Thank you William Morrow Books and Net Galley for this ARC.

✨ REVIEW ✨
I absolutely loved exploring New York City through Elle's eyes. I've never been and it's a bucket list trip, but this book allowed me to truly see it, like if I closed my eyes, I could picture everytbing. The imagery was written so well it was almost illustrated.

Normally, I don't like a billionaire romance, but Parker wasn't flashy with the money, he treated her so well, even if it was Fake Dating! Everything he did for her was absolutely amazing. Except for one thing, but I don't want to spoil too much!

However, Elle, being Miss. Independent, said some things that would hurt Parker, and while he thinks it's right, she was just worried about spending too much money. I kind of wish the book didn't focus so heavily on money and made it about money because that's not what I was expecting going in. In real life, it's understandable to be weary about that stuff, but this was something that truly didn't need to be brought up in a book and create the issues it created.

Also, Elle is constantly concerned with a small make out session at a Club YEARS ago, that she literally doesn't move on from and I truly have no clue why it bothered her so much.

Regardless, I enjoyed the book and it was so fun to read about adventures as someone adventurous herself (me)! While I will never do the extravagant dates Parker and Elle had ever in my life, I think it was a fun little escape from reality.

This book is released on March 25th.

💕 trope list 💕
•Fake Dating
•Grumpy x Sunshine
•He Falls First
•Billionaire Romance

When hate turns into the best kind of romance. Alex wrote a steamy summer romance that we all secretly want. I am just glad this one gave the best kind of HEA.

Elle, the FMC, is fighting the worst kind of writer’s block and returns to the city to map put her next screen play. Unfortunately, her new neighbor happens to the man who insinuated she was nothing but a gold digger years earlier he happens to be the key to unlocking her mind and after spending time with Parker, she realizes he might just be everything she needs to complete the job.
Full of stops around NYC, we got to watch both characters grow and fall for one another, which includes a steamy trip to Paris. IYKYK! Some miscommunications and a stress filled few chapters, we finally get a beautiful happily ever after 💕

This was my first read by Alex Aster and I really enjoyed it! I couldn't put it down and it'll be so sweet to read this summer. I loved their dynamic for about the first 2/3 of the book. In the last 1/3, I felt like Elle was a bit too hard on Parker. He didn't quite get it, but she also didn't quite communicate well either. That was my only complaint as I still couldn't wait to see them together and living their happily ever after. I hope she continues to write in this genre!

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex Aster and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Aster’s contemporary romance debut absolutely did not disappointment. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked. It hit all of my must-haves for a contemporary romance, between the banter, to the drama, to the reconciliation. The story that unfolds surrounding Park & Elle is one of self discovery, healing, growth, trust, and confidence. With each story that was shared of their past, I found myself falling more and more in love. It didn’t stop me from screaming in frustration at Elle more times than I can count, but that’s how I know I’m really engrossed in a good romance story. An absolutely amazing debut story and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

This was rather fun if you buy the idea of the main male character, billionaire Parker Warren, falling instantly for the heroine and then working hard to win her every chance he gets. Unfortunately for him, our heroine, successful screenwriter, Elle, detested Parker the first time she met him and then fixated on her hatred for the next two years.

Now she’s in New York City and finds herself living in the next-door apartment to the man her imagination had built into a terrible villain. Parker is even more attracted to her rude attempts to dismiss him. Of course, they end up spending the summer together and Elle finds out that he’s not at all the baddie that her imagination had built him into being.

I enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspect of the book, but there were too many elements that didn’t seem fully developed. She’s supposed to be this super successful screenwriter, but we never get much hint at all about what she’s written or is writing. We finally find out her secret background and why she dislikes men with money, but it seemed rather unbelievable that she was so messed up that she’d reject someone just because he’s rich. The woman needed some therapy. And I would have liked a bit more explanation of the sister and her boyfriend’s ability to travel around on a permanent vacation for the wealthy while also redecorating a ritzy New York apartment. Parker is this tech billionaire who is negotiating the sale of his company, but we never get much insight into what sort of company he was making his billions from. I could ignore some of these holes in the story, but I would hope that the author works on filling holes in her future stories.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was a very good Summer Rom-Com and the cover is EXCELLENT. I didn't love the third act break, they don't usually bother me but at a certain point Elle's hang up on the money just kinda became too much for me. Like do or don't. I really enjoyed the MMC and how all he really wanted was to make her happy. Overall, I would recommend this book.

4.3 ⭐️s. What a fun read! Honestly wish I would’ve read this in the summer. I don’t typically like the billionaire trope, but Parker was a dream. This is how you do it. I understood all of Elle’s traumas, but I think the way she treated Parker for that last third of the book was just too much. He honestly was such a sweetheart, did he fuck it up? Sure! But the guy could not read her mind. At least apologize to him! This is probably why it wasn’t a 5 ⭐️ read for me.

I say this in almost every book with some childhood drama, but she should’ve gone to therapy to process her grief and upbringing 😅. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!! The vibes were there and so fun, and Parker was written beautifully.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a cute and fun read. I loved that it was set in the summer in NYC - following a screenwriter looking for inspiration. A fake relationship with her billionaire neighbor, who has been her enemy for years. I thought that although incredibly predictable, the book moved quickly, the characters were quirky, their banter and chemistry were great. They each had their own issues, but we watched them work through highs and lows. An overall fun enemies to lovers, fake dating romance. There will be laughter, tears and frustration for the characters, but you will overall enjoy reading their story. If you are looking for a fun, quick contemporary romance for the summer, this is a good one.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Alex Aster’s debut is a fun rom-com and love letter to NYC. Elle is the up and coming screenwriter and Parker is the genius tech billionaire.

Really enjoyed the meet cute and their time visiting the city. Parker is definitely one of the sweetest billionaires out there. But the ending disappoints a little, so I knocked off a star. We get our HEA but one of the characters makes it so difficult.

Thanks to Alex Aster, William Morrow, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SO good! I was hooked from the very beginning and was obsessed with Parker and Elle until the very end. It was flirty and fun and tons of butterflies, while also adding a lot of depth. And I love a billionaire ok? Sue me! Favorite romance I’ve read in a long time. 💘

thank you netgalley for an early copy of this one!!

surprisingly, i haven’t read a romance book like this in awhile that i’ve liked. but alex aster actually something with this one. it had me HOOKED. even the end i was like okay🎢. i usually have a cheesy radar coming up for these, but this was surprisingly so good.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Alex Aster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this. And was somewhat annoyed by Elle. And rolled my eyes at Parker often.

Elle was flawed and living a diminished life due to things from her childhood and advice from her mom. She also was relatable in feeling the need to prove herself and her self doubt.

Parker was extremely over the top and guarded but then also vulnerable and sweet.

The story has a twist on the famous billionaire and commoner. Predictable but I still liked

I honestly was interested in this because I thought the cover was really pretty and wanted to see how a YA fantasy author goes romance.. well it was not great. First, the main character, Elle, is the most insufferable person ever. She’s so obsessed with one thing her mother said that it controls her entire life. Like she cannot have anyone buy her anything ever.. I bet she’s a horrible friend going to do anything haha. There’s so many like things she’s okay with then BAM something else just really drew the line. Also the eighteen months apart.. are you kidding me? Parker my man, find someone better. There is no epilogue for a reason because if she wrote it it would be them breaking up AGAIN over something dumb because Elle would freak out about nothing.

Summer in the City is a story that brings together a billionaire bachelor and a struggling screenwriter in a tale that’s so charming! Set in NYC, the story feels cinematic 🎥 like you’re watching an early 2000s rom-com movie unfold with every page. The chemistry between the main characters is undeniable, with just the right amount of spice.

Elle, a screenwriter who’s hit a creative block, meets the infuriatingly handsome Parker, who seems to stir up nothing but disdain in her. However, it’s this very hatred that sparks her creativity, making their unlikely dynamic both amusing and deeply romantic. The fake dating trope is expertly executed and plenty of banter that will leave you swooning. I just love Parker! Elle drove me a little nuts, but her grief plays a part in her decisions. And by the end she has finally worked through the issues that were holding her back. I really hope this is made into a movie! I will definitely read anything this author writes. Already ordered a signed copy from B&N

🍎forced proximity
🏙️hate to love
☕️fake dating
🌶️🌶️ spice
💗 he falls first
🗽grumpy FMC/sunshine MMC
🎥 miscommunication

thank you to william morrow, bloomsbury, & netgalley for allowing me to read this arc! 💞🎞️🏙️🍕🗽🥰

5 / 5 STARS! 🌟

summer in the city by alex aster—oh how i love you! ♥️i had zero expectations going into this book, other than the fact that i hoped i enjoyed it because i love a good summer romance and a new york city backdrop to go with it. and it DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT!! i quite literally ate this book up. it was one of those stories that i didn’t want to end. 🫢

parker and elle were such a fun couple, and their chemistry was unmatched. it’s always genuinely exciting when you can feel the feelings of characters that are just words on paper, and that’s what happened here. i felt everything elle did, and i resonated with her. i feel like parker was the perfect partner, and he kept showing up for her!!! 😭❤️‍🩹 it was about the little things he did that made me swoon, like the lattes and scones (the cafe????). i just feel like he understood her before she realized that she’d been truly being herself, and that made their relationship so much more real.

i loved the setting!! 🚕🍎 i will eat up anything set in nyc every single time. i loved the specific locations they went to in the book for elle’s screenplay and the locations that played a big part in their love story in end.

i really have nothing bad to say about this book because i am quite literally obsessed. and that’s why it’s 5 STARS! 🌟💕🗽

and again, thank you to william morrow, bloomsbury, & netgalley for allowing me to read this arc! 💞🎞️🏙️🍕🗽🥰

4.5⭐️ Wow wow wow I just could not put this book down.

This was my first Alex Aster book and I loved it soooooooo much. From the moment I picked this book up I could not put it down. Literally all my fav tropes wrapped into one!

I loved the MMC who is a billionaire with a humble mentality. Like Parker Warren is a top tier book boyfriend.

I did love this book but what kept it from being a 5 star read for me is 1) references to pop culture - for me it makes the book feel temporary and not timeless & 2) a grumpy FMC who doesn’t want love - because I like to picture myself as the FMC and I just love love.

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until March 25, 2025! But this is my honest review!

Add this book to your to read list, I promise you won’t regret it! & then let me know what you thought!

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Summer in the City is a delightful book by Alex Aster where Elle, a successful screenwriter, travels to NYC to housesit while finishing her latest screenplay that is giving her trouble. She runs into her neighbor, Parker, an extremely wealthy CEO of a tech company that tried to buy her company a few years prior. While she hates him, he doesn’t seem to remember who she is and is amused by her attitude towards him. Parker convinces her to act as his girlfriend for the press for the summer, and he will take her to the areas she is writing about in her screenplay. Elle agrees, as even though she hates him, she is able to successfully write after her run ins with him. But as their chemistry sizzles in the summer heat, will it fizzle as their contract ends or will this fake relationship turn real?

I loved this story and I couldn’t put it down! Parker and Elle had such fun chemistry. However, I felt the end of the book was too compressed and moved too quickly after drawing out their relationship in the beginning. Still would definitely recommend. 4.5 stars!

After loving this author’s fantasy “Lightlark” series I expected to love her romance debut book, but I unfortunately just didn’t.

The main character, Elle, was really unlikable to me and that’s a hard thing to get through when reading from their perspective. The love interest Parker was really sweet at times, but it was also difficult to appreciate him going out of his way for Elle when I wasn’t invested in their love connection. They met & immediately made out and that continues as the basis of him “instantly falling for her”. Just did not make me swoon at all.

The billionaire trope is never my favorite, but the way Elle “WOULD NEVER” date him solely because he was a billionaire felt v pick me. ~she’s not like other girls because she doesn’t want him for his money bc she hates money~. I agree with her best friend in the book saying she’s more obsessed with money than he is bc she’s SO against it. I get wanting to provide for yourself but dang.

Overall I just wasn’t bought into to the characters & their story, but I still love Alex Aster as a fantasy author and would give any book she writes a try :)
Thanks NetGalley & William Morrow Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you for an ARC of Summer in the City. I love Alex Aster’s fantasy books so I was excited to reach this romance book by her. Lets start by saying I love the setting of this book. Felt like I was in NYC. Love the characters and witty banter. If you want an nice laid back rom com I highly recommend this book!

Elle is in New York for the summer, a city she never wanted to return to. Extra bad luck who her neighbour is too. I liked how some of her past is revealed slowly throughout the book.