An Irish Summer is a gentle, escapist romance that delivers exactly what it promises: a cozy, feel-good story set against the lush backdrop of Ireland. Chelsea, a Boston native, finds herself working at a Galway hostel after her stable life unravels. There, she meets Collin, a charming tour guide who introduces her to the beauty of Ireland and the possibility of new beginnings.

The novel excels in its setting, capturing the charm of the Irish countryside and the warmth of its people. The slow-burn romance between Chelsea and Collin is sweet and satisfying, though some readers may find it lacks the emotional intensity they desire. Chelsea's journey of self-discovery is relatable, as she learns to embrace uncertainty and let go of her rigid plans.

However, the pacing can be uneven, and Chelsea's initial resistance to her new life may come across as frustrating to some readers. Additionally, the story doesn't delve deeply into secondary characters or the cultural aspects of Ireland, which could have added more depth to the narrative.

Overall, An Irish Summer is a charming, low-angst romance perfect for readers seeking a lighthearted escape. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it offers a satisfying journey of love and self-discovery in a picturesque setting.

I will begin by saying rom/com's are not my favorite category of books. The protagonist, Chelsea, loses her job and living arrangement when the B&B where she works/lives is sold. She takes advantage of working at a hostel in Ireland, owned by the sister of her employer, for the summer. This is where we meet other employees that become her friends and one, Collin, more than a friend. She spends her summer working the front desk at the hostel, sightseeing, learning about Ireland, booking adventures for hostel visitors and spending way too much time lamenting on how she will not remain in Ireland after the summer is over. If you like a slow moving predictable rom/com with shallow character development this one is for you. Unfortunately, I found the main character self centered and at times unlikeable.

Sometimes a book has all the elements I look for and still falls short. That was my experience here.

The premise held promise: A young American woman takes a job in Ireland after her seemingly ideal life in Boston falls apart. The Galway setting in the Irish countryside is idyllic. And there’s a handsome tour guide willing to highlight the best parts of Ireland.

What didn’t work? The FMC. Chelsea was insufferable. She wanted to be miserable and worked hard at making it a self fulfilling prophecy. It was hard to get invested in the story because she made it impossible. Admittedly, we got off on the wrong foot and I didn’t make much of an effort to give her a second chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I had such a great time reading this! I found the main character deeply relatable and was excited to join her on her journey. Also, I’m absolutely obsessed with the main male character. Looking at flights to Galway as we speak.

Overall I enjoyed this book but it I think I wasn’t in the right headspace to read it because I just couldn’t get in to it. I like the premise but I was annoyed with Chelsea and her inability to just let go and enjoy her time. I found all of the other characters likable and Collin was dreamy. I may give this one another try when I’m feeling more romancey.

This was such a lovely summer romance read! Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Ireland, the atmosphere in this book completely pulled me in—it honestly made me want to pack my bags and visit.

If you're a fan of slow-burn romance with characters who are driven and passionate, this one’s for you. The love story unfolds gradually and beautifully, with plenty of emotion and depth along the way.

Thank you NetGalley for this read

#IrishSummerAn #NetGalley.

I enjoyed watching the main character as she sets off to explore Ireland. She quickly realizes it’s not the dream she thought it would be. Between staying in a hostel,the rain and gloom it might now be her cup of tea. That is until she meets a strangers who offers to show her the real Ireland. Once she’s seen it she can then make a final decision.
Then the fun and exploration starts. The ending was sweet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Rating: 4/5

*Thank you to Alexandra Paige, Avon, and NetGalley for this ARC! All reviews are my own opinions.

An Irish Summer is the perfect Summer Romance read! I couldn't help but root for Chelsea as she figures out what the Summer means to her and what she truly wants. Collin was such a fun character with some sassiness to boot. This book made me want to get away to Ireland for a breather and experience life like Chelsea, Collin, and the rest of the gang did.

I enjoyed this! I found Chelsea incredibly relatable and the story was one that was a joy to read!

Seeing her find her happiness and her people was beautiful to witness. Sometimes we have to let go of the life we think we’re supposed to want and go for what actually makes us happy to be alive.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC! I would read more by this author.

Thank you @avonbooks, @harpercollins and @alexandrapaigewrites for the #gifted book and ebook. All opinions expressed are my own.

An Irish Summer is such a feel-good escape. Chelsea’s life in Boston takes a nosedive, and before she knows it, she’s on a one way flight to Galway for a summer job she didn’t ask for. She’s grumpy, she’s skeptical, and she is absolutely not in the mood for charming Irish bartenders who believe in fairies, but Collin doesn’t care. He’s on a mission to win her over, and watching him chip away at her walls with banter, kindness, and straight up heart felt real and unforced. The slow burn hits just right, and I loved that it’s clearly Collin who falls first. Chelsea’s growth was one of the highlights. She starts out wound pretty tight, but being in Ireland and surrounded by people who truly care helps her figure out what she actually wants, not just what feels safe. It’s romantic, warm, and full of those little moments that make you smile while reading. This is one of those books that is the perfect end of summer read. Don’t miss out.

Young woman from Boston goes to Ireland for a summer job, not wanting to anything but work and come back to Boston. But with the help of some friends and an Irish guy intent on making her appreciate Ireland work to change her mind. A bit predictable, but enjoyable an$ a wonderful setting in Ireland.

Another book in the middle for me. The MC’s attitude was suuuper annoying throughout the entire book. I get the part about wanting a plan but she was so negative about the whole trip and extremely rude to everyone, not just sarcastic. She wasn’t even attempting to enjoy her time in the beautiful country and it took away from the enjoyment of the story.

On the other hand, I loved Colin and the hostel and city sounded amazing. It make me really wanted to travel to Ireland and visit all these locations that I could picture so easily. It was disappointing that the MC ruined that piece but I don’t think it took away from the excitement traveling to that country could bring!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for allowing me to read and review An Irish Summer on NetGalley.

Published: 07/01/25

Stars: 2.5

Truly disappointing. The moving away from home storyline appealed to me, and she does move. However, I did not expect the childish dialogue or the sloppy romance. The synopsis described an educated woman who lost her long-time job and with the move to Ireland I expected a smart character.

This may be the book for you if you don't have any expectations.

An Irish Summer by Alexandra Paige is a travel adventure romance featuring tropes of workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, he falls first, along with themes of found family, self-actualization, and home away from home. I especially loved the descriptions of Ireland and enjoyed Collin's storytelling and, more generally, his character and the other hostel staff characters. I found Chelsea's character to be rather annoying, one-dimensional, and childish in her refusal to see what was right in front of her. Overall, this was an enjoyable summer read.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

What a wonderful, funny , cozy romantic story, almost like your favorite Hallmark movie. . Taking place in Galway, Ireland, you feel like you can see the castles, the cliffs and all of the green. Chelsea moves from Boston to Galway for a summer job at a hostel, and she is not feeling it. As she is traveling there, she is already looking for jobs for her return in a few months. Chelsea sees that the employees form their own little family and she cant decide whether or not she wants to join in with them. She also meets Collin, who is the local bartender and tour guide, as well as working at the hostel (small town vibes). This was a fun, easy read- perfect for the summer.

Thank you to Avon Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My opinions are my own.
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alexandra Paige and the publisher of the book in exchange for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Boston has everything Chelsea needs. She’s worked and lived at the same B&B since graduating college, and she loves it. That is, until she’s informed that the B&B is being sold and she has little time to find a new job and apartment. Desperate, she takes a summer opening at the B&B’s sister hostel in Ireland. She tries to connivence herself that this is needed to help her get a job back in the States.

Galway has everything Chelsea hates. Chelsea can’t help but feel homesick for everything back in Massachusetts. Her new coworkers are determined to change her mind, especially Collin.

Collin and Chelsea strike up a deal: he’ll show Chelsea everything Ireland has to offer, then she can decide what she thinks. Chelsea finds herself warming up to the hostel and the Irish way of life. She also finds herself falling for Collin. As the summer wraps up though, she finds herself stuck between Boston and Ireland.

A fun and cozy story! It definitely made me want to go back to Ireland!

This book has me so excited for my trip to Ireland next month. I loved every second of this story of falling in love with Ireland and all of the magic within. I loved the faerie stories and I now need to find a hot man to tell me faerie stories. If you're looking for a fun summer read all about the beautiful of Ireland, check this out.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

An Irish Summer is a very lighthearted read that is, of course, set in Ireland. Chelsea has moved there for a new job where she is working as a receptionist for a hostel. While being in Ireland, she meets a handsome tour guide named Collin, and they spend the summer in a slow-burn romance.

I think this one missed the mark for me a little bit, because I found the lead character, Chelsea, to be a little insufferable. Her character was very selfish and she kind of strung Collin along even knowing how he truly felt about her. She seems to have a confusing relationship with Ireland and also with her life back in America as well. Most of the book, she is very resistant to being in Ireland or the idea of staying there at all. But when she moves back to Boston at the end of summer, she seems to dislike it more than she seemed to dislike Ireland and has no one there except for Ava. The back and forth of her longing to be in either Ireland or Boston kind of go repetitive at some points and just drug the story out for seemingly no reason.

For a more positive note, I really loved the setting of where this took pace for the most part, in Ireland. And I think the story had a lot of promise, but just fell short. It was a cute summer romance read, but I don't think it will be very memorable or that I would ever read it again.

Storytelling Irish Style.
I loved this Gaelic story of Chelsea Gold trying to find herself. And struggling all the way. So anxious to get back to her "real life" in Boston. Something that she explained often to her best friend, Ada and the "new people" in Ireland. Ada, was the best I loved how she interacted with Chelsea. She straightened out about things at first, and moments later lifted her up to the fact that she could be brave and do anything ! That helped her get on her way to the Wanderer hostel in Galway, Ireland. The owner of the hostel showed up from time to time in the story and I liked her too with her encouraging and welcoming ways. Collin Finegan, what a great character, he liked everyone and seemed to instantly hone in on Chelsea ! He was direct, teasing, charming, multi-skilled, funny and with a great accent that I could almost hear. I loved that. He was determined to show her how to love Ireland and as a tour guide for the hostel he had his ways ! And being a bartender at the I not just there. Lol. The scene with fish and chips that mentioned, malt vinegar made me want to go out and buy a bottle of it because I really forgot how much liked that on my fried fish !
Now, there was a great, direct funny new friend for Chelsea in the hostel, Italian gal named Flo. She was great ! Chelsea began to see her as her Irish Ada. And a fellow named Lars was a great addition to the working force of the hostel.
Chelsea, found that she really loved putting together some surprise pop-up special events for people visiting the hostel. She loved getting people what they wanted and was surprised how good she was at it. Even though other people noticed and made sure she knew it.
I'm glad that the "snapping of the fingers" wasn't mentioned very often in the book. Because I found it really annoying, and cheesy the way that on a TV program of NCIS, they did it several times. However. In this book, it did show where it could have come from. Approval in an Irish pub for some unusual poetry.
One of my favorite feelings in the story had to do with it being said that, things aren't always easy with blood relatives. But with chosen family there's more support and less disappointments. That feeling came out loud and clear for me.
I admired the scenery and places through Collin and Chelsea's eyes as well. Alexandra Paige did an awesome job, in my opinion.
By the way, great eBook cover, it made me look deeper.
I loved the Faerie storytelling that Collin both sang and spoke to the crowds and to Chelsea. Clever and compelling. They drew me in. And I loved how it was used in the ending to make the ending even more spectacular !
Thank you Netgalley and Alexandra Paige for this Irish Summer. I feel like I was really there ! As soon as Amazon sends me the link to my review from today, I plan on adding it here on Netglley.

This was such a charming summer read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved the characters—they were relatable, fun, and easy to connect with—and the plot kept me engaged the whole way through. I especially enjoyed all the vivid Irish descriptions, which made me feel like I was right there exploring alongside them. The hostel setting added such a unique and cozy touch, giving the story an atmosphere that felt both adventurous and inviting. Overall, it was light, heartwarming, and exactly the kind of book you want to take with you on vacation or to the beach. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, feel-good summer read!