I enjoyed this family drama about four siblings who are competing to earn their father’s inheritance. There was a lot of messy drama and characters that I hated. It was a bit of a slow burn for me, but overall, it was good.

The premise of this is really interesting! The characters are hard to love, but not all the time. I did not enjoy how heavy-handed the romance was, bordering on camp. The “protect me” bits were particularly disturbing. I also felt like the author did more telling than showing, losing my interest from time to time.

Overall a fun beach read but not thought-provoking. This will sit with me for a bit but only because I will be thinking of all the ways this could have gone right but ultimately didn’t.

2.5 🌟

I was so excited to read this book because I love all of Sarah's historical romance books. I was not disappointed! I loved how the story unfolded with us really not knowing all the backstory & having it unfold slowly. Despite the Storm family being so wealthy I could relate to their dynamics & ways they felt judged by the world. I loved the chemistry between Alice & Jack. If I had one ask it would have been to learn more about how Jack connected with Alice's father. Overall it was a great story that I've been recommending to others.

All the stars!!! I loved everything about Alice Storm, Jack, the Inheritance Games, the family dynamics, every word of this book is gold. I stayed up until 3 in the morning finishing it because it had me hooked!

These Summer Storms was everything that I wanted it to be! It follows a set of siblings in the wake of their father's death and having to return to the family estate - some for the first time in years. I loved the multi-POV, and I feel like it added to the secrets and scheming.

I had Simple Song by The Shins stuck in my head through most of this book, and I highly recommend watching that music video if you enjoyed the book! Also Daddy Storm is giving "it's me, hi. I'm the problem, it's me", and to be honest, they're kind of all the problem - and I mean that in a positive way.

The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan, and there's a reason that she's one of the best in the business!

Thank you to the author and Random House/Ballantine Books for my advance copy!

I’m a huge fan of Sarah MacLean for so many reasons. For her historical romance, her contribution to the romance community and her Fated Mates podcast are among those reasons. I wasn’t sure what to think when she announced a contemporary family drama coming out this summer. But in Sarah we trust and this was soooo good. Packed with all of the juicy drama and sexy romance of her historical romances, this book had me on the edge of my seat. I love messy, rich, succession family dramas so much and this one had everything I crave within its pages. Focusing on Alice as a main POV character, the black sheep of the Storm family, gives us an outsider/insider view of the family as she arrives back to her family’s private island on the eve of her billionaire father’s death. She hasn’t been back in five years, but what happens when she gets forced back into one last twisted game of her father’s?

This book is for those of us that grew up on The Westing Game and stayed up on Sunday nights for the newest episode of Succession. Seriously I want to scream about this book to everyone I know. Congrats Sarah on this amazing accomplishment! But also, when do we get the Duchess’ story 😂😂😂.

Thank you so much to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. The four Storm children are together again for the first time in five years, drawn together after the death of their larger than life billionaire father. He has pulled the strings of his children all their lives and has figured out a way to continue after his death. He has set challenges for this children to meet before they can inherit from him, and despite their differences, they need to work together and care about each other to make it work. This book is a great example that money can't buy happiness. Everyone is carrying secrets and watching these four adult children move forward from their past issues and difficult relationships with each other is very heartwarming. This story is very well put together and I loved the unexpected twists in the story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ecopy.. My opinion is my own.

I don’t even know where to start with this review. All the Storm children are back at their childhood home (a private island) due to the death of their controlling father. It follows their dysfunctional rich family as they are there for a week for his funeral/celebration. He continues to control them from the grave by giving each of them things they must complete that week or they do not inherit. I loved how they each grew that week and secrets are revealed. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

These summer storms was a very unique story with a fully fleshed out set of primary and secondary characters. While the level of opulence and family dysfunction could occasionally borderline the absurd, there was an emotional depth to each character that thanks to the slow fleshing out throughout the story leads the reader to end up rooting for them all. I wouldn’t consider the story to be a romance, to me it was almost more of a mystery. You constantly feel as though you don’t know the full story, and even after little spotlight chapters from each of the siblings POV there are still unanswered questions. Overall this was a diverting escape perfect for a stormy summer day which will keep you glued to it until all your burning questions have been answered (while leaving the viewer to come to their own conclusions on some as well).

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

These summer storms is a family drama that reads like a classic from the Gilded Age. Set in Rhode Island in a gilded age era mansion, Alice, who is estranged from her billionaire family, returns home for her father's funeral. Her father, always in control and needed the final word, has left a "game" that the family must follow in order to receive their inheritance. Alice is forced to participate or her siblings and mother will receive nothing. The emotional drama of this novel was so real and heartbreaking to read. The only part I didn't love was the romance aspect. It felt like a regency romance thrown into the middle of this year's summer fiction, and felt both out of place, and a little too cheesy.

As a big fan of Sarah MacLean’s historical romances, I was interested to see how her writing would differ when it came to a contemporary setting.

We’re set up with a sort of mutually agreed disinheritance - Alice distanced herself from her billionaire father after she blew the whistle on sexual harassment being swept under the rug at his company and he didn’t take it well.

Now he’s dead, and she’s back at their family’s island - where he’s set up one last game for her and her siblings, as a way to “earn” their inheritance. There’s an unexpected issue - she had a one night stand with her dad’s fixer, Jack, and she didn’t know who he was, but he knew of her. So the messiness transcends family issues and extends to him, as they all struggle to complete her father’s final requests and stay afloat while secrets are revealed.

This one, unfortunately, was just ok for me. I didn’t particularly love any of the main characters - honestly, the Greta/Tony plot line was more compelling to me than Alice and Jack’s. The deceased dad was clearly a horrible person, and I wasn’t overly interested in this family’s messy secrets.

Wow, wow, wow!! How could this possibly be Sarah MacLean's first novel in contemporary fiction? I was not expecting to love this as much as I did, and I did not know what to expect. One of my favorite parts about this novel was the setting. It took place in New England, and the imagery done by the author was phenomenal. I do not know if I could put into words how this author is able to effectively describe every little detail about a place or thing. She was able to give me a vision of every item in a room; I have never experienced this in a novel before.

Next, there was a character for absolutely anyone. While not every character was necessary likeable, each reader would most likely be able to connect with one on some level. These characters faced real traumas and a troubled family life. Their one connection now was the game their deceased father left them to play. This game gave suspense, mystery, and curiosity all throughout.

The romance was done in a way that did not overdo it, letting it not clash with the main component of the novel, the inheritance. The build-up and pacing made the relationship and connection grow so much stronger for not only the characters but the readers enjoying it.

If Sarah MacLean's next novel is a contemporary fiction, I will be reading it immediately! Thank you NetGalley, Sarah MacLean, and Ballantine Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, “These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean might just be the best book of summer 2025!

Romance (and a bit of 🌶️) ✔️
Mystery ✔️
Complicated family dynamics ✔️

If you haven’t picked up (and devoured) this book yet, I highly recommend you read ASAP. Some might say that Labor Day Weekend being an ideal time.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for th ARC for this novel in exchange for my honest review!

This was a perfect summer read! I love books with rich people problems and these people were RICH and PROBLEMATIC!! I really liked Alice but her siblings sucked! The whole arc with Alice and her siblings was really satisfying! The secrets were juicy, the vibes were perfect, and the romance sub plot was fun! I wish we got just a little bit more of closure with Alice's dad but alas still a great read!

I thought this was such an interesting book. It deals with the death of a patriarch and shows how he pitted his children against each other and made them compete or their inheritance. Well written and entertaining.

A perfect beach read. Some details stretched credibility but who cares! MacLean's venture into contemporaries is great.

So good! Every page I kept thinking, “This needs to be a movie!” I could visualize every scene with all the scenic details included and I could understand exactly how the characters were feeling. Everything was described so well. Such a fun read about a dysfunctional and chaotic family with a side of romance and mystery!

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean had so much potential, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I was immediately hooked in the beginning - wealthy family drama, an inheritance game, a private island - but there wasn't much plot to really propel the story. The characters were underdeveloped, and there were way, way too many storm references. By the end, I was no longer invested in the story and almost didn't even care how things played out. Enjoyable enough, but didn't meet my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
MacLean delivers powerful emotion set against tempestuous coastal tension. This story cracked open family wounds and loyalty in ways that felt raw but authentic. The romantic tension and evolving friendships balanced beautifully with the atmospheric setting. I wished for more surprises, but the emotional weight stayed.

This book really has it all — messy family drama, suspense, characters you absolutely can’t stand, and one character you’ll fall completely in love with (looking at you, Jack Dean).

These Summer Storms is the kind of novel that pulls you in and refuses to let go. The emotional tension is constant, the relationships are layered and complicated, and the reveals keep coming. It’s juicy, heartfelt, and full of sharp observations about love, loyalty, and what we owe the people closest to us.

Honestly, this would make a fantastic book club pick — there’s just so much to unpack. You’ll want to yell at the characters, defend them, psychoanalyze them, and maybe even cry with them.