Oh, how good it was to be back on Fire Island. This is my second in the series (my first being Seven Summer Weekends), and I just love the humans in these stories. This story focuses on 30 year old Maggie Mae. She wants to find her birth mother, and that journey takes her to Fire Island. On the island, there's an upcoming wedding that's brought a lot of people with a lot of relationships and history back together.. I loved the different dynamics of this one as there were so many dynamics and so many feels, and it was just such good stuff. I also loved that the directions the story took were unexpected, so it kept me captivated. I'll now be going back to read the first book in this series because I have fallen in love with these stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2025 release!

Songs of Summer centers on Maggie’s journey to meet her birth mother after her parents pass away. She discovers that her birth mother is spending time on Fire Island, and takes the chance to try to meet her. At a crossroads with her new fiancé (but long time best friend) Jason, Maggie also realizes that what brought her comfort in the past may not make her happy in the future.

This was a heartwarming and fun read, and I loved exploring Fire Island through the eyes of the book’s characters. Maggie is the owner of her parents’ old record store, and music is a big part of her life. As such, I enjoyed how song titles were woven into the story and tied to each big part of Maggie’s journey toward self-discovery. Though the ending was predictable, it was quite sweet and comforting. This was an enjoyable beach read!

Another great beach read from Jane L Rosen! 30 year old Maggie crashes a wedding on Fire Island in search of her birth mother with a local guy she meets who offers to be her fake date. As she spies on her biological family, she’s caught between diving into their chaotic lives or returning to her comfortable world. I enjoyed this story that was equal parts self-discovery, family drama, and romance.

I have not read all of Rosen's other Fire Island books, so at times the name-dropping of characters who presumably were from previous books was frustrating and detracted from the story. Though the story deals with several heavier topics, it manages to maintain a lighthearted vibe that will lend itself to the "beach read" category.

Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.

Cute, easy read that made me smile. I did feel like there were too many POVs at a certain point, especially with some characters who had almost no role tied to the plot (see: Ben). The "love story" felt a bit forced for me, as they had only known each for basically four days but I did appreciate how mature her relationship/friendship with Jason was. I would have preferred if the focus was solely on the adoption/reconnecting with family aspect.

A wonderful romance getaway, so light and beachy read for this summer.

This author had written this so beautifully. I loved it.

This is my first and definitely not last Rosen novel! Songs of Summer is a perfect beach read or a winter read when you’re pining for a good beach trip. I don’t typically gravitate towards adoption type books but this one was a for sure winner for me! Small islands, wedding crashing, finding family and love along the way with a dash of messy drama. This book will be going on my shelves very soon and continue to be in my re-read rotation.

Songs of Summer was a delightful getaway filled with heart, humor, and just the right amount of drama. Maggie May Wheeler’s search for her birth mother led her to Fire Island, where crashing a wedding turned into a transformative weekend of soul-searching, romance, and family revelations.
The beachy vibes, colorful characters, and swoon-worthy fake date scenario kept the story lively and heartwarming. Maggie’s journey was a sweet reminder that sometimes finding where you belong means stepping outside your comfort zone. The pacing wavered slightly at times, but the emotional payoff hit all the right notes. A perfect summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A cute summer read! Very sweet and lighthearted. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Jane L. Rosen!

What a perfect novel to read on a chilly day. But…don’t worry…it will still be a wonderful book to read in the Spring, Summer or Fall! Songs of Summer is the third of a trilogy of books Ms. Rosen has set on Fire Island in New York. You don’t have to have read the first two books (On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends) but there’s time now to read before Songs of Summer is released on May 20.
The novel opens in Ohio where Maggie May Wheeler has been living a contented life. She’s running her parents’ record store in the small Ohio town where she grew up, and is secretly engaged to her childhood best friend, Jason. While she’s trying to move forward from the deaths of her adoptive parents, the one missing piece is knowing about her birth mother. As she turns 30, she decides now is the time to take action…and the setting moves to Fire Island, where Maggie meets all kinds of interesting and well-developed characters (and family members).
The story is beautifully woven together with each chapter told from the perspective of one of the characters. An interesting touch is the titling of each chapter that ties into a Spotify play list!
Maggie is the kind of protagonist you can’t help but root for and hope she has her happy ending. As with the first two novels, I loved the character of Fire Island and Maggie quickly discovers its magic: “The island has a way of swallowing you up and making you forget that anything existed outside of it.”
There are sappy and hokey moments, but Songs of Summer is an all around sweet story about uncovering your past and moving forward. I hope there’s a fourth chapter in the Fire Island series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read Songs of Summer. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

Jane Rosen's new book has to be the beach read of this summer!!!! Her characters and storylie are well developed and all so loveable. I couldn't put this book down and I love how she connects each chapter with a song. Thank you for a great book and the ARC!!!!

4 Maggie May stars

This one has many of my favorite elements: a summer setting, romance, family, and weddings. Bonus points for Fire Island—now I want to visit!

Maggie Mae Wheeler (yes, she’s named after the Rod Stewart song) is 30 and has a marriage proposal pending from her long-time best friend. Before she answers, she wants to seek out her birth mother. Maggie has just tracked her down, thanks to a genealogy site.

Bea Silver, her mother, is a professor at a nearby college but is soon headed to Europe for a sabbatical. Maggie finds out that Bea will be at a wedding on Fire Island, and she books a trip to decide whether she wants to meet her.

Maggie finds crazy family dynamics on Fire Island but meets a fascinating man, Matt, who loves music as much as she does. They have tangible chemistry! She and Matt pretend to be involved, and Maggie gets an invite to the wedding.

As the situation becomes increasingly complicated, Maggie is torn between her new family and her life back in Ohio.

I loved that each chapter had a song title, and there was a playlist for this book. It was very fun! I adored this book and will definitely read more from this author.

This felt like such a great summer book. It was romantic and nostalgic. Not my first book by this author and wont be my last.

Beautiful summer vibes, nostalgia and love story in this was so beautiful. First book by this author but certainly not my last.

I liked this book! It’s a cute and quick read. Very easy to follow the plot and the feelings of all the characters. It got a tad slow, but the ending was done really well!! I loved her finding herself and her heritage. Well done! Cute book about a small town girl.

A refreshing read about discovering family and self. What could possibly go wrong when a thirty year old music shop owner decides she might want to meet her birth mother.? Maggie Mae , a young woman who loves music and lives thru song in all aspects of her life, is on a quest to find her birth mother with help from Jason, her fiancé and a cast of characters that will make your heart sing. Songs of Summer was a joyful homage to days past thru the references to music which could easily have been a rom-com musical! While the ending was known early on the way to it was paved in a wonderful dance. It was also very comforting to have the early story set in Chagrin Falls, Ohio….where I have visited often!

I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it was perfect. I couldn't put it down and just wished it kept going.

This book came to me for free through Netgalley in return I am volunteering my honest opinion.

I felt this book was a wee bit slow. As I have said in the past, I love my job as a book reviewer because we all have different views of books and writing styles. The characters were wonderful, and I loved the music references throughout the book. I could even, at times, hear the soundtrack, but the story itself was a bit slow for me.

I loved Maggie and I was with her as she sought her biological mother. The road to finding her family was emotional I just had a hard time connecting with all the characters. that said I did enjoy it I just didn't feel for me it was a 5-star reading experience. Plus there were times I felt I was missing something like I wasn't fully aware of all that was happening on Fire Island.

That said I did enjoy the book and I felt the author did a good job writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in less than 24 hours and absolutely adored the story! It was great being back in Bay Harbor with some of my favorite island friends and this story was especially sweet! I loved the adoption story and the new characters too. Maggie May was such a sweetheart and I loved getting to see where Ben and Addison are now!

I was really looking forward to this, having enjoyed Seven Summer Weekends. I was delighted that there was so much Ohio, and specifically, Chagrin Falls, in this book! And, I'm happy that this didn't end up being another book about a main character leaving small-town Ohio. That being said, parts of the book felt overly contrived, including the many, many characters who received chapters from their own point of view. And, I wish there had been more chemistry between the characters—the author kept telling us that Maggie, the main character, had never felt this way about anyone, but I would have loved to see it reflected on the page. Maybe if we hadn't had so many chapters from different perspectives, we could have gotten to know the main characters, and how they felt, better. I think the author was trying to accomplish too much, at times. Also, it felt like Maggie's newfound Jewish identity was thrown in a bit haphazardly. I would've loved to see the author explore that more.

Still, I largely enjoyed reading it, and it was nice to revisit some of the characters from Seven Summer Weekends, particularly Shep. Plus, this book answers the all-important question: what if we kissed at the William Greenberg bakery, next to the black and white cookies? 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is much to recommend this book - maybe too much. I enjoyed the song/tract headings of each chapter and the clever dialogue around songs, but I found all the complications in this predictable romance a bit much:: 1) two platonic relationships only one has side benefits and a secret engagement although the bride to be is not enthusiastic, 2) a search for family - specifically Maggie May's birth mother, but a birth father also turns up who had no knowledge of his daughter. 3) a wedding of one platonic friends parents with ambivalent feelings, 4) a rich bitch sister/aunt with a drinking problem and unresolved issues, 5) Maggie May's discovery of being Jewish and quickly embracing her heritage, 6) and, of course, false identities to complicate matters. The mish/mash had to be sorted out in my head occasionally ("Who's is Seth? Oh, yeah, the grandfather!). I did enjoy the description of Fire Island and the resolution, of course. All in all, a decent beach read.