Just as the title suggests, this sweet romance makes great use of the Irish setting in telling the story of a young woman who grows and figures out life when she least expects it.

I loved the setting in Ireland, and the author deftly lets the reader become as enchanted with the setting as the main character, Chelsea, does. She was living a small life in her hometown of Boston, seemingly happy in her comfort zone. When she loses her job, and has no immediate prospects, she agrees to work in an Irish youth hostel for the summer as she remotely hunts for a job in Boston. With the wonderful supporting characters she meets in Ireland, not to mention her dreamy love interest, she grows and begins to see how letting go of her somewhat stale life plan makes room for a happier and fulfilling new one.

The romance, a sort of enemies to lovers trope, and the slow burn worked for me as did the MC’s growth, and, of course, the Irish setting.

This book was made to be a hallmark movie. I loved Chelsea's and Collin's budding romance. Paige's description of Ireland was lovely and while Chelsea could be annoying at times, it shows the complexity of her character (and how great of a MMC Collin is).

My honest review: I went into An Irish Summer with high expectations, and I originally DNFed this book around 19% in about a month ago because the FMC was just SO grumpy (Come on, girl. You're in IRELAND). Funny enough, I couldn't stop thinking about this book, so I came back to it and finished it in 1.5 days and I'm so happy I did!

Some favorite things (and tropes) in An Irish Summer:
- A good ole workplace romance
- A tattooed Irishman MMC
- Found family
- Friends-to-lovers
- Grumpy meets sunshine
- Slow burn

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.

“An Irish Summer” is a cute and very enjoyable story about a young woman, Chelsea, who thinks she has her life planned out (at least the broad strokes) but has to rethink everything when the plans get interrupted. After losing her job, and with no good near term options, she agrees to a summer job as a receptionist at a hostel (the Wanderer) in Galway. She arrives in Galway already planning her return to her family, best friend and life in Boston. However, Ireland and her new coworkers at the hostel, especially Collin, are not going to let her get away that easily. Chelsea wants to resist liking Collin, the Wanderer, and Galway but her efforts are for naught, as she soon finds herself more involved in hostel events and spending more time with Collin, as he introduces her to Ireland.

The ending will come as no surprise. I liked how the author chose to have Chelsea realize the impact she made at the Wanderer, and how what she wanted was not what she really needed, at least right now.

The best part of this book was the setting being in Ireland. I had a hard time connecting with the main character and found her annoying. I think the character development really fell flat. It was hard to get through. Ultimately, this is a summer romance read that just missed the mark for me.

Unfortunately had to dnf, the fmc was so highly unlikable, I thought I was getting a vibey book about the Irish countryside. Which it was….but the fmc pulled all my focus with her whining.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC!

Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. Chelsea was very whiny throughout the book but did little to address what was making her unhappy. I liked Collin but didn’t feel much chemistry between the two.

A perfect summer read!
It truly felt like I was in Ireland, which is incredible! the attention to detail and the beautiful flow of writing makes this a hard to put down book.

Chelsea Gold loves her life in Boston, and her job at the B&B she's had since graduating college. But when the owners tell her they are selling, she's now faced with losing her job and apartment. A temporary summer job presents itself, but the catch is she'll be working at a hostel in Galway, Ireland 🇮🇪. Chelsea is determined to make it through the summer, while looking for her next job so she can get back to her perfectly planned life in Boston. She's determined not to fall in love with Ireland, but her co-workers have her warming up to the job, the location, the friendships, and the hot jack-of-all-trades handyman, Collin Finegan. When it comes time to return to Boston, Chelsea finds that the decision might not be as easy as she once thought it would be.

An Irish Summer is a perfect, Summer romance read. I really enjoyed Paige's writing, and the mix of romance, Chelsea's self discovery journey, the setting of Ireland, and the fairy stories sprinkled throughout some of the book. I felt like the characters could be real people in a real situation, even though Chelsea did take her dislike of having to go to Ireland a bit over the top. 😊

The romance between Collin and Chelsea was fun, and I enjoyed their opposite personalities. Collin is more carefree, while Chelsea likes to have a plan for everything. They have some great antagonistic banter between the two of them, that leads to the perfect slow burn romance. I love a "he falls first" MMC, and I loved the way Collin worked his charm to bring down Chelsea's walls, while showing her around Ireland. The two prominent side characters, Ada and Flo, were a great addition to the story, and I loved seeing both of their friendships with Chelsea.

If you're looking for an easy, breezy Summer romance, with a gorgeous setting, swoony Irish MMC, and finding what makes you happy, then I would definitely recommend An Irish Summer.

This was so cute & the perfect summer escape.

I loved the setting of Ireland. I've never been but reading this felt like being there. The descriptions were beautifully written and totally let me imagine myself there. I will definitely need to go to Ireland one day.

Chelsea starts out a bit unlikeable. She's unhappy to be in Ireland even though no one forced her to go there so she's an unhappy camper the first half of the book. However, her character did improve in the second half. She starts to take people's advice and she begins to embrace the experience. Collin was such a sweetheart. He's adorable and was so positive. Loved him. I thought these two were cute together. Very classic romcom couple.

Would recommend if you're looking for a summer escape.

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK! it was so cute, funny, and charming! Perfect rom com and honestly so incredibly fitting since I am spending the summer in Ireland!!! Definitely one of my new favorites! 🥺💖


Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

Let me first say that I am not much of a romance or rom-com reader. So, I may not be the target audience.

Honestly, I was drawn to the cover of this book first. I visited Ireland and hiked the Cliffs of Moher a year ago almost to the day. This book was a fun little jaunt into remembering special parts of my trip there. But I also think that may be why I was disappointed in the book. Unlike other reviewers, I didn’t feel like the description of the places Chelsea visited in Ireland were as vivid as I hoped they would be. I knew the places she references mostly because I had been there, not because they were well described. There is also so much more to Galway, Dublin, and the history and culture of Ireland than what gets mentioned in this book. I think the characters could have explained or explored it just a little more to flesh out the magic of Ireland a little better.

Chelsea the main character is super boring to me. Other characters love her for some reason but she has no personality and no interests. Her whole personality is being type A and needing to have a plan. Yawn. I kind of get that its also a plot point, but it makes for a boring character. Somehow, though, she is witty in her banter with the MMC. Where does that come from? Who knows?
That being said, the banter is pretty good, I will at least give it that.

Who it may be for: Rom-Com fans; grumpy/sunshine trope; hallmark movie lovers.

Who it may not be for: people looking for more complex characters; people looking for more exploration of Ireland

Thank you so much for the ARC! I've been looking for a romance novel set in Ireland that actually paints the country and its community accurately. I loved the details and all the different day trips around Ireland. My one complaint is that it felt like our FMC's main personality trait was being anxious and stubborn without too much else to complicate her character so I started to get a bit frustrated. Overall, a cute, adventurous romance read that's perfect for the summer.

3.75⭐️

An Irish Summer is a great, easy, fun summer read about a twenty something Bostonian, Chelsea, who loses her job at a Bed & Breakfast when the owners decide to retire, and decides to work at a hostel in Ireland for the summer, just until she gets her life back.

I loved the backdrop of Ireland. It’s a bucket list travel destination for me, so that added enjoyment to this read. And having stayed in a few different hostels while traveling internationally, I enjoyed that aspect of the story and the nostalgic flashbacks of hostel life.

Chelsea starts off being so hyper focused on how she thinks her life should be. And as a reader, I was so frustrated with her. She was in a beautiful country surrounded by wonderful people, and her negative Nancy attitude was tiring. But then I realized, we can all be like Chelsea. So focused on the future, or the life we think we should be living/striving for, that we miss the beauty all around us, in the moment. So, my frustration gave way to understanding and grace and I love how Collin, and the rest of the staff at The Wanderer, helped Chelsea on this journey.

I thought the romance between Chelsea and Collin was good. It’s a typical romance but I appreciate the slow build. I honestly am a bit swoony over Collin, his accent, love of his homeland, tattoos and fairy stories.

Definitely would recommend for an easy summer read.
Anyone want to book a flight to Galway with me? 🇮🇪

I truly enjoyed this book. An Irish summer is definitely a summer read, I can't wait to recommend it to friends. The characters and their growth was amazing. The love story was very captivating. The description of Galway, I felt like I was there. The only down side was chapter 16-18 I feel like those could be broken up more.

This is a sweet story of a girl who gets a chance to spend a summer in Ireland, and she does so begrudgingly, but ends up finding out more about herself than she anticipated.

I found Chelsea pretty frustrating at first, who wouldn’t try to make the best of their time in Ireland?! But I found that the characters were still pretty realistic when it comes to their motivations and actions.

I love the people she meets, the adventures they have, relationships they build, and I love how much Ireland was really a part of the story.

Overall it didn’t blow me away, but I definitely enjoyed it and found it to be super sweet and satisfying.

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Irish Summer! I’ll always say yes to a rom-com with a passport stamp, a flirtatious tour guide, and a heroine on the brink of a personal reboot—and this one delivered that with a misty Galway breeze and a strong side of brogue.

Chelsea is equal parts uptight and uprooted, which makes for some fun fish-out-of-water comedy when she’s dropped into an Irish hostel with spotty Wi-Fi, shared bathrooms, and—gasp—no iced coffee. (Reader, I too would panic.) Her slow evolution from cranky American to wide-eyed wanderer was charming, if a bit predictable. And then there’s Collin, the tour guide with charm dialed up to “rom-com love interest,” complete with the kind of poetic teasing and pub banter that practically demands a movie adaptation.

That said, the plot followed a fairly well-trodden path, and some emotional beats felt a little surface-level. The stakes were soft, and while the Irish setting had potential to steal the show, I wanted more atmosphere and cultural richness—less “cute montage,” more “tell me what it feels like to fall in love while dancing in the rain outside a centuries-old pub.”

Still, Irish Summer has heart and humor, and Chelsea’s journey toward rediscovering herself (with a little nudge from a certain handsome tour guide) makes it a cozy read for fans of Sophie Cousens or Beth O’Leary. It’s a perfect armchair vacation, even if it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch I hoped for.

Fun, fluffy, and full of potential—just like summer itself.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.
Our main character Chelsea finds herself jobless and looking for what comes next in her life. A summer in Ireland while she holds out hope for her dream job. It'll be the summer she never saw coming.
I love all the things this story captured. Taking big risks. Letting go of yourself and discovering who you are. Seeing Chelsea let go and leave her comfort zone little by little on this journey of discovery was beautiful. I could really picture it happening. I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout this story.
As if it wasn't already a dream to go to Ireland some day, this book really made me want to be there. I really enjoyed the setting and the way the author made me feel like I could be there.
I had to look up the pronunciation of several words since I don't speak Irish. This actually made it a bit more interesting.
I realize this book hasn't been released yet but I'm already hoping for a follow up. I would love to see where Chelsea's story goes.

This was a easy read and very enjoyable. I loved that it took place in Ireland. It was great to see Chelsea evolve as a character through the book. I will say in the beginning her attitude was hard to push through but overall it was a good read!

This book is so great. It does take place in Ireland which is a country I want to visit someday. Hardly any spice but still a cute romance.