I wasn't aware that this was the third book in the series, but despite that it was easy for me to follow along this story.

Maggie found out she was adopted at a young age but she doesn't search for her birth mother until her 30th birthday. When she received the results of the DNA test, she follows her mother to Fire Island and crashes her mother's best friend's wedding celebrations.. While she meets Matt there, who offers to be her date to the wedding and she realizes there is instant chemistry between them over their shared interest in music.

This is such a heart warming story about the meaning of family. Whether you are born into one or one you choose, it's the connection we share and the feeling of belonging.

Thank you Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

A great Summer Read.

This story was so much more than I was even expecting. While romance was kind of a sub-plot, the story was driven by a family reunion, adoption, complex family dynamics, The setting of Fire Island added to the beachy summer vibe of this story. I really loved all of the POVs this story offered and felt like it didn't leave me wondering about anyone's intentions or perspectives as sometimes single POV narration does.
Add in the cool way music was woven into Maggie's life and perspective and this book truly just left me very satisfied.

Thank you to Net Galley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Jane L. Rosen for an eARC of this story.

Maggie May, yes named for the woman in Rod Stewart’s song, is a30 year old adopted woman who decides to search for her birth mother. She was raised by two loving parents, and has a childhood best friend who she is engaged to. But she needs more, and heads to Fire island on a tip that her birth mother will be attending a wedding there. This is where one needs to suspend disbelief, but hey it’s a good beach book, we know how to do that! Somehow everything all magically comes together that week on Fire Island. Maggie meets and is embraced by her entire new family AND falls in love with a fellow she meets that week. And her fiancé? Well he’s okay with it, he just wants Maggie to be happy. I’m sure we’ll see this in many beach bags this summer. Recommended for all public libraries. And I did like it, I promise.

3.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that we got some other POVs, but at times it almost felt overwhelming with how many there were. The cool thing about all of those POVs, though, is that we got a lot of insight from different people about the situation taking place.

This book isn't heavy on the romance, but there are elements of it. It mainly focuses on family and family drama. I did enjoy the romance aspect of it, and I felt like there was a perfect amount sprinkled in with the main story.

I did enjoy the story overall, and it was definitely different than some other books I've read.

What is on your Summer playlist? Maggie May was named after the famous song, and so was her parent's record store which she inherited. Her life is a soundtrack; people and events all have the perfect song.

Jane Rosen has written a fantastic story about a woman in search of family. This contemporary fiction mixes adoption, found family, and sibling rivalry into a sweet romance teeming with humor, Maggie May and her best friend Jason have been inseparable since they met as children, and since she was adopted and has no siblings, his large family became family to her as well. When her parents passed away, they became her only family. Now he wants to marry her and at thirty, she finally wants to find her own family. She decides to track down her birth mother. But when she travels to Fire island where her mom will be at a wedding, she witnesses a lot of family drama that she wasn't expecting. Soon she is in a fake relationship so she can get to know her mother before she confronts her. But the pretend relationship isn't feeling so fake.

Rosen has created several great characters. When I read the book, I didn't realize that this is actually part of a series, The Fire Island Trilogy. Each book can easily be read as a stand alone and I can't wait to go back and meet many of these characters earlier in their lives. This novel has lots of humor, a smattering of secular Jewish culture, and a lot of rock music references. Neither Maggie nor her new friend can pass up a song cue, and even the chapters are titled with song names. The book even has a playlist. This fantastic literal beach read will make the reader wish they could spend the summer on fire island too.

I wish to thank Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this novel. This did not influence my review, and I can honestly say I love it.

Is it even summer if Jane Rosen doesn’t take us to Fire Island? In this third (but stand alone) book in the Fire Island series, Maggie May Wheeler sets out to find her birth mother. Her pursuit takes her to Fire Island where she meets Matt, a local who shares her love and knowledge of music. He also happens to know her birth mother and helps Maggie on her quest by making her his plus one. As Maggie gets to witness her biological family in all their messiness and chaos, she must decide whether to reveal who she is and join them or to retreat to her quieter orderly life. Songs of Summer is a delightful story told with humor, poignancy, and a healthy dose of music.

Thanks to for inviting me to participate in the blog tour!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are really interesting with distinctive personalities and plot kept me reading long into the night. I felt like Fire Island was another character in the book, the author described the setting very well.
This is a classic summer beach read that I highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This book is second in a series, however I didn't feel like I missed out on reading the first book as the author provides plenty of background details on all the characters on Fire Island. In fact, the biggest issue I had while reading this book was remembering the names of all the characters and how they relate to each other! A few plot points seemed unnecessary (one character falls of the wagon, a few too many 'coincidences', that used to be our house but now we live here (I was so confused by this plot point!), however all in all this was a good beach read/family drama with some comedy thrown in.

"Why is it when you are falling for someone that every love song feels like it's written for you?"

Songs of Summer by Jane L. Rosen is a layered and heartfelt women's fiction novel that blends together family, romance and finding yourself in the process. This is the third book in the Fire Island series but I definitely feel like it can be read as a standalone!

Maggie May was adopted when she was just ten years old by a music obsessed couple living in Ohio. Now, after her parents died, she took over running the record shop that they had owned. Her life long best friend Jason lives next door and they begin a tenuous friends with benefits relationship. That is until Jason asks Maggie to marry him. Having just turned 30, Maggie knows it should be time to settle down, and why not with Jason? But one obstacle in her way is her want to find her birth mother. After searching, Maggie learns that her birth mother, Bea Silver, will be attending a wedding on Fire Island. Setting out to crash the wedding, she has no idea whether or not she will actually introduce herself, but she needs to do this for herself. On the island , Maggie meets a reporter, Matt Tucker. Since both Maggie and Matt don't have a plus one, they decide to be each other's dates. Maggie and Matt bond over their love of music and soon fake dating starts to feel a little more natural. At the end of the wedding festivities,willl Maggie finally be able to resolve her past and move forward? And will she commit to Jason or will the magic of Fire Island make her realize that she wants more?

This was such a great, heartwarming and emotional story so I suggest you have some tissues at the ready for some parts!! I love how the chapters are each a different POV and they are all song titles! Music is very prevalent throughout this novel and there's even a great playlist included! I love Jane Rosen's writing style, the emotion that she packs into her characters is just brilliant and they are easy to connect with. The setting is lush, and vivid and I could totally see myself right in the scenes! This is definitely a book that I recommend for a beach trip or just lounging around on a summer day!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jane L. Rosen, and Berkley for this ARC!! Publication date is May 20th 2025.

Songs for Summer is a charming, heartfelt tale that takes you into the life of Maggie May Wheeler as her desire to feel a little more rooted before taking the final step of marriage to her best friend, Jason, suddenly finds her life turned upside down when her journey to Fire Island introduces her to more than just the biological mother she’s always wanted to meet.⁣

The writing is smooth and fluid. The characters are well-drawn, genuine, and supportive. And the plot is a lovely blend of heart, hope, humour, and emotion.

Overall, Songs for Summer is, ultimately, a story about life, friendship, family, self-discovery, independence, and the joys of falling in love. It’s a sweet, lighthearted, easy novel by Rosen that is a delight to read.

I wanted to like this so much more. Don’t get me wrong, this was super easy to read, but it wasn’t compelling enough. I liked the chaos of the multiple POV‘s and family craziness, but it wasn’t seamless enough for me. I also just love a small town romance, which is what I thought this book was, but there was more to the story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it made the plot a lot more complex, and maybe a bit too messy? The problem is that I feel like if this was done properly all the elements were there for a wonderful story.

Thank you @netgalley & @berkleypub for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
“A young woman crashes the wedding of the summer on Fire Island in search of her birth mother – and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.”
I’ve been looking forward to Songs of Summer ever since I finished On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends, and it did not disappoint. What a charming end to the Fire Island trilogy. I’m going to miss this little world Jane L. Rosen has created on this stunning island in New York.
This time, we meet Maggie Mae Wheeler, who seems to have it all figured out with her vintage record shop, her small-town life, and a solid (if predictable) relationship with her childhood best friend, Jason. But everything changes when she finds a letter she wrote to herself as a teenager and decides it’s time to search for her birth mother. The journey leads her to Fire Island, and a weekend that quickly turns into more than she bargained for, including a fake date (Matt) to a wedding (you can probably guess where that’s headed and I wasn’t mad about it).
I loved the Jewish representation here, in the wedding traditions, the food references, and Maggie discovering that she’s partially Jewish. My favourite quote is when Maggie asks Matt what his favorite thing is about being Jewish and he replies:
“The culture, the food, the traditions. The way there are so few of us, yet when I find another Jewish person, I feel instantly connected.”
Maggie and Matt share a love of music, and Jane Rosen curated a fun playlist with a song to correspond to each chapter to enhance the reading experience.

To be honest - I haven’t read either of the previous Fire Island books. However, it did not bother me one bit. I think this story stands on it’s own two feet just fine! This book was a fun and lighthearted read. While it did cover some heavy topics, I think they were handled with care and in a way that helped the narrative along.

There were SO many different POVs on this story. Occasionally a perspective felt random and hard to connect to the story but it way fun to uncover multiple layers of the drama this way. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with so many POVs.

Going into this read, I think it’s important to know it’s more of a family drama with romance touches, not a full-blown romance! I loved the musical aspect of this story. Every chapter has a new song and it helped make it more of an interactive reading experience.

Thank you Netgalley and author Jane L. Rosen for the opportunity to read this ARC! All feedback is my own.

I very much look forward to finishing this book which I recently started. As I worked in adoption, I am most interested in seeing how the author deals with what can be a very delicate subject and one that raises many issues for the person who was adopted, the birth family, and the adoptive family. It does offer a resonant subject for a novel.

I also am looking forward to the summer vibe of this title. I eagerly anticipate my virtual visit to beautiful Fire Island.

Music and Judaism also have places in this story. I am eager to see how these are integrated into the plot.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Songs of Summer by Author Jane L. Rosen is the third and final book in the Fire Island Trilogy. Not having read the first two books, I was at a slight disadvantage. But not having known it was a connected story left some gaps, and it was slow for me to get into it initially.

Maggie’s best friend, Jason, was always there for her. When they decide to perhaps take their relationship to the next level, will it be the best for them? They live in Ohio, and she runs her parents’ record store, which she inherited after growing up in it.

Jason is a college professor. Are their goals even in sync? When Maggie decides to look for her birth mother, he’s all in.

Their search takes them from their small town to Fire Island, and the scenes are vivid and memorable. We get to meet so many characters whose lives are intertwined. A wedding is the backdrop on the island, and several stories are interlaced and nicely connected. While at the wedding, Maggie is trying to figure out how best to reveal herself and finds a new friend and maybe more in Matt, whose paths unexpectedly crossed. They both love music, records, bands, and performers which plays a key role. I love how the song selections for each chapter title were spot on, and a soundtrack was created.

There are happily ever afters on several fronts. The prologue set the stage, and the epilogue gave wonderful closure in a better-than-expected way. The discussion questions were thought-provoking.

Songs of Summer is filled with music and musical references. Throughout, different types of love are presented and felt. Having a large part of the book set on the beach took me to my happy place.

The review is posted on NovelsAlive.

This book is the perfect beach read. It has a song for each chapter and for me that was a good addition to the story.
Maggie Wheeler has decided it is time to find her birth mother. She has found a time she will be able to see her mother. The place is Fire Island.
Songs of Summer is the third book in The Fire Island Trilogy. I have not read any of the previous books in this series and could read this one as a standalone.
The time I spent reading was time well spent.
Thank you Net Galley, Jane L. Rosen and Berkley Publishing Group for the book Songs of Summer. This is my personal review.

Maggie May lives over her late parents’ record store and is kind of in a relationship with her lifelong best friend Jason, but she’s always known she was adopted and before she can decide whether her relationship with Jason should progress, she’s realizes that she needs to meet her biological mom. It turns out we learned about Bea, her biological mother, in the earlier books in the series. Bea is going to Fire Island for her friend's wedding and stay with her father. Once Maggie learns of Bea’s identity she decides to meet her in person so she travels to Fire Island. When she arrives she meets Matty, who like her, has a lifelong friendship with someone - and they bond over their love of music and quickly develop a friendship (with a dash of attraction). And then all of our favorite characters from the past two books return and the complex relationships (including the one with Bea and her sister) are revisited and some new ones are formed.

I don’t know if I loved this book because I got to return to Bayview and spend time with characters I have grown attached to, or if it was just because the story was so good. It’s 12 years after the second book and people have grown, had babies, gotten married and fallen in love. While you could read this as a standalone I strongly recommend reading the other two first, it just makes the read so much richer!! This is a great series to read on the beach and if you loved the last two you will love this one even more - it may be my favorite of the series. We’ve known about Bea and Victoria’s estrangement since the first book and now it gets to be played out in more detail and certain open issues from past books get some closure. While I really enjoyed reading this one and just sitting and being a part of the community, the audio was done very well and was a pleasure to listen to (but for some reason I just wanted to read this one). I loved that every chapter was named after a song and that there is a Spotify playlist to listen while you read. I hope there’s a fourth in this series!

4.5 stars

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Love love love this book!!!!!!!!!! This story is so heartwarming, funny, full of family drama, lovable characters. Everything we've come to expect from Jane L. Rosen and more.

Thank you to Jane L. Rosen and Berkley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of Songs of Summer. I absolutely adored the second book in this series, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this one. While it’s part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

I read it over the course of a few days, then carved out the rest of my weekend to fully enjoy it. It’s sweet, emotional, and touching—a perfect summer read. I especially loved all the musical references throughout the book. The accompanying Spotify playlist was such a thoughtful touch and really enhanced the reading experience.

The story follows Maggie May, who decides to take a 23 andMe DNA test in hopes of learning more about her biological background. To her surprise, she discovers her birth mother, Beatrix Silver, has also submitted her DNA, and Maggie is able to identify her. With both of her adoptive parents now gone, she turns to her best friend—and boyfriend—Jayson for support.

Together, they visit the university where Beatrix works, only to find out she’s away—reportedly on Fire Island for a wedding.
Jayson and Maggie have a deep, loving bond. Jayson is ready to take their relationship to the next level and make it public, hoping to propose and formally welcome Maggie into the family. But Maggie hesitates—she wants to meet her birth mother first, to better understand where she came from and feel more grounded before making such a big decision.

Determined, she travels to Fire Island on her own. After checking into a less-than-ideal hotel, she ends up at a local pub where she meets Matt who is warm and a talkative who shares her love of music. They strike up an easy friendship, and when Maggie confides in him, he reveals he knows Beatrix—she’s the maid of honor at his mother’s upcoming wedding to Jake.

As the story unfolds, Maggie learns that not only will her birth mother be at the wedding, but so will her birth mother’s father and sister. It becomes a pivotal moment filled with emotional weight, discovery, and connection.

They come up with the idea to attend the wedding together as fake dates, setting the stage for a heartfelt and transformative weekend.
I highly recommend this book and would give it a solid 5 stars. I’m genuinely sad to see the series come to an end—it feels like it was just hitting its stride. I haven’t read Fire Island, the first book in the series, but now I can’t wait to go back and start from the beginning!

Maggie was adopted as a baby and now that she's 30, thinking she's ready to get married, she has a desire to reconnect with her birth mother in order to find out her heritage and where she comes from. With the help of her best friend and boyfriend, Jason, she tracks down her birth mother and finds out she will be attending a wedding on Fire Island. Taking a trip to Fire Island on a whim, Maggie observes her biological family from a distance, all the drama and messiness included. When a handsome local, Matt, says he will take her as his date to the wedding so she can get a little closer to the family, Maggie says yes. This could be her chance to see everyone up close. But what she doesn't account for is playing the role of Matt's girlfriend feels like more than just a role. But where does that leave her and Jason? And what will happen if the family realizes who she is while at the wedding?

With each chapter title as a song from a playlist, Songs of Summer is a beautiful story of found family, love and reconnecting with true family. Music is often the soundtrack of life, and Songs of Summer plays it out perfectly.