this is the first MacLean book I've read, and it was very entertaining. however, it felt like an uneven combination of a bunch of current trendy tropes in fiction: rich family on a private island, inheritance game, forbidden romance tied up with daddy issues. the mystery was entertaining but the story overall made me feel sad, because of how dysfunctional and unhappy the family is. it felt partially resolved at the end, but i found it hard to root for any of them, and i found the central romance and its connections to her dad off-putting. in some books, the sadness/unlikability of the characters is part of the social critique, but it didnt feel like that here - it just felt like milquetoast social commentary, in the body of albeit engaging storytelling.

Fans of Laura Dave, Claire Lombardo, or anyone in between will love Sarah MacLean's new book These Summer Storms. It's a mix of family drama, personal crisis, situational intrigue, and a satisfying dose of steamy romance on the side. There are themes of coming of age, coping with and accepting family, and learning lessons the hard way. Everything this book does, it does well. I didn't even wait to finish it before I pre-ordered a first edition copy for my home library. It's so good.

The premise is the billionaire patriarch of the Storm family dies, so his family gathers on their private island in New England for the reading of the will, including his daughter Alice, who has been estranged from the family for five years. Turns out the manipulative old man left stipulations for each person - a task that must be completed within a week - before they can inherit. Oh, and if one of them fails, no one gets any money.

I suppose this is a common story. Someone dies, and the wake of that event sends dramatic or mysterious ripples out disrupting everything that surrounds them. I've read several books with this specific situation even this year. So what makes These Summer Storms great, a cut above the rest? For me? Writing is first (always), and then the mix of plot and character that just turn this into something intriguing and exciting to read.

Right away I was hooked by a scene between Alice and a dark handsome stranger at the train station, caught in the rain. The depth of character already explored in those early chapters made it impossible to stop reading.

The Storm family is a complicated one, made even more complicated by the enormous amount of money involved. Add the father's right-hand-man to the mix of this week-long...adventure, and even more tension ratchets up. I was just so impressed by the structure of the book as a whole and so many scenes that were unique and seducing and complex and just plain interesting. I couldn't put the dang thing down.

I will certainly be reading this book again (maybe starting today *blushes*), and I'll be sure to recommend it to all of my readerly friends asking about my recent great reads. I have no doubt this will end up being one of my best books of the year in 2025. AND the audiobook is being read by our queen Julia Whelan. Just mark me down as this book's number one fan already. Release day cannot come soon enough!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

After years of exile from her wealthy family, Alice returns home for her father's funeral. Enroute to the family she encounters a stranger who is tangled in her family web. The inheritance is at stake for the family. Story is full of trust issues, pettiness, greed and more. Can they all unite and become a family again no matter the cost? Some nice twists are in the mix of all this. Thank you Randomn House Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an exchange of an honest review. This story really grabbed me!

I was in the mood for something frothy and summer-y right around the time THESE SUMMER STORMS landed in my inbox. The story follows Alice, who returns to her family’s private island to mourn the death of her billionaire father after five years of estrangement. Family secrets and drama abound, and there’s also a romance subplot with her father’s right-hand man.

This was soapy and escapist, with some plot turns I didn’t see coming. Overall, though, it felt repetitive and dragged out, with the same questions and dynamics laid out many times. The romance (including a few 🔥 scenes) felt kind of jarring interspersed with the family drama, and there were a few elements of the story that strained credulity or felt cheesy.

I’m sad to report that this wasn’t a winner for me, but I may definitely be an outlier (it currently has a 4.38 StoryGraph rating), so don’t let me hold you back if the premise intrigues you!

Thank you @ballantinebooks @netgalley for the ARC. Pub day is 7/8/25.

Maclean writes the hottest new book for summer! I’ve been a huge Sarah Maclean fan for years and have read all of her historical romances so I was not sure what to expect with this book but damn, it did not disappoint!! Her writing is so visceral in this novel that I found myself transported on to Storm Island and having such a clear picture of who each of these characters were. Her contemporary dialogue and references were so fresh and fun. Staying true to her roots we did get a classic Maclean hero who is broody, mysterious, and sexy AF who goes around punching people who threaten the heroine. Although this is not specifically a romance, it’s not not a romance either. She is a romance author at her core. Readers who want some steam will love it.

Four siblings are reeling after their tech billionaire and visionary father unexpectedly dies in a daredevil gliding accident. They are now all back in the family’s private island and in order to gain their inheritance they are forced to complete a series of unpleasant tasks specific to each of them in order to get it, and if one of them fails, they all fail. The main protagonist Alice, has been estranged for the past 5 years and on her way there she has a one night stand with a mysterious stranger she meets on the train. Turns out he’s her father’s second in command and he’s the one in charge of judging the inheritance games. Their chemistry is undeniable and certainly complicates matters. As secrets are revealed and the family is forced to face some ugly truths but through the crazy inheritance game they all come together as a family and find closure. If you want to read something that has the vibes of a romance novel meets succession meets a Ralph Lauren catalog, I highly recommend These Summer Storms!!

This is so well done. Man if you want a family that makes you feel better about yours this is your book. This pulled me in from the first pages and kept me reading and interested. This is not my normal read but I enjoyed it. The romance was there are very much a big part but I was so interested in everything else that was going on too! Gosh these people and there lies. The amount of manipulation was crazy. I hope I would have had her courage and strength. The writing tho, the sentences that told you so much but so little. The descriptions, the conversations. You felt like you were in on this family, you felt apart of the tension, you got the small side looks. This was just fascinating to read , I could not believe the end. All that build up!
This is an adult book. There is drinking and swearing. Plenty of F bombs. There is a little bit of drug use. Same sex couples are part of this if that's not your thing you would lose out of this awesome book. There is a couple of sex scenes,

4.5 stars

Sarah MacLean proves, once again, that she “knows the job” in her brilliant contemporary fiction debut, These Summer Storms.

This story encompasses generational wealth, familial trauma and strife, and complicated love stories. It’s like if Succession had some characters worth rooting for, in spite of their flaws. MacLean adeptly tells the story mostly through the lens of prodigal daughter, Alice, but intersperses her narrative with perspectives from each of her siblings via third-person POV.

And, if wouldn’t be a MacLean story without a handsome, broody man who knows how to… well, if you know, you know. The chemistry between Alice and Jack is incendiary, and also makes their lives infinitely more complicated as the novel progresses. Which feels right and true in the tangled web that the Storms have woven. While this is not a romance, it pleases me to no end that MacLean still provides readers with a solid romantic B-plot and doesn’t shy away from her signature steam.

I also thought the specter of the Storm patriarch throughout was a compelling, non-corporeal character. The way that Alice’s father has shaped each of the characters’ lives is fascinating to dissect and explore.

While I want more romance from Ms. MacLean, I also wouldn’t mind more of this, either. Mark my words, These Summer Storms is going to be on all of the best-of lists for the year.

I was immediately drawn to the title of this book as my last name is also Storm. A wealthy family, estranged, a plot to rival the Inheritance games. It took awhile to warm up to the characters. Stubborn Alice, loyal Greta, pig headed Sam, and dreamer Emily- the Storm siblings. Not to mention mother Elizabeth, cold as the night. Add in a few significant others, a “fixer” and some children isolated on a private island and you’ve got a recipe for family intrigue, sibling rivalry and lots of secrets.

Sarah Maclean is one of my top auto by historical romance authors, and I was delighted to check out her first contemporary romance. For those who are fans of her historical, this book, definitely put the romance more on the back burner. Instead of a contemporary romance, I felt this was more of a woman’s fiction novel with that being said the drama of this family was intense the world that Sarah McLean created and had us experience was so thought out it felt like I was watching an HBO’s drama series. The storm family patriarch has died and his family is coming together for the funeral -unfortunately for Alice she hasn’t been home in five years after a falling out with her father. Finding out that he passed, she rushes home with a small detour along the way that ends up complicating the entire situation back home even more.
I felt like the characters were pretentious and slightly despicable due to how their parents raise them and I think that was exactly the point. You don’t love these characters, but you do hope to see some growth and we get some by the end. I was hoping for more enrollments Bromance, but the trauma consumed me and I couldn’t put the book down. I hope Sarah McLean definitely writes more in the contemporary world in the future.

Compelling from the first chapter. All sorts of intriguing plot points with questionable endings that keep you reading. How can this possibly end? It won't be good.
I recommend it as a great summer read, but it does need editing before publishing date, and I know that's still going on. Good heavens, why does passive voice exist? My grammar lessons of yore keep me from enjoying so many great stories because of the existence of passive voice., lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

Add this one to your beach bag this summer. I loved it. It reminded me a tad of Inheritance Games with an Elin Hilderbrand twist. I loved Jack and Alice, Jack Dean is a top 10 book boyfriend!

What a great full length contemporary debut this is! I was literally hooked in the first chapter and blew through it in less than 2 days. Which is saying something, since I don’t do that a lot anymore. This gave classic Sarah Mac buttery prose, with just the right amount of vintage vibes mixed in with the contemporary setting, with some clever Easter eggy nods to the historical MacLeaniverse. It’s like listening to the part of folklore where a mad woman has a marvelous time ruining the last great American dynasty. It was like watching an episode of Revenge and The Morning Show and reading an old Sandra Brown book while listening to Taylor Swift, in the best possible way. I haven’t watched Succession, which served as a bit of a comp for this, but I sure am going to now.

And all of this with romance. I was in paradise. Just like Storm island. Unlike the Storm siblings however, who are singularly not happy with the proceedings. Following a tragedy, the Storm family is back under one roof, to mourn their father’s passing/celebrate his life? Even the black sheep, Alice, to everyone’s shock. But the family that grieves together, does not necessarily stay together, since this one is expected to complete some tasks (sent straight from the afterlife) before they can get what they want. Will this bring them closer together, or will it destroy what’s left of them? What follows is a series of distasteful and sometimes, baffling directives from their dead parent, having his fun from beyond the grave. Billionaires gonna billionaire, am I right?

Anyway, as you’d expect, this family is messy and shady and very very dysfunctional. But at the end of the day, they’re still family, which means moments of smiles and laughter and pranks and fights and deep sorrow melting into a week long emotional extravaganza. For a family that (mostly) hates emotion, it’s a doozy. We watch them navigate this fraught week primarily through Alice’s eyes, and it’s funny and sad and heartbreaking at times. Alice does have a bit of a poor little rich girl syndrome, but the people in her life don’t hesitate to call her out on it, while also respecting her perspective (some of them), which is what makes her character sympathetic.

Also steamy, because we have Mr. Big Brooding and Mysterious ™️ to oversee the proceedings and weather the Storms, so to speak. And Alice has no choice but to be caught in his spell. The romance is quippy and tension-y and in classic MacLean style, involves a man who would throw punches and fell empires to keep his partner safe and loved. It’s quite a feat to ensure the romance is as rich and satisfying as the family shenanigans but the author does it with aplomb.

If Sarah Mac is going to do anything, she’s going to pay tribute to her historical roots and she does so often in this book. This story is in the vein of old school family sagas full of dirty secrets and earth shattering revelations, with a very current twist. MacLean easily balances historical anecdotes with cutting commentary on the billionaire class and capitalism. Their cruelty and whimsy and eccentricities. And as exciting and interesting the fantasy is, it makes me wish the real life billionaires were also just playing silly (and okay, a lil mean) games with their families rather than destroying millions of others on a whim. Yet another way that fiction is superior to reality.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

These Summer Storms had a lot of potential. I really enjoyed the romance between Alice and Jack… those scenes were the highlight for me. The chaotic, unhinged family dynamics were fun in theory and gave Inheritance Games meets Succession vibes, but for some reason, those parts didn’t fully grab my attention. I wanted more depth or tension in those interactions to match the drama the premise promised. Overall, a decent read with some standout moments but didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

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!