Be WARNED!!! This book will have you wishing to go to Ireland within the first few chapters—and by the end? You’re googling flights and trying to justify an Irish summer of your own.

And who wouldn’t, if it came with all the playful banter, found family, and an undeniable connection the way Chelsea’s did? (I’ll take mine without the existential angst about the future though, if possible. Oh, it’s mandatory? Welp. You and me, Chels.)

In all seriousness, An Irish Summer is a beautiful love story, and an unwavering love letter to Ireland, its people, its culture, and its stories. It’s a gentle reminder that it’s okay to change, and to realize that your old dreams don’t feel right anymore or that you’ve outgrown them.

I’m left a little in love with Collin and Galway both, and so very grateful to NetGalley, the publisher, and Alexandra Paige for the ARC!!

4.25 ⭐️s

The FMC, Chelsea, had me hesitant at first with her rigid, “Ireland isn’t as good as Boston” attitude but between everything that Collin, the MMC, brings to the table and the progression you get to see of Chelsea’s internal growth and self-awareness, it really came along to be a truly amazing read! Collin is deliciously charming, confident but not cocky, and the craic is top tier! The love he has for sharing the beauty and history of Ireland was such a great component to balance out the story!

Alexandra’s writing is beautifully done and paints an immersive picture where you truly feel like you’re there with the characters.

This story truly made me want to drop everything and move to Galway and work at a hostel 😂

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this story as an ARC and can’t wait for it to be out for everyone to get their hands on!

The premise here was interesting. Unfortunately I really couldn't get into this one. There was too much dialogue and generally it felt too young for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I really loved this book. I have always wanted to visit Ireland and this book transported me there. I could see all the places Collin and Chelsea visited and loved the little fairy stories that were sprinkled throughout the book by Collin.

I loved Collin and Chelsea both as characters and thought they balanced each other out well. However, I feel like most of Chelsea falling in love with Ireland was really her falling in love with Collin. I wished the two had more separation.

I LOVED the setting of the hostel. All of the different characters really gave a Stars Hollow vibe and it was incredible.

Chelsea has the perfect life. She loves her hometown, Boston, where her best friend and family are. She loves her job as event coordinator for a charming Bread and Breakfast known as O’Shea’s, her first job out of college. She loves the subsidized apartment she gets as part of her job. She looks forward to the future, where she imagines herself buying the O’Shea’s out.
Until the day they tell her they’ve sold, and she has one month to vacate.
Chelsea feels betrayed, and when she can’t find another job quickly, her choices, to move back home with her parents, or to accept the O’Shea’s offer of a summer at their sister hostel in Galway, Ireland. It’s the last thing Chelsea wants, other than moving back home.
The book then takes the reader on a fabulous adventure in beautiful Ireland, along with lovely people and a gorgeous tour guide! It’s a perfect summer read for those of us who love to get to know new places in the world. An Irish Summer will be released July 1, 2025. Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the early release copy.

This scratched my itch for all things Ireland (and Irish men) 🤭 This was a fun, light, easy summer rom com that I highly recommend to anyone who loves the movie Leap Year. That’s one of my favorite movies so of course I enjoyed this book!

An Irish Summer follows Chelsea, after losing her job at a B&B in Boston due to her bosses’ retirement. Desperate for a new job to get her feet on the ground, she travels to Galway, Ireland to work at a hostel for the summer on recommendation of her ex boss. Despite planning on staying detached and returning home as soon as summer ends, Chelsea begins to fall in love with Ireland and some people she has met along the way.

I adored the setting of the Wanderer and Ireland in general, and I really liked Collin’s character and the inclusion of Irish fairy tales he told throughout the novel. I did feel that most characters were very surface level and that the book could’ve been so much better if it had some more polishing, specifically in the 75-90% range. Overall, my main gripe was our main character Chelsea. She was really irritating to follow as her desperation to stick to the plan caused her to miss out and experiences I would do anything to be in her shoes for! It was frustrating for her to be so mentally against enjoying herself, when she honestly didn’t have much to go home to in Boston anyway. Her whole arc didn’t feel well plotted and when she finally realized what she wanted it was like “well duh!”. I did really enjoy our MMC and the rest of the side characters at the Wanderer, and overall liked the romance in general. Overall, I did have a fun time reading this story and the setting was immaculate.

A huge thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was very excited for this book but it did not turn out to be my favorite. It was literally at the 70% mark when Chelsea realizes how blessed she is with the opportunity to live and work in Ireland for the summer. 70% of her whining and being stubborn and pretty rude about taking a job no one forced her to before she realizes she’s living other’s dreams. I think if she had discovered this sooner and we saw more of her embracing Ireland and her life there, the book would have been better. As it was, it was frustrating and annoying. I couldn’t quite figure out what Collin saw in her besides the chase.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

I love all things Ireland so I was excited to read An Irish Summer. This is a cute summer romance and while I liked it, I didn’t love it like I expected.
It follows Chelsea who reluctantly accepts a summer job at a hostel in Galway, Ireland after finding out the B&B she works and lives at in Boston is being sold. She convinces herself it’ll be an adventure but quickly realizes hostel living may not be for her. Luckily, she meets some pretty great people at the hostel who are more than happy to change her mind.

First, I loved the setting and side characters - especially Flo and Ada! I loved Chelsea’s friendship with Ada and how encouraging and supportive she was.
I had a hard time connecting with Chelsea though and while I could definitely relate to her wanting stability in her life, I found her behavior frustrating for a majority of the book. She’s so focused on returning to Boston at the end of summer that she’s determined to dislike Ireland. I just wanted her to enjoy herself and was so happy when she finally allowed herself to step out of her comfort zone and have a good time!
I really liked Collin as her love interest and how determined he was to make her fall in love with Ireland. It was so sweet how he planned special trips for when both of them had a day off and I loved reading about the places they visited and the beautiful scenery. The fairy stories he told her throughout the book were a magical addition.

Overall, this was a lighthearted romance with a beautiful setting perfect for summer!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After her job falls through, Chelsea begrudgingly takes a job working at a hostel in Ireland. She will only be working there for the summer, as she reiterates numerous times. Chelsea meets the other staff members of the hostel including the charming Collin. Collin embarks on an adventure to make Chelsea see the true beauty of Ireland. As romance ensues, will Chelsea stay or go back to Boston to follow her strict life plan??
This was a great story if you have any sense of wanderlust and a sense that your life plans may not be what you really want. I enjoyed Chelsea’s self-discovery and found myself falling in love with Ireland (and Collin too if I’m honest).

I was so excited to receive a copy of this book and was drawn in by the cover and premise of an American woman reinventing herself over a summer in Ireland. Sounds fantastical and cozy. However, I found big parts of the book to be lacking.

We’ll start with the heroine, Chelsea, whose entire personality is being type A and having a plan for her life. That’s about it. We don’t get to know much more about her beyond that. It is mentioned, briefly, that she is Jewish, but this part of her identity is never explored or talked about beyond that brief mention. I struggled to see what the hero of the book, or any of the other characters at The Wanderer saw in her.

This leads me to the hero, Collin. Over 300 pages and I could tell you basically nothing about him or his personality. I am not even sure I could describe what he looked like beyond having tattoos. We hardly see him interacting with anyone outside of Chelsea and it was hard to get a read on if he was being genuine with her through most of the book. During one of the excisions, we are finally given the promise of learning more about him only to get a few vague lines about his family not understanding him. Lines for which there is no payoff, even though we meet his family.

About 70% of the way in Chelsea remarks that Collin is still basically a stranger to her. SEVENTY PERCENT INTO THE BOOK AND THE HEROINE THINKS THE HERO IS STILL A STRANGER! The lack of knowing anything about Collin, and Chelsea being so boring made it hard to root for them as a couple.

Romance aside, even the story of a woman rediscovering herself and finding a new plan or path in life just fell flat for me.

At over 300 pages, the only conflict or tension is over if Chelsea will stay in Ireland or go back to Boston. This was so repetitive, I needed there to be something more driving the story.

Sorry, I wish I could have liked this, but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I need in a summer romance. I loved each and every character and I truly cared for their places in the story. Each one had a place and a reason for being there. (Additionally I will always be excited about a character, no matter how minor, that shares my name *Rhiannon*)

The author truly has me yearning to visit Ireland and experience the beauty and culture it has to offer. I love how the local lore and histories were woven into this love story. I was so invested in the Chelsea’s journey to self discovery and the support she got from her friends and found family as well as the swoony MMC, Collin.

This story also explored a little bit of the dynamic of having a different relationship with each parent and their measure of success for their children/how they choose to achieve it.


Thank you to Avon Publishing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this e-book.


All opinions expressed are my own. 💘

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyage for the ARC.
3.5 stars
Chelsea's comfortable life in Boston is overturned when the owners of the B&B she has worked at since graduating college suddenly tell her they're selling the property and retiring. They give her a month's notice and an offer to work at a relative's hostel in Galway until her next step comes along. She eventually accepts and reluctantly embraces her time at the (initially disappointing to her) hostel and its staff, especially the day trips she goes on with the (charming, flirty, fun, hot) tour guide at the hostel, Collin. As he shoes Chelsea the best of the country he loves so much, Chelsea slowly grows to love the country too, as well as the hostel and its staff, and maybe Collin too. But her time in Ireland has an expiration date, and the lure of a stable, "normal" job in hospitality is seemingly calling her back to Boston.
I loved the setting of a quirky hostel in Ireland, and Collin was a cute love interest. I thought the dialogue was great (I could hear Collin's Irish accent through the way his speech was written), and I loved the side characters, and overall, this was written well. That being said, I got annoyed by Chelsea and how much she complained or seemed snobby about the hostel's less-than-perfect accommodations. Like girl, you are getting an amazing opportunity to work in a unique job IN YOUR FIELD and in a beautiful country with nice, welcoming people? Why are you so standoffish and whiny? I enjoyed seeing how her and Collin's relationship developed, but I was confused as to why Collin put up with her lol. He told her at times he was somewhat offended that she thought she was too good to work there, and that was never really resolved.

I really wanted to like this one, as I’m a current Boston resident about to go on a trip to Ireland, it seemed like a perfect fit. The story as a whole felt very lackluster. I didn’t connect to the characters and I didn’t feel like the characters connected to each other enough to warrant moving across the country for. It felt very insta-love to me with nothing to back it up.
I did enjoy the main male character and thought his job as a tour guide was a nice touch. I also loved the ending with the “grand gesture” being more low key and fitting into his fairy story.
Overall, I liked aspects of the story but thought it didn’t quite work as a whole.

📜Quick Summary: When the quaint bed and breakfast that Chelsea works for closes, she doesn’t know what her next move will be. In her young 20’s, she has options. She could go back home, or …she can take up the owner’s offer of taking a summer job in Ireland, and see where that leads her. When she opts for the adventure of a lifetime, she runs into a dashing Irish gentleman named Collin, who she will NOT have a crush on. As he pushes her out of her comfort zone and explores Ireland with her, clearly things start to pick up speed. Will Chelsea move back to Boston and follow her plan, or will she take a leap of faith on herself?

❣️Initial Feels: I am swooning over the location, the cast of characters, and the accents that I’m reading out loud in my head. Feels like a super cozy, sweet, and hot rom-com!

👀Trigger Warnings: You may want to take a trip to Ireland after this one!

🌶️Spice Level: 1/2🌶️

📖Read if you want: an Irish adventure, story of growth, slow burn, lots of questioning life decisions

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: While Chelsea was our main girl, it was hard to root for her at times. Her whiny attitude and lack of trust in herself was sometimes bothersome. Collin, on the other hand, was patient and kind, and really wanted her to embrace what life is all about. He embraced the way of Irish life, and really wanted her to open her eyes to another way to live.

🗨️Thoughtful Words: “Time spent does not measure family.”
“Maybe there was something said for taking risks after all.”

🌟Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

💡Final Sentiments: This is your typical rom- com, except this time the main lead Chelsea is the grumpy one and Collin is our ray of sunshine. I did enjoy this quirky novel, but really wished I had some other point of view. I would love to hear more about Collin, or Flo, and hear someone else’s voice besides Chelsea. I also wished it had more challenges along the way, big situations that may have interrupted her decision making. It all felt so smooth. She did seem a bit too whiny at times…and listen, she’s young. She doesn’t know what she wants to do; I get that! But I was getting frustrated with her negativity about being in such a BEAUTIFUL setting. I am terrified of traveling but I immediately want to book a trip to Ireland after reading this! Everyone can relate to her, whether you’re stuck in a position of choosing your next job, the next step in your “life plan,” or trying to figure out if you should follow your head or heart. A quick and beautiful summer read!

🔉Special thanks to Alexandra Paige, Avon Books, and NetGalley for this arc of An Irish Summer.

📘Grab yourself a copy on July 1, 2025!

This is a sweet and charming romance, albeit largely predictable. Chelsea and Collin make an adorable couple, even though you can see the end coming right from the beginning. It is nice, however, that the third act conflict is actually believable in terms of the story and not some annoying and unnecessary contrivance that comes out of nowhere.

There are plenty of touching relationships and great family vibes as Chelsea and her coworkers quickly become like family. She also has an extremely supportive best friend from back home, who is like a sister to her. It is nice how close they remain despite the distance and the fact that their lives are quickly diverging.

The book also functions as a kind of travelogue. You can get a taste of Ireland just from reading it.

On the whole, if you are a romance fan and not necessarily looking for something new and different but happy to enjoy a tried-and-true formula romance, you should enjoy this book.

There is a lot to love about this one - the descriptions of Ireland and Galway, the MMC, and the hostel colleague/friends - especially as someone who headed to Ireland for my own early 20s sabbatical. BUT the FMC is pretty insufferable. The focus on her "plan" was so persistent that it just made her seem entitled, cranky, and really her only redeeming quality was that she was good at her job. It, honestly, was hard to believe that the MMC would be that enamored with her, so the chemistry was not there. A light, easy read, but it would have been beneficial to give the FMC more depth and backstory.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

Give me an Irish setting in a book and I’m there!This beautiful cover drew me in immediately. Galway is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been so I’m picky about how it’s represented and I did appreciate all the love Galway got in the book. I enjoyed all the cultural representation and especially how much stories were woven into the main theme of the book.

Having Collin as a tour guide and taking her on adventures was a really great way to move the story along. I appreciated his passion for his home! Some of the trips they took didn’t make sense to me having travelled through Ireland multiple times, like going to Temple Bar of all of the places in Dublin when Collin prides himself on showing Chelsea the “true Ireland.”

Unfortunately, Chelsea just didn’t do it for me. Her intent to dislike an amazing opportunity in her late 20s went on for too long, to the point where she came off as immature and unlikable. It seemed like she never really moved on, then bam all of a sudden she’s a changed woman! I would’ve liked more gradual growth from her.

Collin was a really sweet MMC but I felt like we never got past surface level with both main characters. I finished the book and felt like I didn’t get to know either of them as humans very well.

Overall this book was easy and fun! It’s perfect if you’re looking for summer travel vibes or falling in love with far away places. It also had a really lovely ending that tied into the rest of the book in a very sweet way!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon for the ARC of this book!

I’ve been on an Ireland & Scotland kick lately (2026 trip? Who wants to go with me?) so when I saw this on Netgalley I HAD to apply for an ARC. Ever since I watched Leap Year a couple months ago, I’ve been chasing the high that is Matthew Goode as a cranky Irishman.

I love that this book jumps right into the conflict and plot. It gets you hooked right away! The perfect combination of exposition and conflict within the first chapter 👌.

I did find the main character, Chelsea, kind of out of touch. No one forces her to go to Ireland, but she goes and then complains about it the whole time and acts like she doesn’t want to be there. In her defense, she has a rough go of it in the beginning of the book when she is let go from her previous job — I think you’re definitely allowed some sulking over that — but again, no one is forcing you to go to Ireland for the summer!

She’s also pretty rude to the MMC, who is nothing but nice to her. She acts like she doesn’t like him, and then has the audacity to get jealous over him. I really liked this story, I just know that Chelsea is not someone I would like IRL. 🤣 Like girl, you’re in Ireland! A hot Irishman is volunteering to show you around his country for free! Don’t act like it’s a punishment.

And speaking of the MMC, Collin … just saying, there’s nothing to dislike about a tattooed Irishman. Chelsea, girl, get it together!

While obviously the focus of this story is Ireland, and I loved exploring the country through the author’s words, I didn’t really appreciate how quickly the author is to generalize America. Look, I’m the first to criticize the US, but to equate the entire fifty states to one person’s “miserable” existence in Boston (which plenty of people love calling home) … I just didn’t like that. This is a diverse country full of diverse cultures and places and people, and we are so lucky to have that.

One quote that especially sticks in my mind is “Every house in America looks exactly alike, frankly.” That’s just so not true? Like what? Even in my little neighborhood you can walk around and see so many beautiful and unique homes. Plus, architecture varies greatly across the whole country. A house in New Mexico does not look the same as a cottage in northern Wisconsin or a Cape Cod in New England or a farm house in South Carolina. Be soooo for real.

I don’t like to write many negative things in my reviews, but this is an honest ARC review, and I had a few things that really bugged me, so I touched on them. I did enjoy this book overall, and it did make me want to visit Ireland even more, so …. 2026? I’m serious. Who’s coming?

<B>STORY</B>
🌟🌟🌟

<B>SPICE</B>
🌶️ mild (less than)

<b>RECOMMEND</B>
💳 yes*

An Irish Summer is a short book about Chelsea, who’s down in the dumps and moves to Ireland for a summer job. She didn’t want to be in Ireland. Being there didn’t fit the version of her she wanted to be - someone who wanted a corporate job, not someone working at a hostle in Galloway.

At the hostel, she meets Collin. In an effort to break down Chelsea’s walls and get her to fall in love with Ireland, he spends all his free time showing Chelsea all the best things about Ireland.

While an Irish Summer is a short and sweet read, Chelsea and Collin’s story is predictable.

I think this book is perfect for anyone who is looking for a story that can be an easy escape, while giving Hallmark vibes. If this sounds like a story you’ll enjoy - definitely give it a read and enjoy!!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon & Harper for the opportunity to read An Irish Summer before its release.

This was cute, but to be perfectly honest, it never really made it past cute for me. I’m a sucker for an Ireland setting, but it almost felt like things were just being checked off of a list, rather than actively supporting the advancement of the plot. Ireland was intended to come off as profound (or at least capable of having a profound impact on those who visit) but I never felt that or really felt for the characters while reading. I think it stayed maybe more surface level than I was expecting? Points were raised, but never elaborated on, and instead of getting more of the MC’s stories, the same conflict just kept being rehashed. A cute read, but I wish we could have really gotten to know the characters more.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC.