I really enjoyed this book! I was unsure what to expect in an author’s first non-fantasy book, but I thought it was really well done. I felt very invested in the characters and could not wait to figure out what was going to happen!

This is a fun read if you like Rom Coms and if you do I think it’s better than most. I have a love hate relationship with Rom Coms so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one because I usually hate the fake dating trope and I know this author from her fantasy series which I did not finish. I liked that series at first and then was annoyed with it so I did not continue it after book two. One of my main complaints with this genre is the dumb reason to keep the couple at bay, which actually works here for the most part, or when one character is just plain unlikeable which again the author mostly avoids. The couple is mostly cute and you will root for them to get together for real. On the downside Elle is the usual introverted female we find in this genre only the author has decided that she is not thriving that way and despite her successful career and best friend she needs more to be enough which frankly annoys me. I also hate when these books spend too much time with unnecessary friend characters which this book does and just barely avoids it being annoying by for the most part making those parts short. I also hate when family drama takes over so be warned that is very much the case here.

Obviously in a Rom Com we want fun banter between the main characters which we mostly get here but the author has made Elle insecure with heavy baggage that weighs her down and can be annoying. Parker is perfect, possibly too much so, and we are supposed to believe his amazing over the top gestures are too much which is really one of the hardest things to overlook. There’s an ironic scene where the characters talk about something they hate in movies which the author actually does in the book. One of my main complaints is that lack of payoff between an important back story to the characters that is never addressed. Despite those real complaints the author really does do a great job with the pacing and moving the story forward so none of those problems stopped me from reading. Especially for her first novel in this genre it’s definitely a fun story that holds its own and if anything will only be more enjoyable to Rom Com fans that have less quibbles with these things

5 stars! Thank you for allowing me to read this book I am OBSESSED with Elle and Parker. It was such a cute romance for the summer book. I definitely fell in love with the two characters and could not stop reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for this arc.

What a fun sweet summer romance. there was a turn that I didn’t expect, but fully loved the characters, even when they can be a little frustrating at times. You really felt the tension and obviously the romance between the two main character characters. I was rooting for them throughout the entire book and I’m a sucker for a happily ever after.

3.75 stars. I loved that this book took place in NYC , and they visit iconic places for her research. I love that even though Parker is absurdly rich he only has eyes for Elle. However Elle's conflict with Parker fell a little flat for me, and her relationship with her sister wasn't developed as well as it could be. It was very predictable but sweet, rom com in one of the best settings in the world. I really enjoyed it .

LOVE. Highly recommend reading in the summer time, but reading it at the tail end of winter still brought me all the feels. Elle is a typical flawed human that I relate to so deeply, and Parker is my new book boyfriend.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest view! I loved the setting of this book and how the main couple visited each iconic New York location in order to gain inspiration for her script. There was forced proximity and loath to love and the billionaire trope. I also liked how the main character made girlfriends along the way. That being said, I wasn't in love with the main conflict. I can't relate to not wanting a man to buy me a brownstone in NYC-- sorry. I also just didn't love the couple and the relationship.

So much fun! I had a blast reading Summer in the City by Alex Aster. I really enjoyed the chemistry and banter between Parker and Elle, I had a few laugh out loud moments. New York City is the perfect backdrop. Elle was a little frustrating with her walls constantly being up however, as you learn more about her you understand why. All in all I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading other books by Alex Aster in the future. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in the future. If billionaire romcoms are your thing I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much for the advanced copy. I was very excited to read Alex Aster’s adult debut, and it’s always a welcome opportunity to do-so prior to publication. Unfortunately, the excitement was not long-lived. I’m so sorry, but it really took a lot to get through this one. I almost DNF’d a few times. The day of pizza was very cute, but otherwise…

Summer in the City follows FMC Elle in a few classic tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fake dating, female angst towards male’s billionaire status, etc.

I don’t even want to spend more time on this by providing a lengthy recap, so in short: this was not well-written. It was surface-level and checked off all of the trope boxes and horribly unbelievable but was at least an easy read. I do not anticipate recommending this to anyone, when they can find the same storyline(s) elsewhere. I’ll post this to my Goodreads.

I was expecting more humor when reading this, I went in wanting a good funny romcom.

The book was good, it just wasn't what I expected.

We follow the female main character who fake dates someone she hates. The hate, definitely lacked! I wanted tension. I wanted true hate towards him. He comes up with a plan for them to work together to get what they both want.

They ofc fall in love, and that's the end.

Absolutely devoured this!! Alex has managed to encapsulate the 90s rom com vibe in her latest, I loved this so much, it was funny and feel good, I hope she writes more romance in future as well as fantasy! This would make a great movie!

This was such a fun summer read, perfect for anyone who loves a romance set in NYC! I haven’t read many billionaire romances, and honestly, with the way billionaires have been behaving lately, the extravagance in this one left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. That aside, I absolutely loved the banter, chemistry, and slow-burn romance between the main characters. I also really admired the protagonist’s dedication to her career. Overall, this was an enjoyable book that would make a great beach read!

This book had everything I love—memorable characters, an intriguing plot, a perfect balance of tension and romance, and plenty of laughs. The story pulled at my emotions, which is what truly makes a book great. I was on the edge of tears one moment and laughing out loud the next. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Elle and Parker was pure gold, and their witty banter had me hooked from the start. Parker was the ultimate green flag—charming, rich, and totally into Elle, even though she tried to act like she hated him.

However, I have to knock off a star because around 89-90% into the book, Elle became a little too whiny and immature for my liking. While I totally understood her struggles, I felt the writing lingered too long on her crisis, making the plot drag a bit and the third-act breakup more frustrating than it needed to be. Her ego just got a little too big for me.

That said, I still had a great time reading this. The emotional depth really elevated the story, and the complex family dynamics kept me invested. The NYC setting was perfect, and I felt like I was right there with the characters, experiencing their adventures. The book is short but packs a punch—fun, emotional, and with just the right amount of heart.

What I didn’t love: Elle could be a bit miserable at times, and the ongoing conflict felt a little repetitive. The ending also felt rushed, and I wanted more redemption for Elle after all the drama.

Overall, it was a fun and heartfelt read, and I’m excited to see more from Alex!

I wanted to like this but I did not like the main character and unfortunately that kinda ruined it for me

Such a fun little romcom, perfect for the upcoming summer! I also love books set in NYC, it makes for a fun filled atmosphere.

The buildup and tension were great, I loved the chemistry between the main characters. The only thing I didn’t love was the third act breakup, but those are just never fun.

I definitely recommend to add to your summer reading list!

Thank you Alex, Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC!

Summer in the City is a fun romance with fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and a swoon-worthy billionaire MMC. The chemistry between Elle and Parker was lovely, and their banter kept me completely invested. Alex Aster did an amazing job bringing New York City to life and I felt like I was right there with them, experiencing every walk, every restaurant, and every late-night moment.

Parker was definitely a highlight for me. He’s charming, devoted, and would do anything to make Elle happy. I loved his grand gestures and the way he was so smitten with her from the start. Elle, on the other hand, had her moments. While I appreciated her independence, I sometimes found her frustrating- especially in how she handled Parker’s kindness.

The biggest drawback for me was the ending. After so much buildup, everything wrapped up way too quickly. It felt rushed, and I wish there had been more time to fully explore Elle’s growth and how their relationship solidified. I was left wanting just a little more.

Overall, this was a lovely rom-com that had me smiling, kicking my feet, and completely immersed in NYC. Just be aware this writing is different from Aster's fantasy series.

This was a super cute and fun read for her first adult romance book! I had a great time reading it and I love all the cover choices at various bookstores.

i wanted to give Alex Aster another chance. her young adult books were…not my favorite (i’m saying this as nice as i can lmfao) but i wanted to see if writing young adult was simply not her thing! and that’s okay! plenty of authors flourish in only one age group! maybe adult would be Aster’s thing! i was wrong! adult isn’t her category either. for an adult romance, her characters did seem rather childish. and annoying. i couldn’t into the story with the amount of “i’m not like other girls!” energy the main character was producing ever paragraph. it was giving me a headache.

Thank you Harper Collins & William Morrow for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Potential spoilers (nothing super specific):

I really love the premise of this book -- a screenwriter and a billionaire fake dating during summer in NYC?! sign me up. There were so many things about this book that were so fun and steamy and exciting.

BUT, I the FMC ruined this one for me. She had so many issues with absolutely everything -- and I'm all for somebody having issues and growing out of them. But it seemed like she just wanted to change everyone and everything around her rather than doing the internal work when she was clearly the problem.

The multiple break-ups were so unnecessary. I felt like they happened instead of just talking through things like mature adults, which she is not a mature adult so that tracks. But I really expected some development with her, not everyone else bending the knee to her whims.

I have NO clue what sweet angel boy Parker sees in Elle...like...he deserves to be in the book boyfriend hall of fame, and his female counterpart is just insufferable. It just made the book highly unrealistic (and not in a fun way that I usually enjoy).

The end was...I honestly can't even talk about the end because it pisses me off so much. The tone of the entire book was a little naive and immature for my taste & that just added to my annoyance with this.

Maybe this book just wasn't for me; I could very much see friends of mine really loving this, so I hesitate to say that I don't recommend it.

I definitely think that it's worth the read if you're looking for something simple and cute with typical romance tropes. But if you're hesitant and any of my thoughts will give you the similar ick, maybe hold off.

This was a cute story! I loved how the author made me really feel every emotion along this journey. It was such a wide range of feelings wrapped up into a fun and cute love story! There were so many pieces that you could tell Alex let her gift of writing free and it resulted in such great moments and feelings that helped carry the story along beautifully. I enjoyed this story and it has solidified my love for Aster’s writing style.