This book's plot is a neat premise - billionaire entrepreneur father dies in an accident and makes the heirs play a game of sorts to get any type of the inheritance. These instructions are carried out through letters written by the father previously and delivered and implemented by his "fixer" employee. We find out that this ploy is a carry over of the father's personality and the way he fostered his relationships throughout his entire life.

I felt the biggest positive about the novel was the way "storm" connotated so many meanings, some very apparent, some hidden. Most obvious, it was not only the family's last name but also the name of their island and the business. Secondly, there were many moments of turmoil or relationship storms that the family had to battle during their week on the island. Third, of course, actual weather storms were employed as a foreshadowing.

The novel had some good twists and turns. My favorite character to emerge was the youngest sister, Emily.

If you enjoy mystery/suspense with family drama and romance interspersed, Summer Storms came out July 8th. Thank you, Random House Publishing - Ballentine and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. 3.5 stars from me.

These Summer Storms is deliciously dramatic, full of secrets, and has a touch of romance. The only self-sufficient child of the Storm family, Alice, heads home after her father's death to face her family for the first time in five years. Her mother and siblings remain essentially the same after all this time. When they learn of the stipulations of Franklin Storm's will, the games begin, and it's sibling rivalry at its finest. The secrets start to flow, and then there's the complication of Jack.

I absolutely adored this book; it's full of chaos and dysfunction while also dealing with grief without being devastating. And Alice and Jack *chef's kiss*. The secrets ranged from mild to juicy, and a few of the reveals felt like a little shock. I love Sarah MacLean's historicals; she wrote an amazing contemporary. Definitely recommend.

Sarah MacLean’s transition from histrom to contemporary was effortless, with all of her usual whit and faceted characters. This was everything I love about her other books but wrapped in a modern package—a dysfunctional family trapped on their private island under the thumb of their now-dead billionaire father if they want their inheritance? Yes please. The emotional family drama, the tension between Alice and her father’s Fixer and all the ways he continued to manipulate her from beyond the grave were keeping me on the edge of my seat.
The ending left a little to be desired which kept me from a full 5 stars, but that final little reveal from Papa Storm was *chefs kiss*
This book proves I will follow Sarah anywhere her career takes her.

Sarah MacLean is the reason I tried (and fell in love with) historical romance, so I knew I had to try her contemporary debut. It did not work for me at all. I made it 30% through the NetGalley eARC, and I decided to pause, preorder the audio because Julia Whelan narrates, and try again. Even she couldn't save it for me. I just didn't like any of them, and I felt like they kind of all got what they deserved. I also have no desire to deal with billionaire problems during this tumultuous 2025 summer. I didn't like this at all, so I will not be sharing about it anywhere. If she writes another contemporary, I'll try again, and of course, I'll be digging into her historical backlist.
But I am aware lots of people are loving this and it got picked for BOTM, which is fantastic! I hope it reaches the right readers.

Such a cool combo of coming of age, family affairs, romance, mystery, and just general elitist culture. I thought this was a slow-ish start, but had a strong finish, and I ended up really wanting to know how it would conclude. Great ending! I’d recommend it.

If you're looking for a good summer read that has some actual substance (rather than simple beach rom-com), then These Summer Storms is for you.

Alice Storm returns to her ultra-wealthy family's private island after her father suddenly passes away and is brought into a crazy web of tasks each family member has to complete in order to get their billions in inheritance. At first I was worried it would a copy of Inheritance Games, but this story was much more focused on the emotions of the family and the dynamics of their dysfunctional relationships.

Plus, mixed into all that was a pretty cute romance between Alice and an unlikely suitor.

It dragged a bit in the middle as the author wanted us to worry "Will she stay?" when, of course she will stay, but I thought it was wrapped up well and realistically and provided a nice summery read that wasn't all fluff.

Thanks to Ballentine Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Absolutely ate this up! Such a fun, entertaining read. Billionaire family dynamics are just so fascinating to me. I thought this story rounded out really well and I loved how each character had their own growth throughout.
I wish it was a little messier, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the romance was a nice little treat!

This story follows Alice Storm, estranged daughter of a tech billionaire, whose father recently died and she goes back to her family’s private island for his funeral. There, Alice, her siblings, and her mother are given individual tasks to complete within the next week in order to receive their inheritance. If one of them does not complete their respective task, no one receives their inheritance. Franklin Storm’s second-in-command, Jack Dean, is there to oversee these games, but the chemistry between him and Alice is undeniable.

I liked These Summer Storms and thought Sarah MacLean’s writing was strong throughout. The characters were well drawn, the emotional beats landed, and the story had a lot of heart. That said, it may have been a case of the right book at the wrong time for me. I’ve read several family and sibling-focused novels recently, and by the time I got to this one, I felt a little burnt out on the dynamics. It’s not a knock on the book itself, which is thoughtful and layered, just more about my own reading fatigue. I think with a bit more distance from the theme, I would have connected with it more. Still, if you’re in the mood for a character-driven story about family, identity, and figuring things out in the messy middle, this one is worth picking up.

A perfect summer read about the ties that build a family. Love, betrayal and family-beautifully written! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read.

Loved this book. The romance, the mystery, the rich people intrigue. It was the perfect length too, a perfect summer read!

I absolutely loved this novel. It was exactly what I wanted in a summer read—smart, sexy, and a rich family with absolutely disastrous relationships. It was succession meets Emily Henry with a little Elin Hilderbrand thrown in. Summer perfection, vacation perfection. SO good!

4.5/5 stars This was enjoyable- a good, mindless beach read. It gave me a lot of Succession vibes, and the family drama was very entertaining. It's a book where once you pick it up, you can't stop until you finish because you just can't wait to find out what happens. A lot of unexpected surprises in the plot and although all the characters have their own flaws, you can't help but root for them. The plot centers around Alice who was exiled from the Storm family five years ago, only to return upon her father's death for an inheritance game. Yes, the premise is the inheritance game, but I was happy to see the family reconnect in the best way they can and also to see the characters kind of "grow up", At the end they're able to figure out what exactly is important to them and what they want for themselves in life. Loved the ending and Sarah couldn't have written it any better! Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Sarah MacLean for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

All of a sudden, this book was everywhere, and I was so happy to have an ARC of it! Absolutely loved it. The coastal Rhode Island setting, getting to know all the family members through their own voices, and rich people hoarding secrets and behaving badly - what's not to love?! I found myself a actually putting the book down to try and drag it out/savor it for longer. Highly, highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

THIS BOOK, family drama, private island, chaotic siblings, entitled rich people, and an inheritance competition. Everyone should check this out!

if you enjoyed the Conditions of Will by Miss Jessa Hastings, you will love this

Having been a fan of Sarah MacLean for awhile, I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this straight fiction title. I was not wrong. The story is engrossing, the romance top tier, and I simply cannot wait for MacLean's next fiction title.

I feel like this is one of the “buzziest” books I have picked up this summer and I am so glad that I did! I highly recommend going into this one blind, so if you plan to read it- stop reading this review! These Summer Storms focuses on the Storm family- an extremely wealthy family whose patriarch suddenly died in a freak accident. Alice, our main character, is traveling to her family home on a private island off of Rhode Island to face her family for the first time since she was kicked out of it five years ago after standing up to her powerful father. She is uneasy as she has to confront her other three siblings and her mother. Not only that, but it is revealed that an inheritance game has been arranged by her father in which all family members have certain tasks to accomplish in a week's time to inherit his billions of dollars. Chaos definitely ensues from that point and the reader gets a glimpse of how the 1% works.

This book was such a delight. The writing is fantastic. It is written in a way that forced me to slow down and consume the story of this family in a slow way, but I did appreciate it because it felt almost dense at times but still salacious. I loved the relationship and family drama in this book. It was almost like watching bad people do bad things, but they do redeem themselves by the end. The romance was also a very nice surprise. Some parts dragged just a bit, I think because of the writing, but overall I really enjoyed my time with this book. I loved the ending. It was almost like a car crash, I couldn't look away! Definitely recommend this if you love shows like Succession, which I know it is being compared to quite frequently. I certainly enjoyed my time with it, and definitely recommend this book. 4.5/5 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books for an advanced reader’s copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

A summer read filled with family drama, a little romance, rich people stuff and some twists. I loved the sibling dynamic. Even from the grave people can try to control your life. Looking forward to a great discussion with book club!

GIRL!!!! WHAT!!!!??? SHIIIITTTT!!! Can this just be the review? This is what I was screaming at @sarahmaclean the whole time I read this book because I loved it so friggen much. Is this the book of the summer? Yes. Fight me on it, I will sit on you and suffocate you with all the reasons that this book is superior and perfect and all hail Sarah MacLean the Queen of Romance!!!

Alice Storm, daughter of a billionaire, has been banished from her highly dysfunctional family. Her rich daddio dies and she’s summoned to the family summer island compound in Rhode Island. On the way there she bones a random stranger she meets on the train…as one does on their way to their estranged father’s funeral. Alice learns that 1. The stranger who just sexually destroyed her works for her dad and 2. All family members much complete specific tasks spelled out by daddy dearest in order to receive their inheritance. Let the games begin!! This is one of those books that gets better and better as it goes with surprises around every corner. It’s one of those books where you get a little depressed as you near the end because you don’t want to finish it. It’s one of those books that leaves you hungover and you can’t pick up another book for days after.

For all those who don’t know MacLean is a historical romance writer- and the best one at that. She loves a strong, smart heroine and a gruff, smoke show of a stern brunch daddy hero. She gives us both here- plus everyone is flawed and complex and emotionally layered. Sarah took contemporary romance, sat it in a chair, performed an amazing lap dance upon it, and contemporary romance made.it.rain…and we got to watch. Does that analogy make any sense? My point is that with this book Sarah made contemporary romance her bitch and we are all the better for it. I hope she’s happy because now I am going to expect a new historical AND contemporary romance novel from her every year. Sarah Maclean- your readers officially have made you our bitch!!!

Make it rain- buy this book!!

Smut- 2.31 stars
Romance- 4.83 stars
Story- 5.00 stars
Sarah Maclean dominating all romance genres (perhaps she should try her hand at romantasy next…)- 19.54 stars

Some families have drama…and then there is the Storm family. When their father dies, the adult children are all summoned to the Storm private island for a “celebration” and to find out the details of the will. During their week together, secrets are revealed and some relationships are mended. This was a good read, but dragged in some spots.

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this. A great summer read. So much family drama and personal growth in this book. Realization of what really matters in life. So good.