What a fun romance! I loved every minute. It was a love story to New York without being too cliche and obvious. It was a true forced proximity novel and I loved how much time the couple spent together getting to know each other. It was fun, sweet, and delightful. A handful of spicy scenes. Plenty of plot and character development. A great summer romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Such a quick and joyful read!


The summer setting of this gorgeous rom-com was exactly what I needed. Our story follows a Billionaire Bachelor of the tech world, Parker Warren and a home-body writer, Elle Leon. Elle writes under a pen-name and adores anonymity. She has one summer to write a screenplay for an upcoming deadline that has secured the rights to several landmarks/areas of NYC. She returns to the city from LA to spark inspiration to write the screenplay. The day before she moved to LA, a couple of years ago, she had a terrible night with the arrogant tech-guy, Parker Warren. Throughout their time a part she obsesses over his success. When she arrives in the city, Elle finds herself the neighbor of one self-righteous billionaire. Thus begins our romance and it is dreamy.


I loved the dialogue between both MCs. I laughed and smiled throughout the first half of the book. Around 75-80% of the book the story started to lose momentum for me. Elle’s character loses shape. She is suddenly more troubled and emotionally disturbed than the first half of the book. There is a stark contrast between Elle in the first and second half. The story ends with her saying that she’s not quite there, but she’s getting there. There was no conflict here that really made sense to be lingering so long. To be fair, I believe the book should have ended with the first proposal. A true HEA of a billionaire spending gobs of money on an extreme and overwhelming grand gesture.


Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

This was a cute, super binge-worthy read, but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the premise and the NYC setting, but ultimately I never felt super connected to either of the characters. This may be a me problem, but I just cannot get behind billionaire romance novels right now given the current state of the world. The display of wealth in this one felt particularly egregious and over the top, and was constantly taking me out of the book. I mean, buying a coffee chain because they stop selling her favorite pastry?! Shutting down all of Fifth Ave and buying basically an entire jewelry store?? The third act break up also really irked me because it was due to lack of healthy boundaries and communication—things that easily could have been addressed in other ways.

Overall it was fun, light, and easy to read, but otherwise didn’t have a ton of substance to keep me engaged or really feel any emotions (other than frustration). There’s definitely an adoring audience out there for this book—it just wasn't for me, and that’s okay!

We follow two neighbors who had a short 5 minute fling on a stairwell, starting some one-sided hatred from Elle, the main girl. They end up having some fake dating scheme for Parker, the main guy, due to his job and she RELUCTANTLY accepts. But, after spending so much time together, I guess they start growing feelings for one another?

I wish I could say I enjoyed this. But, it took me to about 70% of the book to start enjoying myself. I absolutely hated the FMC, she was obnoxious, annoying, and self-righteous. I literally could not understand why she made the stupidest decisions. Not to mention, they broke up SO many times for the stupidest reasons. I gave this three stars because I liked the use of the setting, Parker (the MMC) was such a great, fun character, and the plot was decent. Elle did not deserve Parker at all, she was so judgmental and annoying.

3.75⭐️

I’m going to start by saying I enjoyed this book overall, the story was cute, I absolutely loved Parker the MMC but the FMC Elle was insufferable!!

When Elle and Parker first meet she’s out with her friend because she’s moving and her friend wants to spend time with her but also wants to network. Elle basically complains the entire night and then proceeds to assume Parker is a bouncer and casts stereotypes at him, but when he does the same thing to her assuming she is a gold digger she’s offended. She judges Parker basically assuming her grew up wealthy and didn’t earn anything. Elle is a screenwriter and essentially Parker becomes her muse because she’s moving can’t seem to get over her hatred for him and essentially online stalks him. When she’s forced to move back to New York turns out he is her new neighbor. Elle gives me narcissistic vibes and is so concerned about money, and seems to despise anyone that has a lot of it, assuming they’re egotistical and basically just want to show off their wealth. She comes off like she’s the only person that has ever had a traumatic past, and that her issues are more important than anyone else’s. Just all around judgy, I just could not stand her. While I love a strong independent woman who wants to pave their own way, Elle takes it to an extreme. While she did have great character growth, she completely lost it in like the 75% mark of the book and it felt like it was all for nothing.

Parker is a billionaire and developer of a large tech corporation. He is in the process of trying to sell his company. When he is in the need for some good PR he asks Elle to be his fake girlfriend for the summer, because he knows she’s the last person that will sell him out to the media, in exchange he will help her with her screen play and be her muse. Despite the hatred the fake dating isn’t so fake for Parker, but due to lack of time his love language is showering others with gifts rather than personal time and Elle absolutely despises that. When the feeling start to go both ways…one “act of love” has it all blowing up.

This was such a cute read, and if Elle was anyone else it easily would have been a 5 star read for me, but she truly just bothered me until the very end.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Alex Aster and William Morrow for allowing me to read this pre release in exchange for my honest review

4.5 stars

I really really really enjoyed this book! Elle reminds me so much of myself and also I want the life that she has in New York. You could tell how much love the author has for New York City. The comedy was on point. The FMC had me laughing so much. And Parker was such a good billionaire MMC. There were some points with how he decided to spend his money that kind of seemed cliche for this type of genre. Also how the FMC says his full name kind of annoyed me but it happened less frequently farther into the book. I really hope there is a sequel or a novella about this couple during winter in the city. I think it’d be so cute!

This was a fun and quick read. I like the idea of what this book was but it came together a little clunky at some points. I still would absolutely recommend this to others to read!

4.25

What a beautiful and fun summer of falling in love Elle and Parker had.
The chemistry between the two was cute and fun while still a little bit sexy. I would have killed to read any of those chapters from Parker's POV because I feel like it would have been amazing because it was clear to everyone but Elle that he was already in love with her. I think really my only negative is the third act break up with a time skip. While it did seem to be needed for Elle to finish her last bit of personal growth and get them to the happy ending, third act break ups and time skips are my nemesis lol.

Definitely a cute read and I will be adding that adorable hardcover to my physical collection!

really loved the sound of this book but billionare romances aren't always for me. it was just ok. it was really hard for me to get into and took me weeks to finish. Read the last 50% in a day. The main character kind of bothered me. loved some parts of it and the NYC details. maybe the problem is me not loving the trope!!

I was lost in this book! Perfect summer reading and will go to my summer must list! Their city exploration was so enjoyable. I'm so in love with NY.

I'm a goner for a fake dating, so this one was perfect. Billionaire boyfriend? Perfect!
Characters depth was great, very good written book. The story is fast paced and I love it, very dynamic!

Tropes:
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to lovers
- He Falls First

Recommend to everyone who loves summer romance!

Summer in the City by Alex Aster
5 stars

arc read
Pub date: 3/25/25

Tropes:
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to lovers
- He Falls First

Okay Alexxxxxx. I loved the powerless series but here we are with your adorable romance debut. This was just absolutely adorable. I immediately fell in love with the characters. They were both so easily loveable and I actually would like more of them. This was one of those books where you are kicking and screaming over the first *thigh brush* and you are just waiting for more but the build up was so easy and made it all worth it.

We start off with our FMC moving back to the city she absolutely loathes, but her career is relying on it. Only to find out the MMC we met at the beginning of the book who she thinks called her a '"gold digger" is her hallway neighbor and he wants nothing but to know her. She hates him and he doesn't even remember her from that night, but somehow he is the muse for her career so she agrees to fake date him for selfish reasons for them both.

The story just picks up from there and we watch them explore the city giving each other what they needed out of this deal, except who started falling for who first? I need an extended epilogue just so I can give a few more crumbs please.

I wanted an escape from the cold/snow so I dived right in to SUMMER IN THE CITY 🍎

What to expect:
-steamy
-fake dating
-billionaire romance
-NYC setting
-fun banter

This was definitely a fun escape and would be great to read in the summer time as well, but it wasn’t a wow read for me. I don’t care for third act breakups and I didn’t like how the MMC tried to shower the FMC with insanely expensive things.

I enjoyed this book but felt like I was loosing interest towards the end. Either way it was still a nice read. Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book I really appreciate it.

Never in my life did I think I would get an ARC for this book. You may be wondering why is that Lexie?!? Well let’s just say I am the biggest hater of Alex Aster “Lightlark” series and my hatred has been very vocal. So I thought to myself there was no way they would approve me for Alex’s first romcom. But the wonderful team at William Morrow Publishing and NetGalley did so here we are. And I have to eat some crow because unlike “Lightlark” series “Summer in the City” is a dang good romcom.

“Summer in the City” had everything I look for in a good romcom. I loved the characters, the plot, the tension and romance. It hooked me from the very first page and didn’t let me stop reading until I was done.

Now even though I devoured it I still have some minor gripes and most of those gripes stem from the last 88%-92%. I’ve seen a lot of third act break up tropes done in romance books. This one though takes the cake for being the most unnecessary one I’ve ever read. Elle just completely lost me there. It felt like all that growth and development she did for the other 87% of the book was for nothing. And instead of watching this fierce, smart independent woman flourishing we did a complete 180 and get a whiny immature child throwing a tantrum. Trust me I understand the “crisis” but I think it could’ve been handled differently. Especially since she had all that growth leading up to that moment. Like our boy Parker did not deserve that. Speaking of Parker, I have no qualms with this man. I adore this man. I want my own real version of this man.

I digress. Overall, would I recommend this book? YES. Even though I had that gripe I still had a ton of fun reading Elle & Parker’s story. I think any romance fan will also greatly enjoy it. Plus I can’t wait to pick up a trophy copy when it releases March 2025!

Received a free digital arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Forced proximity, enemy to lover with major romcom hall mark movie vibes. I’m a huge hallmark romance movie lover so I adored this. Elle & Parker forever.
Started off I couldn’t stand Parker but he redeemed himself quickly.
Haven’t read her Light Lark series yet so went in to this blind and no expectations. Obsessed and can’t wait for the special editions to release so I can get my lands on it.

This was such a cute romance! Once I started I couldn’t put it down! I will definitely be picking up her next romance!

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one! A super funny rom com set in NYC. Romance is not normally my go-to genre, but I adore Alex Aster so I knew I had to read it.

The story follows Elle, an anonymous screenplay writer, as she spends a summer in NYC, a city she hates, alongside Parker, a man she hates, but who is oddly the only person capable of pulling her out of her writers block. They had a brief encounter two years prior which sparked her hatred of him. Now, two years later, they are penthouse neighbors and (begrudgingly on her end), agree to a mutually beneficial summer arrangement.


I ugly-face laughed multiple times throughout the book. The spice wasn’t outlandish and it was appropriately placed which is a big thing for me. I enjoyed watching Elle evolve as a person, as well as seeing her perspective completely shift as she got to know the real Parker.

The only reason I didn’t give a full 5 stars is there were a few moments that seemed to switch quickly from one extreme to the next that gave me a little whiplash lol. But overall, I really loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange got my honest feedback.

W O W! I have so many thoughts. Initially when I found out about this book I was nervous to hear it described as an adult romance, because so many "adult romances" are just back to back romance scenes with no real plot line. Or they're uncomfortably vulgar to the point where I can't read it at all. Alex completely surprised me with this. I found this book to be so well-written, and fell in love with all of the characters at first glance. Love a strong, independent woman who dreams of achieving her goals on her own, Type-A older sisters unite! Parker? SWOON. I loved not only their relationship but also her relationship with her little sister, and the self-growth that Elle shows especially at the end of the story. Also bonus points for a storyline that didn't immediately have everything resolved predictably, I loved that I was still hoping and guessing up until the last chapter. There's some great examples of female friendship in here as well, and those women are the type of friends we all want to have in our corner. This book is an absolute TRIUMPH, and Aster really proved that she can write other genres equally as successfully as she can construct an immersive and addictive fantasy world. I cannot WAIT to add this to my library!! Love, love, LOVE!!

Elle and Parker are such a vibe and I'm here for it Es wa C
I adored how fun and lively this book was all while keeping in touch with the complex themes and how Elle's family history clearly weighs on her. This book was so dreamy with the visitations of the many different, and famous, NYC landmarks! I've been to NYC before so it felt sweet reliving it in Elle's mind and seeing what caught her eye!
Classic enemies to lovers, so much to the point where I was screaming at Elle to fall in love with this gorgeous man.
Elle was a character I enjoyed for the most part. She is pretty complex. I haven't went through a whirlwind of emotions with a character before where I switch back and forth fairly quickly between compassion, love, annoyance, sympathy and irritation. But I honestly think that was the point and the author did a great job with this part. AND it showed that no one is ever too hard to love, Parker was a star with this. Good for her for finding her true happiness.
PARKER LOVE OF MY LIFE. I adored him from the very beginning. New book boyfriend added to my list thank you very much ~ an incredible fake boyfriend, and he's a billionaire?! I can't gush anymore
It was so fast paced and so hard to put it down. The third act breakup (and what honestly seemed like a fourth act breakup) was not my style and that's when I fell off at the end there. Solid romcom though.
Can't thank the publishers enough for this arc and allowing me to review this

4.25 stars! Thank you, NetGalley and the William Morrow team for providing me with this ARC.

This is the fast-paced, binge-worthy romance novel of my dreams, and Parker Warren is the man of my dreams. Between the fake dating, lust-to-enemies-to-lovers situation, and forced proximity, this one has it all. This fun romance is set in New York City, where a 20-something screenwriter finds herself living next to a billionaire tech CEO who also happens to be her arch nemesis and twisted muse. Agreeing to fake date for the summer, Elle and Parker find themselves changing in more ways than one. It explores family dynamics and uncovers childhood trauma that will determine whether or not these two can pursue something real. With plot twists and dates I could only dream of, this kept me hooked the entire time.

Parker Warren..... the man that you are!