Alex Aster’s contemporary romance debut is a tender, poignant love letter to New York City and independent women everywhere! Some of Aster’s best work to date. I loved Summer in the City— I truly felt like I was whisked away to New York, visiting and falling in love with the sights and sounds right alongside Elle. Her magnetic pull towards Parker over the span of five years was so touching and effortlessly sexy. What I appreciated most, perhaps, was the pacing of the novel: every moment felt perfectly placed throughout, from the romantic plot to Elle’s own journey through the loss of her mother and the subsequent difficulties she faced in her personal life. I absolutely adored Parker, and seeing him through Elle’s eyes from start to finish allowed me a glimpse of his character arc without having to be inside his head through the narrative. There were some trope-y moments in this that I saw coming, but tropes exist for a reason, and the forced proximity/second chance definitely worked for me as a reader without falling too far into recycled plot points. I think fans of Tessa Bailey, Liz Tomforde, and Ali Hazelwood are going to love this one! 4.25 ⭐️

Huge thank you to Alex Aster, William Morrow, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy!

Alex Aster is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw I got approved for an ARC of this, I was so excited!

This is Alex Aster first adult contemporary romance novel, and it didn't disappoint! I'm not normally one for billionaire romances, but this was so lovely, sweet, and kept my interest 100% of the time. I've never been to New York, but the descriptions of the streets, art, restaurants, and down to the food were perfection, and I felt like I was right there with Elle and Parker. It was a journey and so much fun. I did find myself frustrated with Elle from time to time because Parker was perfect, and she just kept being so stubborn. I was like, GIVE IT UP ALREADY, ELLE!
However, I think that is what makes a good story and how you know you care about the characters.


This was nice easy quick read that still packed a powerful punch. It's definitely the perfect book for a summer by the beach or pool. It was decently spicy as well! Alex stayed true to her writing style, and even though it was a different genre than the Lightlark series, I could still see her in the book. Which is always nice for me. Thanks to Alex Aster/HarperCollins and William Morrow books for the chance to read this book!

Elle is struggling to write her movie script that revolves around iconic New York landmarks, finding that being in LA doesn't give the best inspiration. She decides to fix that by spending the summer in NYC, house sitting and exploring the city. Her plans are uprooted, however, when she runs into the man she has obsessively hated for the past two years. Parker Warren, a billionaire tech guy, seems to be everywhere Elle doesn't want him to be. She hoped she could avoid him, but Parker has other plans; she fake dates him to throw the media off the real story, and he'll take her to every location for her script. Win-win, right?

Alex Aster, I would love to give you a cheek smooch. I freaking love grumpy × sunshine, and Parker and Elle scratch that itch wonderfully. I will say, this isn't a groundbreaking novel with incredibly unique plot points. However, there is a reason why billionaire romances are popular. And I eat them up EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. The spice was great, the characters were well written, the writing is *chefs kiss*. Such a fantastic book, and I cannot decide which version I want to buy next month!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC! Projected publishing date: March 25th, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was not a big fan of the Lightlark series, but I wanted to be open-minded in case another genre would help. However, I found the FMC, Elle, equally hard to like. The first interaction between Elle and Parker is an absolute disaster, and not in a cute way. One of Elle's biggest issues with Parker is that he is rich. She is okay with his extravagant displays of wealth when it is convenient for her, but then sometimes she is horribly offended by it. For example, she needs to use his private jet when she has a family emergency, but then she immediately turns around and judges him for having a private jet. She wants to be known and accepted for who she is, but she holds it against him that he is wealthy even though he earned it with his merit and exercises ethical business policies. The FMC's desire to be judged on her own merit and not the wealth of others who are connected to her (nepotism) feels like a thinly veiled agenda from the author. In terms of my rating, the contents of Chapter 30 were the final straw for me as a reader.

As a book with Fake Dating and Forced Proximity i thought id eat this up. But I did not. I think me and Alex Asters writing style just don’t get along. I didn’t love Lightlark and I didn’t love this one either. Alex Aster writes in a way that comes across as over explained to me. I don’t need to know when her characters go to the bathroom, or what they get for breakfast. I don’t feel like I’m getting to know her characters, I feel like I’m learning mundane facts that don’t help me build any sort of connection with them.

This book unrealistic, not like a relationship that could happen in real life. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good millionaires/billionaires romance. So I am WELL AWARE that the relationships I’m reading about so entirely out of my league. I could never DREAM of doing the things they do in some of these books (from a money stand point) but this one felt even more bizarre.

It’s marketed as Enemies to lovers but never once were these people enemies. Sure, Elle hated Parker (but she seemed to fold real quick for a woman who hated a man). But never once did Parker say or act like he hated her, in fact he seeming obsessed with her pretty quickly. Which brings me to my next grievance.

This man love bombs her so hard it’s not even funny. He’s a billionaire, so naturally he’s dropping millions of dollars on this woman he barely ever knows. LUCKILY Elle has enough self respect to get mad about it in the end, and we’re talking like damn near the very end.

This book has a third act breakup with a pretty substantial amount of time between the characters seeing each other again (like over a year). And it’s unrealistic to me that they’d be so quick to get back with each other after so much time a part. No talking about what they missed, not even any small talk, just straight to the point after over a year of no contact.

Tropes include: billionaire, forced proximity, fake dating

What a cute summer rom com, felt like I was reading a hallmark movie but with some spice added to it! I love a good enemies to lovers book it sucks me in every time!!! I also have never been to nyc so I love that it was set there so I could somewhat get a taste of it until I can visit myself!

Incredible. I will be telling literally everyone I know to read this book. Although I saw the third act breakup coming, I LOATHED it. But appreciated it. Alex Aster you must write more rom coms.

I was completely swept up in this story, laughing out loud through the book, and fell in love with these characters and their unexpected summer together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I have so many good highlights from
This book. Give me more!!

“The city is full of our memories. He’s right. I painted it over. But now, it’s all in his shade.”

- Fake Dating
- Tech Billionaire x Screenwriter
- Found Family & Friends
- He falls first
- Forced Proximity
- Banter & spice
- Enemies to lovers
- Summertime in NYC ✨

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun summer rom-com that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next with the couple with every turn of the page. It is definitely a little on the over the top side, but most billionaire romances are, and that's part of their charm. It's an enemies to lovers, fake dating story with great chemistry between Elle and Parker.

They meet and make a deal to help each other out in different ways. Elle, being a screenwriter, is helped by Parker in providing inspiration for her work, and Parker asks Elle for her help by being his fake girlfriend to provide good PR during the time of buying out another company. The two get into many adventures together with also the normal third act conflict being thrown into the works although it was rather small compared to some.

The only thing I did not like much is the smut scenes as I'm not big on smut, but they're only about 4-5 maybe and tame compared to some other books. Give this book a time if you're looking for a swoony time as it should be right up your alley!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
2/5 🌶️🌶️

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What to Expect:
🩷RomCom-Contemporary Romance
🏙️Second Chance
🩷Fake Dating
🏙️Open Door Spice
🩷Billionaire MMC
🏙️Stubborn FMC
🩷Hidden Identity
🏙️Forced Proximity
🩷Healing
🏙️Found Family
🩷Slow Burn
🏙️New York City Location
🩷BIGGGGG Green Flag MMC

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Some books just hit different—and Summer in the City was one of them. The banter, tension, enemies-to-lovers, and fake dating tropes blended so seamlessly, making every interaction between Elle and Parker feel electric and ON FIREEEE. Can we talk about Parker? I’m a lover of my Billionaire Romances… but Parker… Parker is a KING amongst men!!—devoted, a little ridiculous in the best way, and completely obsessed with Elle (as he should be). He’s a WALKING GREEN FLAG.

Elle, on the other hand, had me wanting to shake her at times, but honestly? I get it, I really do (even if I wanted to throat chop her like 95% of the time). Holding a grudge like it’s a full-time job? Same, girl, same. Her journey felt real and relatable. BUTTTT, tbh, I also got a bit annoyed with her at the end. I loved watching her come into her own while trying (and failing) to resist Parker, who wouldn’t lol. The chemistry was unreal, and the slow-burn payoff was beautifully done. I did, however, barely survive the third-act breakup (I really HATE third-act breakups, but I kept on… it was well worth it)—it gave emotional devastation, and I stopped cheering for Elle, and INSTANTLY became Team Parker 100%.

Overall, this was an addictive, swoony, nonstop read that had me giggling, blushing, and clutching my chest ( I may or may not have shed a few tears too!). The NYC setting was beautifully done, the romance was top-tier, and Parker definitely became one of my top tier book Boyfriends. Alex Aster's 1st “Adult Romance” will be a hit for anyone who likes a beautiful Billionaire Romance… It’s safe to say, I’ll be buying multiple copies for all those beautiful edges, to go along with that beautiful story!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Alex, and her team for allowing me to ARC this book!! I was so excited and am sooo grateful!

Note: Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC.

This story was a delightful and captured the nostalgia of early 2000s romantic comedies. All the odes to NYC were truly the cherry on top and made the city itself feel like a character. The pacing was spot-on, effortlessly drawing me into Elle and Parker's world. This book is a perfect Valentine's Day read, filled with romance and feel-good moments, but it’s also an ideal companion for summer travels—light, fun, and irresistibly bingeable.

I had a feeling Elle was carrying some emotional baggage, but the twist added much more depth to her character and making her journey even more compelling. I did think she was WAY too obsessed with money for majority of the book, but then it made sense. Watching Parker evolve was one of my favorite parts of the book and he made a sweet MMC. Overall, this novel balanced humor, romance, and heartfelt moments.

Summer in the City
NetGalley ARC Review

rating: 2.75/5 ⭐️
spice: 2/5 🌶️

summer in the city is alex asters first venture into the contemporary romance world. she is widely known for her popular fantasy series lightlark.

for this being her first contemporary romance, i do feel like she did a decent job, unfortunately this was not for me.

this book includes a lot of the things i love in a romance: enemies to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity. but it almost felt like too much thrown together. it didn’t really make sense to me why elle had such a strong hatred for parker after their first meeting. like yes he said some not so nice things, but then why was she obsessing keeping tabs on him afterwards?

this was a 3 star read up until the end and i had to take some points away for how parker acted in the last couple of chapters. it seemed like he never really grasped things that elle had explained to him about how she felt about money and i found that very frustrating. also it seemed very insta love. like why are you proposing when you’ve just known each other for a summer and weren’t even actually dating?

i think there are many good essences to this, but it just needs to be edited down a little more for me. everything was overly descriptive and it felt a little forced like it was trying to be that quirky rom com. i think if it was scaled back a little bit this would have more opportunity to shine.

congrats to alex aster for her first contemporary romance! i have no doubt that this will be widely loved, even though it wasn’t necessarily the right fit for me.

rating 4 ⭐️

this was literally such an amazing rom com! we love a good billionaire fake dating trope🤭

the romance was so special and this book kept me reading and not getting bored. the setting in nyc was done very well done and it was such a fun side quest to see the characters experience the different locations. loved this romance for all it gave and left me with<3

4.5 ⭐️ First, I loved the majority of this book. I thought I would have a hard time getting into it because of my real life disdain for billionaires but Parker was so easy to like. Elle is a lot stronger in her disdain than me because I would have folded so fast. Eventually it became grating how many times she shut him down after it finally seemed like they were getting together. The last few chapters were maddening and really soured my overall feeling of the book. Parker is too smart to continue to make those mistakes and the third act breakup solidified the lack of character growth for both Elle and Parker which was eventually revealed after a hefty time jump and a rushed ending.

Don’t get me wrong, this book had me giddy and kicking my feet and I couldn’t put it down. I just wish the ending played out differently.

Same review posted on Goodreads and Fable.

This was way better than expected, I fell in love with the characters I wanted them to find live for themselves and together and I cried maybe twice... good job and honestly aster probably should just write contemporary romance over fantasy at this rate

Rating ⭐️: 4/5
Spice 🌶️: 2/5
Release Date: March 25 2025

It felt like I was transported to New York City and now I have landed back home from my trip. I need another romance book written by Alex Aster *chef’s kiss* 🤌

Summary:
Two years ago, Elle met a guy named Parker at a club, and from that moment, she couldn’t stand him. He became her twisted muse. Now a screenwriter, Elle returns to New York to work on her screenplay. When she unexpectedly runs into Parker again, she starts to realize she might have misjudged him.

Thoughts:
Parker was completely smitten with Elle, and I loved every second of it! He’d do anything just to see her smile. At times Elle was super frustrating because she had her own thoughts and fears holding her back. But once everything was revealed why, it made sense. This book made me miss my times in New York. I want to go back and follow the map of all the places they visited together.

Highly recommend this book!

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

4.5 Stars! I started and finished this book all in one day. I loved the meet cute and was hooked from the beginning! Summer in the City follows Elle, a successful but anonymous screenwriter, who is back in New York house sitting for her sister while renovations are taking place. Coincidentally, her next door neighbor happens to be billionaire Parker, who she hates based on a miscommunication from a few years prior. They come to an agreement where Elle plays the role of his girlfriend to keep the press at bay, and Parker helps her with inspiration for her screenplay by visiting different landmarks in New York City with her. I wasn't such a fan of the ending, which is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. Overall this was a fun romance that will be perfect to read this summer!

Spiciness: 3/5 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

This book really pulls you in right from the start. Excellent dialogue and banter that made me laugh out loud multiple times! I always love a good love story and this one was just that. There was a part of the book that made me go from super excited to really turned off and I ended up speed reading through a couple of pages. But I got back into it, it ended well, and overall is a great read. I hope to read many more rom coms from this author!

I really enjoyed the idea of this story. I loved that it included a found family of a good girl group. I wish they would have continued to be featured toward the end of the book. I enjoyed hearing how Parker and Elle were finding little ways to understand each other better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC!

I devoured this book within 24 hours. I loved so many aspects of this book - forced proximity, fake dating, billionaire romance but with a wholesome billionaire, “don’t f*ing touch her”, the setting, the side characters like Penelope, etc. I absolutely loved Parker! He’s a cinnamon roll for sure. I wish Elle would’ve accepted being spoiled at least occasionally but the book did a good job explaining why she was upset when he’d spend money to try to fix things or make her happy. But… what’s the fun of a billionaire romance without some expensive purchases? Haha. Honestly I loved this book and can’t wait for the cute special editions to come out to collect!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Elle, especially in the first few chapters- she was just so relatable? And Parker was great. I ate this book up.