I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading and I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s most likely considered literary fiction, but it also gives some thriller vibes! It’s definitely he kind of book you can read in one sitting.
Two candidates for governor are preparing for the election by talking to people, campaigning and of course, the debates! What their spouses do not know, and only they know, is that they have history. They spent a summer together when they were 17 and 18, and haven’t spoken since. The events that made up that summer are slowly mentioned throughout the book, and that’s what keeps the story moving!
Thank you Netgalley and Zibby Publishing for the digital ARC.

This books has a lot of summer read potential, one of the timelines the one many years ago is set over a summer. For Tess it is the summer before senior year for Grant it is the summer before the start of college, when they meet as she is hired as a gardening help for his mother. When they meet again 25 years later they are opposing candidates each set to be Virginia”s next governor but, of course, their past is coming back to haunt them, and what a summer they had 25 years ago… I loved the story of their teenage love and seeing the adults they became. I felt that the miscommunication trope was used quite a bit in this book, Tess just didn’t trust anyone and that Dean, her husband, never realized anything over many years of marriage seems a little weird to say the least without giving anything away. i did love the way the political race and circus were captured.

This one was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 5 ⭐️’s) for me!

Here are some things to know about it:
🌿 The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Scandal
🌿 Propulsive and a page-turner
🌿 Tugs on the heartstrings
🌿 Great beach read

My thoughts:
I started this one on the beach during my annual girls’ summer weekend and finished it in just a few days. It pulled me in immediately! 🥰 The writing is strong and relatable. And the story explores issues that many of us can likely relate to, including first love, parental expectations, self-discovery and self-trust, tragedy, and consequences.

I’d recommend this one for someone looking for a summertime book with a bit more heft than some of the lighter romance reads. 😊

Thank you to @zibbypublishing and @netgalley for the gifted egalley!

Thank you for this advance copy. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. It didn’t grab me from the start. The characters felt flat and unrealistic. I do love this gorgeous cover though!

Tess grew up with a single mother who struggled to keep them above water. When her mother gets a job for a wealthy socialite, they hope this will lead to some security, until Tess meets Grant. Grant is from a wealthy family, and their relationship doesn’t last the summer but has lifelong impact. Years later, Tess is running for governor, and her opponent is Grant. There are secrets both have kept from their spouses and campaigns. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but was a little disappointed in how the second half developed. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The concept of this book was great and I was interested from the moment I saw it advertised on social media. However, I think the story fell flat. I never found myself rooting for any of the characters or invested in any sort of outcome.

I enjoyed the storyline of the past more and seeing their relationship build from the very beginning. But their adult relationship felt off to me. They moved on from their issues a little too casually for me, especially with the baby/abortion plot line. Grant's guilt trip left a bad taste in my mouth.

First of all - the story entertained me all the way through. However, I have mixed feelings about this book and the relationship between the two main characters. As a romance reader, I am unsure if I liked their relationship and I had mixed feeling about rooting for their relationship. As I was thinking all of this while reading, I was thinking about how this would be a fantastic book club pick because I bet the complicated situation in both the past and present timelines would give people a lot to talk about. I am a hopeless romantic and though this book does have a love story element to it, it isn't a typical easy story that a romance reader may be looking for. But if you are looking for something to make you think this is it.

I loved this. I didn’t know I needed a well paced, sweet and slightly mysterious romance l, but I DID. The political plot line was a unique and interesting driver of conflict, and the setting was pitch perfect. I’m so glad I read this and I think it’s a truly perfect summer read!!!

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Teenage love and summer romance; super cute!

Former summer sweethearts, Grand and Tess find themselves in the awkward position of running against each other for governor of Virginia. Both are married and have kept their previous relationship a secret from their spouses, for a good reason….which kept me turning the pages! Nothing is kept secret during a political campaign. Add in a powerful, cruel father and socioeconomic differences, and you have an interesting, complex story.

I appreciated the commentary on the double standards placed upon male and female candidates, as well as how their choices as young adults are viewed by others. Relevant topics and not overly political or biased towards either side.

Politics may be the last thing you want to read about right now but make an exception for 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗘 𝗥𝗔𝗡.

The latest from Audrey Ingram follows Tess and Grant, two candidates running against each other for governor of Virginia who also share a scandal-filled past. Told through alternating POVs and timelines, this story of first love, family secrets and political intrigue is the perfect book to binge on the beach or to discuss with your book club.

Thanks to Zibby Publishing for the copy to review.

I liked the idea of the story,, but there was so much left out. No backstory as to how Tess got to the point of running for governor, I didn't even know her jobs leading up to the present day events. It goes back between two time periods-2021 when Grant and Tess both are running for governor of Virginia, and no one knows they know each other already, not even their devoted spouses. The second time period is the mid 90's when they fall in love as teens, Tess, daughter of a hired cook, and Grant, son of a wealthy and powerful couple. It just felt a little messy. The story unfolds slowly, so we don't know everything until the end. Not for me.

I absolutely loved this story!! A story of first loves turned political rivals running for the governor of Virginia. Secrets hidden from the past come to light. The title fits this story so perfectly with the aspect of the story. I loved the 1996 timeline of this story. Told in a dual timeline of the present 2021 and the summer of 1996. Tess and Grant have a whirlwind secret forbidden romance in summer of 1996 and now present day they are both running for the Governor of Virginia.

There are several topics in this book that would make this a great bookclub discussion book. Possibly controversial topics and a bit of miscommunication that could have been easily handled but then you would not have the drama and mystery of the story.

From the second I read the synopsis, I knew I’d love this and I 10000% did! 😍
This book hits all the marks:
✅ Realistic adult characters
✅ Dual POV
✅ A powerful mother-daughter bond 👩‍👧
✅ Nostalgic 90s summer romance 💕
✅ Politics, heartbreak, healing
I appreciated how the author handled sensitive topics like pro-life vs. pro-choice and political division (Republican vs. Democrat) with sensitivity and care. 🙌
If you love second-chance romance, complicated pasts, and stories rooted in real-life emotion—this one’s for you. Highly recommend! 🌟
🎧 Perfect summer read for fans of layered love stories, dual timelines, and political drama with heart.

The Summer We Ran
I couldn’t put this book down! I loved it! The storyline was heavier than I expected, but I loved it all the same! Full review on my socials.

Tess and Grant meet as teenagers. She is the daughter of the help and he has never known a life without money. Even with the differences in their lives they immediately find their first love with each other. Fast forward 25 years down the road and they are running against each other for the governor of Virginia. No one, not even their spouses, know about the summer they spent together. Will they continue to run from the memories of that summer and what will it mean for their futures?

As a person who married her high school sweet heart I am a big believer in first loves. This relationship they had as teenagers was intense and real. Just because they were young didn’t make what they felt and experienced less. The secrets kept would follow them for many years to come. This was a beautifully written story about the choices we make and how they can affect the rest of our lives.

If I had known the MMC in this book was a pro-life republican, I definitely wouldn’t have added this to my tbr. There is just no way I would want to support a man who accuses his girlfriend of “killing his baby”, shames her for her choice, and made it all about him. I thought I would enjoy this after hearing a brief description but truly had no idea what I was getting into.

This novel alternates between two time periods. In the modern day, Tess is running for governor of Virginia, but her race is complicated by the fact that her opponent, Grant, is a figure from her past - one that no one knows about. And in 1995, the book is about how 17 year old Tess meets and falls for 18 year old Grant when her mother takes a job as a chef for his next door neighbor and Tess gets hired to assist Grant’s mother with her gardening. Over the course of the book, we see how their campaign unfolds while slowly finding out what happened during that fateful summer decades before.

But this is not a rom com, so this is not a cutesy second chance romance story - more a reckoning with a past that neither Tess or Grant has fully dealt with though both carry a lot of guilt over. I really enjoyed this one - both the wrong side of the tracks teenage romance and both the political and personal aspects of the modern day story. And I appreciated that this book took a different spin than the romance book I wrongly assumed it was going to be.

There also is a lot to dig into in this book! I had a great conversation with some friends about it discussing many issues, characters, and plot points in the book. So I think it would also make a great book club choice.

The Summer We Ran follows Tess Murphy and Grant Alexander, two political rivals running for governor of Virginia in 2021. But decades earlier, in the summer of 1996, they were teenagers who fell deeply in love despite their vastly different backgrounds—Tess, the daughter of a working-class cook, and Grant, the privileged son of a wealthy family. Their romance was intense, but tragedy tore them apart, leaving behind unresolved emotions and hidden truths. Now, as their past resurfaces, Tess and Grant must confront the choices that shaped their lives.

Ingram’s alternating perspectives and timelines create a dynamic reading experience, allowing readers to see both Tess and Grant’s viewpoints in the past and present. This structure adds depth to their relationship, making their political rivalry all the more compelling. The novel also excels in its exploration of fate and personal agency — how a single summer can alter the trajectory of two lives, and how the decisions made in youth echo into adulthood.

The writing is immersive and emotionally resonant, with characters who feel flawed yet deeply human. Tess and Grant’s connection is palpable, and their interactions—both as teenagers and as adults—are filled with tension, longing, and unspoken regrets. The novel also thoughtfully examines class differences, showing how privilege and hardship shape perspectives and opportunities.

The Summer We Ran is a thought-provoking and beautifully written novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy romantic drama with political stakes. Ingram’s ability to weave together past and present makes for an engaging, emotionally charged read. If you appreciate stories about lost love, second chances, and the weight of secrets, this one is well worth picking up .

The "Summer We Ran" is more general/women's fiction, with a side of romance. It explores complex relationships, family drama, politics, social class, etc. It definitely tackles heavy topics (TW: suicide, death, poverty, politics, abortion, domestic abuse, infertility), but I thought they were done thoughtfully and handled with care. I really enjoyed the nostalgia, young love, and character development in this story.

This started off so strong. I was completely immersed for the first 50%, but my interest quickly fizzled. I became less invested when the pacing slowed, both of the MC's lied to their current partners about their past, and when their morals and beliefs clearly differed (but there was still attraction??). Grant (MMC) fundamentally disagreed with everything Tess (FMC) stood for. Their politics, morals, and ethics did not line up at all. They didn't make sense together and their relationship should've stayed in the past. Honestly, in the present, Grant treated Tess like s h i t and continuously belittled and berated her. Also, the drastic tone shift threw me off. The story became very dark and emotional, whereas the beginning still discussed hard topics, but in a more hopeful and lighthearted way.

This did make me think and feel, so I applaud it for that. I was also happy with the ending, but really wish the momentum from the beginning continued throughout. Despite my gripes, I did like this and know it will really work for some people. This is very raw, real, and heavy, and does not follow a typical romance story line. I would recommend this to people who like Elin Hilderbrand, Normal People, or The Wedding People.