I know Sarah MacLean as a fabulous historical romance author. These Summer Storms is a departure in a couple of ways. First, it’s contemporary. Second, I wouldn’t call it strictly romance. It’s more in the women’s fiction lane, even if there is a romance plot line. The story centers on Alice Storm. She is one of four siblings from a billionaire’s family. Franklin Storm was a Steve Jobs like figure — a great entrepreneur but only a so-so human being. He has just recently died. His estranged daughter Alice is now returning to the family’s private island for the funeral. But it turns out, in order to inherit, the siblings must stay on the island for a series of tasks, a game Franklin is forcing them to play. This book is a kinder gentler Succession (the acclaimed HBO show). But if anyone has watched that show, expect a story about toxic family relationships. That’s the vinegar of this book. The honey is Jack, the patriarch’s fixer, who Alice immediately gravitates toward as soon as she meets him (albeit not knowing who he is at first). There’s a lot of chemistry… and tension with this relationship. MacLean doesn’t take any shortcuts for these characters — they’re emotionally stunted and difficult to like. But there is movement on how they view their lives by the end. I liked all the reveals that came out as the book progressed. And yes, the romance was terrific. I would only caution that this story is less fluffy and more serious than her previous works, but I very much enjoyed it!

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This book belongs in everyone’s beach bag this summer! It’s the perfect family drama/romance with a magnificent setting on a private island estate off the coast of Rhode Island.

Alice and Jack’s romance gets off to a start that’s rockier than the cliffs surrounding the island but it’s absolutely swoon worthy.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys family drama with a bit of spicy romance.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

3.75⭐️ I really struggled to get into this book, but at about 60% in I was hooked! I did not see the twists at the end coming, and the inheritance game theme kept me invested when the story line was a little slow.

Other than Alice and Jack, I found the other characters a bit underdeveloped throughout the book. I kept finding myself wanting to know more about why they were who they were, what led them to be unlikable, etc… but this was not explored until 60 % of the way through the book. I would have liked the character development to have been spread a bit more throughout the book.

Alice and Jack….. man I loved their storyline and the development of their connection!!!!

Overall I did like this book and will recommend to others.

Thank you Net Galley, Sarah MacLean, and Ballentine Books for an EARC copy of These Summer Storms.

This was a good read! Not what I expected it would be. Lots of family drama, forgiveness, and love as a family of four siblings and their mother navigate the loss of their father/husband while navigating through a ‘game’ to obtain their inheritance. I love Alice and Jack and enjoyed how their relationship developed through the book. I also enjoys all of Alice’s siblings and learning about their past.

Juicy, funny, and steamy. Loved seeing MacLean take a contemporary turn. It's like what if Succession was also just a smidge chiller?

A fantastic read from Sarah MacLean full of intrigue, family drama, and of course, some romance. I enjoyed every minute and couldn't put this one down.

When her father passes, Alice is unexpectedly brought back into her family's orbit and forced to stay in it while they unravel the tasks in her father's will for everyone to access their inheritance. Family secrets are uncovered, fights are rehashed, and maybe even a romance is started between Alice and her father's lead employee.

These Summer Storms is a story about messy family relationships, the wild things people will do for money, and learning about what is truly important in life. While the family story was the central plot, I preferred Alice and Jack's subplot romance and wished we got more of it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

"These Summer Storms" is a solid contemporary debut from regency icon, Sarah MacLean. While this isn't a political moment where I have any sympathy for billionaires, their progeny, or the stakes if said progeny lose their inheritance (Great Scott, not a 9 to 5!!), I did appreciate the family drama and interpersonal dynamics, and I will always love a coastal New England summer setting. There were some strong emotional beats - Sarah consistently writes good mistaken identity and betrayal plots - though I ultimately felt that the stakes were not very high (poor little billionaires), so the threat of a second shoe dropping lacked credibility. For the main character, the stakes are slightly different: she has proven that she can survive without her family's money by working a 9-5 (shock, horror) and instead seeks to reconcile with her siblings. That reconciliation takes a back seat to the siblings' competition for their inheritance, however, which carried lower stakes (for me) and detracted from the protagonist's high-stakes attempts to understand if she still belongs in her own family.

As a long-time reader of MacLean's, I am excited to see her branching into a new romance category and hope she will continue to write both historical and contemporary novels. This will easily compete with work from more established contemporary authors -- though I think a story about billionaires might have been better received a year ago than it will today.

I really enjoyed this book! The family drama was very Succession-like. Alice was an interesting heroine and I enjoyed seeing her relationship with her family. I also loved her chemistry with Jack. The rest of the family was entertaining as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow - this really was a storm of a book. I was really annoyed with it at first then I realized you are supposed to feel that way so you can understand the characters and the game they are playing. This was full of twists and turns and the ending was a complete and total surprise. I liked this book a lot. It has tons of plots that make you understand more why certain decisions were made to bring it to a close. Definitely get this for the beach this summer - it will keep you hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with the eARC of this book.

This was a wonderful read full of family drama, a hidden love affair, and plenty of humor. This is a wonderful read if you're looking for a historical contemporary book.

This is one of those books that I don't know how to feel or what to say about it. There were parts that I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to and there were other parts that I had to slog through to read (and if I had to "hear" about Jack's tattoos I thought I would scream. The premise of the story is that one of the richest men in the world (kind of like Gates or Jobs) has died and has set a task for each of his children and his wife from beyond the grave. Three of the kids are still tied to him for money (or so we think...), but one renegade daughter was "kicked out" from the family for revealing some damaging incidents that happened in her father's company and it is her struggle that makes up the majority of the book. The personalities of the four children is interesting and if the reader can get beyond some of the slow parts the book tells a good story.

After Franklin Storm passes away an infamous billionaire. His 3 daughters and son are summoned to the Storm Island with their mom. Alice is the black sheep of the family and has not been back to the island or in contact with her family for 5 years. . Upon their return they are each handed letters of tasks that need to be done in order to receive their inheritance with the acceptance of Alice, she has a task but no letter. With these letters secrets, drama, lies, money and messy lives are revealed.
I didn't connect with any of the characters and it was an okay book, there was a lot sibling arguing and drama and I honestly couldn't wait to finish it. Nothing about this book really wowed me.

Deserving of the coveted spot in your beach tote this year, These Summer Storms is a fantastic family drama featuring tons of secrets, surprises, a yummy love affair (or 2), and four of the world's wealthiest siblings.
Each sibling brings their own unique character development and voice in the story. I loved learning about how each of them contributes to the family drama and watching a few dark and twisted secrets reveal themselves. I loved Alice and Jack together, embarking on a secret love affair with complicated layers and enough steam to singe your fingertips. Everyone should have a copy of These Summer Storms in their beach tote. It's the quintessential summertime read. It's my first book by this author and the book is so well written I wouldn't hesitate to read another. Highly recommend!!

I adored Sarah MacLean’s first foray into contemporary lit - it was fast-paced, deeply compelling, funny, and full of characters who I could have spent another 500 pages with. Sarah keeps saying on Fated Mates that it’s not a romance, but it’s not *not* a romance, and even in a twisty world we get a HFN for most characters, which was very satisfying for me as a romance reader. The complex and intricately woven interpersonal relationships are a highlight but so is the rich sense of place. This book will be a summer hit, meant for reading in hot humid weather and thunderstorms!!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with this advance reader copy.

Sarah MacLean’s historical romance books have been a long time favorite of mine. Being allowed to read an advanced copy of “These summer Storms”, was a true treat! Her take on a contemporary story weaves a tangled tale of love, betrayal, hurt and secrets unveiled. It’s complicated and compelling, a true piece of art. I’m so excited for old and new fans of Sarah to experience what it’s like to have a “Storm inside”.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Loved it.
Story is about a woman who is from a very wealthy family. Lots of family drama/ secrets! She has to go “home” after 5 years of not talking to her family for her father’s celebration of life. This story had all the feels! And a streamy romance!
The author does a great job of developing the characters, you really can feel their emotions jump off the page into your heart!

Thanks netgalley for this eArc!

"These Summer Storms" was truly a fantastic book.
This book hit me in a way it may not hit others as a girl who has also lost her father suddenly. I may not have as crazy of a family as Alice Storm does, but it didn't make it any less relatable to me. From the get go she describes grief perfectly, which is a very tricky feeling to explain.

The Rhode Island estate sounds absolutely magical, and just this extravagant place that holds so many memories from so many years.
Alice navigates the wild ups and downs of finding out her dad died, going back to the island where she last was before she left 5 years earlier, and finds out that there's a game if they want to get any of the inheritance.

Who better to tell her about the game, than her dad's right hand Jack Dean. Tall, broody, mysterious man, who just so happens to know how to drive Alice crazy. When I tell you the TENSION between them was crazy, I was waiting for them to break it every time they were in a scene together.

This book is amazing, and if you want something with a little "Knives Out" vibes, but add some romance then this book is for you.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for the ARC to get to experience this book early.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

After five years, Alice has been called back home after the death of her father. He kicked her out of the family for being different from the rest of the Storms and she hasn’t looked back. She wants to get through the funeral and leave as soon as possible. But her father laid out plans for his family in the event of his death. An inheritance game. Now, Alice has to spend a full week with the family who doesn’t consider her family anymore and growing attraction for the man in charge of making sure they complete the game.

This was a very entertaining read of rich family drama secrets, and eventual personal growth.