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.

It’s a tale of more money more problems in this contemporary family drama. Billionaire Franklin Storms has passed away and his death has called the family back to Storm Island for the funeral and the reading of the will. For Alice Storm, this is the first time she has been back since being asked to leave the island, and the family, five years ago. As nervous as she is, she can’t help but be intrigued by the handsome stranger sitting next to her on the train. But when that same man ends up at the family compound the next morning delivering the news about the siblings’ inheritances, the drama, intrigue, and romance start to swirl.

This was a fun step into contemporary for MacLean who I am used to read historical romance from. I thought that there was just the right amount of characters to focus on but not make it too jumbled. Also, I liked having a chapter from each of the different sibling’s perspectives along the way as it helped to understand Sam, Greta, and Emily a bit more. My only gripe is the amount of descriptive language about the house and setting probably meets the needs of historical fiction lovers, but it made the first few chapters difficult for me to wade through. I’m not sure I needed quite so much information to understand how steeped in history the Storm family was. Perhaps that’s just a me problem though as I do consider myself a bit of a historian.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

God knows I wholeheartedly LOVE a family acting bad novel, so i jumped in feet first on this one. Interestingly, there was more romance than I expected (which makes sense, given Sarah MacLean's resume). The book was a lot of fun, if a little long. I definitely got the dose of Succession I was craving, and there were plenty of twists - loved the one at the end. The characters were enjoyably creative. Definitely recommend a read.

ugh another banger from miss sarah maclean!! i love her historical romances and this was no different! utterly lush with romance and atmosphere, i was literally unable to put it down and read it in one sitting (i swear by the fact that she laces her writing with the GOOD stuff). i need everyone to pick this up asap rocky!!!

Rich people behaving badly is one of my favorite sub-genres and Sarah MacLean is my absolute favorite historical romance author, so this book was a must read for me!!

Sarah's contemporary debut is just as sharp-witted and sexy as her historicals and I can't wait to read more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah MacLean & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced reader copy.

While my heart ached a bit when I heard that we had to wait another year for the finale of Hell’s Belles, Sarah MacLean’s current historical romance series, my mind was whirling with the possibilities of what she had planned for us. Now, I absolutely knew that in her capable hands readers would never be disappointed, and that is exactly what came to pass.

These Summer Storms is a complex family story, which opens with Alice, our primary narrator, as she is traveling to her family’s summer home off the coast of Rhode Island after her father has passed away unexpectedly. Alice is juggling a lot of emotions from the start. As can be expected, she is grieving while also anxious about seeing her mother and siblings to whom she has been estranged for several years. On the train, she meets a handsome stranger, who provides solace and a little bit of spice before having to face her contentious family. Did I mention that MacLean would not disappoint?!

This emotional family saga thoughtfully navigates the intricacies of sibling dynamics, parental expectations, and politics that can happen within an insular family. The Storms are a part of the 1% as tech billionaires, with privilege beyond compare. Yet, their relationships, rivalries, and emotions are all relatable, regardless of the socioeconomics.

And while all that may sound a bit serious, this is a page turner, and a fun, maybe even somewhat voyeuristic peek into the lives of the rich and famous. These Summer Storms was a fantastic read and one that I will be recommending and handselling!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah MacLean & Random House Publishing for an advanced reader copy.

Pleasantly surprised by this book and hard to believe it is the author’s first contemporary novel! A well done family drama in a picturesque setting reminiscent of Elin hildebrand! The entire time I was reading this I kept thinking how it would make a great HBO show.

I'm a big fan of Sarah MacLean's historical romances! I do love those more, but this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for this eARC.

When rich people's baggage is unfortunately more relevant to our lives than ever, what can you do but read/watch stuff about their messy but fabulous lives! Into what I'm now thinking of as the Succession-verse comes this romance about the Storms, who are gathering at their Rhode Island private island after their patriarch (a tech titan) dies. Alice, the prodigal daughter, who hasn't spoken to her family in 5 years, even comes from her (gasp!) normal Brooklyn apartment.

I liked this. This kind of family story is, of course, well-trodden ground, but there were a few surprises here. I LOVED the setting - I have a well-documented fascination with books about summer homes, and a private island is the pinnacle of that kind of setting. I could really picture this gilded age house with the tacked-on modern office. My only real issue with this book, is that some things about it felt circular or repetitive, but maybe that is just a comment on the particular whirlpool these characters inhabit.

In the end it is all WHO WILL WIN A KISS FROM DADDYYYYYYY? And I was here for it.

I was on the fence about requesting this one and it fell flat for me. I think it was just too long. I read the first couple of chapters and nothing drew me in. I skipped around and just didn’t get into anything. I think it could have been a much better story if she cut 100 pages or so. A father dies and the family gets together, including the estranged daughter. As they work through their grief, the family is able to talk about things, yell about things, and be honest about people they do and don’t like. Fitting last name though.

Read this book if you think "money buys happiness."

The Storm family reminded me of the ABC-TV drama Brothers & Sisters (I'm dating myself) Instead of Ohai, CA, Rhode Island is the picturesque setting. I pictured Alice like Calista Flockhart (Kitty), Jack as handsome Rob Lowe.....

Alice's friend Gabi was my favorite character as she felt the most real.

I rate this 4 out of 5 pints of cherry vanilla ice cream (Franklin's favorite)

These Summer Storms is SO well written. I loved every single page and the emotions Sarah MacLean is able to invoke in the reader. She never fails to deliver the perfect novel time after time after time. Highly recommend - 5 stars from me!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Being from New England I loved all the Rhode Island references. I loved the multi dimensional layers to each family member and their complex dynamics with each other. The slow burn/ build up of the romance was chef's kiss and gave all the feels. Where I feel the story fell a little flat was the mystery game contained in the will. It could have taken a bit more central role in the story and added another dimension.

However the beautiful writing, and complex characters still kept me engaged. This was my first book by Sarah and won't be my last.

Drawn back home after the untimely death of her father, Alice must navigate family dysfunction, old betrayals, and family politics. Emotionally charged, and under the watchful eye of her father's second-in-command, can the family that has been estranged for years come together?

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC!

No matter the genre, Sarah MacLean always delivers. She has once again given us everything we could want from a book.