Take a ride with Maggie as she discovers her heritage and connects with her birth mom in this emotional read that perfectly captures young love, finding yourself, and becoming who you were always meant to be.

After the loss of her family, Maggie has just found out the identity of her birth mother and decides to try to establish a relationship with her, before getting thrust into an unforgettable experience that has her questioning all of the life choices she has made up to this point.

This book will have you laughing and reaching for the tissues as you delve into a young women’s life through the unique lens of her father’s love of music. It’s a truly unique experience that will give you all the summer feels.

This is my third Jane L. Rosen book, and it didn’t disappoint! I love how she brings us right to the shores of Fire Island. Which even if you haven’t gotten the pleasure of visiting, you can picture exactly what it’s like from how she describes it. Growing up there, I can attest that time truly does stop there. I loved Maggie’s character and I really appreciated that she brought all of the other beloved characters back from her previous books. Not only was this book so fun because of the playlist she included, but I loved the new characters, too. I loved the theme of family throughout this book, whether they were blood related or not. Definitely pick up this book for a summer read AND I definitely recommend her previous FI books, On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends. Ps, have some tissues nearby because some parts of this book are a tear jerker. Thank you soo much to Netgalley, Jane L. Rosen, and Berkeley Publishing for access to this e-arc.

This book was amazing and will be the perfect summer read. I wanted to read this because it was sort of giving me Mamma Mia vibes but a little more serious. With that in mind, I found this very enjoyable.

Rosen really captured the feeling of summer and covered heavy topics such as adoption and loss. This was the perfect combination between emotional and lighthearted. Maggie is so relatable. She's feeling lost and the book is about finding connection again after loss. I think her journey is very well written and will certainly tug on heartstrings of readers. The chemistry between Maggie and Matt is instant and I had a lot of fun with their romance.

This will be a perfect summer read, especially if you're on Fire Island. Would recommend!

Oh Fire Island! Songs of Summer captures the essence of heartfelt storytelling that I love this author for. To be honest I didn’t even read the description, I saw the author name and knew I had to read it. This book beautifully weaves together past and present narratives, allowing readers to recognize and appreciate backstories of beloved characters.

Maggie, had a warm childhood filled with music and love, but learning she was adopted left a void. After losing her parents before turning 30, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads her to Fire Island. There, she encounters a vibrant community, and family. Initially hesitant, she explores these connections by posing as the girlfriend of a local, immersing herself in their lives.

This book boasts endearing characters, like the familiar Shep, along with new ones who become equally lovable. It highlights themes of love, laughter, and self-discovery, reminiscent of Elin Hilderbrand's novels. A light and engaging read that's perfect for summer.

As an adoptive mother, I appreciated the nuanced representation of adoption. The story acknowledges the challenges and lingering questions associated with adoption, including the yearning to uncover one's roots. Maggie’s hesitation to address her adoption earlier and her parents’ lack of openness struck an emotional chord.

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This is a light summer read. I didn’t realize it was part of a series but it held up well as a standalone. I especially loved the vintage music store and all the fun references. The plot may have been a bit predictable but overall a great read for the beach!

I absolutely loved this book! It was so exciting to see all the Fire Island characters back again, and Maggie’s journey of self-discovery was both heartwarming and captivating. The setting, the romance, and the emotional depth made this such a compelling read. I was completely swept up in Maggie’s search for where she truly belongs, and the wedding weekend drama added the perfect touch of fun and chaos. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Maggie discovered she was adopted at a young age but didn’t decide to look for her birth mother until she was 30. On this journey she was able to meet her almost her whole family before finally revealing who she was.

This book was emotional and sweet. It dealt with a lot of heavy subjects like adoption, abandonment, grief, love, and friendship. There are a lot of POV in this book, which usually makes it hard to follow along but the author did an amazing job of keeping all the characters and plot together that I was able to follow along. This would make an excellent summer read while enjoying a nice time on a beach.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

4.25 Stars
A delayed coming-of-age (30 being the new 20) love story (familial, romantic, and self love), this work is the first one I've read in the Fire Island series or by this author and I loved it. Loved the premise, the characters and setting, the soundtrack/playlist, and the themes. It's one part romance, one part family drama and reconciliation, and one part the happier ending that you hope all adoptees receive when searching for their birth families. It's well-written and fast-paced. I felt the MCs were closer in age to 20 than 30, and, other than The Proclaimers are Scottish and not Irish, the novel is a solid Summer beach read. I'm planning to read other Fire Island books now too.

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I read Seven Summer Weekends last fall and really enjoyed it so I was excited to see the story continue with this one. I loved the multiple POVs of so many different characters. I loved reading more about the characters from the last book as well as meeting new ones. This book was one I just wanted to keep reading to find out how everything was connected and how it all turned out.

This book dealt with some important/heavy issues such as adoption, searching for a birth mother, family betrayal, forgiveness, and much more. I loved how these important issues were handled. I felt really connected with the characters as I read and felt like I really became connected to them as I read. While there were very serious issues, characters like Shep kept the book lighthearted and fun.

In both books, the first book in the trilogy (On Fire Island} was referenced more than once. I still have not read it and now want to even more so it will be my next read!

I also love that the info for the Spotify playlist for this book was included at the end. I will definitely be listening to it!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Songs of Summer by Jane L Rosen is a heartwarming, easy read.

Maggie May Wheeler is thirty, engaged about to marry her best friend. While going through some of her stuff, she comes across an old letter she wrote herself as a teenager. The letter prompts her to go looking for her birth mother and she ends up getting a lot more than she bargained for.

Her quest takes her to Fire Island where her birth mother is a guess at a wedding. She meets a local, who invited her to come to the wedding she needs to get too, as his guest. Maggie needs to find herself and figure out what ultimately is important to her.

Songs of Summer is a light-hearted read that talks about some tough things. Told from multiple points of view, each chapter has a theme song, so the book makes a playlist. You can even find a link to the playlist on the author's website which is a fun add on.

Special thanks to Jane L.Rosen and Berkeley Publishing for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Songs of Summer by Jane L Rosen.

I loved On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends, so Songs of Summer was like returning to a favorite beach to see my favorite characters

At 30, Maggie is happy with her life but decides it's time to find her birth mother. Her search leads her to Fire Island and crashing a wedding to find out who she really is.

I loved seeing our favorite characters from the past novels and the role of music in this book. I loved the playlist at the end.

I recommend reading On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends prior, so you can understand some of the characters, and fall in love with these books!

Songs of Summer comes out May 20th and I highly recommend reading it.

Songs of Summer is an enjoyable novel about tangled family relationships and love. It’s set on Fire Island, off the shore of Long Island, and deals with the theme of adoption and finding one’s birthmother at the age of 30. The extended family dynamics are complex, adding to the action. Riffing on the book title and the fact that Maggie, the main character owns a record store, each chapter is a track number (like on a record) and is titled with words from a popular song. Music from the 1970’s, 80’s and later runs creatively throughout the story. Maggie, Bea, and Jason are well-rounded characters, while humor and a twist or two color the mostly predictable plot.
Some of the characters here appear in Rosen’s earlier novel, On Fire Island, and for this reader were less well defined and harder to keep straight. I recommend this book for fans of Susan Mallery and Elin Hilderbrand. It’s a coming-into-your-own beach book and could be fun for a book group wanting something lighter.

I am a big fan of the original book in this series (On Fire Island), but haven't found the same magic in the sequels. I enjoyed Maggie May and Matt's meet cute and will they/won't they storyline, and the sisters storyline was good too. I wanted to see more of a happy ending for Jason.

What a charming and engrossing book! I thought Jane's writing was fantastic, and it definitely kept me curious about how everything would work out. A wonderful summer or vacation read would be this. Multiple points of view and the plot were ideal. Despite this, the story touches on a number of serious subjects. A delightful romantic retreat that is perfect for a beachy, light summer read.

“Songs of Summer” is the perfect book for any season because it is filled with love, laughter, and beautiful music. Ms. Rosen’s creativity has given us song titles as chapter headings, a heroine named Maggie May who owns a record shop and a family reunion you will never forget. The idyllic beach setting of Fire Island was the perfect backdrop for Maggie to explore, reflect and come to terms with who she really was. Maggie had the best childhood and the most loving parents, but she had always wondered what her birth mother was like and if she should look for her. Fortunately for Maggie, her journey took her to Fire Island where the summers are magical, the people are friendly and love is always in the air.

The minute Maggie stepped off the ferry she knew she had made the right decision. The air smelled fresher, the ocean was calling to her and the bright sunshine gave her the strength to go on. That night, as Maggie walked around the quaint town, her growling stomach led her to the “Salty Pelican” where she met a rather nosy bartender and a cute guy who knew as much about music as she did. Not that she was looking for romance, but Matt’s music knowledge and his love for Fire Island made him the perfect dinner companion. Matt quickly became her confidant, tour guide, and ally in her quest to meet her birth mother.

“Songs of Summer” is one of the best books I have ever read. Why did I love it so much? The characters felt like family, music became a character that we couldn’t live without, and the storyline touched all of my emotions and made me feel for Maggie and her dreams. There were surprises along the way, scenes that made me cry, but more often than not, I was smiling, because this book just made me happy and allowed me to escape, if only for a while.

What a wonderful read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was such a heartwarming story with such believable characters. I really loved the dynamics between all of our side characters as well as the friendship between Maggie and Matt.

My only complaint is that I wanted more on page interactions between Bea and Maggie.

This book does something that I haven’t really seen done before and it features a wide variety of POVs. Not just our main characters, but we even get a few chapters from minor characters as well. I felt that it really helped flesh out the story and make those characters less flat. I really loved it!

4/5 stars! I’ll definitely read more from this author.

This was such a sweet and captivating novel! I really loved Jane’s writing and it definitely kept me wanting to know how it would all turn out. This would be a great summer or vacation read

What a sweet and lovely story! I love when a story can touch on something so meaningful in such a way. Walking through the journey of adoption, loss, betrayal and friendships was truly captivating a beautiful. This is a story I wish I could read for the first time again.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. My first read by this author but will not be my last. The storyline and multiple points of view was perfect. Can not recommend this book enough. Thank you for my copy in exchange for a fair review.

Songs of Summer is the story of Maggie May Wheeler and her search for her biological mother. She quickly finds her, but doesn’t tell her, deciding instead to get to know the family first. There are all sorts of adventures (and misadventures) which add to the fun! The story is sweet and entertaining. A little predictable, but most romance novels are. Each chapter has a song that is linked to the events of that chapter. I kind of wish the songs were actually brought up MORE in each chapter because I liked that idea and then forgot what the song was. Overall, a good read!