I'm gonna be honest, I was lowkey mad when I saw this was being published this year. I am very impatiently awaiting the last Hell's Belles book and the thought of waiting another whole year killed me. But it's Sarah Maclean and I love her books, and I was interested to see what she would do with a new genre. There is romance here, but this is very much a family drama, and it was an excellent one!!

I kind of don't love books about billionaires; I fear I have to hear about them too much in real life already. But I do think this book was the perfect way to do it - it takes a certain amount of money to play with people in the way that this patriarch did. Franklin Storm has died and suddenly a game is afoot. Each of his four children and his wife must complete certain tasks and tell certain truths in order to receive their inheritance. And Alice, our MC, hasn't seen or spoken to any of her family in 5 years prior to her father's death.

I loved this book!! I think MacLean does the sibling dynamic so well. The push and pull of knowing the worst of each other, the squabbling and real fighting, and loving each other harder than anyone else in the world. Also, the mother dynamic!!! Insane. Make it all worse by making these people money and power-hungry in the worst way. I think just the right number of secrets were revealed, the perfect amount of drama and revelation and the right amount of character growth for some and refusal to change by others.

AND THEN THE ROMANCE?!?! I love Jack Dean. Sarah often has a certain about of cheese that I deal with in her histroms but it wasn't here in this book, and I don't know if that's because it's set in current time or what, but she hit the perfect note with every scene and every line for me to be obsessed with these two.

I honestly hope Sarah MacLean continues to right contemporary romances and family dramas!!! And continues with histroms she better not quit with those either I'll be so pissed. But this was so fun! So dramatic! It almost gave Emily Henry in a way? I know that is high praise, so I hope I'm not lying to y'all!!! I would recommend this to you if you loved books like Beach Read though!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

If you liked Succession and enjoy inheritance games, this book is right up your alley! After their tech billionaire father dies, four siblings gather at the family summer home over Labor Day weekend for his memorial and the reading of his will. But before either of these happen, they find out their father left them a list of tasks they must perform or else no one can inherit. Of course, there is so much dysfunction and so many grudges in this family, which makes for lots of drama laden, popcorn munching moments. Even better to listen to Julia Whelan narrating it all. These Summer Storms is a great end of summer beach romp!

Anxious Attachment and THESE SUMMER STORMS by Sarah MacLean

Cover of the book These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean used to describe anxious attachment.

Alice Storm grew up surrounded by wealth and influence as the daughter of tech visionary Franklin Storm. But inside the Storm household, love was transactional. Affection was earned, not given—dependent on obedience, achievement, and fitting into her parents’ carefully curated image.



While the world trusted Franklin’s company for innovation, Alice learned early not to trust anyone. Her parents prioritized control over connection, leaving her with a deep fear that vulnerability would lead to rejection.



This pattern was evident in the week after Franklin’s death, when Alice and her siblings had to complete tasks to receive their inheritance—one final power play from their father. Though Alice wanted to open up to her siblings and a romantic interest, old wounds resurface. Every step toward trust felt dangerous, shaped by a lifetime of conditional love.



Alice experiences anxious attachment.



Attachment styles are shaped by the emotional bonds we form with our earliest caregivers. When those caregivers are consistent, attentive, and emotionally available, kids learn to feel secure—and carry that stability into future relationships. But when care is unreliable or distant, children learn not to expect comfort or connection. This can follow them into adulthood, showing up as mistrust, fear of abandonment, and doubts about whether others truly care. Even in safe, loving relationships, trusting someone can feel nearly impossible.



Here are tools for people with anxious attachment styles:



Create Parting Rituals: Establish a simple, consistent ritual to mark time apart and your return—like a hug, eye contact, and “See you at dinner.” Even small gestures can reinforce the sense that separation is temporary and connection is ongoing.



Notice Your Emotions: When insecurity creeps in—especially with someone who’s consistently shown up for you—try naming the feeling and gently reminding yourself of the evidence that this relationship is safe and trustworthy.



Seek Support: Talking with a therapist trained in attachment can help you understand your patterns and build healthier ones. As trust grows in that relationship, it can serve as a model for building trust elsewhere.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean is an interesting read about siblings after the death of their father. The story takes place mostly on an island off the coast of Rhode Island. It is the home of the Storms.

The siblings are called back to the island after the death of their father. Once again he has pitted them against each other and their dreams to complete an onerous task in order to inherit his money. His wife and their mother is one of the most interesting characters in that she is all about appearances and is without empathy.

Alice is the only Storm that has walked away from her father and his legacy. She didn’t want her life to be the life he determined. She is a semi famous painter and a teacher who makes her own way in life. Unlike her siblings who rely on their father for their livelihood.

Every sibling’s tasks are focused on them and each is so different. Alice must stay a week on the island with her siblings. It sounds like an easy task but it is not. On top of that the “man in charge” is one of her father’s colleagues. He is interesting, brooding and slept with Alice knowingly before she found out about the quest.

The book was interesting in that the characters were so intense. Their foibles were exaggerated in the closed space of the island. Their willingness to allow their father once again to dictate to them - even though he is dead - makes the storyline even more curious. These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean is a very good read with great characters and an interesting plot line.

These Summer Storms ☀️💧✨☁️
By Sarah MacLean @sarahmaclean

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse and @ballantinebooks for this copy of These Summer Storms!

This felt like the perfect read to end summer. The whole time I was reading this book I kept picturing We Were Liars for 30-somethings. I love being captivated by a world of toxic wealth and luxury!

#arcreader #thesesummerstorms #sarahmaclean #toxicfamily #wealthy

Thank you to Ballantine (via Dell) and PRH for These Summer Storms! I loved it and binged it in a single day. The audiobook is performed by Julia Whelan, my all time favorite narrator who has the Midas touch — everything she reads really does turn to gold.

If you’re thinking of saving this for next summer because of the title, you don’t need to — it works as a fall read too! It’s set over Labor Day weekend In Rhode Island and has that “summer winding down” vibe rather than feeling overly summery (and let’s be real, the temps over LDW in RI are probably cooler than most places right now anyway!).

I’d 100000% recommend it to readers who enjoy rich people behaving badly, family drama, sharp and witty writing, all with a bit a romance. If this sounds good, make sure to pick it up!!

Think Survivor but rich siblings competing for their inheritance. Throw in a little romance, a lot of drama, and lots of selfish greed! It was as full of drama as any family and an enjoyable ride!
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the galley copy to review!

Probably my favorite book of summer! This one’s mostly an inheritance game for the rich, with a strong side of romance. The jerk of a tech billionaire patriarch dies and his estranged daughter comes home for the funeral. She meets a stranger on the ride up who ends up being part of the family business. The family are stuck on a private island until the patriarch’s final wishes are obeyed if anyone wants to inherit.

I was so so happy to love this book! Sarah MacLean has been a go to for historical romance for ages, so being able to loudly recommend her contemporary fiction novel was a delight. While romance was not the main focus here, her romance readers will be happy to know that there is an HEA and there is more romance plot than you might think. I loved the dynamic of the siblings. I loved Jack and how he played into the family. And even though I sort of hated the mom, I also wanted her to be better because darn it, MacLean makes you care about her characters! Go read it!

DNF at about 40%

I was very intrigued to read a Sarah MacLean contemporary romance, since I'm quite familiar with her historical work. I put this down because I was so derailed but the intro of other POVs. The romance had the potential to be interesting, but the family dynamic was so boring to me. I just do not care about rich people's problems at all. This is perhaps one aspect that does not transfer from historical to contemporary - Rich people are not at all compelling in contemporary, at least the way MacLean writes it. I also felt the scenes stretch on a little too long.

Enjoyed this book and the family dynamics. Who doesn’t love a dysfunctional family but put a little romance in there too and it was so good. Kept me intrigued to see how this was all going to turn out.

This very wealthy family has to meet on their private island and complete tasks in order to inherit the money their father/husband has left for them. And they all have to complete their tasks or no one inherits a dime. How could this possibly go? The mysteries that are uncovered, the dysfunction that bubbles up to the surface, the drama and the pomp and circumstance of it all. It was so interesting to read about and I never would like to be part of the Storm family.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It had a little bit of mystery, general fiction, and romance all tied together. Alice Storm is an art teacher in NYC, and very few people know that her father is Frank Storm. Frank Storm is a famous American tech billionaire, and he and Alice had a falling out years ago about how he handled a situation at his company. Frank Storm tragically passed away in an accident. Alice decided to go back home to Storm Island for the first time in many years for the funeral. A representative of Frank's company, Jack, was also sent to Storm Island to conduct the inheritance games. Frank devised an inheritance game where certain members of the family, Alice included, has to complete certain tasks to receive their inheritance. During the book, family tensions were brought to a high due to the game, and sparks also flew between Jack and Alice.

I really liked this book! I thought the writing style was very good. It was easy to read, and the book flowed well. Each sibling also had a distinct personality and character arc which I appreciated. Overall, this book was a fun summer beach read, and I would give it four stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for a review. Out now!

Alice Storm has been ostracized by her wealthy family for several years. Now her father has died and everyone is descending on the family island off the coast of RI for his funeral. Alice plans to attend the ceremony and return home to NY but when she gets there she finds that her father has set up a game that all of his children and wife must compete in for any of them to inherit his billions. Though Alice opposes this, she stays so that her family will receive the money. Family secrets are revealed. Old rivalries surface. Will everyone stay on the island long enough to fulfill the terms of the will? This is a captivating story though a bit far fetched. I thank Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sarah MacLean’s leap into contemporary fiction delivers on every promise: Alice Storm is pulled back to the family island she’d fled from—only to be trapped by her late father’s final scheme, a week-long inheritance challenge that jeopardizes everything. Forced to spend time with her dysfunctional family—and Jack Dean, the steamy fixer who’s both infuriating and irresistible—Alice navigates grief, rivalry, longing, and an electric romance that simmers with witty friction.

The Storm family’s flaws made them compelling, messy, and ultimately human. MacLean blends sharp dialogue, emotionally layered revelations, and tension that crackles like a brewing storm. Yes, the ending felt a touch swift, but by then, I was completely invested.

This is about a family who comes together after their father/ husband dies to hear the terms of the will. They are surprised to find that they all must complete some sort of task/challenge for a week in order to receive their inheritance. The characters are selfish and greedy and unlikeable. This book went on for too long. I really wanted it to be better than it was.

These Summer Storms is a captivating, witty, and deeply emotional novel that perfectly blends family drama, romance, and the sharp edge of a high-stakes inheritance game. From the moment Alice returns to Storm Island, the story pulls you in with its irresistible mix of dysfunction, secrets, and simmering tension. Each member of the Storm family is vividly drawn—flawed, messy, and unforgettable—making the drama deliciously addictive while still grounded in real emotion.
At the heart of it all is Alice, whose resilience, wit, and vulnerability make her an utterly compelling heroine. Watching her navigate her manipulative father’s final “game,” battle her complicated siblings, and spar (and swoon) with the enigmatic Jack Dean is pure reading delight. The island setting is lush and atmospheric, creating the perfect backdrop for betrayal, revelations, and unexpected connections.
What makes this novel shine is how it balances sharp, clever family dynamics with a tender exploration of grief, love, and what it truly means to belong. By the end, These Summer Storms feels as restorative as it is riveting—a book that keeps you turning pages late into the night while tugging at your heart in surprising ways.
A five-star gem: clever, dramatic, romantic, and utterly unputdownable.

I really liked this with its busted family dynamics until I hit the end--I was disappointed in what the twist was and how no character really defied the controlling father.

A twisty, family saga that read like an adult version of The Inheritance Games. Family drama, wealthy people hijinxs, puzzles, and a bit of romance -- this book has something for everyone!

A work of art. A gorgeous literary masterpiece. Sarah Maclean is a genius and somebody needs to get this book adapted into a Netflix series ASAP. I have to say, when I requested this book I was unsure about it, since I learned soon after that it was not technically a romance and I’ve been reading exclusively romance lately. And all my favorite Sarah Maclean books are historical romance obviously. But the characters and family dynamics were compelling and there was plenty of romantic tension to keep the pages turning — so eventually I forgot that I wasn’t reading romance and got sucked into the story. I’m so glad Maclean chose this direction for her career and I’m excited to read more literary fiction from her in the future (as long as she promises to keep SOME romance in there mmmkay).