When Nicole needs help, Milly is there for her, despite some issues in their friendship. While they are together, they find a way to mend the friendship, while also opening themselves up to heal from past trauma. This was a sweet story, and I was easily able to relate to the characters. I enjoyed their journey.

How much can a friendship survive? Milly and Nicole have been best friends since childhood even though their lives are now very different. Milly is a recently divorced mother of a teenage daughter. She manages a family owned, upscale resort of luxury cabins on a lake. Nicole is an award winning movie star, now engulfed by scandal and labelled a home wrecker. For an unknown reason, she has ignored Milly’s emails and texts for over a year. Now, when she needs to hide away, she has come to stay with Milly and her family. What happens next shows how a friendship is tested, how dreams change and how new relationships develop.

Other People’s Summers is a warm, comforting blanket of a book. It features strong characters, especially Milly and Nicole, an atmospheric lakeside location with hiking and riding trails and a plot that keeps you turning pages quickly. I want to read more from Sarah Morgan! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Sarah Morgan for this ARC.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC of Other People's Summers by Sarah Morgan!

Other People’s Summers is exactly the kind of book you reach for when you need something both comforting and emotionally honest. It’s a story of old wounds, complicated friendships, and the quiet power of second chances. Milly is a single mom rebuilding her life after a painful divorce, and Nicole is the childhood best friend who ghosted her when things got tough—only to show up 18 months later in full celebrity-scandal mode, asking for help. The dynamic between them is fraught and messy in the best way. Watching them work through resentment, guilt, and buried affection made for a compelling and genuinely heartfelt read.

Sarah Morgan balances multiple storylines—Milly’s role as a mother and daughter, Nicole’s messy public life and secret past, a slow-burn romance, and even a bit of generational wisdom via Nanna Peg—without it ever feeling cluttered. It’s warm, layered, and full of charm. There were a few moments where the dialogue felt a bit too long-winded, and some of the plot resolutions came a little too easily (especially Nicole's paparazzi situation), but overall it didn’t take away from the emotional payoff.

This is the first book I read by this author and I am hooked. This book was full of friendship, love, and finding your place in the world. The characters where well developed relatable. A very well told story of love and forgiveness and family that binds. A great summer read

Another Solid Sarah Morgan Book. Long time fans of Morgan know what to expect with her non-Christmas books (nearly the same thing as with her Christmas books, but generally in a more "Summery" location and without the magic of Christmas playing a role). For those new to Morgan, this is actually a solid enough representation of her style to welcome you in.

The characters are (mostly) fleshed out well enough, particularly our various female characters, and they're all flawed enough in those real world kind of ways to make them relatable to most of us to some degree or another without being so flawed as to be caricatures. The men... could probably have been better fleshed out, but meh, that can be said of most of Morgan's books. At least with Morgan you're never going to get a man shown as utterly irredeemable... even as he may not be the *best* man around. (And yes, amongst our men in this book, there is absolutely one that is... not so great, let's say... among a few that are much better.)

The conflict here is tense enough to drive the plot and provide for at least some Hallmarkie level drama without being such that anyone's pulse will really raise at all. For those looking for "spice"... not exactly Morgan's style, and this is no different This, as with most of Morgan's books (at least in my few years reading many of them now), is about as "spicy" as a warm glass of milk... even with the super hot actress and the adultery discussed herein.

One interesting thing for me in particular is that I'm currently playing Atomfall, which was released just weeks before this book, on my XBox, and both happen to be set in the same general region - the UK's Lake Country - yet tell *very* different tales. (Atomfall being an alt-history in the style of the Fallout games, but based on a real life nuclear accident in this region back in the 1950s.) So it truly was quite interesting seeing the region from such different perspectives. :)

Very much recommended.

Oh how I love Sarah Morgan's books and this book was just another in a long line of her wonderful stories. The characters in this book were so heartwarming. This book has family relationships and friendship relationships that most people would envy. It is an awesome story that once you start reading you cannot stop. This is a quick read, so pick a copy up, you will not be disappointed.

I have always enjoyed Sarah Morgan’s books. The authors books are an auto read for me as she’s such a great storyteller.

Other People’s Summers is a heartwarming story set in the UK Lake District. Milly and Nicole were as close as sisters during childhood. The two have not spoken since a falling out until Milly hears from Nicole asking for her help. Unsure what to do Milly decides to let Nicole stay at one of her rental holiday homes. Both women are struggling with personal and work challenges and need to confront their past and what drove them apart. Can time heal this once unbreakable bond between the women?

Milly and Nicole were engaging and relatable characters as well as Connie, Milly’s mother, who was retired and facing her own challenges. All the characters were great but I loved Nanna Peg! Everyone needs a Nanna Peg in their life!

This is a beautiful story of family, friendship’s and forgiveness. I look forward to recommending this heartfelt read.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Milly and Nicole are lifelong friends who are now in need of a repair in their friendship. Not so long ago, Nicole wasn't there for Milly when she really needed her and there is a lot of hurt involved. Now that Nicole needs Milly, Milly still is available and that begins their journey back to each other's lives. Lovely story of friendship and family, forgiveness and love. Nana Peg, Milly's mom Connie and her young daughter Zoe are delightful and wonderful characters in this story as well. There is romance but it's not really in the forefront...just happy endings for all!

I read/listened to the audio and thought Henrietta Meire did a wonderful job narrating!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 6 May 2025

3.5/4

Where the book lost me a little was how repetitive it got. After a while, the dialogue was repeating points we were already aware of, and that the characters had already made clear to each other. We got it. If there's not a new piece of information or feeling forthcoming than maybe this can be edited? The dialogue became stilted after the characters spoke the same version of something more than once. We understand why Nicole is guarded and so does everyone else. We understand why Millie has abandonment issues and the characters have known each other since they were children, it seems unlikely they'd have to keep speaking these points aloud every couple of chapters.

However, I loved this premise and will probably seek out more of Sarah Morgan's writing. The setting and characters felt vivid and rich, and their inner turmoil and personalities shone through.

I love a multigenerational story with strong resilient women leads and that is exactly what you will find in Other People’s Summers. A beautiful, emotional story of the bonds between mothers & daughters, lifelong friendships, found family, self-worth, personal growth, second chances, and doing the things in life that make you happy.

Sarah Morgan’s books are always heartwarming, uplifting, and have powerful messages. She has the most realistic and relatable characters, plots, and themes that will easily resonate with many readers. She writes excellent side characters as well, who add depth and laughter to the story, I loved Nana Peg and all her sassy wisdom. I enjoyed the premise of this story and loved that it was set at the family owned lake resort which gave all the summertime vibes.

I was fortunate to have both an ARC and ALC to read in tandem. I really enjoyed listening to the narrator, this was my first story narrated by Henrietta Meire. She did a fabulous job with pacing and tone which kept my attention and brought the story to life.

I will definitely be adding a physical copy of Other People’s Summers to my Sarah Morgan collection. Like many of her other books, the cover art draws you in and the story inside touches your heart.

Thank you @htpbooks, @htp_hive, @readmirabooks, @htpbooks_audio, @sarahmorganwrites, and @netgalley for the #gifted ARC & ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an ideal book for a beach read. The thing I loved most was the setting in the UK Lake District. ❤️ The characters were likable and I enjoyed seeing how their stories played out. I especially appreciated the long term friendship and their support of each other.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

I was super excited to read this book as I have enjoyed other. books by Sarah Morgan. With that being said, this book was not my favorite of hers. It wasn't bad, it just was ok in my opinion. I did enjoy the audiobook narrator though.

2.5 stars rounded up.

If Sarah Morgan writes it, I'm going to read it, and she continues to impress me with her storytelling. This is a cozy, warm, emotional book with a wonderful and engaging cast of characters that encompasses the power of forgiveness and the strength that can be found with the support of friendship and family. Will make a fantastic summer read!

Unfortunately, the plot and characters didn’t hold my attention from the get go. Objectively, this book is well written and I think this will be a great summer read for someone who is looking for a sweet story about a few generations of women. I liked the setting of the Lake District in the UK.

This is all about friendship and forgiveness. Nicole and Milly have been friends since forever but Nicole wasn't there when Milly needed her most. Milly however welcomes Nicole when she needs refuge and they find themselves exploring their lives, what might have been and what is to come. That they live very differently-Milly is a newly single mom and Nicole is an actress- sets up part of the story but it's their union that's most engaging, And the other characters are a treat. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An easy good read.

When Millie's estranged best friend and actress Nicole seeks refuge at Millie's resort, she struggles with forgiving her friend, who is holding on to a secret that may end their friendship for good. Nice story about friendship, love and family.

I’m a fairly new Sarah Morgan fan, but from my first read of hers I’ve been hooked. Her newest book, Other People’s Summers, delivered what I’ve come to expect from her reads - a perfect book getaway that balances in real life issues but still feels light and refreshing.

In Other People’s Summers we’re introduced to Milly and Nicole as our mains. Two women in their mid thirties who have been fast friends since childhood and each facing some significant upheaval in their lives.

Part of what I love about Sarah Morgan’s books is her ability to create an immersive world. Her characters and their problems all feel real and relatable - which of course helps to connect me with them and their stories. I also love that she features different povs.

Her newest story introduces us to a variety of characters, with intertwined lives - Milly, Nicole, and Connie were the main povs. As I noted the first two are long time friends in their 30s working through some things. Connie was interesting as the mother of Milly, retired and facing her own challenges.

It’s nice to see their varied perspectives as each character has different things going on and in some cases is in a different life stage. Regardless, we see that they all have relationship and life challenges to work through.

As always I enjoyed seeing their varied perspectives exploration of these challenges and how the relationships evolved and adapted. I also appreciated that it felt authentic and still somehow managed to end on a happy note - not perfect but one that leaves you content.

The setting of this book was really lovely. I wanted to go and be on this lake in these cottages with Milly and Nicole. I liked the friendship between and even though they had some rough patches they were working to have each other's backs again.
Milly is so kindhearted and really needs some support as she is going through some tough changes. Nicole is trying to get her life back together. They work together and with the people around them, to rekindle their friendship and figure out what's next.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I liked Other People's Summers by Sarah Morgan, who is one of my go to authors because her books are about relationships and can make me laugh out loud at times. Milly Beckett and Nicole Raven were joined at the hip in their small English town when they were growing up. Nicole goes on to be an international movie star and Milly settles down in her hometown with a husband & daughter. When Milly's husband divorces her for another woman, she turns to her best friend, Nicole, who ghosts her. Some time passes, and Nicole experiences a crisis and turns to Milly. She wants to come and hide out with Milly and figure out how to cope with her scandal. Milly agrees to let Nicole stay with her, but struggles with forgiving her for freezing her out in Milly's time of need. Can their friendship be reestablished? I enjoyed all the relationships explored in this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance ebook to review.

When they were school girls, Millie and Nicole had been inseparable best friends. But in adulthood, they've drifted apart. Millie helps her family run a resort in the beautiful Lake District of England, and Nicole is a famous, successful actor. Nicole's life falls apart, and she turns to Millie for help. Millie takes her in, a little bit reluctantly, because Nicole has not really been there for her. Eventually, they mend their fences and are able to help each other on to better, more fulfilling lives. Like all Sarah Morgan's books, this one is absolutely impossible to put down, as you care so much for the characters and want to see what happens to them. I look forward to recommending this title, especially to readers who enjoy books by Susan Mallery and Kristan Higgins.