This was the first book l've read by Jane L. Rosen, so l have not read the other Fire Island books. I do think that this book stands great by its own. I loved our main character Maggie, and her journey through out the book as she searches for her birth mother. The rest of the characters on Fire Island I also loved, specially Shep and Matt. I really enjoyed how it revolved a lot around music, and LOVE that it included a playlist. It really added to the experience of reading this book. If you want a book to read by the pool or beach this summer, I think Songs of Summer is perfect for that. I did find it a little hard to follow at the start given that it changes points of views from many different characters and it’s in third person. But once I was 10 chapters in I got passed that and got into a good flow.

Add this to your summer TBR immediately!
📖 Songs of Summer by @janelrosen is the perfect beach read—filled with heart, music, and all the Fire Island charm. 💛

This is the third book in the Fire Island series, but it totally works as a standalone (though you’ll want to go back and read the first two after meeting these characters!).

Maggie Mae sets out to find her birth mother… and what she uncovers on Fire Island is far more complicated—and more beautiful—than she imagined. I couldn’t put this book down!

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for an advanced ebook!

Thank you to Berkley and Jane L. Rosen for the e-arc of this book! This was such an enjoyable, atmospheric read. I felt transported to the beach, and the events of this summer wedding week. A mix between a family saga and a romance, it feels perfect for warm weather (with Elin Hilderbrand vibes!!). Even though this was the third book in a series, I had no problems understanding the plot and the characters. Honestly, I wish Fire Island were a real place I could visit!! 4 🌟

This one started out well for me but I didn't like that it rotated between so many characters. I think if it was less characters to rotate between I would've connected with it and enjoyed it more.

I read Seven Summer Weekends last year, which I enjoyed, so I was excited to pick up the next book, Songs of Summer. In Songs of Summer, we return to Fire Island to follow Maggie Mae and her search for her birth mother. After arriving on Fire Island from Ohio, drama-averse Maggie Mae decides to watch her biological family from a distance before introducing herself. She learns that her newfound family comes with a lot of baggage and drama. She will have to decide if she wants to be a part of all the drama or return to her quiet and cozy life in Ohio.

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a small-town family drama with a touch of romance and plenty of humor and heart. I loved the idyllic island setting. I adored all the quirky and endearing characters and enjoyed Maggie Mae's journey of finding her roots. The sweet romance was the icing on the cake. Songs of Summer is a perfect summer read. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Jane L. Rosen, Berkley, and Netgalley for the #gifted copy of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️

Summary: Maggie Mae Wheeler loves her life in her small town in Ohio, where she lives, and runs the vintage record shop that's been in her family her whole life. But when she turns 30 and reads a letter she wrote to herself at 13, she remembers her dream of meeting her birth mother. This sends her on a journey to Fire Island, where her birth mother should be for a wedding, and finds herself in a fake dating situation to draw her closer to her birth family. As time passes on the island, Maggie Mae suddenly wonders if she still wants her safe life or if it is time to take some risks.

Dani's Thoughts: This is my first Jane L. Rosen book, but it certainly will not be my last (in fact, I've added the rest of this series to my TBR already). I really, really liked this book. Even though there were a lot of POVs, I loved getting perspective from several of the characters as they added to the story and gave more insight into everything that was happening. Being an Ohio girl myself, I loved that Maggie Mae is from a smaller town in Ohio because I could relate to how she felt being in New York City, as well as experiencing the island. Though Maggie always felt like she didn't want to take big risks in her life, she took a HUGE one following her dream of meeting her birth mother.

I love how well this story flowed from character to character and built on the big fireworks (literally) towards the end of the book. Maggie went from wanting to settle for a small-town life with her childhood best friend, Jason, to living out her dreams, taking risks, and finding a bigger love than she could have ever dreamed. What starts as a strangers-to-lovers fake dating situation with Maggie and Matt soon turns to feelings and questions about a future together. I also love how everyone in Maggie's birth family welcomed her with open arms and was so delighted that she was finally in their lives.

This was a beautiful story of taking risks and following dreams, even if it means leaving a comfortable bubble. Also, I loved how every chapter header was attached to a song, and truly followed what was happening in the chapter. This book had a strong playlist that I'll be sure to enjoy this summer.

Read if you love:
💖Found Family
🥰Finding Yourself
🏝️Small Town Island
🗣️Many POVs
😎Fake Dating

The best part of the book was the setting on Fire Island. I’ve heard of the place but have never read a book that it totally centered on it.
My favorite character was Shep because he was genuine. I thought some of the main characters were a bit immature.
I also felt sorry for Jason and was glad he was able to speak up and voice his needs.
I also liked all the musical references because some of the songs are my personal favorites.

I adored this! I love being back on Fire Island with this cast of characters. I loved getting to know the younger generation better too. This was so great! I'm sad this is the end of this world.

This was my first Jane Rosen book, and it certainly will not be my last! The Fire Island setting was the perfect vibe for summer, and I wanted to visit myself. I loved Maggie's story so much. It was so wholesome and full of heart. I predicted she and Jason wouldn't end up together, but I thought their friendship was lovely. I enjoyed the other characters as well. The music subplot was so well done, and I loved all the references to records, songs, and albums. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Jewish representation. It was so well done, and the way Jane talked about it made me feel so seen. The writing pulled me in, and I just loved this book so much. I also think my Bubbe would love it, and if that's not peak Jewish book, I don't know what is! Thank you to Berkley for the ARC to read and review!

At thirty, Maggie May Wheeler seems to have it all figured out. She runs a cozy vintage record store, and she’s just steps away from getting engaged to her childhood best friend. But when she unexpectedly finds a letter she wrote to herself as a teenager, it stirs something deep inside, a longing for something more, something different.

The letter leads her to Fire Island, where her birth mother is attending a wedding. As Maggie quietly observes the vibrant, chaotic family she’s never known, she’s torn between staying safely in the life she’s built or stepping into the unknown in search of where she truly belongs.

Everything gets even more complicated, and a little more exciting, when a charming local offers to be her plus-one to the wedding. His warmth and spontaneity challenge Maggie to take chances she’s never dared before, and their growing connection adds a lovely layer of romance to her already emotional journey.

With its dreamy setting, lovable characters, and honest look at identity and belonging, this story is both heartwarming and thought-provoking. It’s a reminder that sometimes the life we’re meant to live isn’t the one we planned; it’s the one we find when we stop playing it safe.

Full of humor, heart, and hope, this book is a perfect escape and a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Each year I get to enjoy a summer on Fire Island without the commute thanks to Jane L. Rosen. She captured my heart with On Fire Island, and then again with Seven Summer Weekends. And now, with Songs of Summer, I found myself bopping along to the chapter’s tunes in my head as I immersed myself in all the island drama for one final time.

Maggie May Wheeler is thirty and thriving. She’s about to be engaged to her childhood best friend and has big plans for her vintage record shop. But when she revisits the letter she wrote to her future self when she was thirteen, her desire to find her birth mother and discover where she really belongs is ignited.

Maggie decides to board a ferry to Fire Island to be closer to her mother who is visiting for a wedding. As she spies on her biological family, she gets caught up in their chaotic lives and finds herself falling for a charming local who offers to crash the wedding as his date. Over a whirlwind week, Maggie experiences the island’s magic and just may find out where she truly belongs.

I enjoyed the song titles for each chapter and felt that Rosen did a great job weaving them and their lyrics well into the story. The cast of characters were delightful, and I adore that we get a glimpse of what some of them from previous books are up to. I hope we’ll be able to venture back some day, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and add this to your beach bag stat. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to Jane L. Rosen, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a gifted digital copy for the book for an honest review.

On her 30th birthday, Maggie May goes on a quest to find her birth mother on Fire Island.

I hadn't realized I've previously read- and loved- a book by this author, 'Nine Women, One Dress'. 'Songs of Summer' is part of The Fire Island Trilogy, but reads perfect as a standalone. It definitely made me want to go back and read the first two books!

This book is so sweet and charming and hilarious and packed full of characters that you will LOVE. It's emotional, it's funny, it's a little bit crazy but at the center, it's all heart. Maggie herself is such an authentic and pure character, I immediately connected with her. I loved that the book is told from Maggie's viewpoint as well as others residing on Fire Island, this type of narrative just makes the story really rich and well-rounded and I loved being inside so many different characters heads (and oh boy, they were characters).

There is some romance as well, and as Maggie is undergoing her self-discovery, she's figuring out what this means in her romantic life. The inclusion of song titles as chapter headings adds a unique touch, as some readers will recognize Maggie May as a famous song, and I loved the bits of music as a tie-in throughout the novel. I loved the Jewish rep.

My verdict? This book felt like a warm hug. A heartfelt harmony of love and acceptance, this delightful and emotional book will touch a chord with readers. Perfect for fans of Elin Hildebrand and Annabel Monaghan or similarly like books. Whether you're lounging at the beach or curled up on your couch, this book will bring the summer sunshine.

This was a very charming story, I just found it hard to feel super invested in the characters for some reason! However, I did love Matt and Maggie’s relationship trajectory 🥹

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC!

4.5⭐ rounded up
A perfect beach book! Upon her 30th birthday and after the death of her parents, Maggie May Wheeler takes a DNA test to find her birth mother. So begins her search to meet her mother from a small town in Ohio to Fire Island. Along the way, she not only sees her mother, but also the whole extended family and friends with complicated interactions and an outpouring of emotions. Brought more than a few years to my eyes. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a fun read. While I had a little trouble getting into the summer vibe of the book, I would chalk that up to the abnormally cold weather here but I do love my beach reads, especially when there is still a bit of "body" to it. This was fun but it was not all frolicking on the sand. The main character, Maggie Mae (named for the Rod Stewart Song) is 30 and owns a vintage record shop in the midwest. Maggie Mae is adopted and with her adoptive parents deceased, and finding a letter to herself at 13, she begins to have an existential crisis of sorts, leading her to try and find her birth mother, which then takes her to Fire Island. There is a romantic crisis, leading her to need to make a decision between her childhood best friend and going to a wedding in Fire Island where her birth mother will be if she will pose as her date.
What worked: fun cultural and musical references throughout the book. Each chapter had its own song and it makes me want to make playlists now for every book I read. Hi jinx and a little bit of humor, and good character development.
What detracted: In the middle, things got a little confusing.
All in all, I enjoyed this and just got the first book in the series out of the library to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Although the overall plot of Songs of Summer was very much what I enjoy reading about, the execution was not something I enjoyed. The writing style, which I've enjoyed in previous novels by Rosen, was very trite and saccharine. I had very little patience for the characters due to this. It felt like a great beach read author, like Elin Hildebrand or someone similar, could've tightened up the too-emotional beats and added a bit more drama or stakes. As it was, I do not think it's worth reading unless you need a really, really gentle summer beach read. Otherwise, fine to skip.

This was my first read by Jane L. Rosen. I was initially intrigued by the cover art and the description. I really enjoyed this read and know it is part of the Fire Island series. I have not read the other books in the series, but definitely will now that I enjoyed this one.

Maggie May Wheeler is on Fire Island searching for her birth mother amidst the glitz and glam of a wedding there. She was adopted as a child and is hoping to connect with her birth mother. I loved the setting and the fake dating storyline mixed within. Even more so, I really enjoyed that the book had an associated playlist! This little extra touch just made the book for me!

If a book could be a Summer Anthem, then this is definitely it!

If you’re a music lover this is 110% a read for you! Every page is littered with different music genres, songs and artists of all kinds - it was so fun to create a playlist based off of all the songs in this book!

I haven’t read the other books in the series yet but I felt that this could potentially be a standalone anyway. Parts of it reminded me of ‘Meet Me At The Lake’ while other sections gave ‘Inn On Harmony Island’ vibes! On the other hand, there is discoveries that lead to unforgiving heartbreak that really made me connect with the main character.

Overall such a fun summery read! You laugh, you cry, and you definitely get to jam out to some sick beats! THANK YOU so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this arc copy!! Was so worth the read🥰

After a start in Ohio, this book is set in the same Fire Island community as Jane L Rosen’s last two books, On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends. The book begins from the perspective of Maggie, who at 30 years old finally discovers the identity of her biological mother. When she goes to track her mother down, she hears that she’s attending a wedding on Fire Island before going abroad a year, so Maggie decides to travel there to check her out. The book is also told from the perspectives of Bea (the biological mom in question), Bea’s estranged sister Veronica, and Matt who was a character in On Fire Island though all grown up now as this book is set 12 years later - and more!

This was just such a wonderful and charming book, filled with both family drama and romance. It definitely can be read as a stand alone, but I think you’d get so much more out of it if you have read the previous two books, as part of the charm for me was revisiting beloved characters from the first two books and seeing what they are up to now. And of course the Fire Island setting was wonderful and summery. I couldn’t put the book down and read the whole thing in 24 hours, and just loved it.

Fire Island be hold my heart! “Songs of Summer “ is a sweet summer read. Maggie May knows she is adopted. On her 30th birthday, she decides she wants to find her birth mother. Her search leads her to Fire Island where her mother spent her summers.

This is truly a complex relationship story. Between Bea, Maggie’s birth mother, to Bea’s over the top sister, Veronica, that Bea has been estranged from for 30 years to Shep, Maggie’s 90 year old birth grandfather. As well as the secondary characters, Renee & Jake, whose wedding Maggie is crashing to Matt, Renee’s son, who Maggie has a connection to.

It is a fast paced, sweet read! This is a must for your beach bag this summer!! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this advance read. Head to your local bookstore right away to secure your copy! Release date May 20 2025