Cass is a townie in a beach resort town (think Newport RI) who's working as a lifeguard with her best friend. Her father works for the wealthy developer who's bought and rehabbed many houses, pushing lower income people out. When the developer's daughter, Birdie, crashes her boyfriend's car and ruins her mother's online narrative, Birdie is sent to spend the summer in the beach town with her father, who hires Cass to watch over Birdie and see that she gets a job.

This is an enemies-to-lovers, rich-girl-poor-girl YA book that's well written for the most part. The romance seems a bit rushed given how things start out and the grand gesture was a bit predictable, but overall it's a solid sapphic YA.

This is the third book I've read where a parent is an online personality who pushes their kids to live online. It seems to be a new and popular plot point. We'll see whether these kinds of books remain popular.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

**Book Review: *Summer Girls* by Jennifer Dugan**

If you’re in the mood for a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in sunshine, sarcasm, and slow-burn charm, *Summer Girls* absolutely delivers. Jennifer Dugan brings the heat, the heart, and the humor in this opposites-attract beach town romance between Cass—a fiercely grounded townie—and Birdie, the ultimate rich-girl-turned-reluctant-rebel. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is undeniable, and watching these two girls go from eye-rolls to heart-eyes is the kind of summer magic we all crave.

The story leans into beloved tropes like *grumpy/sunshine*, *forced proximity*, and *secret softies*, all while exploring deeper themes of identity, class divides, and rewriting your own narrative. Whether you're here for the romance, the queer joy, or the gorgeous beach-town vibes, *Summer Girls* is the kind of book that makes you believe in second chances and unexpected love. Grab a towel, some SPF, and this book—you won’t want to put it down.

Happy release day!! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC! This was really cute or whatevaaa 🥹🥹 I will say that at some point it got a bit slow for me but it picked back up and I was engrossed again! The book takes you on birdie and cass’ journey, exploring themes of classism, the toxicity of influencer family culture, internalized biphobia, and finding oneself and ones integrity, while it simultaneously takes us on the romantic relationship between the main characters, providing the reader with that 2000s romcom feel.

Cass and Birdie are typical teen girls in their own worlds, but when those worlds collide they become so much more. This was a cute, and socially interesting, YA romance perfect for summer time. The story artfully covers the feeling of being a townie vs. a tourist, a middle class vs. upper class family dynamics, social media usage commentary and more that bring up interesting topics for discussion while also remaining a sweet love summer love story.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a perfect beach read. It felt a little more CWish than Jennifer Dugan’s other YA romances with oodles of opposite-sides-of-the-tracks drama. BFF Bentley and his love interest Six were my favorite characters—I would totally read a spin off story about them. However, it took me a while to warm up to Cass and Birdie, but once they started falling for each other I was hooked.

If anyone is needs to check off strong initial dislike or set on an island for Sapphic Bingo, this fits the bill.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I needed this book, the escape, the sincerity today! I loved both Cass and Birdie. Even though Cass frustrated me sometimes with how easily she jumped to the wrong conclusion and her lack of growth but she is also only 18. Birdie had me reminiscing on my own coming out journey and being a baby gay. The moment when Case thinks they are on a date but Birdie doesn’t realize this had me laughing! Such a classic sapphic scenario.

I loved the setting of a small beach town! The term “summer girl” refers to the daughters of the wealthy who have summer homes and then leave in the fall again. I thought maybe there was a mistake because the book is titled “Summer Girls” plural. Only Birdie is a summer girl! Then, I read the last sentence of the book and it all made sense! (You will have to get the book to find out the last line!😉)

4⭐️
1🌶️ (yes, this one is rightly in YA romance, which makes me so happy!)

It's a fast, sapphic romance read with some good beach and summer vibes, but ultimately, I couldn't find myself invested in the characters nor their romance. The romance itself hit a lot of the typical tropes, but not in a spectacular way. At least not in my opinion. Their communication was also rather atrocious and juvenile.

Overall, I do recommend if you don't mind the predictability or just want a cute, quick sapphic romance to get you through your day.

My thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Random House for the ARC of "Summer Girls" in exchange for an honest review.

All the familiar tropes and settings surround this basic, sweetly rendered YA sapphic romance.

Such as:.....the beach town dominated by wealthy one-percenters and populated by the year 'round working class families whose kids work service jobs for the town's elite. uppercrust.
.
Our loving couple - 'Trust fund heiress and popular teen influencer Birdie Gordon. Once her best friend when they were toddlers is hard working lifeguard/waitress Cass Adler, whose father works to find affordable housing for town residents pushed out by Birdie's dad, a real estate wheeler-dealer for the wealthy. (And oddly enough, Cass's dad also toils for Mr. Gordon at the same time, managing his properties.)

Birdie, in a rage about her cheating boyfriend (also a careless trust fun baby), crashes her expensive car. Of course it all goes viral, so Birdie's dad enlists Cass to supervise Birdie for the summer like a combination babysitter- camp counselor. Spoiled Birdie and salt-of-the-earth-no-nonsense Cass clash as expected but they've been nursing lifelong crushes on each other since their toddler-hood. Cass humanizes Birdie into the caring, heart-of-gold person she was all along and Birdie's fundamental sweetness causes Cass to lower her defences. .

Anyone care to guess what happens next? Anybody? Yes, head-over-heels romance finally blooms,, but the girls bring a host of pre=conceived attitudes toward each other that often sours their cute and ultra-adorable moments together. Will it all work out in the end?

Once again, anybody care to guess? No need to all raise your hands in unison........

With a storyline this well-trod, everything depends on how much you like the girls and how much you love it when they're together. And in this area, author Jennifer Dugan excels. You can't help falling for Birdie and Cass as they fall hard for each other and the book leaves you warm and fuzzy inside just the way it should.

Light and refreshing as a cool drink on any summer night.

Summer Girls is a YA Sapphic romance novel by Jennifer Dugan with two bi female protagonists Birdie Gordon and Cass Adler. Birdie is the daughter of a social media influencer and real estate developer. After a very messy and very public breakup with finding out her boyfriend's infidelity and crashing his very expensive car, she's sent to Newport for the summer to live with her dad. Cass is a Newport local who lives there year round and works as a lifeguard during the summer months. With both of their fathers working with each other and being friendly, the two have past with each other and used to be friends when they were younger. However, when they reunite at first, things are quite rocky with their own preconceived notions about one another. Eventually, they learn to get along and even fall in love with each other, looking deeper to see the more wonderful qualities each girl has.

This book was such a fantastic read and will truly be a great one for the summer, especially if you want to read a fun and lighthearted queer romance that also deals with tougher topics like the ethics of mommy bloggers, gentrification , and class differences. I enjoyed getting to know all of the main and side characters and seeing how they interacted within the storyline which was well done. The ending wrapped everything up and I also enjoyed the epilogue chapter which made my heart warm! Thank you so much to the publisher , Jennifer Dugan and NetGalley for the digital advanced reading copy! Summer Girls is coming out tomorrow, May 13th so make sure you purchase a copy or check one out from your library!

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin for this arc! Summer Girls is a perfect short summer read, that has suchhh sapphic rom com energy! I adored getting to know both main characters, especially Birdie :) and the setting was so so dreamy and easy to fall in love with!

I do have a few notes! I found the build-up towards their relationship to be a bit jarring as it goes from 0 to 100 SO FAST, and the arguments they have feel a bit unfair on both ends. I wish we got to see them understand one another rather than hate. And if you aren’t a fan of pop culture references, this has a LOT and it can make the story feel a bit more juvenile.

Nonetheless, I had a sweet experience and I love seeing sapphic love being portrayed softly :)

This was such a delightful read. It definitely reads as YA but, for me, that’s the escapism that I love. Birdie and Cass felt relatable and authentic and I couldn’t help but root for their happy ending. The book also tackles heavier topics like parental emotional abuse, coming out, money divide and more. I think the author did a great job addressing these things in a way that still kept me engaged with the story. I love the trope of summer tourist/locals and to have a story that displays this and it’s sapphic?! Couldn’t ask for more. The young love between our two FMCs felt so pure and beautiful - I was happy with the ending and the epilogue. I’ve enjoyed many Jennifer Dugan books and I can’t wait to keep reading more from her!

Loved the from-different-worlds trope but it didn’t feel forced, instead realistic for the setting. These characters are bold and vivacious and really make you escape into their world. This is the queer summer romance everyone needs in their lives

ᨳ᭬ ⭑ ⭑ ࿐ྂ

❝ I don’t let her get too far, pulling her back against me as soon as I shut the door and kissing her—because now she’s my summer girl, and I’m never going to let her go. ❞

I really thought i was going to love it, but as it turned out, i didn't. Honestly, i didn't like our main characters, and i didn't feel anything between them. Their relationship seemed shallow to me, it's inconceivable to me that they actually fell in love.

- thank you netgalley for giving me this e-arc im exchange for an honest review. -

The perfect giggling, kicking my feet hating-to-dating romance for summer 2025. While not only very readable and swoon-worthy, provides a nuanced take of the tog of war within big business, gentrification, and mutual aid that teens may not find elsewhere!

This is such a well written story of finding oneself and falling into first love “no holds barred.” This starts as a childhood friends-turned enemies rivalry, where local girl Cass gets hired to babysit spoiled rich girl Birdie for the summer. But people aren’t always what they seem, and as Birdie comes into her own outside of her mom’s overbearing grip, the two realize the friendship they once had is so much more, and they have more in common than class and social standing would have them believe. This is a really solid read, and just in time for warmer, sunny weather - making it a great summer read. I highly recommend giving this one a go!

Summer Girls by Jennifer Dugan is the second book I’ve read by this author, and it did not disappoint! It was fast-paced, fun, and the perfect book to kick off the summer.

Coming out of a book slump, I really appreciated the way Dugan’s writing is fun and quick. It was easy to get into the book, and I read it within a day. I thought the setting of the small beach town was interesting, and I enjoyed getting to see it from both Cass and Birdie’s perspectives.

While the romance wasn’t my favorite aspect of the story, I still enjoyed it. Occasionally, it felt like the characters could have been more mature and talked to each other, but they are also teenagers, so it wasn’t a huge deal. Cass got on my nerves at times for the way she tended to be hypocritical towards Birdie, but it wasn’t a big enough deal that I would discourage anyone from reading this.

Also side note: their dads being friends despite them being the equivalent of an ocean activist and an oil tycoon? Strange.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was such a nice read to start off my summer break, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed other Jennifer Dugan books. I would give this a 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having a "spoiled brat", rich kid, influencer main character and making them likeable is a tough nut to crack. But layer that with some interesting commentary on how she was the child star of a Mommy Blogger and she's been programmed to be the way she is and you've got an entertaining layered FMC.

Birdie's online personality doesn't even phase Cass though. Cass knew Birdie as a kid and while they weren't lasting friends, she refuses to put up with Birdie's shenanigans while she's been hired to keep her out of trouble.

Both Birdie and Cass have so much to learn from compassion, to growing up, to their sexualities as well (Birdie's bi-awakening perhaps?) Seeing the two girls growth over the summer was so sweet! I could understand both of their experiences and how they each affected them.

There were some Gilmore Girls level pop culture references in the beginning of the book and I felt like I needed that first chapter in a John Oliver style show where they show a picture or video of the reference for clarification. I also found out that I apparently don't know as many brand name and rich people stuff as I assumed. Not a complaint at all though, just a funny realization. Once we get to the small beach town, most of the pop culture and brand name specific mentions fizzle out and I actually thought that mirrored Birdie's life perfectly. It really showed her leaving a lot of those influences behind and learning life over again herself.

The complications of Birdie's coming out and how that affected things with Cass was rough but dealt with well. I especially liked the mention of how most queer folks feel like we have to come out over and over again. I loved the two girls together though, they really brought out the best in each other.

In some ways I felt this book was a queer YA version of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. Definitely a sweet and enjoyable time with a lot of fantastic social commentary.


Thank you so much to Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC through NetGalley!

3.5 rounded down. not too childish, not too adult and i was pleasantly surprised in that well-balanced romance regard. the dialogue was also cute at times, as were their lovey dovey descriptions of each other - like honestly i needed that.

i def coulda done without 75% of the narration, 50% of that being Cass’s. i thought it was a bit monotonous and drawn out + stripped the characters of personality.

and!! there was sooooo much potential for saying important things about the world and economic differentiation and gentrification and ill be fair, a lot of it was presented well. but at the same time, it was often hypocritical, confusing and a bit vague. cass just went back on her word SO much that i was either a) losing the plot or b) losing the will to like it bc i didn’t support this romance. i didn’t like how boundaries were disregarded because that’s really important to me. i think both girls needed some more introspection and character development and self-respect!!! then this little gay romance would be once again on its cute, merry way.

If you’re looking for an escapist type of read, Summer Girls by Jennifer Dugan is the book. While it starts off slow, I really grew to enjoy this one very much. Summer Girls is a super cute YA queer romance that has many things to praise:

1. the cohesiveness and flow of the story,
2. the supporting cast,
3. the witty banter,
4. the easy, breezy writing,
5. the summer vibes,
6. the family dynamics,
7. Birdie’s character development
8. and of course the romance. I love a good enemies to lovers, slow burn and this book definitely gave it. The romance between Cass and Birdie had me cheesing as the story developed.

My only complaint about this is that I felt there was no real character development on Cass’ end—which was a bit of a bummer.