I am a HUGE fan of Maclean's historical romances, and I'm delighted that she's dipping her toes into the contemporary space.
This book is mostly a billionaire family drama set on a secluded private island, but Maclean doesn't leave her romance roots entirely and i ATE THIS UP.
Franklin Storm is a tech mogul who dies suddenly in an adventuring accident at 70, which forces Alice to come home for the first time since he kicked her out of the family 5 years ago. And of course the eccentric billionaire wants the last word - he's left the Storm family with a game, tasks they must ALL complete in order for any of them to receive their inheritance. As Alice struggles to reconnect and rebuild bridges with her siblings and mother after their 5 years of radio silence, she's not prepared for Jack Dean. Jack, her father's right hand man, is there to ensure everyone completes their tasks, but Alice can't stay away from him no matter how hard she tries to deny it.
This is a great summer family drama read, with a deliciously hot romance on the edges of it.
Throughout the book we get one chapter from each of Alice's 3 siblings, and i loved these looks into everyone's pathos - it allows for a lot of grace and empathy on the part of the reader. I wasn't sure how i'd feel trying to muster up sympathy for billionaires to be honest, but Maclean does a great job humanizing them and the private island just felt so summer-y i was sucked in for the duration.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an earc in exchange for an honest review

This was 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 on GR. I received this as an ARC from netgalley. I kept seeing people say they were reading it and was intrigued. Franklin South was a force and a billionaire and after his death - left his family quite a few games to play in order to earn their inheritance. Alice is our FMC but I liked the cast of siblings - Emily and Claudia, Greta, and then Sam and Sila. Of course you have mom in there too and Jack. The twists were kind of interesting and I was shocked at the end. This is a great summer read - especially during a summer storm.

Sarah MacLean once again proves she's an absolute powerhouse author no matter what she writes. This book is a masterclass in slow-burn passion, razor-sharp dialogue, and characters so alive they leap off the page. From the first page, I was sucked in, completely invested in the Storm family and their story.

Alice is fierce, flawed, and utterly compelling, while Jack is a mix of strength and vulnerability that makes your heart ache in all the best ways. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Every glance, every conversation crackles with tension and longing. I kept thinking, OMG keep giving in!

MacLean doesn’t just give us romance; she gives us layered storytelling, rich with historical texture and themes of identity, power, and redemption. The emotional payoff is immense. I closed the book with a full heart and a desperate need to read it all over again.

These kinds of books and TV shows are my guilty pleasure. I will always be interested in a story about a wealthy family dealing with their rich people problems. This one has all the classic ingredients: family drama, toxic relationships, and absolutely ruthless characters who will do anything to protect their money and status. I totally get the appeal, and I think a lot of people would love this.

The setting added so much; it takes place on this remote, private island where the family always vacations. There’s a sailing scene. It screams the perfect summer escape book. It was such an easy read, which I loved. I flew through the pages.

That said, Alice, the main character, got pretty repetitive with her issues with her family, specifically her father. In so many scenes, the same few issues came up over and over again to the point where it got a bit tedious. She was searching for acceptance and connection the entire book, and it started to feel repetitive. There wasn’t really any progress.

I did enjoy the romance between Alice and Jack. They had a cute vibe, he was protective, strong, and already familiar with her family, which added an interesting layer. But Jack was also kind of shady. He kept making questionable choices, and Alice would get mad for a second and then let it go. Their relationship felt more physical than emotional.

As for character growth… there wasn’t much. But to be honest, I didn’t really expect there to be. And while there were a few twists, they were pretty predictable and not all that surprising.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be posted on TikTok in the next couple of days. My handle: @moriyareads.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

Overall, I really enjoyed this! An excellent summer beach read, with plenty of family drama and secrets to keep readers entertained. I found myself struggling to maintain interest in the first 50% or so, but felt that the book really picked up steam after the halfway mark. MacLean did an excellent job of rationing out big revelations, and I was truly invested in everyone’s HEA by the end of the book! Not an easy feat, considering how unlikeable many of the characters were at the beginning.

I’ll absolutely be recommending this one to my friends looking for a summer read with plenty of twists and turns!

Oh my goodness! I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! I normally don’t enjoy reading about the ultra rich, elite families of New England. This book, however, was so sharp, so brilliantly written, that I simply could not put it down.

One of the wealthiest, most powerful billionaires in the world has suddenly died and left behind a dysfunctional family determined to secure their inheritance. Always one for ultimate control, the father, Franklin Storm, has created a game of challenges for each family member to achieve before they have a chance of securing their inheritance. Each adult child (there are four) has his or her secrets although they have always bent to their father’s demands. He has had ultimate control of each of them, with the exception of Alice Storm who was kicked out of the family years ago. They all show up to the island where their childhood home resides for the funeral and are told about the game by Jack who has been Franklin’s right-hand man and has been given the task of managing the game and making sure each family member stays on task as detailed in the letter each has received (all except for Alice, who does not receive a letter but whose only task is to remain on the island for the week.)

There are many secrets, as I mentioned, there are complicated family relationships, and there are love stories. This was one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long while.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the author Sarah MacLean, and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the advanced copy of this book

For a family that doesn’t show emotion, this book was awfully emotional. I received an ARC for this novel and it has quickly become one of my favorite reads of the year. What a great story to start off the summer. Alice Storm had been estranged from her mega wealthy family for the last five years trying to make it on her own until she gets a call that her father had died. She heads back to their summer house on Storm Island and meets up with her sisters, brother and mother. When she arrives, she learns that she and her family must compete in an inheritance game that her father left for them. The character building and complex relationships between the family, plus the secrets and lies kept me turning the pages all night long. The story is mainly in the perspective of Alice however every now and then you would get a glimpse of the perspective of each sibling and their story. And then there was the tension between her father’s “fixer” Jack and Alice. I seriously could not get enough of their relationship. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for their next read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the opportunity to read this story early!

I absolutely love a messy family saga and These Summer Storms by Sarah Maclean totally delivered. The premise hooked me right away — a billionaire dad dies and leaves his (very broken) family to play out an inheritance game on their private island. Cue the family secrets, drama, shocking reveals, and all the uncomfortable moments you’d expect when you trap messy rich people together for a week. I was so invested in seeing how the Storm kids would handle their father’s last, twisted game — one final act of control even after death. If you love your summer reads packed with secrets, drama, and juicy family tension, definitely add this one to your stack!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean was the perfect mixture of women’s fiction and romance and I honestly devoured it. This is Sarah’s first foray into contemporary fiction, and as a huge fan of her historical romances, I’m so happy she dipped her toe in this genre – this book was perfection. Alice has been estranged from her family for five years, and only returns when summoned because of the death of her father. This leads to a nightmare situation – the inheritance games from hell. The Storms are full of secrets, and the family dynamics that played throughout this book – I honestly couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end – could someone please make this into a TV mini-series or movie ASAP! I would also immediately pick up any and all of the books about the other Storm siblings. And Sarah THANK YOU for giving us Jack! A true Sarah MacLean hero, if ever there was one. This is the perfect beach read, and should be on the top of everyone’s TBRs.

Also, I may be wrong, but I feel like there was a little easter egg to Sarah’s “Never Judge a Laby by her Cover (The Rules of Scoundrels #4)” and if I’m wrong well it’s canon now – and I LOVED THIS!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Sarah MacLean and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Sarah MacLean's 'These Summer Storms' is an emotionally charged, sharply observed contemporary novel that explores inheritance, identity, and the brutal beauty of familial reckoning. Set on a secluded private island off the Rhode Island coast, the story follows Alice Storm, the estranged youngest daughter of a powerful and controlling patriarch, as she returns home for the reading of his will - and the unraveling of every storm that's ever hovered over the Storm family name.

MacLean, best known for her historical romances, proves she can shift genres without losing her trademark fire. This novel is as much about personal survival as it is about love. Alice is fierce, flawed, and impossible not to root for - her voice is raw and razor-sharp. The emotional terrain she navigates with her siblings is complex and often deeply uncomfortable, but it's written with nuance and empathy. The romance subplot with Jack Dean, her late father's right-hand man, brings both tenderness and tension, adding a slow-burn layer that builds beautifully over the course of the book.

What stands out most is how well MacLean captures the atmosphere of the island - oppressive and gorgeous, a perfect mirror to the emotional pressure-cooker Alice finds herself in. The storms, literal and metaphorical, give the book its haunting rhythm, and the pacing is masterful: secrets are revealed at just the right moments, and no emotional beat feels unearned.

My only small critique is that some of the sibling dynamics could've been explored even further - I wanted just a little more from the brother's arc in particular. But that's a testament to how fully realized the world is; I wasn't ready to leave it.

Ultimately, 'These Summer Storms' is a smart, searing story about who we become when we break away from what made us - and whether it's ever truly possible to let go of the past.

This book was a big, juicy family drama reminiscent of Succession, filled with romance, twists, and messy characters. I devoured it in two days, the perfect companion on a lazy summer weekend. The story is told from the POV of the main character Alice, one of the Storm siblings, but is peppered with chapters from each of the other siblings’ POV, which worked to convey the complexity of this family. I have never read anything by this author, but the writing was smart, descriptive and kept me glued to my kindle! If you’re looking for a summer read with substance and sizzle, you will not be disappointed!

Four stars. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was the perfect summer read with drama and family! I always enjoy a book about rich people, and this book showed how the characters truly never needed to worry about money. I thought all of the characters were complex. (Honestly the characters reminded me of people who would be on White Lotus and I enjoyed that so much😭)

We follow the Storm family, mainly Alice, as they all rekindle due to their father’s unexpected passing. Alice has been out of the loop for a few years now, and is attempting to navigate her feelings about her father and her family. Their family dynamic is obviously in shambles, and it’s up to them to become close again without their father’s control, even if he is controlling them from the grave.

The story has romance, an inheritance game, family drama, and so much more! I really enjoyed this book! I love reading about out of touch people to be honest and this was great for it!

“‘Anger and grief get tangled,’ he said, the words a rumble against her. ‘Sometimes it can be impossible to separate the two. Or differentiate them.’”

This book is a character study in how money destroys, how a name can, and frequently does, define you, and how family can bring out both the best and the worst in you. The characters are well developed and the writing really sucks you into the world of the Storms. Add this to your summer tbr now!

The audiobook is *chefs kiss* as @justjuliawhelan narrates. She is utter perfection! There are many siblings and a lot of characters and her individual tones for each one really helps to keep them straight while listening.

“𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙨.
Maybe she understood it, after all.”

Thank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook and to Netgalley, Ballantine Books/Random House, and the author for the complimentary ARC.

These Summer Storms is getting buzz as a book of the summer for good reason: the salty shore setting practically seeps from every page and the sweeping family drama and forbidden romance were juicy enough to keep me reading late into the night. MacLean's made a deft transition from her beloved historical romances. There's much to love here for fans and new readers alike.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is the perfect summer read. I didn’t want to put it down. I always love a Sarah MaClean book.

These Summer Storms
By Sarah MacLean
Format: eARC
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Sarah MacLean can write. I went into this not really sure what to expect. I will confess that I am not generally an enthusiastic reader of contemporary, well, anything, really. What I came away with was a taut, engaging, fast-paced story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m not exactly sure who to recommend this book to. It contains a romance plot, but it’s more family drama than strictly a romance novel.

Classification aside, I guess my only real issue with this book is that I have a difficult time summoning much sympathy for a billionaire and his family, reading about them jumping through hoops to receive an inheritance. At the same time, it’s so well written, that I was all in. I felt every feeling. I matched the characters’ ups and downs. I was right there with them.

And that, I think, is the mark of a really good writer. Regardless of the subject matter, they can take you in a journey and make you care about it along the way. All that to say, if Sarah MacLean wants to write it, I will happily read it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Review shared to my Instragram @trinas.tomes

DRAMA AND MESSY FAMILY.

I’ve read a ton of Sarah MacLean’s historical romance. This was a turn to contemporary and has a bit of romance in it, but is more about a very fucked up rich family. Lots of mess, secrets, family being the worst, all set on a private island off of Rhode Island.

Alice is the ostracized one in the family, kicked out after standing up for herself one too many times against her controlling father. But her Dad is like Bill Gates, rich beyond billionaire, using money, power, influence and his kids need for his attention to get his way. Alice hasn’t seen or spoken to her family in 5 years when her Dad suddenly dies and she goes home for the “celebration” (mom refuses to call it a funeral).

Her siblings and mom aren’t exactly happy to see her, but it turns out their inheritance all hinges on each of them fulfilling Dads final wishes, most of which are shitty.

And who is making sure the demands are met? Jack Dean, Dad’s 2nd in command, stern, rolled up sleeves, very hot. Things get complicated between Alice and Jack pretty quick. Because when you have a one night stand before your Dad’s funeral, it’s a shock when said guy turns up at your family home.

This is very much a Sarah MacLean novel. It’s lush, sexy, full of drama and feelings, family drama, all set on an estate with a sailboat, vault, private beach, a turret bedroom and a pantry door that gets stuck.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc

Alice Storm hasn’t been welcome at her family’s magnificent private island off the Rhode Island coast in five years—not since she was cast out and built her life beyond the Storm name, .But when her father dies, Alice and her family are bound to stay on the island and play one last challenge designed by her father to get their inheritance ..worth billions.

I've read Sarah MacLean's historical romance books and was interested to read a contemporary novel from her. It read more like women's fiction than romance. And I loved it.

From her older sister’s secret love affair, her brother’s obsession with being CEO, Her younger sister’s woo woo and her mother's coldness, and her father' second in command who is too handsome and oh....was supposed to be a one night stand.

It was both intriguing to see if everyone would last to get the funds and all the secrets uncovered.

solid 4/5 for me!

Thank you to NetGally and Ballentine Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the setting, which reminded be a lot of Elin Hildebrand’s books with the east coast island feel.
It also had a Knives Out approach where the family has to follow certain rules in order to receive their inheritance.

I thought the humor was great and I liked how the author included the sibling's POV. I had the opportunity to listen to this on audiobook as well, and Julia Whelan's narration really brought this story to life!

not your typical summer read, but an incredible summer read none the less! I love a family drama and this was a GOOD family drama. unrealistic expectations, several flawed characters, more drama than one could ever imagine. there was never a point where it became too much I was turned off to the story. Sarah MacLean truly nailed this perfectly! thank you Netgalley and ballantine books for the earc!