I don't know if I can thoroughly put into words how much I absolutely loved this book. I spent every free moment I had reading this. I haven't read any of Alex Aster's other books but after this I NEED to read them all. I need her to absolutely continue writing adult romance because for this being a debut she knocked it out of the park.
Elle is a screenwriter with writers block who has a screenplay due at the end of the summer and to make things worse, she needs to write it in a city that she hates. Enter Parker, our physical-touch-as-a-love-language KINGGGG. He was absolutely perfect! I think he might be one of my favorite MMC!
Their chemistry was everything and more to me.
The writing was so good and hooked me from the beginning. I really think this is gonna be one of those must-read booktok books. This book was so much fun to read and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it before it came out!

the perfect summer vibes rom com!!!! this was totally my cup of tea. exceptional writing and so easy to follow. could not put this book down. 5/5 stars! can't wait to read more from this author :)

Summer in the City was such a fun and romantic rom-com! I immediately liked Parker and really loved all the different places in the story they visited throughout NYC. The more Parker and Elle interacted, the more I loved them! My only two complaints were that I didn’t like how Elle and Cali were together, and I didn’t enjoy the parts of the story that included her. I also felt like there were some parts where the dialogue or descriptions didn’t flow well, and it was hard to get into the story.

Overall, it was a cute and enjoyable read, and I liked how everything turned out in the end. Thank you to Net Galley and the William Morrow team for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is completely different from Alex's Lightlark series, which I DNF the first book, but this one kept me reading. It was a sweet, funny, and easy to binge love story set in NYC. Elle and Parker have strong chemistry, and their banter is really good. The little bit of spice we got was ok. It delivered everything that I expected from a rom-com, enemies to lovers, fake dating romance even with the predictability and a 3rd act break up (it was frustrating when it happened as it was so late in the book and she already said yes but was quickly resolved since there was like 2 chapters left.) Overall, this will definitely make a great easy fun summer read at just under 300 pages.

First of all, I was seriously excited to get this book. I have followed Alex all through her Lightlark promotions on TikTok and Instagram and I loved the Lightlark series when I found out that she was writing this book I was all in on it. I loved how the story began with their first meeting in the club, the misunderstanding that occurred, and how Parker shoved his foot in his mouth leading the enemies part of this enemies-to-lovers trope. If Alex does anything after this that isn't Lightlark I hope she releases another special edition of this book with the first chapter and the chapter that they meet again from Parker's POV because I would love to see what he thought. I do believe the book should hold some trigger warnings, just in case. For loss of a parent, and marital abuse to the point of it looking like a forced marriage and manipulation of children into their adulthood.

Thanks a bunch, Netgalley, for sending me this ARC!

I absolutely loved reading this book! It was such a refreshing change from her other works. The characters were all really enjoyable, and there were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It was super exciting and unexpected!

There was a bit of time-hopping, which isn’t always my thing, but it did make the last 10% of the book feel a bit rushed. I also wasn’t a big fan of the breakup in the third act.

Overall, it was a really fun and engaging read!

This was so sweet and cute, and definitely had me wanting to go to NYC! The banter and chemistry between Elle & Parker was amazing, and I loved watching their relationship unfold and grow. All the over the top romantic gestures and dates had me smiling and swooning the whole way through. I will say, Elle definitely got some side eye from me in the last third of the book, and I may or may not have wanted to strangle her. Overall, though, I absolutely loved it! Can’t wait to read more from her.

I was hooked as soon as i started reading. I related so much to the fmc in the beginning of the book which made me love her character so much…. Feeling like that could be me in a coffee shop really made me feel like i was IN the book while reading. The pacing of the book was great, there was never a moment i felt as if it were too slow or too fast and i was never bored. The plotline was really what had me on a chokehold, wanting to know what came next every single chapter ! There were times where the fmc felt like she was complaining a little too much and never letting go of this grudge and at times it was a little frustrating. I felt as though the mmc did his best to try to overcome and fix his errors but somehow it wasn’t enough for her at times. I can understand having your fears hold you back but it just felt a little frustrating while reading sometimes.
I had a lot of fun reading this and i LOVE a fake dating, rom-com! I was literally giggly and LIVINGGGGG for the banter !!!!
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!!!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for this arc of Summer in the City.

I am pleasantly surprised at this novel, from Alex Aster. I’ve read Lightlark and absolutely loved that and to see the switch to a rom-com was nice!

In this novel we follow Elle and her journey on figuring out how to get out of her writers block while also somehow running into the billionaire, Parker Warner who did not leave a good impression on her 2 years ago. Throughout this novel we see something blossom between them and it’s absolutely adorable! The banter, the experiences and the deep moments are so important and what make this novel amazing!

I will say, Elle had me quite frustrated some chapters with her attitude towards money and Parker, but I totally understand why she felt that way. I just wish she’d had a different mindset about a few things. But overall, she’s quite relatable I’m happy she was able to open her heart to something genuine and real!

Parker, he comes off a bit stuck up or too into himself, but deep down he’s a sweetheart and the way he treats Elle, you can tell how much he really cares about her. He’s really a lovely man and I’m just happy their paths crossed and became something beautiful.


Overall, this is the perfect summer rom-com! It definitely feels like you’re watching a classic love story movie! I highly recommend to everyone! :)


4.75/5 ⭐️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes: billionaire romance; faking dating

Did I keep finding reasons to bring this book up with my friends? Yes. Was it because it was an entirely unrealistic romance, even for a billionaire romance? Sadly, yes. Did I still gobble it up? Yes!

I felt that all of the moments of romance in this book were extremely over the top by the male main character, and they were never well received by the female main character. And yet, he continues to purchase exceedingly extravagant things for her until the third act breakup. Therefore, it seemed like their breakup was inevitable, and the reconciliation felt rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC! The book is for lovers of forced proximity, lovers to enemies to lovers, fake dating, billionaire romance, single first person POV, and the NYC setting. While I am marking it a 5 star read, my true rating is 4.75 stars and that's only because the time jumps were a tad confusing to me at times. Overall though, I DEVOURED this book. I love that Elle stood her ground on wanting to reach her own goals, while also eventually giving into the power of LOVE. Parker was definitely over the top and flashed his money at any given moment, but that was what I expected going into this book. I was so glad he had some growth and important revelations by the end of the book. Summer in the City is fast-paced and easy... I questioned whether I *really* needed sleep once I was hooked. I am connected with Alex Aster on social media and I love how she sprinkled herself through the book as well -- I caught all those fun facts popping up! I want to see this book turn into a movie!!

Elle finds herself in New York City for the summer on a mission to write her next screen play. She is shocked to see her next door neighbor for the summer is none other than famous tech billionaire Parker Warren (oh yeah, and Elle happened to hook up with him in a stairwell a few years back. . ) He needs a fake relationship to sell to the press and she needs inspiration for her screenplay ==surely this is all a recipe for the perfect NYC summer?!

A great summer romance read! The chemistry was palpable from the very first scene and held on the entire way through!!

3.5 - ⭐⭐⭐ 💫

“Sometimes I pretend too…I pretend you’re mine.”
“You don’t have to pretend, Elle…You have me.”

Summer in the City is an adult romcom following an anonymous screenwriters desperately trying to beat her writer's block but travelling to the setting of her upcoming film and the gorgeous tech billionaire, who she previously hooked up with two years ago, that is in desperate need of a fake date for some PR. They strike a deal - she pretends to be his date while he comes to her various sets for inspiration. It is only meant to be a summer...but what happens when they realize they want more?

This book is cute!

Elle is a woman looking to prove herself despite all the success she has made for herself. She hides behind anonymity and her family backstory really hits home why she struggles so hard. You really get to explore this internal struggle within her as she blossoms under Parker's care and attention while also seeking to push him away.

Parker is a man used to everyone wanting something for him and he uses his money to handle a lot of things. I admired his tenacity and his focus on trying to give Elle what she needs. He truly cares for her and he wants so much more than she realizes. He does make a few mistakes when it comes to using his money on Elle but I admired how he took that responsibility and moved forward.

“Are you trying to convince me not to love you.”
“Yes..yes, exactly.”
“Too late…”

This book does contain spice. I would place it at 2 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. This book is a slow burn because, while there is a lot of connection and tension between these characters, Elle holds firm to their agreement throughout the novel. They have so much banter and connection that allows the romance to build because these two work so well together even when they’re in denial. We don't see spice until around the 70% mark and then around the 90%. The spice is detailed and passionate. There is a focus on pleasing a woman in all the right ways and I had fun reading it.

The story itself is fairly straightforward. I liked seeing the characters explore various New York landmarks to gain inspiration. I liked how to unravel the relationship through each encounter. The various backstories made sense and we had the right amount of tension coming from family drama and celebrity status to force our characters to confront themselves. I will say I did find Elle yoyo'd back and forth on things a few times that made the smoothness of the story stutter and Parker seemed to make similar mistakes again and again. I wasn't a fan of the time jump either in the book. That said I felt this was such an easy book to get into with a smoothness to the writing, the balance of engaging side characters and this thoughtful commentary on family. I would definitely read another by Alex when she released again.

Overall, a sweet summer read!

Thank you William Morrow for this arc!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Summer in the City by Alex Aster!

I tore through this book- honestly, the best way to describe it is a <i>tasty little bite</i>. Just over 300 pages, it’s a whirlwind of a read: fast paced, full of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments, and easy to devour in one or two sittings.

I really resonated with Elle’s ambition and her determination to succeed on her own terms, without being overshadowed by the powerful men around her. Her voice was sharp, witty, and relatable, and honestly? I found myself wishing I could watch the movies she was writing.

That said, I did wish we got a bit more from Parker’s side, especially when it came to his work in tech. (My husband’s in tech, and even though I don’t totally get what he does, I appreciate when books at least <i> try </i> to explain it) Still, Parker made a great book boyfriend (especially his willingness to apologize and right his wrongs). If you're a fan of the “he fell first, he fell harder” trope, you’ll be into this.

All in all, this was a fun summer romcom with some movie worthy swoony moments. A quick, satisfying read. I look forward to picking up some of Alex Asters other works and hope that she will be adding more adult romance or contemporary fiction to her catalogue in the future!

Need more romances from Alex STAT!!! This is how I want a romance book to be paced! Hook you from the start without being “insta-love” but also doesn’t drag on! The banter and humor were so good and this was such a fun read! Can’t wait to see what comes next from her

I loved everything about this book. The writing had me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. I love when books are set in a city and they make the city almost a character. It was fun how they explored NYC and made you want to book a trip there. If you are in a reading slump this will pull you out of it!

There's just something about Parker and Elle that I can't help but love. I loved the feel Alex Aster captured of being in New York City. This book had the tension, the banter and the romance.

Parker's character development is amazing to see. We all want to hate him after our initial meeting of him, you just can't. Parker is the definition of a green flag, doing everything he can think of for Elle.

As much as I loved the first meeting of these two mcs, one of my only problems is how long Elle held on to her hatred for Parkers actions that night and his money.

Overall this was an incredibly fun and fast read. As her first contemporary romance, Summer in The City did not disappoint, and I can't wait to see what comes next

*thank you netgalley for this arc*

Overall: 3.5⭐️

Parker and Elle meet once at a club and their meeting went from kissing to her hating him. After that she went on to become a well know screen writer until she hit writers block. While Parker’s reputation grew because of his tech company. They unexpectedly became neighbors after years of not seeing each other. Elle continued to hate him while Parker tried to win her over.

The roller coaster this book took me on. One minute I was awing at everything Parker was doing and then next I was screaming “what are you doing” to Elle.Once she opened up more about her parents I came to understand her a bit more. But I still couldn’t stand some of the things she did. However, I did like how Parker just accepted her for who she was and always reminded her she wasn’t alone. All in all it had the cute rom feel that I love.

I absolutely adored Summer In The City! As a huge fan of Lightlark, I was intrigued by Alex Aster’s venture into Adult Romance, and WOW, this book exceeded all expectations. The chemistry between Elle and Parker was chef’s kiss, and I loved the pacing of their relationship—felt like it was perfectly realistic for this world! And the best part? A gorgeous love letter to New York City. Having lived there for seven years, this book made me want to pack my bags and move back immediately. The humor in this book had me laughing out loud multiple times, and I couldn't get enough of Elle’s quirky personality (3+ drinks in hand at all times? Iconic).

The only thing I wished for was a little more spice between the couple, but honestly, that’s just me loving smut hehe! This book is perfect for summer reading, and if you’re a fan of swoony romance, amazing female friendships, and strong, inspiring women, you’ll fall in love with Elle, Parker, and NYC just like I did. Highly recommend!

5⭐️s - I devoured this one! This was so fun and the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. I just loved Parker, yes please. And Elle was entertaining, loved her character too. Enjoyed all the references in NYC and also Paris! Highly recommend this rom com and will be out Tuesday! I pre-ordered the sprayed edged sign edition on B&N and can’t wait to add this beauty to my shelf.

Expected release: 3/25/25

✨Special thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for this complimentary digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.