I was ecstatic to read Dugan's latest following Some Girls Do, another sapphic YA story taking place during my favorite season!

Townie Cass has a rule about not dating "summer girls", aka the girls that flock to her beachy hometown on summer holiday. After vacationer Birdie crashes her ex-boyfriend's car, she's crushed to have to spend the summer working as a beach parking lot attendant alongside Cass. With summer heating up, will Cass stick to her tried-and-true rule? Or will these summer girls find their own kind of summer loving?

Summer Girls gave me similar vibes to Elin Hilderbrand, and I love the queer twist on such a classic trope. Both Cass and Birdie were handled with care, and I appreciate the gentleness that Dugan treats topics such as social media and queerness. I can't wait to share this book with my students - I have a flock that I already know will pass this one around and giggle over.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

A lovely light-hearted summer romance!

I had fun with this book, which follows a fun rivals to lovers romance by the beach. Cass and Birdie were fun, contrasting characters who both were dealing with their own family and money-related issues. The forced proximity of these two made them understand each others' circumstances more which I loveeeed. Unfortunately this did feel a bit insta-lovey to me because it seemed to take place over less than the whole summer. But still cute nonetheless.

This was my first Jennifer Dugan book, and I had a lot of fun.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an adorable and really wholesome summer romance novel. I thought the chemistry between Birdie and Cass was realistic, however I felt that them knowing and having feelings for each other as kids was kind of a lazy way to speed up the process of their attraction to each other. I would have liked to see them gradually build their relationship overtime as it did feel rather fast. Regardless i thoroughly enjoyed this and I would recommend to anyone that's into summer and wealthy x commoner romances. Overall 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had a hard time emphasizing with Birdie, but by the end I really liked her and almost felt sorry for her. Her parents suck, her one friend isn't much better. For every step forward Birdie and Cass took as a couple, Cass took two steps back for both of them. The story really tries to pose Birdie as the one who messes up, but it's always Cass that refuses to listen and goes back to her preconceived notions about what kind of person her girlfriend is. It was hard to root for them, I won't lie.

The topic of gentrification is handled relatively well, though Birdie's father was given way too much slack for my liking. He is only being held accountable by the two main characters without showing any personal character growth.

I adore Jennifer Dugan's books and this one is no exception! Dugan truly knows how to capture that sweetness and awkwardness that comes with first love.

Gay, summery, and littered with drama.
I live for it, I guess…?

PLOT SUMMARY:

Birdie is the daughter of wealthy influencer, Verity Gordon and shrewd businessman George Gordon, who capitalize on their daughter’s life by capturing it constantly on camera. But after a disastrous livestream reveals how messed up her life truly is, Birdie is shipped off to live in her father’s villa and be watched over by her salty former friend, Cass. As Birdie starts to live out her summer in a way she never imagined, her feelings for Cass begin to surface, as do her reservations about forever living in the spotlight.
But is their relationship doomed to be a summer fling? Or will their love win out in the end?

PLOT REVIEW:


So… This is a very dramatic plotline.
I loved the summery vibes of it all, and I’m ALWAYS down for some drama. But this was a bit much. The amount of miscommunication between Cass and Birdie is truly staggering and, oftentimes, extremely annoying.
Not to mention that the whole rich girl finding herself after being shipped off to an island is a plot I have seen more than once. There was nothing truly original about it, but that’s shockingly something I enjoyed. I was just able to turn off my brain and submerge myself in sun, waves, and unnecessary drama that made me feel like I was going insane.
Not to mention that this is a sapphic romance, which already gives it a high rating in my books.
But this book did seem quite messy in certain areas. For one, we have no true closure between Birdie and her mother, or her father, for that matter. Technically, everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow, but it rang hollow.
Birdie’s struggle with her sexuality also felt only half explored throughout this book. As someone who identifies as a lesbian and had to do a lot of soul-searching to reach this label, I love reading about people finding themselves.
But it never felt like Birdie did that. She never truly resolved WHY everyone around her reacted to her bisexuality in such a strange manner. I wanted more exploration into this subject, but that, unfortunately, just never happened.

CHARACTERS:

While the plot rang a bit hollow for me, the characters weren’t doing much better. I liked Bridie significantly more than I liked Cass, and that just feels so odd to me.
The main reason for this, though, is because Cass judges Birdie so harshly for everything she does. Even when they resolve their troubles, she still finds problems to poke at. And while I understand her reasoning for this, I still found her extremely annoying throughout the novel.
Birdie, I felt more neutral on. She makes a lot of mistakes, but is always quick to try and correct them.
Considering everyone else, they fell flat. Verity Gordon has no substance and is purely there to be a villain. George is horrible and has no character growth, yet we’re expected to imagine he does.
No, thank you.
Birdie’s friend is also a very dull character who I disliked immensely for no real reason.
I don’t even know, don’t ask.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Mindless reading, but it’s gay, so I’m not too mad about it.

I used to love reading beachy summer YA romances when I was a teen, but because of the industry at the time they were always straight. So I love now how there are queer books that give me nostalgia for the types of romances I read back in the day. Cass and Birdie lead very different lives. Cass is a year round resident of the beach town and works with her family to find affordable housing for people who are being priced out of living there by all the vacation rentals popping up. Meanwhile Birdie is the very wealthy daughter of a mommy blogger/influencer who is being sent to the beach town as punishment for crashing a very expensive car. Will this lead to an opposites attract situation or are there too many obstacles for them to see eye to eye?

Cass and Birdie were both well fleshed out characters and I really enjoyed seeing how they had to learn about each other's lives. I especially liked seeing how Birdie learned about the harm that her father was causing in his job as a real estate developer and how Cass’ family was trying to work to combat it. Also, Cass learning about how Birdie was forced by her mother to be part of her influencer content and how what was being shared wasn’t always her choice was interesting to see. Both characters have great development throughout the book, but I especially enjoyed seeing where Birdie ended up at the conclusion of the story in comparison with the opening.

I also loved seeing how their connection and romance slowly grew throughout the story. There are a lot of rough points that they have to work through, especially because of coming from such different backgrounds. But there are also so many cute and fun, summery moments in addition to the more serious moments. I’d definitely recommend this for readers who enjoy sapphic YA romances and different sides of the tracks romances.

This book was gifted to me as an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cass and Birdie are an instant couple to root for and I wish I had been laying on the beach while I read it. It’d your classic enemies to lovers where you find out that they haven’t quite always been enemies and truly never quite became them. Both girl are likable, fully developed and have you rooting for them individually and to succeed as a couple. It’s very fish out of water without overdoing the trope or getting caught up in the hijinks of the schemes introduced. Great growth. Great journey. A quick paced and fun summer read! You’ll be rooting for and loving these summer gals.

I wasn't a fan of this book. The plot summary sounded interesting, but this just didn't live up to it. I couldn't feel any chemistry between the characters and I lost interest about 1/2 way through.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. A cute coming of age LGBTQIA+ book that real hits the hardships of being queer in high school and the societal / financial differences btwn birdie and cass. Fuck cass’ mom tho. We don’t support homophobia.

I really enjoyed this book. This would be a perfect summer read!

There’s two main characters who are trying to figure out who they are, what they believe in, and how to navigate their lives. I really appreciated the way this was told - even though nothing from this book has happened to me, it still felt really relatable.

There’s also a heavy theme of gentrification and class differences. I thought this was handled really well - there was a lot of nuance, without spending an overwhelming amount of time here - and with the dual POV, we really see different sides of the issue.

4 🌟Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Girls did not disappoint. The perfect summer read that entices real and raw emotions regarding young long and bisexuality. Jennifer Dugan knows how to develop characters in a way that leave you wanting more.

This book touches on topics related to coming out, parental influence and power, lack of self-confidence, the importance of self-growth, lack of communication in relationships, all while displaying a sweet young romance.

I would 100% recommend this book and look forward to what this author has in store for the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons for advance copy for honest review.

Summer Girls (though you don't want to be one) is a fun story of two girls Birdie and Cass who are old childhood friends. Money (and instagram fame) had them taking different paths in life. They come together at a dinner event, Cass working the event and Birdie's dad being recognized. With the whole night going horribly wrong, Birdie is sent to spend the summer with her dad, at the beach, getting a real job. Cass is getting paid to watch over her. But over time they come to find out they have more in common than they think. A budding romance takes shape but not without hesitation and bumps in the road.
I really enjoyed this one! Having read several books by Jennifer Dugan. I recommend Summer Girls for a feel good story, 4 stars!

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would considering it’s a YA romance. The chemistry between the MCs was palpable and seemed very authentic. My only complaint is how the rich vs poor dynamic was handled. It felt a bit awkward considering how different they were, that Cass almost resented Birdie.

The first half or more of this book was fun and cute. I liked the development of Birdie and Cass coming to understand each other and then get together.
Once the conflicts started it kind of lost me as the relationship began to feel kind of toxic. Birdie was struggling as she didn't know what to do. Her mother was extremely controlling and she was under the impression her parents and best friend were going to react badly when she told them she was in a relationship with a girl. I find it hard to find fault in someone staying safe. It is true that she should have told Cass she wasn't out, but Cass shouldn't have immediately torn into her for it.
Speaking of Cass, her hot headedness is like 90% of their relationship issues in the second half of the book. If she would let Birdie get a word in instead of brutally dragging her everytime she found fault in something Birdie was doing there would be a lot less issues. And it seems all their friends side with Cass tearing Birdie apart at every opportunity, which does not sit well with me. And then Cass seemingly only decided to get back with Birdie at the end because Birdie pledged her dad's company a bunch of money. Kind of icky.

A super cute YA book with the classic tropes of forbidden romance, summer fling, class differences, but with a sapphic twist that I’ve been longing for in so many novels with these tropes!!! A very endearing read, however I didn’t feel like the story picked up until about halfway.
Still, I found it endearing and sweet, I enjoyed the easy to read style and the character banter.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy!

It was so lovely and cute. Dugan's books are pretty hit or miss for me, but this one was a huge slam dunk and felt perfect for those queer girlies that wanted their own The Summer I Turned Pretty storyline to relate to. Birdie's story was the most enthralling to me and seeing her journey throughout was lovely to see. The girl just wanted something real in her life that wasn't behind her mother's phone screen and seeing her come into her own, get the girl, and stand up to her controlling parents was the perfect ending for her and Cass.

4.5⭐️
Thank you netgally for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I loooved this book. Who wouldn’t want a sapphic love story about a rich girl falling in love with her childhood friend and learning so much about herself and what she wants in the process.

This story had me hooked from the beginning. Birdie driving her boyfriends car and accidentally crashing it while finding out he’s cheating. The perfect start for me. I really liked birdies character arc, from spoiled, annoying and doing whatever she wanted to really caring about Cass and the town.

The only thing I didn’t really like was how they made it such a big deal for birdie to “come out” even tho she already told everybody she was bi. I understand that for some people it is a big deal but I’ve been out for so long that that didn’t really resonate with me.

One thing I did really like was how the term ‘summer girl’ was generally a negative term used in the book. That kinda confused me because it’s the title. But the ending made it perfect.

This is just a wholesome book, perfect to read in summer!

Summer Girls follows Birdie, an influencer forced to speed the summer unplugged and supervised in the two that she grew up in while connecting with someone that she had moved on from. 

At first the characters were a little frustrating. There was a lack of communication between the two fmc's, Cass and Birdie. I feel like a lot could've been cleared up, had there been better communication, especially, surrounding the sexuality of Birdie and her fear of coming out to her parents. There were many sweet moments throughout this story and the scenes are beautifully written with cute banter along the way, but unfortunately, the chemistry felt rushed and very insta-lovey to me.

This is a cute summer read that had all the tropes of: forbidden romance, class differences, and childhood friends reconnecting. This is the perfect cozy summer rom com book that is easy and quick to read.

This is my first Jennifer Dugan book and I love the vibes of it so I'm excited to read other books from this author. I think having the dual pov helped to understand the story thoroughly and makes it more engaging for the readers. Although this story is a YA book and geared more towards a younger audience, it's very well written and deserves the attention and love of all the readers out there.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute book. Yes it is for a YA style reader but it did hit on adult situations in a way that wasnt overwhelming. I really enjoyed it and ended up rooting for everyone to fall in love and end up in an HEA