch of mystery and emotional depth will definitely appreciate this one.

What a beautiful story about love and loss. Maggie is a widow coming back to her hometown to say goodbye to her husband scattering his ashes on the 5 year anniversary of his death. Josh is her brother in law, and also a man who has been in love with her forever. Just as Josh gears up to tell her how he really feels, Maggie spots someone who looks just like her deceased husband setting off a train of events and a compelling mystery. I love a good complicated love story, and this one was full of complications. A great read. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Oh man! I really enjoyed this one. The blend of emotion, mystery, and personal growth was so well done. I found myself really warming up to Josh throughout the story. He’s the devoted uncle with unspoken feelings for his widowed sister-in-law. Despite his own emotions, he helps her uncover the truth about his brother’s death and the mystery man who looks just like him. There’s something about Maggie wrestling with her emotions while Josh constantly puts her and her feelings first that really tugs at my heart.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the Arc.

Maggie and Josh pulled on my heartstrings so much! Josh has always been in love with Maggie but she married his brother Ethan so he learns to keep his feelings to himself until almost 5 years after Ethan's death. When Maggie sees a man who looks just like Ethan, it sends them on a mission to find out who it is and boy does it take them on a wild goose chase! I really enjoyed this whole love story and could understand the angst that they felt when dealing with their families. Denise Hunter is a master at writing home-town romances that will leave you smiling. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 22 April 2025

This was my first Denise Hunter read, and not my last. It was familiar, like a warm hug. Coming to you on April 22, 2025 its one to put at the top of your TBR lists. Five years after the loss of her husband, Maggie still mourns Ethan and the life they should have had together. She struggles with the "what ifs" and she navigates the world raising the daughter that Ethan loved, but never got to meet. Blessed with supportive in-laws, Maggie and her daughter travel back to her husbands home town to spend the summer with Ethans family. With a surprise twist, Maggie finds herself and her brother-in-law Josh (who is in love with her) on a mystery that could change their lives forever.

Thank you NetGalley, Denise Hunter and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions I share are my own.

Denise Hunter does it again! This book was absolutely wonderful! Originally I had this book as a 4⭐️ but the last 15% of the book made that jump up to a 5! It’s so beautifully written and I didn’t want to put it down. I love how she tied it all together in the ending. I’m so glad I got an ARC for this book! It comes out 4/22/25. If you love a feel good romance story make sure to grab your copy. I promise you won’t regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Denise Hunter, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC!

A fun, light, with a little mystery sprinkled in summer romance read.

We follow Maggie who is back in Seabrook for the summer. She lost her husband five years ago and is ready to put herself out in the dating world. She is sweet, caring and a great mom to Zoey. She is back to watch her in-laws house for the summer and spread her late husband’s ashes.

Josh is Maggie’s brother in law and has had feeling for her since he was a teenager. He is finally ready to tell her how he feels. He is the captain of a touring boat company. He is devoted, kind, and desperately in love with Maggie.

Maggie spots a mini Ethan (her late husband) look alike in the crowd while she and her daughter Zoey are at the carnival. She loses him in the crowd, but is determined to find him. She and Josh start this journey to find the young man and are determined to uncover who he is. I was a little unsure how the mystery man would play out. But I loved the outcome and was surprised I didn’t guess how it would turn out. I haven’t read a romance with a long term crush on someone who is taken. I really like how it was explained and resolved at the end. I liked that Maggie gave Josh a chance and was rooting for them!

Thank you Thomas Nelson, and Denise Hunter! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The summer of you and me
Your next small town summer romance, with a fierce mystery that enveloped me throughout. I honestly found myself smiling like a loon whilst reading this book. Set in a small summer town called Seabrook, Maggie who was painfully widowed a few years ago, is mending her heart whilst raising her daughter Zoe. She is back in Seabrook for the summer holidays, allowing herself and her daughter space from her narcissistic mother whilst nurturing the love from her late husband's (Ethan) family. Maggies world is turned upside down....again.. when she fleetingly spots someone at the funfair who's the spitting image of Ethan, yet how can that be, he's dead isn't he?
What unfolds is a desperate search for the true identity of this mystery man. Accompanying Maggie on her search is Ethan's brother josh, a lothario at his worst but a seriously decent human, doting uncle and special friend at his best, there's nothing he wouldn't do for Maggie and Zoe...nothing.
This is a story about grief, and the parameters within which we allow ourselves to love after we have lost so much. It's an exploration of the sharpness of guilt, of allowing someone to save you, feeling again when you've pledged your life to someone else, the insanity of this guilt when the choice was inexplicably not YOURS.
It's a story of small moments, how they can save you, rejoicing in the sun, your darling daughters giggle, swimming in the ocean, thanksgiving at the family's table you have chosen. It's a story of big moments too, reuniting with long lost family, saying I love you for the first time to the girl you fell in love with at 14, starting therapy and setting boundaries, new beginings and heartbreaking endings.
I won't spoil the hook, but it has my heart. There are decent people in the world, and we are a measure of the warmth of these relationships. When your world is ending, sometimes we find solace in the most unexpected arms.

I'd never read Denise Hunter before and chose this book because of the title, cover, and mystery in the description (a woman's dead husband may still be alive.)

This wholesome summer, small-town romance would make a great beach read. Josh and Maggie are well-drawn, likeable characters who've known each other since high school. Josh has always held a torch for Maggie, but he buried his feelings because Maggie fell in love with and eventually married his brother, Ethan. Now that Maggie has been a widow for five years, Josh is ready to leave the friend zone.

I found their relationship sweet and believable and cheered them on. There was nothing "icky" about the fact she was married to his brother—they are not blood relatives, neither is married, and after five years, Maggie is ready to start dating again. The author developed it believably.

I wasn't crazy about the writing, though. I agree with another reviewer who called it amateurish. There was too much backstory and other details, like descriptions of what the characters were wearing, for my taste..

In my opinion, Maggie and Josh ignored the obvious answer when trying to determine the mystery man's identity. However, a plot twist I didn't see coming (even though the author did a good job of setting it up) added an interesting layer to the story. I'm glad I finished this book - I thought the ending was satisfying..

The Summer of You and Me is a tender unrequited love story that deserves an HEA. Josh is a saint and Maggie is about to realize what a blessed woman she is as they uncover an almost 2 decade mystery. This author's stories are always original but never waiver from the basic moral values we all hold dear. This novel would make a great Hallmark Mystery movie.

OH THE DRAMA!!!!!! i almost couldn’t keep up with it at points bc just when a situation was resolved another one popped up!! i thoroughly enjoyed this and loved all the characters!! i breezed through this and it has me so excited for summer to begin!! it’s a perfect beach read!! i listened to the audiobook in less than 24 hours because i had to know what was happening!!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for the e-arc & audiobook in exchange for my honest review!!

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is a heartfelt, well-paced romance with short chapters that make for a quick, engaging read. The central love story is clean, emotional, and thoughtfully developed, with characters whose struggles feel authentic and relatable.

A standout is young Zoey, written with charm and age-appropriate dialogue—something often difficult to capture well. She adds warmth and heart to the story.

While most of the characters are strong, Will’s storyline feels less believable. The mystery around his lineage unfolds late and in a way that seems far-fetched, with a resolution that may feel a bit uncomfortable due to past circumstances.

Still, the book handles emotional themes with care and honesty, offering a satisfying blend of romance and depth. It’s an enjoyable, uplifting read about love, healing, and the complexities of relationships.

I'm relatively new to Denise Hunter but I definitely will be looking for more of her books after this one. I am one of those people who tends to stay away from mystery books because I either find the ending out too soon or the story isn't logical with its ending. Not a problem with this book! Hunter grips you with the story from the beginning and keeps you guessing until the end. A great story and telling. Definitely get your hands on this one!

The romance felt forced and then it felt awkward. The mystery part was okay. I really enjoyed the author’s book Before We Were Us, but unfortunately The Summer of You and Me fell flat for me.