While Samantha’s inner monologues could get a bit tedious at times, I still enjoyed this book. All it took was one conversation with her husband Will for her life to change considerably. Though Sam being able to discover new things about herself despite her age is a powerful thing we could all learn a lesson from.

This book was hilarious. I really enjoyed the characters and their personalities. I would definitely recommend this book!

Loved loved loved! Sam has been married her whole adult life - since before graduation from high school- with a baby on the way three children followed and now when they are out of house on their own she's excited for the vacation her and Will have always talked about he takes her out she thunks to discuss the what nots of vacation only he throws down the news that he wants to open their marriage she doesn't know what hit her, they decide to spend the summer apart- she ends up working with Wills best friend Logan- delivering restored classic cars across the country while doing so she learns who she is and what she wants- at the end of the summer does she want what she did at the beginning? This was so good read it in one evening- definitely check out more from this author- thus was my first.

will decides to open the relationship but she is having a tough time with it. she find love and herself with Logan, who is his best friend. she ends up find herself and love on these trips with logan.

I’m thankful I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley.
In her 40s - Samantha’s life gets turned upside down when her husband asks for an open marriage.
That launches her into a journey of self discovery. The book plays out in the present but also has flashbacks where we see Sam deal with the grief of losing her mother but we also catch glimpses of a person who was there for her in the toughest of times.
I enjoyed the flashbacks in the book. It gave me more insight into her new situationship with Logan.
In the end Samantha learns to advocate for herself and her happiness.

BTW the end of the book has a playlist with lots of Taylor Swift songs

I'm excited to read more of Yates' books because I liked the story and her writing style. Fun and relatable. I thought the story was mostly entertaining and had a nice writing style. Anyone searching for a tale that encapsulates the essence of summer love and the intricacies of the human heart should read this one.

Cruel Summer is a book of second chances. Second chance at living, loving, loss, and more. Samantha’s journey is a hard and beautiful one. There was some repetitiveness and maybe a little too much detail when it came to the road trips and internal dialogue that could have sped up the story and kept it engaging. This is definitely a slow burn romance so buckle in for the journey! The jumps between the present and past were a great addition. I would have loved to get a chapter or two of Logan giving his perspective or more dialogue between Sam and Logan. Overall great read and will definitely look for more of Yates’ writing.

Thank you Net Galley and Maisey Yates for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Sam’s comfortable life was turned upside down by one sentence from her husband of 22 years, which led her to a summer of self-reflection and growth as she worked through what she viewed as a tough time. While initially slow, I found myself hooked and couldn’t put the book down. I originally thought that it was going to be a typical rom-com, and instead I found it to be very thought provoking and beyond enjoyable to see the character come into herself and realize what she wanted, and find happiness along the way. Don’t pass up on what is sure to be an amazing Summer 2025 read!

Samatha Parker’s feel that she has it all. A loving husband and her kids. But suddenly her husband Will is telling her that he wants an open marriage and she is devastated. After thinking about it she de ides they should spend the summer apart and revisit their relationship after that. Sam de ides that she will take a job with her husbands best friend Logan and travel with him to deliver cars he customizes. She has always been attracted to him so thought it would be a fun summer. Was a great read!


Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Maisey Yates

actual rating: 1.5. i am going to be honest: i only picked up this book for the title. i saw a Taylor Swift song and i clicked. i simply didn’t vibe with the premise. i liked reading about how Sam found herself over the summer, i just didn’t like Sam herself. she was giving very much “woe is me” vibes and i did not like it. plus i could not get over the fact that she and her husband were essentially cheating on each other over the summer! major ick.

Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates is a beautiful story of heartbreak and second chances. When Samantha Parker’s idyllic suburban life is upended by her husband Will’s request for an open marriage, she embarks on a summer long journey that forces her to confront her identity and desires. This novel explores complex emotions as Samantha struggles to reconcile her love for her family with her own needs. The tension between stability and freedom, and between the past and future will keep you hooked!

Maisey Yates writes a thoughtful and heartwarming story of finding yourself - and romance - when your world is upended in a way that was not ever anticipated. I like the growth of the FMC and the travel the main characters experienced - it was fun to travel along. Thank you to @NetGalley and @Harlequin for this intriguing ARC, the opinions are all my own.

I LOVED THIS! Reading this in the fall was like sitting on a beach in Cancun when the rest of my family is at home with 12" of snow. Sweet, poignant, and fiercely independent! Job well done!!

4.25/5.0

I had the opportunity to read Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates as an ARC by Net Gallery. This was my first time reading a book by Yates, but it certainly won't be the last.

Samantha's longtime husband and father of her children tells her the words no wife wants to hear: he wants an open marriage.

She is understandably devastated, and they spend the summer apart. I love that the author wrote an emotional story about adults in their forties finding out what they truly want in life.

Samantha spends the summer delivering classic cars with her husband's best friend. She takes the time to reflect on her life and where she wants the rest of it to lead.

I enjoyed the story and Yates' writing style; I look forward to reading more of her books.

#CruelSummer #NetGalley

My daughter yelled, "Mom, you have to listen to Cruel Summer when you read this!" She was so excited! I can not say enough good things about this absolutely darling book! It was just adorable. I loved it and didn't want it to end. I always suggest a book by Maisey Yates.

Maisey Yates is a wonderful author. She knows how to draw you in with her deep characters and fantastic writing.
This book is no different!

Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates made me laugh and cry and when I finished go give my husband the hug of a lifetime.

Sam is stunned when her husband, Will, asks to take the summer off from their marriage. She thought they were happy and everything was fine and that they were going to start the next chapter of their lives as empty nesters until Will drops this bomb on her.

Sam decides to survive the summer apart from will by helping his best friend drive classic cars across the country. The trip with Logan helps her rediscover herself and if she even wants to get back together with her husband at the end of the summer.

It was hard for me to disassociate myself from Sam in this book and how I would react to an apparent mid-life crisis from her husband and this book made me think and compare my own life to it - and realize how lucky I am! This book will make you think and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in lieu of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a divorcee, I was really looking forward to this book and I was very pleasantly surprised!

My biggest hang up was the ending-while sweet, it was unrealistic and glossed over the most difficult part of their journey.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I had the great opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I chose this book because of the cute cover thinking it would be a fun rom com and the hope that the author was a swiftie. Well, the author was a swiftie.
This was not a lighthearted rom com as I expected. This is a slightly heavy romance dealing with trauma and grief. The writer does a great job of building the connection between the love interests. Some enemies-to-lovers go straight from hate to attraction and leaves the reader wondering how they fell in love. This author almost does too good of a job of the connection between the leading lady and leading man.
In the end I was super excited when I realized the leading man and everything ended up how I wanted.

I enjoyed the story, but there were times where the introspection was a bit too much. I would have liked more dialog between the characters and less of Sam's thoughts. It got to be pretty repetitive.
I loved all of the Taylor Swift references!