“These Summer Storms” is a great piece of fiction that will need multiple re-readings for one to absorb all the angles and nuances. This dysfunctional family, its adult children, makes for a page-turner of a compelling read as they sort through toxic trauma in a “Knives Out” manner. Also, the billionaire shade throughout the book was relentless and on point. Reading this while Venice is being held hostage by overblown personalities is hilarious timing.

I am an unabashed Sarah MacLean fan (and a TOTAL Mary Jane Wells one also- BEST narrator). I have read all of her romances so I cannot believe that I’m going to say this but here goes: the book would have been better with fewer romantic scenes. It took too much focus from the more compelling storyline of the Storm family dealings.

Looking forward to my next read of it. Unputdownable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC. My opinions presented here are wholly my own.

I was so excited to get the ARC for These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean because I am a huge fan of her historical romances, especially her Love by Numbers series! When I heard she was doing a contemporary romance I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

These Summer Storms is about a family of four siblings and their mother who are navigating the aftermath of the death of the patriarch of the family, Franklin Storm; billionaire tech guru extraordinaire, who has left them all tasks to complete in order to receive their inheritance.

Alice, the third child and our FMC, has arrived after 5 years apart due to her father banishing her for supposed infractions. In a family of cold feeling and private people she resents coming back to a less than welcome reception.

Running the inheritance games is our MMC, Jack: fixer, protector, judge and jury for the rules set by Franklin Storm. He is as swoon worthy as it gets, and I can confidently say MacLean has the skills for not only historical romance but also contemporary romance. I will continue to keep this author on my must read list!

Well, this was an absolute delight. From start to finish, I was absolutely engrossed. And not only is the family dynamic fun and intriguing, the romance was awesome.

These Summer Storms - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐
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PUB DATE: July 8th
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FEATURES:
-Adult Contemporary Romance
-Rich Family
-Family drama
-Fights over inheritance
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WHY:
When I saw that Sarah MacLean wrote a Contemporary Romance, I ran to get the ARC ASAP. I have loved many of her historicals, especially her recent Hell’s Belle’s series.
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Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
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This book could be described as heaps of toxic family drama, rich people fighting for an inheritance, and weird mind games from a messed up father. It honestly felt really stressful to read and the majority of the characters are terrible people - willing to throw their family under the bus for money.
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Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. Some of the dysfunctional family dynamics themes resonated for me. The novel highlights the truth that when you have a complicated relationship with a parent, losing them is especially difficult as there's no chance for things to change for the better. Like in the book, one way or another you work through it. I liked that there was hope, ultimately, that this family will work toward healing. Overall, I think this would be the perfect, absorbing read for your vacation.

Wow, just wow! I truly hope the author continues the story of the Storm family—because if this is the end, I’m not ready to say goodbye.

While a few parts of the book moved a bit slowly, the overall story was so compelling that I couldn’t get enough. I found myself constantly craving more time with these characters and their world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group–Ballantine for this ARC!

This is a family drama. And there is so much family drama. But it's also a Sarah MacLean novel, so there's also a solid romance occurring throughout, though not as the primary focus.

Alice has been estranged from her family for five years, but returns home upon hearing that her father (a self made tech billionaire) has died. So have her three siblings, her mother, a handsome stranger, and everyone's secrets. And now they must complete tasks in order to inherit, some more difficult than others.

This story goes down smooth. None of these people are perfect, and many of them are actively terrible, but it's so easy to keep reading. MacLean's writing is lyrical and lovely, meeting the moment in the book as needed.

It's such a good summer book, to just escape to the beach and watch this family start to heal some of its wounds.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

These Summer Storms is an absolutely engrossing read from start to finish! A dynamic, engaging, mysterious story that has a multitude of intrigue and drama.

Alice returns to her family’s private island off the coast of Rhode Island due to her father’s death after leaving to build her own life beyond the family’s influence. She is looking to stay out of drama, pay her last respects, and leave once the funeral is over. However, her father left his widow and their adult children an inheritance game designed to completely unravel the Storm family. They must all stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, and then receive the inheritance.

From the immersive setting to the family drama to the captivating characters and storyline, These Summer Storms perfectly weaves together past secrets, present truths, and futures into a fascinating story that addresses grief, drama, love, and family.

Love, love, loved this family drama. This was so full of drama, and dysfunction. I loved that we got a peak into all the characters and their ridiculousness. Fun also for the dead guy to be the main character.

Sarah MacLean’s These Summer Storms is fabulously entertaining, gorgeous escapism! I couldn’t have enjoyed this perfect summer beach read more… and don’t we all deserve that right now?

Yes, this is her first full-length contemporary work, but it has her trademark strong, feminist lead in Alice Storm, unapologetically striking her own course and taking no prisoners. She’s sharp, clever and brave, feisty and compassionate. Jack Dean, male lead/love interest, is a classic SM hero: intelligent, stoic and sexy as hell, both challenging and supporting Alice from the very start. Their chemistry is FIRE, chef’s kiss, total swoon-worthy delight!

Make no mistake though, this is not a MacLean Romance. It’s a riveting, emotional, complex story combining grief, shock, rivalry and reckoning, speeding towards a stormy (ha!), super satisfying conclusion. It’s so delicious, so absolutely addicting, I couldn’t put it down!

Of the many reasons SM is one of my favorite authors, I really appreciate her solid, rich yet concise worldbuilding. No wasted words, characters or emotions. No tired repetition, eye-rolling coincidence or frustrating miscommunication tropes. She simply trusts her readers to get it. How refreshing.

Character development is strong here, too. Protagonists, supporting cast, friends or foes, most are granted some empathy, humanity and grace. They’re flawed, messy, sometimes volatile and immature, but nonetheless worthy of compassion and forgiveness. I so enjoyed how it all played out.

There are some truly awesome laugh out loud moments, too! SM’s sense of humor absolutely slays me. And did I mention the banter? Not just what was crackling between Alice and Jack, but the snappy dialogue between friends and siblings, too! Even Alice’s inner monologue had me cracking up at times!

Bottom line: These Summer Storms is FANTASTIC. Read it now, thank me later.

Shoutout to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love it! Rich dysfunctional family in need of love or direction. Or both. There's nothing like finding out your just deceased father is still playing games and trying to control your future. Is your inheritance worth it? The Storm siblings and widow must decide in a week's time. Lots of secrets and twists.

I love family drama books and this one had ALL the drama. The faults of everyone are on full display in this page turning family drama about an ultra rich family and the patriarch that dies. Franklin Storm is haunting his children, wife, and employees from the grave by making them play "silly" games for their inheritance. But the games turn out to be not so silly once his kids and wife begin their tasks. Will they be able to keep their inheritance or will it get divested into his billion dollar companies because they were unable to complete their missions?

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are despicable, but in way that you grow to love them and you're left wanting more. There are a lot of laughs but a lot of heartfelt moments too. This book is great for anyone who loves family saga stories fueled by drama with a little romance thrown in.

Insightful, sparky and a little sexy -is it too soon to say my favourite book of the summer?
Alice returns to her estranged family’s summer home after her billionaire father’s passing. As controlling in death as he was in life, the Storm family’s inheritance comes with caveats -an emotionally devastating inheritance game overseen by his second in command. Filled with complex family dynamics, rich people problems, and secrets -this novel drips money and toxicity.

I was completely hooked. Swept up from the first page in this propulsive, slightly mysterious story. The plot unfurls across the chapters and maintains intrigue right up until the [satisfying] end. It’s heavy with atmosphere, deeply immersive and the isolated setting (a private island) combined with the rich pathetic fallacy and filled with layered characters was just perfection.

I don’t want to be too heavy handed with the storm metaphors but it genuinely is a tempestuous novel. It sizzles when it’s sexy and chills when there’s cruelty. Those sibling relationships gave me whiplash!

This is an unusually gushing review for me, but I was entirely gripped by the plot [and subplots] and I suspect this is a book that will stay with me. It gave me my favourite bookish dilemma, when you cannot stop reading but you’re so sad to turn the last page.

I read this on kindle, but Julia Whelan reads the audiobook so you know that will be a great experience for those who prefer to listen.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Random House, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book was so unexpectedly humorous as well as deeply engrossing. I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the extremely dysfunctional family dynamics and I really liked that the father remained such an omnipresent character despite being dead the entire time. I really felt like each sibling was unique and it was interesting how their mother also treated them all so differently. Jack was an interesting love interest to say the least and it makes sense that Alice would make the romantic choices she did. We’ve all seen arms like that.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found that it was a fun read for the summer. I also think it would make an excellent miniseries or limited run television show. There’s just such clever and satisfying interactions between the characters.

Thank you to Randomhouse Publishing for the ARC!! The Storm family was SO entertaining, with Alice of course being my favorite! The Mom was just a mess, so many cringe moments with Elisabeth. I loved Jack and Alice, the chemistry between them was absolutely sizzling. And Sam was dreadful, but made me laugh still! Alice was such a strong person and I felt like this book was such a redemption story for her, and also about her coming to terms with her relationship breakdown with her Dad. The inheritance game was a great idea for a bored billionaire to cook up. Loved it, thank you!

This was a dramatic family read that is a great summer read! This is contemporary fiction with a romantic storyline that had me swooning. A beautifully written book by an incredibly talented author.

Highly enjoyed this! The setting (a private island), the family dynamics and the romantic subplot were so good & entertaining to read about. It was at times a little too close to Succession. Enjoyed getting to learn about the Storm family and their very different personalities.

Sarah MacLean delivers a gripping family drama set on a private island off the coast of Rhode Island. Following the death of tech billionaire Franklin Storm, his estranged daughter Alice returns to confront her past and navigate a high-stakes inheritance game designed to test each family member's resolve. Amidst sibling rivalries, long-held secrets, and a simmering romance with her father's enigmatic second-in-command, Jack Dean, Alice must decide how far she's willing to go for redemption and love.

A wealthy New England family with destructive secrets? Gimme 14 of them right now! This book feels like it was written just for me. I can’t get enough of in depth pieces on family drama, trauma, and grief. I find them to be fascinating and gripping reads. This was no exception! This deserves a spot on your summer TBR list. I’ve never read Sarah MacLean before but she certainly has a new fan in me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I found this hard to get through. My 3 stars is being generous. The characters were unlikable, which for me I find I need to at least like someone, preferably the main character, someone to root for. The plot was tedious and did not keep me engaged, and the secrets revealed circled back too many times, making it seem drawn out. This could have been much shorter.

Never having read this author I went in blind, but she has a good following. I encourage anyone to read this and make up their own mind, many have liked it. I received an e-ARC from the publisher Penguin Random House through NetGalley for my honest opinion, and I thank them for the opportunity to read and review this work. Release date is July 8, 2025.