title: These Summer Storms

author: Sarah MacLean

publisher: Random House

publication date: July 8, 2025

pages: 640

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: parental death, manipulation, alcohol/drunkenness, bad parenting

summary: Alice Storm managed to break away from her controlling, billionaire father and family (picture Succession) five years ago, but when her father dies and she heads back to the family's island home for the funeral/celebration, she gets pulled into the rules for inheritance, being judged by her father's fixer, Jack Dean, with whom she happened to share a one-night stand before she knew who he was. Over the week she has to stay on the island with Jack, her siblings, and their mother, secrets come out, and tensions rise.

tropes:

sibling rivalry
controlling father
rules for inheritance
trapped on an island
billionaire shenanigans

what I liked: all of it

what I didn’t like: none of it -- Sarah MacLean is truly a master!

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

The storms are an infamous family. Franklin storm is a multi-billionaire tech. tycoon, who dies at the beginning of the book and all of his children gather at his island coincidentally named storm island even before he bought it and Alice, (our MC) his Black Sheep also ends up being summoned for the festivities sound like a rough word when talking about a death. But I think the mother would approve of that. The 4 siblings must do their father's bidding. In order to get their inheritance, it's full of twists and turns, secrets, love and reveals. definitely recommend for a good summer beach read

Thanks, nat galley for the arc.In exchange for an honest review

It looks like I’m an outlier with my three-star review. This book wasn’t bad. I read the whole thing, and while I was engaged in some parts, I kept putting it down to do other things. I never fully sank into the story.

The writing is good on the surface, but it’s also the kind of writing that feels very conscious of itself. The authorial voice never disappeared for me. This might be due to the repetition of certain sentence structures and distant third-person POV. I never felt like I was fully in Alice’s head. (Most of the chapters are in her POV; there are a few random ones throughout from the POV of the other siblings.)

I requested this book hoping for Succession-level drama and backstabbing, but I didn’t get it. I’d also hoped for a more compulsively readable story, and at least one character I liked among all these angsty and terrible billionaire white people. We’re constantly reminded of their lore and their fame in this fictional universe, but I never fully bought into it. I could see the dad being famous as a billionaire tech mogul, but I couldn’t fathom a universe where his wife and kids — none of whom have any discernable talent (well, Alice paints, but still) or personality — were well-known, too.

Other people’s mileage may vary, but this was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Ooh Sarah MacLean dipped her toes in the contemporary romance waters! I loved meeting the Storm family. It took a while to get into the book because it seemed to go off tangets about the history of New England and the mystery of the notes Franklin had left for his wife and kids. All the mysteries and other couples in the Storm Family kind of over shadowed what was going on between Jack and Alice, and at times I felt the other storylines more interesting. I loved the “Grade A” stock ending! Is this the beginning of a series? If so maybe it will go back and give us more in depth to the other couples over the week on the island.

Wow.! Once I started reading, I could not put it down. These Summer Storms was like a movie. Part family drama (hurt people hurt people) and part romance, the twists and turns Sarah MacLean took these characters (and me as a reader) were 'Class A stock'. I was a fan of Sarah MacLean's historical romance and her romance podcast. And now, I am a fan of her contemporary romantic fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the author for access to an eARC for the purpose of writing this review!

Really enjoyed. I've read quite a bit of Sarah MacLean's historical romance books, but hadn't seen anything contemporary out of her before. I thought it was extremely well done and delivered maximum intrigue, fun, and, of course, romance to the reading experience. It was very knives out/glass onion vibes mixed with a more traditional romance. The characters were dimensional and propelled the story along well and even the father loomed large and was well developed for not actually being present as the events unfold. Would love to see even more like this out of MacLean (but don't abandon historical totally!!). Recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

inject family drama around a dinner table or a party or a public display of screaming into my veins! Sarah has seamlessly moved into modern fiction after writing some of my favorite historical romances. She still found a way to make her characters compelling and interesting. It felt like she brought her characters from the bare knuckle bastards into modern times. And of course there is still a hint of Henry Cavill lol with an odd smidge of the Umbrella Academy. I can't explain it?

I loved it!

I was absolutely moved by this sweet and honest story. It is a top read for me this year! It would be a really fun book club read with all the discussions to come from it.

I’ve never read Sarah MacLean before and I’m happy to say she is a great storyteller! I couldn’t put this book down - the interwoven secrets between siblings was great! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This is the first book I have read by Sarah Maclean and definitely not my last. The story is about four siblings who come together after the patriarch of the Storm family passed. Each child is tasked with an individual challenge based around their future inheritances. The book reminded me a bit of Succession with romance thrown in and I was blown away with how much I loved it. The family was incredibly complex and I was drawn into their backstories and individual relationships with their father. I loved the relationship between Alice and Jack and their story was probably my favorite part of the novel. I did see some of the twists coming, but it didn’t deter me from loving the story. 4.5 stars

Sarah MacLean has another winner with These Summer Storms.

The story starts out with Alice Storm traveling home to Rhode Island for her father's funeral, following years of not being included in anything family oriented. The entire Storm family is dysfunctional, but dang, what good characters they all are. Jack is the calm in this group of people who are all flawed (including Alice) and who may be the strength in this group of people who equally love and despise each other. I loved watching his relationship with Alice develop.

I'm used to reading Ms. MacLean's historical romances and this trip in to the present did NOT disappoint. I loved every part of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love family stories, add some dysfuction and set it in Rhode Island and I will read it. Family members are reunited at the passing of their father; even Alice who has been ousted from the family as a result of speaking out against her father's company. The character development is great , the storyline intriguing. I did have a little problem with the Jack character, whether to like him or disapprove of him. All in all, a great read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Great story. Love that it was set in Rhode island. Loved watching the characters change and develop. And the ending was perfect for this book.

Sarah MacLean leaps into contemporary fiction with all the heart, beautiful prose, and twisting plot that fans - including myself - have come to expect with her historical romances. This is a must buy and must read for summer!

This is my first Sarah MacLean book…and what an introduction to a skillful storyteller! This novel is the embodiment of a page-turner; I was drawn in and kept engaged from the first chapter to the last.

The Storm family is aptly named and the height of dysfunction as four siblings and their mother gather at the family compound on Storm Island off the coast of Rhode Island to commemorate…err, “celebrate” the passing of the patriarch. Known for his narcissistic, manipulative manner in business and family, their father, a self-made multibillionaire, set up one final game linked to their inheritance.

All the characters bear some deeply held flaw related to the family dynamics and secrets (some-not-so-secret) abound as the week following his death unfolds. What ensues is a mixture of unresolved and unacknowledged grief, resentments, anger, and rebellion that pits the family members against each other while simultaneously bonding them in a mutual need for connection. It is a wild, imaginative ride with some predictable aspects and a few twists that add dimension and depth.

Overall, this was a delightfully intriguing novel with a satisfying ending.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

There are two types of books that I'm a sucker for: romance and family sagas. When I heard Sarah MacLean had a debut contemporary literary fiction book about a family in Rhode Island, I knew I was going to read it.

This book is like if you took Steve Jobs's family (tech-rich and dysfunctional), mashed it together "The Nest" (so much sibling angst!), gave it some East Coast Gatsby location vibes (mansions on the water), and added a skilled dash of romance (just enough to complement the other storylines). It's a long book (but never boring) but one I had a hard time putting down. If you enjoy complex relationships, twists, and the masterful use of the parenthetical phrase, you'll like it, too.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I have always thought putting a romance writer at the helm of a different project would make said project infinitely better. Lo and behold, I was right. This book was an absolute delight and will be a forever favorite I reread often. Sarah MacLean just does. not. miss.

THESE SUMMER STORMS is a mashup of Succession, Emily Henry, and gothic romance in the very best way possible. A story about a billionaire father’s inheritance, and the games his grown children must play to win it, this story features secrets, lies, and betrayal galore. The setting is alive and decadent, the characters are distinct and mesmerizing, and the romance is one of the best I’ve ever ever ever read.

Alice, our main heroine, is deeply relatable, as flawed as all her siblings, and as likable as all her siblings too. I was rooting for every. Single. Character. They’re assholes (but don’t you dare call them that or I’ll fight you) with incredible nuance, and I LOVE THEM. ALSO—JACK. Jack is the most competent, hot, capable man of all time. He’s exactly what this story needed, an anchor in the storm (not apologizing for the puns), and don’t worry—he has nuance and secrets too. In fact, the secrets triggered my interest, beautifully laid out as the most delicious breadcrumbs, but the characters and romance are what kept me turning page after page, as fast as possible. This book is just perfection. Possibly the best summer read, I can’t recommend it enough.

No matter your preferred genre or age range, this book IS FOR YOU. Five out five perfect, hot, sensual, tense, secretive, glamorous, seaside, atmospheric, nuanced stars.

I great beach read full of family drama, secrets, love, and money. I loved how the relationships between siblings were portrayed... quite complicated for sure. I really enjoyed reading this book that was well written and quite complex. I would really recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 years ago Alice Storm was banished from her powerful family because of transgression against her father. Now back for his funeral, her father has created a game in order for each Storm to receive their inheritance. Each family member has a task to perform, and for Alice it’s spending a week on the island she was cast off from. Secrets come to light as the family navigate their grief and past feuds.

This started off a little slowly. While the historical tidbits Ms. Maclean included were interesting, it slowed the narrative down a little bit in the beginning. Luckily, the pace picked back up rather quickly. I really liked Alice as a protagonist. She was strong willed and the only member of the family that didn’t allow her father to control her while he was alive. She’s the prodigal daughter come home at last. The dynamics between her and her siblings were interesting, and Ms. Maclean did an excellent job of showing the complexities of their relationship. They both love each other and yet can’t stand to be near each other. Families, especially those who come from wealth and power, are complicated. You can’t help but feel heartbroken for Alice, as all she really yearns for is for her family to accept her and love her. In a way, each Storm child longs for the same thing, they just don’t know how to go about receiving it.

I loved the intrigue and mystery and how we got a deeper look at each sibling’s circumstances. The connection between Jack and Alice is hot. Ms. Maclean does an excellent job of building the tension between the two, and her classic witty banter is prevalent throughout the novel. While it is a drama, there are so many moments of levity. I did laugh out loud at times. She does a beautiful job of showing all of the aspects of human nature. Each character has depth and despite their first impressions, I was genuinely rooting for them. I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out, and really wanted a HEA for all of them, whatever that may have looked like, whether it was coming together or breaking apart. Overall, I really loved this novel!

I think maybe I’d give this 3.5 stars. I’m a bit of a sucker for really dramatic writing that kind of makes everything seem beautiful, and this book is that. It really is a bit too idealistic to feel true. Jack was pretty unrealistic as far as what a real man is like, so that’s why my rating was as low as it was. But I liked the writing style, so it made it more enjoyable.