3.5.⭐️ This novel from Sarah MacLean (a new author for me) was different than any novel I’ve read before. Part mystery, part romance, part family drama - a fun combo!

Pros:
• Interesting premise
• Easy to like & easy to loathe characters
• Unsure who you can trust/believe (is this a pro?)
• A good plot twist or two

Critiques:
• Lengthy chapters & sometimes felt unnecessarily wordy
• Slow start
• Drawn out ending - i.e., the kitchen scene between Emily & Alice in the final few chapters

Overall, I liked the book and it was a good change of pace for me, but I found myself struggling to keep reading another chapter due to just feeling a little bored. My rating comes from sometimes feeling while I was reading that it was a 3⭐️ read and at other, more riveting points in the book, I leaned more towards 4⭐️.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for sharing the eARC with me.

4 ⭐️

What a solid book. The writing drew me in immediately and I felt like I was there watching the story unfold. Sarah Maclean wrote with such detail and created an amazing bunch of characters. Alice was a fantastic narrator for most of the story but I also enjoyed the glimpses we got into the other siblings POV as well. While I started hating Alice’s family I grew to love them through out their journeys.

Inheritance terms that are wild are always so interesting to read about and I was extremely happy with the ending. I just wish we got to find out more about their lives after!!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

Ahhh! This book is so great! Family secrets…east coast private island style, with a side of romance ⛈️☀️🤍

Told from the POV of Alice, exiled sister of the Storm Family. She’s back on the island after her father’s death. Now they’re all stuck on the island in order to get piece of thier dads billions…4 siblings, their mother & Jack, who is over seeing it all 💰

I was hooked from the very first page…uber-rich family, private island &&& a ton of secrets 🤫While this was more family drama/secrets & less of a romance…I still totally enjoyed it. The romance def took a back seat but was great & filled with tension 🥵There were some LOL moments too…mostly just because this family was soooo wild…totally messy & completely entertaining! There were also some shocking twists 🤯 This would make a GREAT movie or TV series! 🎬

Simply outstanding. Imagine if Logan Roy died on the very first episode of Succession and left instructions for his surviving family members to play a diabolical game together in order to earn their inheritance; that is loosely the feel and premise here. This novel is an extremely addictive blend of juicy elements: dynasty, wealth, drama, romance and mystery all set on a private island during a one-week period that comes to a stormy climax. The delicious sexual tension and slowly building connection between Alice and Jack lured me in at first, but what truly hooked me were the fascinating Storm family dynamics on display while the tale unfolded. Although the story is primarily told from Alice's point of view, readers get a strong sense of all her relatives by the many interactions she has with each of them. MacLean does wonderful work in particular bringing each of the siblings from their initial impression of spoiled rich kids to fully rounded and sympathetic characters by peeling back their many layers, aided by a single chapter devoted to each. Much of the book had the page-turning feel of a thriller with secrets revealed often that made me very reluctant to put it down after a while. The writing is excellent throughout, frequently very amusing in scenes with playful banter between characters, but also evoking strong emotions during pivotal moments. MacLean's first foray out of historical romance is a massive success and I hope she returns to this corner of the genre down the road in addition to her fantastic output within her wheelhouse.

CW: grief; toxic family relationships; minor physical violence (punching), reference to abortion, and brief mentions of sexual assault/sexual harassment in the workplace

These Summer Storms is the contemporary fiction debut for Sarah MacLean, one of my favorite historical romance authors. And what a debut it is! I laughed. I cried. I swooned. This is truly the perfect New England beach read, featuring a beautiful story about finding your way back home, and chock-full of secrets, family drama, grief, forgiveness, and yes, even romance. It immediately hooked me as I got wrapped up in this storm (pun intended!).

Even though this is a departure from the Regency England setting MacLean’s fans are used to, I still think historical romance fans will be happy. I could feel MacLean’s historical romance roots within the story through its compelling characters, the rich and complicated family relationships, and the inheritance game. Eagle-eyed fans will be sure to pick up on the Easter egg that connects this book to the broader MacLeaniverse. When I came across it, I was so excited as I had been waiting to see how MacLean would tie this to her historicals.

As a romance reader, I want to make it clear – this book is not a romance. But it does have romantic elements and a very satisfying secondary romantic plot line involving our main protagonist, Alice, and her one-night stand, oops, he’s actually your father’s fixer, Jack Dean. In many ways, Alice and Jack are classic MacLean romance leads — she’s a bit of a rebel and outsider, while he’s a bit of a scoundrel. If you like her historical romances, I’m sure you’ll love the romance in this with simmering sexual tension, sexy forearms, and (bad) sextant jokes. And yes, this book is open door with a very sexy sex scene.

But this story is really focused on the inheritance game and the Storm family drama. I found it an incredibly compelling and beautifully heartbreaking story filled with many secrets and messed-up family relationships, yet it also had a ton of heart. There is a lifetime’s worth of family dynamics to unpack as the Storms come together for the funeral – ahem, I mean “celebration” – of Franklin Storm, a Steve Jobs-like tech billionaire, after his sudden death in a gliding accident (rich people, man).

Alice is the black sheep of the family and our main protagonist. She serves as the perfect person to introduce us to the Storms. She’s an outsider who used to be an insider, as she was exiled from the family by her father five years ago for rebelling against him — the only person who had ever stood up to him. There is so much hurt and pain amongst all the Storm siblings, as they have lived in the shadow of their larger-than-life father, and all of them, except Alice, have always done his bidding.

The twists, turns, and layers of Storm family relationship dynamics are central to the story and what kept me truly engaged. Despite all the dysfunction, a clear family bond exists between the four siblings – Greta, Sam, Alice, and Emily – and watching them navigate and explore the “After” of their father’s death was one of my favorite parts. The relationship dynamics are fraught and nuanced, but I found that helped this story pack an emotional punch. I was full-on crying toward the end when the story reached its peak. As a storm (both literal and metaphorical) barrels through the private island, secrets come to life – many incredibly painful. While I correctly guessed some of the secrets, others felt like a shocking blow. And while past hurts are hard to heal from, These Summer Storms still finds a way to find the calm after the storm, hinting at a fractured family, renewed.

I’m always a fan of MacLean’s writing, and I loved how she chose to tell this story. While we spend the most time with Alice, as the book is primarily told in third-person point of view from her perspective, MacLean does allow us to get each Storm sibling’s perspective. I felt this added so much nuance to the characters and let you see how each one of them has been shaped differently by their father, his choices, and ultimately his death. When I started the book, I never would have expected to feel any sympathy for Sam as he’s a bit of an a-hole in that typical “only boy in the family way.” But by spending one chapter in his head, I could see him in a new light. The same goes for Greta, whom I personally think has the roughest hand of all the Storm siblings, having given up nearly everything in support of the family. And then you have sweet baby Emily, who is the true heart and soul of the family and the glue that helps keep them all together.

Going into These Summer Storms, I honestly wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book. But I ended up loving it, and it may be one of my top books of the year! I truly haven’t had a book pack such an emotional wallop in a while, and this book did that with its beautiful exploration of grief and family. I think old fans of MacLean’s will still enjoy this, and I hope this brings her many new fans as well. These Summer Storms is unputdownable and the perfect beach read, so be sure to add it to your TBR immediately!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the ARC! All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Sarah MacLean is one of my all time favorite romance authors. Her historical romance books are unmatched. I was confused by a contemporary but willing to trust the process.

This was not like her historicals at all. It was a fun new thing. And that was great to get.

This was part popcorn summer read - rich people behaving absolutely terribly and you get to hate them! A wacky will! Inheritance games!

And part emotionally weighted - grief, disappointment and devastation by cruel family, being the outsider of your family.

Sure there was a guy the FMC ends up with, but I truly didn’t care about that. The romance wasn’t the compelling part. Jack was just part of the mysterious puzzle of the inheritance games.

Did this go enough into eat the rich for me? No. Do I love a weird will and family drama? Yes.

There is a little nod to her historicals at the end, which was a treat.

The Storms were stormy and I’m glad I read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the advanced review copy.

These Summer Storms is out now.

I felt the same reading These Summer Storms as I did watching Succession - stressed and depressed. Rich people behaving badly doesn't seem to be for me. Though Alice had been living without her family's money for years and encouraged her siblings to consider the same, I would have appreciated more social commentary on billionaires. That said, I think most of the many, many people who love Succession will love this book.

Meh. As much as I typically enjoy rich people behaving badly I just was not in the mood for a story about billionaires. On the heels of the Bezos wedding it was just not hitting right. I enjoyed the forbidden love romance part though and think maybe had I read this at a different time I would have enjoyed it more.

These Summer Storms is a new release by Sarah Maclean. This is the first book that I've read by her and I did not realize that she is a known romance author. I really liked the setting of an island off the coast of Rhode Island. I also enjoyed reading about the tremendously wealthy family that encompasses the story. They had plenty of secrets to keep me engaged. I could have personally done without the romance storyline between two of the characters as it took me out of the rich people behaving badly trope that I was enjoying. I'm probably the exception to the norm for wanting it to have less romance, though. It was a fun read overall and would make for a great weekend getaway or beach book. Read and enjoy!

I am always a sucker for twisty family dramas [thank you V.C. Andrews] so this book grabbed me pretty quickly. While some beats were easy to figure out there were still some twists that I wasn't expecting. Each of the characters are well formed and you really feel like a fly on the wall watching everything unfold throughout the time spent on the island.

There's a reason this book is already popping up as a must-read for the summer despite it not being released yet. It's gripping, set on an island and has a bit of everything - drama, romance and intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I unfortunately did not like this one. The dialogue was a little cringe for me and the characters were over the top unlikeable without any true humor or wittiness to balance them out. The second half was stronger than the first half, but I didn’t love the ending (but it did give me a chuckle).Thank you for the ARC though!

Obsessed with this story! Love it so much! Alice was my fav character all along! This was my first book from the author and now I want to read all her backlog.

I LOVED this book from Sarah MacLean! These Summer Storms is about a group of siblings that arrive home to a private island after their billionaire fathers death. It was such a unique take on a family drama and had a bit of something for everyone - suspense, sibling dynamics, and romance. I suspect this may be the book of the summer. A perfect beach read!

What happens when a billionaire dies and tasks his wife and children with completing a week-long game under the supervision of his fixer in order to receive their inheritance? Highly entertaining WASPy chaos, of course!

Sarah MacLean has been one of my favorite historical romance authors for years, so when she announced she had written a contemporary *not really romance* I was obviously all in. And now that I have read said *not really romance* I think it's pretty rude that you cannot give a book more than five stars. If you're strictly a romance reader, I'm here to assure you that you will be completely satisfied giving this one a chance. These Summer Storms has EVERYTHING. A volatile widow! A one night stand in a seedy motel! Sextant forearms! One of the hottest desk bang scenes I've read! Touch her and die! Family secrets! Nobody gets tied to a boat, but did I mention someone gets punched in the face to defend the FMC's honor and there's a fairly happy ending for almost the entire family? The flow and pacing is SO GOOD that it reads like a movie? Does that make sense? Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Whatever--just be warned that you're not going to be taking a break while reading this one so clear your schedule for the entire afternoon.

If you're like "Danielle...how could YOU rave about a story involving billionaires?", you should know there's almost nothing I love more than a book where I hate almost every character because they're all terrible. *gestures broadly at Wuthering Heights* So yes, eat the rich, and then use this book to cleanse your palate because I personally think this is some of MacLean's best writing yet. And oh my goodness how exciting is that for us?!

I received a complimentary eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved every second of this book. The plot was wonderful. Having selective chapters be from different characters pov added nicely, but wasn’t hard to follow since they were used sporadically. This will definitely be my new book to recommend to my friends!

What a book! The Storm Family is complex. The father was a leader in the tech field. His untimely death brings the family home to their island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now deceased, Franklin Storm, loved games with the family. Upon his death, he has conditions for the family to meet to receive their inheritance. Some tasks were easier than others. Through the time together, they worked through many challenges.

Excellent read! Wonderful character dialogue. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advance read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If I could review this book with two emojis, it would be: 🤯🤩

This book was FANTASTIC. Is it a straight-up romance like we've come to expect from Sarah MacLean? No. I'd shelve this as fiction. DELICIOUS fiction. MESSY fiction. FICTION that will keep you up late dying to see what will cause the next gasp out of your mouth as you furiously turn pages. Or, you can listen to the audiobook, narrated to perfection by Julia Whalen. Either way, you're in for a serious treat!

Alice's father has died, so she reunites with her family for his funeral (sorry..."celebration"). This is not a happy reunion, however. This is a dysfunctional family, one of the wealthiest in the country, all with their own quirks and sharp edges. They meet on their own private island off the coast of Rhode Island to have a RECKONING. Everyone has secrets. Everyone is wrestling with their pasts and their futures. And everyone is desperate to walk away with a hearty inheritance. But first they'll have to make it through the funeral (Whoops! "Celebration".).

While the bulk of this novel deals in morally grey family members, there are fabulous moments of love and longing that will keep MacLean's romance fans happy. Yummy love scenes. Loving couples, ready to help heal that which is broken, and love the broken pieces that my never heal at all.

As you can tell, I LOVED this book. I'm going to re-read it and see what new things I discover. These characters are REAL to me, and I'll be thinking about them for a long time....

Trigger warnings: cheating (referenced, brief, by secondary characters before story begins), fist fighting, dysfunctional family, verbal/emotional abuse, death of a father, funeral, characters struggling financially

I'd like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Alice Storm, once exiled from her uber wealthy family, returns once more to her family's private island in Rhode Island after the death of the patriarch of the family. While she plans to keep to herself and leave just as soon as she can, her father had other plans in mind. It seems as though Alice's larger than life father has left his widow and their children an inheritance game to play. This game is petty, manipulative, and exactly something her father would enjoy. The rules are simple. Stay on the island for a week, complete various tasks, get the inheritance. But what seems like an easy game turns out to be something all together different as it shines a light on the buried dysfunction that is their family.

Sarah MacLean is usually known for historical romances, so this contemporary sibling rivalry/ enemies to lovers novel is a bold departure. Like any rich people behaving badly story, These Summer Storms is filled with family drama, scandal, and manipulation. I loved how this reminded me of Succession, Knives Out and We Were Liars all wrapped up in a sun soaked summer read! The way MacLean has developed her characters is truly brilliant and I love the underlying tone of trying to figure out who they really are besides just a famous name. And the romance? It was there from the first chapter! I love a good enemies to lovers romance, and while this was my first foray with Sarah MacLean, I would definitely be interested in visiting the Storm family again!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah MacLean, and Random House/ Ballantine for this ARC! Publication date was July 8th 2025.

Alice Storm has been estranged from her family for 5 years, ever since her father, tech billionaire Franklin Storm, sent her away in anger (and kicked her off their private vacation island). She is the only one of her siblings to earn her own money and carve out her own life. But when Franklin dies, Alice has to go back to Storm Island and see her family and come to terms with her relationship with her parents and her siblings. Unfortunately, Alice can’t just pay her respects and leave, she is stuck on the island with her family for a week because Franklin has created a game of sorts and everyone has to play by his rules or no one gets their inheritance.

I had no idea what this one was about when I began but it absolutely sucked me in and kept me there, I could not put it down. I loved the characters, the story, and the romance hovering in the background. I personally am not a “rich people behaving badly fan” and so I really enjoyed that each of these characters has dimension and a pathology for most of their actions. The story has so many elements to it, grief, love, friendship and it’s just a great family drama that would be a wonderful read anywhere but if you can read it by the beach I definitely suggest it. Julia Whalen is the narrator, so really do I have to tell you how well done the audio is?

4.25 stars

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley

I wish I loved this book! I’m obsessed with Succession so maybe my expectations were just too high. I loved the setting and the premise, but the characters just fell flat to me. Most of them were just too mean with no redeeming qualities. The inheritance game was boring and not fleshed out enough with totally unenforceable rules. The romance elements were great but it really seemed like she set out to write an enemies to lovers rom com then shoehorned in family drama and that’s just not her forte. No spoilers but the ending was so abrupt and just not realistic.