"Summer in the City" by Alex Aster is a delightful escape into New York’s glimmering skyline, blending “lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers,” “fake dating,” and “forced proximity” tropes in all the best ways. Our heroine, Elle, is a stressed screenwriter in need of inspiration who returns to the city only to be neighbors with Parker, the same billionaire she had a mysterious stairwell hookup with two years ago. Now, he’s in need of a public girlfriend for his tech company, and she’s in need of a muse. Sparks fly, barbed banter ensues, and the Big Apple itself plays the perfect, romantic backdrop.

Aster’s dialogue and humor keep the story lively, and Parker’s romantic gestures? Pure swoon material. Elle’s journey is complemented by relatable family dynamics, and her love-hate dynamic with Parker brings just the right amount of tension to the page. This rom-com has heart, humor, and undeniable charm.

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this ARC! "Summer in the City" hits shelves March 25, 2025. Get ready to be whisked into a world of penthouse views, pizza-filled nights, and New York summer magic. Add it to your TBR!

So adorable! Elle drove me a lil nuts with her back and forth, indecisiveness and pushing Parker away. My lord Parker is the PERFECT man. I am obsessed with him. Another light-hearted read to cleanse your palette. Enjoyed this thoroughly

I looooove a cutesy little rom com. NYC was the most perfect setting for this story. I was completely captivated. A billionaire romance always has me sat. I was laughing out loud over this one. I definitely recommend.

"Summer in the City" by Alex Aster is an enjoyable, light-hearted rom-com that offers a fun premise but doesn't quite deliver on all fronts. The story follows Elle, a 27-year-old screenwriter struggling with writer's block, who returns to New York City for the summer to finish her screenplay. She ends up living next door to Parker Warren, a tech billionaire and her former lover-turned-enemy, setting the stage for a tension-filled enemies-to-lovers storyline.
One of the book's strengths is its setting. Aster does a good job capturing the energy of New York City, which feels like a character in itself. The descriptions of Elle’s apartment with its skyline views and the various iconic NYC locations she visits help create a vivid atmosphere that fans of the city will appreciate.
The premise of the book is promising. The idea of Elle and Parker pretending to be in a relationship to help both their careers—Elle needing inspiration to finish her screenplay, and Parker needing a public image boost for his company—has potential for a lot of fun, comedic moments, and emotional growth. However, while the setup is strong, the execution falls a bit flat. The chemistry between Elle and Parker, which is key to the story, doesn’t always feel convincing. Their back-and-forth dynamic, from lovers to enemies to lovers again, often feels a bit forced, and their romantic tension isn't as engaging as expected. At times, their interactions seemed more like convenient plot devices than natural character development.
Elle, as a character, is relatable in her insecurities, but I found her a bit passive in the relationship with Parker. It felt like she relied on him too much for her personal and professional growth, which made it harder for me to fully connect with her. Parker, the typical “rich and handsome” character, didn’t offer much depth beyond his surface-level traits. The “soft side” revealed later in the book didn’t feel particularly earned, making him seem more like a trope than a fully fleshed-out character.
The pacing of the book is somewhat uneven. The first half drags a little, with repetitive conflicts and a lack of real character development. The second half picks up a bit more, but the resolution felt rushed and lacked the emotional payoff I was hoping for.
Overall, "Summer in the City" is an easy, breezy read with a charming NYC backdrop and some fun moments, but it doesn’t quite manage to pull off the emotional depth or chemistry that would make it a standout romance. It's perfect for fans of light rom-coms, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression for me.

Alex Aster has become one of my new favorite authors to watch, and I was very excited to check out her first romance novel! Overall this was such a fun and engaging read, even if over the top at times.

Summer in the City follows Elle, who is a successful screenwriter (but anonymous to the world) and Parker, who is a tech billionaire. They have a bad interaction one night in the city and Elle holds on to her hatred of Parker for the next two years. Fates end up putting them in apartments next door to each other, and they end up fake dating (and you can guess where the story goes from here).

This book had so many of my favorite things - enemies to lovers, NYC backdrop, some over the top cheesy moments and many sweet moments. Parker was such a likable character and while out of touch as times was so good at understanding and being supportive. Elle on the other hand was harder for me to like -- I personally felt like her reason for hating Parker for years was a tad silly & throughout the book she would overreact to things that I didn't think should have been THAT big of a deal. The ending also was not my favorite, which is why this book didn't end up being 5 stars. It was going so well, but the last couple chapters through it through a loop.

Overall though I absolutely loved this book. It was quick and easy to read, and kept my attention nonstop. Even when I had to put the book down, I kept thinking back to the story and that's always a good sign I'm enjoying it!

Thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“And what do you know about love?”
“Now?” he says. “Everything."
•
Summer in the City is like a love letter to NYC and romcoms everywhere. it’s such a lovely exploration of two right people meeting at the wrong time, but that doesn’t stop them from sharing a magical summer together in the city that never sleeps.

Elle has spent her adult life curating her career and success in a way that can never be attributed to anyone but her. she’s fiercely independent, and she won’t apologize for that. Parker Warren is the Billionaire Tech Bachelor that pissed Elle off two years ago. but when fate dictates them to be next door neighbors while they both spend a summer in NYC, they make the most of it with a fake relationship. however, the longer they spend together, the more real their feelings become.

as much as Elle cares about Parker, she can’t just forget the warnings her mother gave her about relationships, and she can’t erase her own experiences with rich men. the clock is ticking, and the season is quickly coming to a close. it was always meant to end, but can they find a way to make summer last forever?
_

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting! my biggest wish is that we would have had two POVs. I know this is Elle’s story, but having Parker’s perspective would have helped build the emotional journey and enhanced their relationship for me. it was also slightly challenging to reconcile his behavior in the first chapter with the Parker we come to know in the rest of the book. his actions in the opening scene just don’t seem to match him at all, so I wonder if having that from his perspective could have provided insight and given more understanding as to his character development.

something I was pleased with was the pacing. Summer in the City spans four years, but it didn’t feel like we were missing out by not having a ton of time with the “in between” years. again, though, I would have enjoyed Parker’s pov during some of this.

all-in-all, a wonderful ode to NYC and finding love in unexpected places!
•

this and that:
♡ billionaire romance
♡ blueberry scones
♡ botanical gardens and baseball games
♡ cannolis
♡ cottages in the park
♡ drunken karaoke
♡ empty carousels
♡ exploring New York City
♡ fake dating
♡ flighty but lovable siblings
♡ forced proximity
♡ just for the summer
♡ loathe-to-love
♡ movie nights on the floor
♡ next door neighbors
♡ open door spice
♡ ostentatious auctions
♡ nyc sunsets
♡ Paris in the summer
♡ right person, wrong time
♡ screenwriter x tech billionaire
♡ slow burn
♡ trying as many nyc pizzerias in one day as possible
♡ walking the entire length of manhattan
♡ will-they-won’t-they
•

triggers:
☞ death of a loved one
☞ unhealthy obsession with money
☞ manipulative behaviors (described)
☞ parental abandonment

I thought overall it was a cute romance book. I'm not the biggest fan of fake dating a billionaire, but I liked Parker as a character, even if he didn't act like a real human sometimes cause you know, billionaire.

I will say, I felt a bit like I was skimming a romance story. Like it was pretty surface level, which isn't bad but I would have liked a tiny bit more depth. It was kind of written in the style of a YA novel... which I mean, this is her first adult book so I get how the tone could bleed over a little. It was light and fluffy and quick read.

Elle and Parker wage wits and war in this Alex Aster romance. Billionaire Parker and Elle have several misunderstandings to work through, so they spend a summer exploring the city together and trying not to fall in love. What happens after is typical contemporary romance fare, but they’re both so likeable that it’s an enjoyable palate cleanser of a story. Recommend if you love sweet heroes and independent heroines.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

““Elle. You hate me, remember?” “I do,” I say, nodding. “I hate you so much.””

So Alex Aster can write a novel under any genre and make it amazing. This is one of if not the best romance book I’ve had the privilege of reading this year. When I tell you to go preorder this I’m not saying it just to say it. This book is INCREDIBLE.

Parker and Elle have so much chemistry from the very start and it’s amazing watching them grow from absolutely hating each other to needing each other more than anything else in the world. Parker is so sweet, he will literally do anything for Elle whether it’s letting her sleep in his spare bedroom or buying her an item from an auction just because it made her smile?!!! Men like this simply don’t exist!

Alex does it again with this incredible forced proximity romance. I cannot put into words how good this one is but I definitely tried my best! I get to read skyshade as well this week so it’s awesome I had a little cutesy romance to hold me over while I wait for the release!

I enjoyed the book. It was funny and had plot to move you along, so it was easy to read. To summarize the tropes, it was over the top billionaire fake dates a screenwriter who is just in the city for the summer. The book was a slow burn with 2/5 spice rating. Parker was very sweet and listened to Elle. Elle was the one holding back due to past family problems.

It's a shame, that summers always end.

My problem with the book is that it feels like it was written to be a movie. I have a feeling that was where it's going? It even had montages lol I would really enjoy this as a movie, more than the book.

Holy moly, this book is phenomenal. Elle is a fantastic character, she jumps off the page and I very much related to her story and her life. Parker is another great character, flawed in all the right ways. The chemistry between them reaches right through the page and grips you. I couldn't put it down. I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish it. It's a lot more than a love story, though, and I really appreciated the little surprises and the depth to the story. If you're a fan of NYC, you'll enjoy that this is also very much a love letter to NYC. I've never explored NYC like this book does, but it makes me want to visit again and hit some of the spots mentioned in the book. My only gripe, if there is one, is she breaks up with him too many times. It becomes painful to read and hard to believe that he would continue trying. Overall, this is not your cookie cutter romance and I cannot wait to see what Alex Aster does next.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Parker is so swoonworthy and I related to Elle so much! This had a vibe of a 2000s rom com! It was fun and lighthearted, but some of the the lines in this book touched my heart and helped heal it. I loved some of the pop culture references.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the arc!

As a huge fan of Lightlark and romantasy, but also into modern romance, I was so so so excited to receive an advance ebook of this. I was not disappointed, and had such a good time. I'm also so excited for the audiobook to come out! This was great fun and those sprayed edges are musthaves for the shelf. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Review:

Move over, Elle, I’ll take Parker off your hands 😂

First off, we love a good deadline to look forward to- an expiration date to our fake dating, if you will. This book was centered around NYC (the good and the ugly). It gave off nightlife vibes at first, but very quickly switched to quiet hermit life. I was cackling over this banter. This would make a great summer romcom read!

I loved this author’s fantasy books, but I never thought in a million years that her writing would remind me of Emily Henry, but it did!!! It’s a very wholesome story more centered on Elle’s development, with the plot adding to it. The only thing that could make this better would be Parker’s POV, or finding out more about his personality, but the author did an amazing job on the character development for Elle. I predicted part of the ending but I still ate up every last word and bawled in the process. The last page was PERFECT.

Details: NYC, blueberry scones, lattes, goals, writing (typing), fake dating, pizza, renovations, beginner runner, explorer, billionaire, neighbors, hate, muse, friendships, sisterhood, parent trauma, basketball, Paris, grief, spice 🥵 (NOT YA)

I would have liked to hear more about the Michelin course meals😂 I wonder how much the author relates to Elle?!

Is judgement only hurtful when it makes us realize that there could be some truth to it? Can assumptions ruin relationships in the future? How far are you willing to let pride get in the way of your own happiness?

Also, this book made me have a physical dream about eating cannoli!!


*****


Quotes:

It's interesting how love colors things I would normally hate into my absolute favorite shade.

"Writing ... is how I make sense of the world. How I make sense of myself."

And it's complicated, knowing someone I resent planted a seed in me that grew into something that became almost everything.

Success was like poison.

…some generations are for working, so the next can dream.

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.

I loved being able to see you, in the words.

I wish I could ask her if her hatred ever got her anywhere. If sticking by the rules she made for her life ever made living any easier.
I wish I could ask her about breaking them.

I mourn every moment we weren't together.

I have fully determined that Alex Aster is not for me because I've read Lightlark and Summer in the City but I didn't like them both.

*Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This book was absolutely fantastic and as a primarily fantasy reader (don’t hate me, I’m a true fan) better than the Lightlark series. Elle was such a well-written character and I can’t remember laughing so much while reading a romance book. The ending was cute, even though a little cliche, but it was perfect for the story.

For the first time, when reading a rom com, I felt like I was transported back to the feeling of watching an early-2000s style romcom. I absolutely adored Summer in the City, and found myself smiling or even laughing out loud much more frequently than expected. Unfortunately, I feel it is often rare to read rom coms nowadays that have more foundation to them than just raw attraction in the beginning, but seeing how the relationship began in Summer in the City was so different. Both main characters are given phenomenal depth and I loved every second, practically flying through the book. I absolutely adored it and truly hope this is not Aster's last foray into the contemporary romance genre.

so unfortunately im going to start this review by saying that chapter 30 completely ruined this book for me… i would have DNFd if i hadn’t noticed that there was only two more chapters left thats how bad of a final straw it was for me. elle’s attitude toward parker’s money and how flashy he cold get with it was understandable at first even though i hadn’t seen it as anything but him trying to do something to make her happy, i could understand where she was coming from. he is an out of touch with real life billionaire who thinks that people will only like him for his money after all.

i was immediately hooked on this book. i started it around 11 pm on friday night and was up till like 2 am before i finally passed out reading it. this book had me in a chokehold until about half way, like i just mentioned i got really sick and tired of hearing parker go out of his way to do something sweet to try and make elle smile and like him the way he liked her and her ruining it after .2 seconds of appreciating it. so this was 4-4.5 stars until the downfall of it all.

after their first meeting i didnt wanna like parker however it was inevitable, he was insanely adorable the entire time and i really loved him… i personally think he deserved way better than settling for elle but what do i know 🤷🏼‍♀️

im going to just cut myself off here because i for the most part really enjoyed this read and hate that it was totally ruined for me at the end. i wish this was a nicer review and that i could rant on and on about what i loved but my heart just isnt in it and invested in them after chapter 30. personally i do hope its looked at and reviewed before this releases next spring, i think adding that 3rd act break up (especially the way it happened) after already having one in the second did this book a major disservice.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Summer in the City is Alex Aster’s adult contemporary romance debut.

The story follows Elle and Parker. Elle is a screenplay writer spending the summer in NYC and Parker is her billionaire neighbor. They’ve encountered each other once before, 2 years ago in a night club. That time things didn’t end so well.

They agree to fake date for the summer but like all good romcoms, the fake starts to lead to real feelings.

💕billionaire romance
💕fake dating
💕second chance
💕forced proximity (they’re neighbors)
💕spice

Parker is a super sweet and humble man despite being a billionaire. Elle is a super talented an introvert who is skeptical to trust anyone. At times I grew frustrated with both characters as they navigated the ups and downs of their relationship but they are both so lovable. This was such a cute and fun book.

Thank you to Alex Aster and William Morrow books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I’d say overall this book was okay, not very exciting or fresh just average. If you are looking for a super quick read this is perfect, the problem is that it doesn’t have the best plot/romance. It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers but the entire reason Elle hated Parker was trivial, and she was irritating the entire time so it was hard to root for their relationship. I enjoyed the parts where we learned more about New York but that’s pretty much it.