**Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for this arc!**
🗽🌃🥯🚕☕️✨
Summer in the City is a solid 4/5 star read for me! Thank God for Alex Aster’s debut into contemporary romance. From the beginning, I was hooked: set in NYC, enemies to lovers, fake dating, fast-paced plot, and many more little tropes within. I LOVED Aster’s writing when describing NYC (and other locations I won’t spoil). It was extremely easy for me to picture these places and the “magic” of these moments in my mind–It felt like I was there. I loved this rom-com. It was perfect for the city summer romance vibe that many readers crave.

→ Elle
Elle is our FMC and the POV that we are in during the book. I loved her career as a screenwriter, her backstory with her family, and all of her little interests like coffee and reading. I had a great time in her POV… until like 85% of the way through the book. Like girl?? That seems like a bit of reach. However, Aster does a great way of making it well-rounded at the end.

→ Parker
Parker, our MMC, was a thrill. He was fun, charming, and hilarious, but still had a great amount of depth. I really enjoyed his consistent vulnerability and transparency with Elle throughout the book. He was so down bad for her. Overall: great MMC, no complaints (... okay maybe one?? When he looks at her, drops his phone, and “shatters into pieces.” I’m not going to elaborate any more on that LMAO).

→ Fav Quotes
“Do all books have maps?” he asks.
“No,” I say. “Only the best ones.”

“Nothing in life is endless.”
“Love is, Elle,” he says.
I laugh. “And what do you know about love?”
“Now?” he says. “Everything.”

“Life might be complicated, but love isn’t. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s a lance through plans, and morals, and pride. It cuts right through everything. It doesn’t care about the mess it makes. It hurts, and we let it.”

This was such a fun read! I finished it in one sitting and I had a great time with these characters & this story! It was what you'd expect for a contemporary rom-com book, complete with billionaire and all, but that's exactly why I loved it. I knew exactly the type of book I was getting into and what kind of storyline to expect! I related to the FMC, Elle, more than I would probably admit out loud, lol. The MMC, Parker, was just perfect and I wouldn't mind one of my own Parkers if we're being honest.

If you like
- Billionaire romance
- Fake dating
- Grumpy/Grudge Holding FMC
- NYC (lol)

Then this is definitely a book you should pick up when it comes out on March 25th!

As always, big big thank you to Net Galley & William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book early!

I wanted to read this because I love New York. This book does not disappoint in its depictions of the city. I loved journeying through pizza, tourist attractions, and events with the characters.

Otherwise this was a cute romance with a puppy dog MMC and a slightly grumpy but most just traumatized FMC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

It was such a cute summer rom-com. I enjoyed the story and how easy it was to connect with the characters.
Elle and Parker ended up being neighbors for the summer and decided to start a fake relationship that only supposed to last until the end of the summer. The story took place in New York and it added a charm of big city, characters visit a lot of different locations. While Elle is trying to overcome her writers block, Parker is enjoying the free time he has during the summer before he takes a new step in his career.
I recommend to read Summer in the City especially if you like rom-com, something light and quick to read.

I feel like this really deserves 3.5 stars instead of a solid 3 for a few reasons. The story revolves around Elle, who has begrudgingly returned to NYC to write a screenplay based in the city. Her last night in the city two years prior left her with an intense hatred for tech billionaire Parker Warren who she has now discovered is her new neighbor. They agree on mutually beneficial fake dating relationship just for the summer but nothing is ever that easy right?

Things I really enjoyed:

I like the premise of the story in general: a summer exploring NYC in order to write a screenplay based on said city while falling in love and finding yourself.

Parker was the stand out character for me! His character had depth, a good backstory, and appropriate character arc. I was happy that he wasn’t written as a jerky billionaire who needed to be humbled. He genuinely has been figuring out how to navigate this new world of wealth and fame.

I also really love a good enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating situation as well.

The things I did not enjoy:

Elle was a major negative to me. She was insufferable the entire book and I could not relate to her at all. The intense hatred she had, and harbored for two years, for a man she spent 5 minutes with was annoying and drawn out. Even worse, she continued to be a total jerk after he apologized and more than made up for it with his actions. I don’t feel like she really had the level of growth she needed in the end.

I enjoy Alex’s writing but the beginning of the story and ending felt super rushed and clumsy while the middle dragged on. This was a surprise as I thoroughly enjoy her other works and the pacing and writing.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and was happy with the ending. I read it in two days so it was an easy read and kept me interested. I look forward to seeing if Alex continues in the modern romance space as well!

Summer in the City reminded me of classic chick-lit books I used to read and love 10-15 years ago. It has a little bit of everything: a personal growth journey, family drama, and, most importantly, a swoony romance, all set in my favorite city! Elle is a relatable heroine, a homebody who would rather stay home in her PJs writing scripts than go out. Parker is a tech billionaire and one of the most eligible bachelors.

Elle and Parker had great chemistry, and their banter was entertaining. The central conflict was about money and the relationship each of them had with it. As a billionaire, Parker was a little obnoxious, trying to impress Elle with expensive, over-the-top gestures. But Elle always put him in place, letting him know she wasn't impressed by money. Parker did learn his lesson by the end of the book. Elle had hang-ups about money rooted in her childhood that she needed to overcome for her relationship with Parker to work. Both Elle and Parker had satisfying character growth throughout the book. Their HEA was well-deserved. I thoroughly enjoyed Summer in the City and recommend it to all romance fans.

Summer in the city feels like a fun-filled weekend in NYC. It's gone too fast and so much fun! I adore how Aster put her love of the city into this book. At times I felt like we got nuggets of herself in here, some of the themes feeling so real and personal. I loved that about it! Elle is an anonymous screen writer working out of her shell over the summer in NYC. Enter Preston, a seemingly grumpy tech-guru who is actually such a golden retreivor and wants to anything and everything for Elle. What a sweet love story that reads like a 2000s rom-com!

4 Stars! Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the eARC!

This was such a fun romcom set in NYC. Although I could have done with a little less breakups between the main characters I did root for them throughout and felt the chemistry between them was palpable from the page.

Thank you to William Morrow for an early review copy.

"Summer in the City" is Alex Aster's adult debut, and first foray into romcoms. Pitched as an enemies-to-lovers and fake dating story, this book follows Elle, an anonymous blockbuster screenwriter, as she reluctantly works on her next film set in NYC, the city she ran from two years prior. On the last night she spent in NYC, she ran into Parker, a billionaire tech owner, where sparks fly but the night ends in disaster. In true romcom fashion, Parker is Elle's next door neighbor and the two are intertwined by forced proximity. This reads more as a hate-to-lovers story and relied more on cliché romcom tropes, but Alex Aster excelled at the yearning between Parker and Elle.

This was my first Alex Aster book, and I unfortunately felt like the writing was a little too green as a result of the first person present tense. I'm open to seeing more of what Alex Aster can do in the contemporary romance sphere.

3.5 stars. This was a cute romantic read that went by pretty fast. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been to New York, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the storyline. The MMC was too perfect and the FMC still had issues with him. I gave it an extra half star just for the Paris scenes

I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Aster’s rom-com debut! From start to finish, it captured all the elements of contemporary romance that I absolutely adore. The chemistry between the characters was undeniable, and the banter between them kept me smiling throughout. The setting felt fresh, making the story both engaging and heartwarming. It truly serves as a love letter to New York. I enjoyed reading about all the touristy places they visited.

What truly stood out to me was how well the author balanced the lighthearted moments with some emotional depth. While the overall tone was fun and charming, there were just enough moments of vulnerability that made the characters feel real and relatable. I also loved how the book explored themes of personal growth and the complexities of relationships, which added a nice layer to the typical rom-com formula.

Now, the unexpected curveball—wow, that threw me for a loop! At first, I wasn’t sure how it would fit into the story, but looking back, it actually enhanced the plot and made the resolution feel even more satisfying. It was one of those plot twists that could have easily derailed the flow, but instead, it added a surprising depth to the narrative without feeling out of place. It definitely took the story to a place I didn’t expect, but in the best possible way.

All in all, the book was cute, sweet, and packed with enough charm to make me fall in love with the characters. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what Alex Aster writes next!

A big thank you to William Morrow and HarperCollins Publishers for approving my ARC request for review consideration via NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own.

“𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚,”
“𝙞 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

summer in the city is alex asters debut romance novel. it follows elle, a screenwriter who has an run in with billionaire parker warren. what started as an intense, romantic encounter quickly crashed and burned the moment he opened his mouth. two years later elle moves back to the city to house sit for the summer - determined to focus on her new project that she has been struggling with. as she begins to settle in she discovers that her neighbor is no other than parker warren. her cautious optimism gone as a lovers-to-enemies situation begins.

alex asters writing style really drives this story. the pacing is fantastic, it wasn’t insta-love but also wasn’t unnecessarily drawn out to the point where i wanted to pull my hair out. the tension between elle and parker makes it so incredibly hard to put this book down. it’s very safe to say that alex aster can write the hell out of a romance book and i hope she releases more.

the way that the characters were written was so incredibly refreshing. the baggage that the fmc carried and her being able to face that baggage in conjunction with elle and parkers relationship was handled and paced so well. one of my pet peeves with romance books is when the characters are miraculously healed from their partners love because it just seems so incredibly unrealistic?? safe to say that not happening in this book was fantastic. the only thing that brought this rating down from a 5 star that elle just wasn’t super relatable to me which is okay because you can’t expect to relate to every single character you encounter.
↠ parkers character being a departure from the typical grumpy or controlling billionaire is one of the best things about this book. the absolute devotion and growth that he goes through in order to spoil and meet elles needs is honestly so dreamy???

as soon as i finished reading this book i went and pre-ordered a physical copy because this absolutely deserves a spot on my shelves. 🤭

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 🫶🏻

The first half of this story grabbed me right away and had me hooked. I loved the characters and the set up and found myself laughing and smiling at Elle’s internal thoughts.

It felt like I was experiencing New York City myself and I absolutely loved exploring with Elle and Parker. It was such a fun and sweet set up to their relationship and played out like a movie in my head.

But at around the halfway point I started to struggle with liking Elle’s character and with the multiple break ups. She was very hypocritical and unfairly took a lot of her personal issues out on Parker without really having the necessary character arc to make up for it. That mixed with too much conflict on Elle’s part made her difficult to like by the end - I’d have loved to see a little more affection and overall care for Parker from her instead.

First of thanks for the opportunity to be given an eARC.

I’m not normally a romance reader. I typically choose thrillers and lately fantasy fiction.

I have read lightlark and nightbane and they were okay. I really think that the author did a great job with this romance enemies to lovers book. I think romance could be her thing and should be continued.

I thought the storyline was cute and I was shipping Elle and Parker the whole time. I feel like romance books and movies are normally predictable but I don’t think that’s the point of the book to figure it out. It was the story itself that kept me entertained and I read it in a day and a half because I didn’t want to put it down.

There is spice in it towards the end. I felt it wasn’t bad for those who don’t care for it.


I enjoyed this book and might try other romance books thanks to this.

If you’re looking for a light, binge-able summer romance, Summer in the City will likely fit the bill. Screenwriter Elle and tech CEO Parker have an explosive first meeting that quickly goes wrong when he offends Elle, prompting a two-year grudge, but also some serious unresolved tension. When Elle moves back to the city to work on her latest screenplay, turns out Parker is her neighbor for the summer. How long can they avoid their obvious chemistry? Especially with forced proximity & fake dating in the mix.

This story was easy to read, and would be a good book to pack for a vacation because it doesn’t require a large mental investment. It is a billionaire romance, so readers will need to suspend their disbelief to fully lean into the story. I had difficulty connecting with Elle. Her personality is generally unlikable, and the author does her no favors by describing her in ways such as having a “Pilates body,” but also as someone who never exercises, and never wears makeup but is “gifted with ability to do near-perfect cat eye.” Elle is pretty insufferable and spends most of the book contradicting herself. The lack of depth and character development didn’t work for me, but it will certainly work for others looking for an easy summer romance to escape into.

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this cute romcom early. Summer in the city is a different book than the lightlark series but so fun to read. I loved how she made NYC a character and you can feel the love for the city. I enjoyed the book it was very sweet and touching. Loved the hate to love trope. Perfect for summer

4.5 stars but I am rounding up. This author normally writes fantasy so for a romance debut I really enjoyed this book. I was cracking up at some of the banter with the FMC and MMC. This was a really good bingeable book to me. The FMC at times drove me a little crazy and yet I still could not put this book down. I did enjoy the writing style but it is slightly different than other contemporary romance novels that I am used to. This author’s writing style is more straight to the point at times but still very sweet and enjoyable. All-in-all I loved this book. If you need a fun bingeable summer read, this is the book for you.

**Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the free eARC**

No spoilers. Read via Kindle -ARC from Netgalley.

I am so thankful and blessed, I was able to get this early. Although some things kind of annoyed me, I think it was meant to for the feels honestly. But since I rate off vibes only, it deserved the five stars as I truly enjoyed this from start to finish, I love the characters in this (even if at times some annoyed me —which I think was intentional), the storyline and adventures were so much fun. I felt like I was apart of the book going on all these adventures. It kept my attention and making me want to keep reading. I was kind of shocked how almost the ending was because like get it together and understand character, but I also can see how it needed to happen for character growth for the characters. I can’t wait for everyone else to read this!

Would I recommend? Yes, it’s a great debut contemporary romance and I hope to read more of them by Alex Aster!

Thank you to Netgalley, William Marrow, and of course Alex Aster for this Arc.

This is the definition of if he wanted to he would. I had no expectations going into this book as it is Alex Aster's first romance book. I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed reading it and have already recommended if you are into a rom-com troupe. I loved seeing the relationship between our two main characters. It was so fun and a fast read. I am looking forward to seeing what Alex will write next.

This was such a cute billionaire romance story! I fell in love with Parker and his ways of showing love. I however found myself irritated with Elle the FMC because of her relationship with money. She literally turned a marriage proposal down and ran away…. I understand why she was upset but I found it so immature that she didn’t even talk with him. Parker even immediately understood what he did wrong. I am happy Elle grew to understand herself better and how her relationship with money had significantly impacted her life negatively. I honestly didn’t know how this book was going to go since the author has only done YA and fantasy but the spice was perfect!! The romance/spice was NOT at ALL overwhelming or took away from the story itself. Since I couldn’t get over the way Elle handled a couple of things I’m giving this a 3.85. I didn’t hate this book at all! I thought it was very cute and definitely showed the purpose of growing and finding yourself but also coming back together better as people.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC💚this of my own opinion and no one else’s :)