I loved Sarah's first departure from Historical Romance! This book tapped into so many different complex family relationships. It was introspective and thoughtful and at times made me giggle. I adored the setting of Newport, Rhode Island. It brimmed over into the overall vibe of the book and made it so easy to sink into. This will be a perfect beach read pick for those this summer who are looking for a light read with a little more depth.

Sarah MacLean's foray into Contemporary was an absolute hit for me.

This book deals with some very serious topics - family estrangement, loss, failing marriages, and yet it absolutely has an underlying romance that will sweep you away despite all the heavy.

There were times I wanted to punch everyone of Alice's family members in the face and I don't know if I can count how many times I was like "just leave the island already!" but in a world of crazy and unreliable family Jack just felt like an anchor and seeing this group of family members transform over the time on the island was lovely.

I won't lie - I definitely want (need) more Sarah MacLean historical romance but I also hope she continues to give us more in this genre as well!

Thank you for the early copy for review!

These Summer Storms is a razor-sharp and compelling novel that combines family drama, simmering tension, and steamy romance into a captivating summer read. Sarah MacLean brings readers into the world of the wealthy, powerful Storm family, where buried secrets, long-held grudges, and a high-stakes inheritance game collide.

Alice Storm hasn’t set foot on her family’s luxurious private island in five years—not since she was cast out by her larger-than-life father. But with his shocking death, Alice is forced to return and face the family she’s worked so hard to escape. Her father, always the manipulator, has left behind a final game: spend one week on Storm Island, complete their assigned tasks, and the inheritance is theirs.

What follows is a high-stakes, emotionally charged week as Alice grapples with her complicated family dynamics. Her older sister’s secret love affair, her brother’s arrogant behavior, her younger sister’s need for constant analysis, and her mother’s cold judgment create a chaotic and tense atmosphere. Add to this the enigmatic and too-handsome Jack Dean, her father’s second-in-command, and Alice’s return to the island becomes even more treacherous.

This novel explores themes of grief, love, family, and the tangled relationships that define them. The writing is lush, the characters are complex and flawed, and the romance that simmers between Alice and Jack adds just the right amount of heat. These Summer Storms is a brilliant, emotional journey that will resonate with readers who enjoy stories of transformation, family reckonings, and the secrets that define us.

A perfect blend of mystery, romance, and family drama, this novel will keep readers hooked until the very last page.











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I received an ARC of These Summer Storms from NetGalley— and goodness, I’m glad that I did!! I absolutely devoured this book. Family drama, romance, grief: so many life truths built into this book and they are all blended together very seamlessly. This is 100% a must read. It’s early in the year but this is already going to be one of my top reads of the year. Wonderful, wonderful job!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC. I LOVED this book. Full of twists and turns along. I loved the entire thing from beginning to end. Alice was unlike any character I have read. The saying Money can’t buy happiness truly was the theme of this story.

Thank you NetGalley for provide this ARC for review. In her first foray into contemporary fiction, MacLean doesn't disappoint! The characters are well-developed - flawed but likeable. The romance in the novel is fun and spicy. With its tight plotting and surprise ending, I'm sure this book will appear in many beach bags this summer. Highly recommend!

Sarah MacLean has captivated us for years with her stunning historical romances, but her latest novel, These Summer Storms, proves she can seamlessly blend contemporary family drama with romance—and it exceeded all my high expectations!

This five-star read is an absolute must for your summer TBR. I love a novel that dives into the messy, scandalous world of the ultra-wealthy, and when you throw in a high-stakes inheritance competition following a patriarch’s death, I’m all in! The tension, the secrets, the betrayals—MacLean crafts every twist with precision, making this an addictive, unputdownable read.

Family dynamics are always intricate, but MacLean takes them to another level, delivering a story that is as emotionally gripping as it is extremely entertaining. With compelling characters and a plot that keeps you hooked from the very first page, These Summer Storms will be one of my top recommendations this summer!

These Summer Storms by Sarah Maclean will leave me thinking about it long after I have finished other books. I appreciated the masterful balance of a unique story line with a modern setting, family drama and an addictive romance. It kept me wanting to know more. As a fan of neat and tidy endings, I appreciated the resolution, however, I found myself wanting even more closure—especially a glimpse into how things turned out down the road for all the characters. That said, this book was a joy to read, and I highly recommend picking it up!

A huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its public release!

Sarah MacLean is one of the strongest, most consistent, and best romance writers out today. These Summer Storms is the first in a new kind of series for MacLean, and I eagerly await the next book. I gobbled this up as quickly as life allowed and I actually want to read it again, but my TBR list would shame me. Get into These Summer Storms ASAP. I love a family saga and this did not disappoint,

“Succession” meets “The Perfect Couple” meets the grandma in “Gilmore Girls”

A dysfunctional tech family all comes back together on their personal island in the wake of the patriarch’s passing.

A slow burn, for sure. The first 25% was tough to get into as most of the characters are pretty “hate-able”. It’s a slow moving story overall, even though it only takes place over a 7-day period. Overall, glad I read it but don’t expect to be hooked right away. Give the characters a chance to see their redeemable characteristics. Lots of development.

Very entertaining! I finished this in just a few days. A dreamy, not-perfect hero and family turmoil. Like Succession if written as a romantic suspense and less childhood abuse. If you like Sarah Maclean’s historical romance novels, you’ll like this.

I've read all of Sarah's historical romances and I had to jump on reading this title. This was fantastic. I love that it was a slower paced read but it was still full of what I like to call "Sarah's Surprise". The way she paints a scene, and keeps the tension flowing while revealing bits and pieces of the story enough to say, one more page, one more chapter. Cannot wait to read wherever the contemporary world takes her.

Lots of storms in this book. The story of family dynamics that rise to the surface when a father dies and his children return to their family home. An ever controlling figure, the father has designed a game for the children to complete in order to get the inheritance. At times reflective for what they have lost and what could,, should have been. A story. to make you think about family relationships and past hurts, and how they steer the course of your life..












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I was apprehensive about reading this book, as I recently lost my parent and have been struggling with my siblings since that time. So, I thought this book might hit a little too close to home. I should have trusted the author as she rarely disappoints. Her prose was magical. She painted pictures with her words, I could perfectly see not only the setting of the story, but I could clearly see all the characters in their imperfect glory. The story is mostly told from Alice's point of view; however, there is an opportunity for a point of view from each of the siblings, which I thought was genius. Having a perspective from all four, gave the story more depth and allowed the reader to empathize with each sibling, even if initially you did not feel they deserved said empathy. This was such a compelling and moving story, I know it will stay with me for a long time. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

These Summer Storms is a story about a family whose patriarch death brings 3 sister, a brother, and a mother back together to their private island off the coast of Rhode Island. Alice hasn’t been back to the island to see her in five years, ever since her father kicked her out of the family business and her extremely wealthy family in general. During a nerve racking train ride, she meets and has a one night stand with a sexy stranger, no strings of names attached. She arrives to the island, along with her siblings, to find out that her controlling father has left them all with one final task each in order to inherit billions of dollars each. The tasks are personal for each child. Also meeting Alice on the island is the sexy stranger, introduced as Jack, who was her father’s second in command in his business. Jack is there to make sure the task are executed by each remaining family member. We learn a lot about Alice and her siblings as they compete tasks, although at times these parts of the story drag and were difficult to maintain interest in the plot. Alice’s relationship with Jack continues to develop in a push and pull fashion between attraction and distrust. A few hot bedroom seems kept my attention, and had me wishing that there were a few more written in. The author ends the book with each character completing their task, learning a lot about themselves, and getting their happy ending. An over all good plot with lots of drama.

Stunning family drama. I was glued to it.
Has everything, family dysfunction, secrets
romance, mystery and drama.
Amazing storyline, outstanding characters and entertaining dialogue.
I want to read it again and recommend it.

“These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean is a a complex and intense family drama that takes place in the family’s mansion on a private island off the coast of Rhode Island. After the unexpected death of a tech billionaire patriarch, his wife and adult children are forced into playing a game in order to receive their inheritance. This game pits all the family members against each other and reveals a myriad of deceit, lies and betrayals. Most importantly they all need to play, if anyone defaults they all lose! The “game” pushes all the exquisitely flawed family members to their limits, but at the same time forces them to be honest, address their past traumas and finally face how they are going to maintain their relationships as a family.
This book is fast and fun and a bit of a voyeuristic view into the world of the rich and famous. If you are a fan of Succession and Yellowstone, or just want to read a very engaging romantic drama, I highly recommend this book to you!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I am a big fan of Sarah MacLeans regency series so I was excited to see her wading into the work of contemporary fiction. I have to hand it to her, she managed to write something that was so complex, emotional and just different from her normal work that I had to remind myself who wrote it.

That being said, the Storm family was horrible and I could not find it in me to care about them at all (except for Emily). Some of the stuff they did and said was absolutely unforgivable but by the end of the book it’s like none of that mattered and everyone’s happy. Even Alice, our MC, who had rebuffed their lifestyle was unrecognizable by the end of the book. For as heavy and emotional as this book was it got wrapped up way too pretty for me.

The only reason I’m giving this 3 stars is because the writing was impressive and I did enjoy the romantic subplot with Alice/Jack.

This book was everything I was hoping for & more!! I was excited to read this NetGalley ARC as it sounded similar to “The Inheritance Games” but with a sweeter romance and it ended up being much better.

Where “The Inheritance Games” was all riddles and mysteries to solve that went on for the entirety of the book with very minimal romantic moments, this book details the return of Alice Storm, daughter of billionaire Franklin Storm, who is recently deceased.

After being estranged for five years, Alice returns in hopes of grieving with her family but ends up with a seemingly simple task in order to unlock an inheritance she doesn’t even want. She must stay on their family island for a week. Each sibling & their mother have tasks they must complete & if even one of them doesn’t do their part then no one inherits. While Alice has gone off on her own and made a life for herself - could she take that inheritance from the rest of her family by leaving or will she stay and revisit the hardships of her youth and work through the strained relationships with her family and most importantly her late father?

These “inheritance games” of sorts are administered and judged by her dad’s number two, the one and only, Jack Dean - “the fixer”. His job over the past few years of Alice’s absence has always been to fix any and all problems that Franklin Storm faced. The question is “how much does he know about Alice and her life these past few years & is he truly here to help them or help himself?”.

In this story they go from strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers. I loved how I was able to hope for & predict elements of this book while also being pleasantly surprised with creative ideas she brought into the storyline.

These Summer Storms was such a great read. I enjoyed the theme of money can't buy happiness and the setting. This is my first Sarah MacLean book, but won't be my last.