An uber-wealthy New England family must reunite after the death of the patriarch to complete a series of dares in order to gain their inheritance. Alice Storm, the second youngest, hadn't spoken to or seen her family in five years after her father ousted her. When her father dies, she returns to the family's private island only to be swept up in games, schemes, and romance following the reading of his will.

This book has clear DNA from the show 'Succession', 'The Inheritance Game', and other sun soaked Martha's Vineyard set family dramas and therefore a lot of the secrets and plot twists are predictable. What is a surprise in the introspection, longing, and pain laid bare while the Storm family grieves a man they loved but who was also the cause of pain using his wealth and power as a weapon against them. Of course a romance crops up between Alice and her father's second-in-command, Jack Dean who is there as executor of the will. To me the romance was the weakest part of the novel. The bulk of Alice and Jack's on-page interactions are filled with opaque dialogue and their initial meeting, where he straight up lied to her, I feel was never fully resolved. The depth of emotion Alice has falling in love is nowhere as palpable as her other emotions from grief and dealing with her family so her relationship with Jack feels flat. I feel this is a symptom of how much action is packed into the week the plot is following.

This book had a bit of a slow start for me, but after the first 25% or so, it really picked up and held my interest. I ended up really enjoying it!

The story was mainly told from Alice’s POV, but had occasional chapters that gave insight into some of the other characters’ stories and experiences. I felt like this enhanced the story and made me like the characters a lot more.

I really enjoyed the last half of the book in particular. It was a quick read once I pushed through the first part of the book. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to future work from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Sarah's historical romances so I was excited to read her first contemporary and I was not disappointed. This had all the family drama that I wanted.

Alice returns to her family home on a private island to honor her father who recently passed. Alice has not spoken to her family or returned home in 5 years. The family then learns that their father set up a game for their claim to their inheritance. You quickly get sucked into this family and all their history. I was there for every twist and turn in the story. While there is a romance subplot in this story it does not take center stage to the story. It was the perfect balance of love, drama, and grief.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this one! I always love a good family drama, and doesn’t a dysfunctional family make you feel better about your own? Keeps you wanting to read to find out what happens next. And I love the cover!

These Summer Storms swept me away with its lush Rhode Island setting and intricate fascinating family drama. Alice’s mix of vulnerability and grit made her impossible not to root for. The romance and intrigue kept me hooked straight through the final page. One of my favorites from this year!

4.5 stars!!

thank you to netgalley and ballentine books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the drama in this book. iIn this we are following the Storm family as they grieve their father’s sudden death. In the wake of his death, Alice, his estranged daughter reunites with her family on Storm Island to celebrate the life and legacy of their father. Their father being an eccentric billionaire decides in order to get their inheritance they must all complete a series of tasks and if one doesn’t follow the rules, nobody gets their inheritance. Now Alice is trapped on the island with her siblings and mother, all of whom haven’t spoken to her since her father banished her from the family, for a week per her father’s last request.

This was one of those families that makes you feel better about any drama you may have in your own. The twists, turns, lies and manipulation that happens from not only their father but from other family members was a rollercoaster. I gasped so many times reading this when secrets and lies were revealed!!

I loved the growth we see from not only Alice, but her siblings and the mending of relationships that starts to happen throughout the week.

This was such a fun, twisty summer read that really shows how greed, wealth, self preservation and pride can bring out the worst in people. I highly recommend this!!

I honestly went into this book blind and thought I was getting a palate cleanser from all the thriller/mysteries I've read lately. I expected this to be a fun light summer rom com beach read. Boy was I wrong but in the best way! This is a mystery following the Storm siblings, a well-to-do family reeling after the death of the patriarch. Alice, who left the family behind to forge her own path, returns to the private island to pay her last respects. Only her father had other plans. He pits the siblings against each other in a game to receive an inheritance and Alice must survive her dysfunctional family unscathed. I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't what I was expecting but it was sharp and engaging and a very satisfying read.

I thought this was a nice book. I absolutely loved Sarah’s writing style- she has a way of pulling you in and not letting go! Her writing also seemed poetic and lyrical at times. My favorite part of the book was actually the romance subplot. I didn’t like most of the secondary characters. Even in the end, they were awful with hardly any redemption. I also struggled with the long chapters. Anytime there is 25 minutes of reading time in a chapter, it feels like forever. While those things being said, generally I enjoy the story, found it interesting and hooked early on. Would recommend!

4 Stars

This was my first book by Sarah MacLean & it was pretty good! I’m seeing a lot of mixed reviews for it and honestly I get it.

These Summer Storms follows Alice Storm who is coming home to her estranged family’s east coast island compound for her father’s funeral. She hasn’t seen her family for five years and in death her father has some inheritance games up his sleeve for Alice, her siblings & their mother.

I listened via audio and it was wonderfully narrated by queen Julia Whelan. The storyline was interesting! Mostly every character was unlikable but that was kind of the name of the game & I didn’t mind. As for the actual story I found its wrap up a little under-whelming and I struggled to get on board with the main romance. I can’t say a lot because *spoilers* but I feel like it was a bit too insta-lovey for me & I personally found some things that happened unforgivable— especially at early stages! Maybe I’m in the minority?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the ARC of These Summer Storms in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a long time fan of Sarah Maclean's historical romance novels. I was surprised when she had announced that her next book would be a contemporary fiction. "These Summer Storms" is the epitome of a beach read. The setup is "Succession"-like: a billionaire dies and the family awaits news of the inheritance, except there is a twist: each member has been given a task to complete and if one person doesn't participate then no one gets anything. Add to the family drama is a delicious forbidden romance and the return of a black sheep. Normally, I would roll my eyes at the setup and give it a pass, but this book was so addictive that I was hooked immediately. The Storms are an extremely messy family, but my opinions of the siblings evolved as I get to know their backstories and characters a bit better. I would not label this book a romance. The romance is a strong subplot, but the focus of the story is solely on family, grief, money, and forgiveness.

Many thanks to Berkley/Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fine. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish because I could not find the want to pick it up for the first 60-ish%. The ending was good, especially the last 15%, but what a drag.

4-4.5 stars. I thought the first half (maybe even the first 2/3) was slow, and I wasn’t super invested yet. But once the drama and lust kicked in, I loved it! Absolutely loved Claudia and Emily. Hated Sila. Would recommend you stick with it if you’re not loving it in the beginning, it picked up in the end.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! Lots of family drama with plenty of twists. I was invested in the story and the characters and wanted to know more. The writing is well done and kept me engaged and curious. Definitely will be recommending to other readers!

3.5/5 - This book was kind of wild. If you’re looking for rich people behaving badly, then this book is for you. I really liked Alice as our main character, but I also enjoyed that we got spotlights on some of the other family members as well. The family dynamic is so complicated and the book doesn’t shy away from that. I like how the author was able to capture the messiness of all of the relationships. There isn’t one “good guy” here—they’ve all messed up and done damage.

Honestly, what keeps this book from being a full 4 stars for me is the relationship between Jack and Alice. It’s a bit too insta-lovey for me. Their relationship got so intense so quickly and I had a hard time buying it.

One other thing I did like, was what a presence Franklin was despite his absence. I really didn’t want him to be redeemed by the end of the book—you’ll have to judge for yourself if you think that happened or not.

Overall, I thought this book was compelling and an interesting read. It really explores damaged familial relationships and what you owe to people who have mistreated you, but are now gone.

Note: I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mash Succession up with a rom com, and you’re reading this book. The drama became a bit much at times… how many bonkers things can possibly happen?! But I still enjoyed it.

Every once in a while, it is great to have a real live romance novel, with complicated protagonists, love interests, and the hurdles they must cross to be together. Add in family rivalries, enormous wealth and just for fun, a gothic mansion on an island accessible only by boat or helicopter. Altogether, the formula for a great summer read.
The Storm family is American royalty. When the patriarch dies in a spectacular accident, the four children and widow gather on the island, they think to pay their respects, but actually, to fulfill the final requirements left by their father. If any of them fail, no one inherits.
To say that these people have issues is the ultimate understatement, but they are all entertaining and have redeeming qualities. Sarah MacLean knows her craft and These Summer Storms proves it. This book was released on July 8,2025 by Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine.

A twisty "rich people behaving badly" family drama, with a touch of knives-out style gaming at play. I found some of the line level writing really well done. The characterization was also well developed, as it was very easy to truly dislike nearly all of the characters, which I believe was by design. The one "steamy" scene felt a bit trite, in my opinion, but overall this was an enjoyable read for book club.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the eArc.

2.5 rounded up for the honest relationships between the siblings. The premise of this is really interesting! The characters are hard to love, but not all the time. I did not enjoy how heavy-handed the romance was, bordering on camp. The “protect me” bits were particularly disturbing. I also felt like the author did more telling than showing, losing my interest from time to time.

Overall a fun beach read but not thought-provoking. This will sit with me for a bit but only because I will be thinking of all the ways this could have gone right but ultimately didn’t.

What an absolutely beautiful book. Sometimes with a 5 star book, I don’t always have the words to describe the way the book makes me feel. But it’s a book that puts its hooks in me, will stick with me, and keeping thinking about it for time to come. That’s this book.

This novel deals with family traumas, and loss, and complicated relationships all set amongst a complicated game of inheritance, tucked away on an island. And while the characters in this are wealthy and very much suffer from “rich people problems”, Sarah MacLean approach’s themes of loss, trauma, and complicated families in such an approachable way. Also, there’s a little romance sprinkled in which never hurts a book in my opinion.

Truly, I would love to see this as a movie or HBO drama. I kept imagining it on a screen while reading.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this!

A moody, atmospheric summer read set on a private island off the coast of Rhode Island, this story delivers on messy family dynamics and emotional storms (plus a literal one—which I loved). The concept was strong, and I enjoyed the tension between characters, though I found myself wanting more plot momentum and action, especially with the intriguing “game” hinted at in the synopsis. Jack was a standout, and as a romance reader, I definitely wanted more of him. The setting was dreamy, but flashbacks to past summers could have added depth. Overall, introspective and beautifully written, but a bit slow for my taste