This book was not what I was expecting in the best possible way. There was so much depth to the characters, and it was written in such a simple and charming way that had me completely immersed in the story from the moment I started reading. I truly loved the characters, Kate is incredible, Charlie is a darling, and the chemistry pours off the page. Written with a lot of heart, it was such a beautiful mature love story. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a review copy of this book. I've read several Josie Silver books and they have always contained a warm hearted approach to the story that is certainly present in this offering.

Kate has little income after her recent divorce from a cheating husband with a flawless prenup. Her daughter is grown and in Australia so Kate decides to take up the acting career she'd abandoned 20 years previously. Upon contacting her old agent she finds that his son, Charlie, a former Hollywood script writer, has taken over the agency after his death. He has a job for her though, posing as an author for a debut novel that's about to soar up the bestseller list. When they meet up, she decides to take the job despite her irritation with Charlie. A rollercoaster ride of events and feelings take place leading Kate to rediscover herself and Charlie himself as they find a new path.

The story is overall warm and gentle really with both Kate and Charlie endearing as characters and the surrounding characters show depth as well. A great cosy read.

Thank-you Net Galley for this ARC!

This was simply an all round lovely read.
I had no preconceptions and loved all the nods to the book world throughout the story.

The idea of not just having someone release a book under a different name but putting a whole other face too it added a delightful spin. I loved all the characters (apart from Richard!) and enjoyed it from start to finish!

What a great story, I loved how everyone is dealing with their own story but still brings everything together and makes it happen. This has disaster written all over it, but still, you have to understand they give it their all, at each and every turn, and bless Kate she is just trying to get through it all, and her sister made me smile every time she appeared. Kate and Charlie will sweep you up in their story and have you dreaming of the fun it would be to be a writer’s public face. There is something special about this story, and they will all keep you hooked, I adore this author and am so excited to see everything they come up with, the create great concepts and characters that you can’t help but care so deeply about.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Last year I was very impressed with A Winter in New York, so when I saw Josie Silver’s latest book on NetGalley I clicked on ‘request’ before I even read the description. If you’re not familiar with her books, put down your phone and go read them, you won’t regret it!

Slow Burn Summer is about Kate, who is having a hard time. She seemed to have a perfect life until her marriage ended, and she now lives above her sister’s shop and has to find a job soon. She used to work as an actress, so she decides to write a letter to her former agent hoping he has a job for her. Her former employer however has since passed away and his son is now in charge. He definitely has a job for her: pretending to be the author of the most beautiful and saddest love story she’s ever read. The author never wrote a romantic novel before and for personal reasons doesn’t want to publish the book under his or her name. Kate used to want to be a writer, so she seizes this opportunity with both hands. Pretending to be an author, what an amazing job and what could possibly go wrong?……

What a great story, you alternate between wiping away a few tears and laughing out loud the whole time. The story is so well put together, and because you get to know Kate very well, you truly empathize with her. The T-Rex scene was just hilarious, I could totally picture it (you really have to read it yourself, trust me). The characters in the book are incredibly diverse, and make the book a joy to read. I especially loved badass sister Liv and the soccer team that appears again later in the story. You also get an insight into the publishing and author’s business, and you’ll realize how harsh some comments from readers can be while an author puts his heart and soul into his or her work. At the end there was a revelation I didn't see coming, which made it clear to me once again that Josie Silver knows how to write a good story. Highly recommended, and on June 5th you can read this book yourself!

I was immediately drawn to Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver because the cover is just so colorful and beautiful—totally eye-catching! As someone who loves books about authors, I couldn’t resist picking it up, especially with how the plot hinted at a unique mix of humor, romance, and self-discovery. It gave me Emily Henry vibes, so I was expecting something heartwarming, and let me tell you, this book didn’t disappoint!

Kate’s journey of reinvention after a tough divorce had me hooked from the start. Her quirky new gig of posing as an author is one of those plots you can’t help but get invested in. The chemistry between her and Charlie was sweet, and their slow-burn romance really hit the spot for me—without dragging out too long. I loved the characters, especially Liv, who added such a strong, emotional layer to the story. The author’s ability to mix humor, heart, and some delightful twists made it an incredibly fun read.

It wasn’t all perfect—there were some predictable moments and a few things that felt a little off—but honestly, I was here for the emotional payoff and couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end. It’s the perfect balance of romance, self-growth, and laugh-out-loud moments. Definitely worth the read!

I read Slow Burn Summer whilst lying on a sunbed in Goa and it was the perfect holiday read. Just the right mix of relateable characters to picque one's interest but of course far too physically perfect for this reader to be able to totally relate which is par for the course. The unusual and interesting plot line kept me interested through to the end and the loving relationship between the sisters was an absolute joy. Totally recommend.

A Slow Burn read

I have read all of Josie Silver’s previous books and loved them. I was really looking forward to Slow Burn Summer. I liked the story line, but felt the chemistry fell a little short between Kate and Charlie.

I loved the characters of Kate, H, Charlie and especially Liv. It was so great to see a beautiful, strong sisterly relationship and Liv was the stand out character for me.

The plot felt a bit predictable and there were no real plot twists, I still really enjoyed the books and I look forward to reading more Josie Silver books in the future.

Many thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for this ARC.

Kate is recently separated from her husband and trying to find her feet after a long marriage. Her daughter is at uni and Kate has moved into a flat above her sister’s shop. Kate was as actor and so contacts her old agent and as a result finds herself embroiled in a situation where she is acting as the author of what is bound to be an extremely popular romantic novel. The agent from the past has died and his son, Charlie, has taken over and Kate and Charlie become close but trouble nearly destroys Kate when the truth about her role in the book is discovered. Most of the story is taken up with the fall out of this discovery with Kate trying to deal with it and protect her family. I have been a fan of Josie Silver for a while and her books are easy to follow with likeable characters. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

I truly believe that Josie Silver can do no wrong. I adore a slow burn romance, but not too slow that it's infuriating (if you know what I mean). This was the perfect balance. Adorable!!

I fell in love with this book in the first few pages and couldn’t put it down. The characters were so vivid I felt as if I knew them and there were enough twists and turns to keep up the tension. A perfect read for a duvet day!

Another brilliant read from Josie Silver.
Slow Burn Summer is a fun, pool or beachside read perfect for summer holidays.
4 stars.

This book had a fun premise - a broke, divorced 40-year-old former actress who quit to marry and have a kid young lands an unusual acting role: pretend she's the author of a new romance novel on behalf of the real author who wants nothing to do with it.

I really enjoyed Kate's journey as she learns to regain her confidence, her relationship with her fiercely loyal and sharp sister Liv and the lovely simmering chemistry with Charlie. Kate was also such a compelling character to root for, she’s fun, caring and upbeat. Unfortunately, this book was marred by weak plot development, and a number of illogical and half-baked threads that felt like it was an early draft.

Kate signed an NDA so why was she blathering to her family (especially by text message and email!)? And why wasn't she telling Charlie she needed to tell them so he could organise for them to sign one too. Many things involving her daughter and ex-husband were set up but then left unresolved, such as her daughter basically siding with her dad, and not contacting her (Kate also let her off way too easily when she caused chaos for Kate).

Kate goes to 'steal' her manuscripts back, it doesn't really go anywhere, like enrol in a class or join a writers group or anything to show us she was looking towards her future. The epilogue just felt like she didnt really earn it because we're only told she was decent from her sister. And given she was a promising actress, why didn't her journey involve getting back into real acting roles (like perhaps play the lead in Charlie's screenplay)?

The part that really pissed me off was the unplanned pregnancy storyline with a secondary character. The second she fainted I though 'oh ffs please don't go there'. And sure enough the author did. And, given the character was 42 with two teenagers, why is abortion not considered an option? Instead she's just shocked but accepts it. COME ON its 2025 when reproductive rights are being taken away! If you wish to introduce this really dumb plot development, at least do something different with it!

The romance also felt like a super slow spark-burn then 'I love you' was way too quick given their time together getting to know each other was sparse.

Despite all of this, it's such an easy read and I finished it in one sitting. I still recommend it for just low-key fun London vibes. You just might need to suspend your disbelief a bit.

Thanks to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

Josie Silver is always a treat to pick up!
This was definitely a slow burn as the title suggested and I think it portrayed beautifully. I feel some of the letters were quite long and maybe could have been trimmed down (but that is my only nitpick!)

While this was nothing like the romance novels I normally read, I loved every minute of it. The character growth, the heart, the relatability. This book had me laughing out loud in many parts, and then crying at the end, while still having a HEA that I absolutely needed after the roller coaster of emotions I experienced while reading. Kate was a lovely protagonist with a very relatable but sad past, Charlie was a sweetheart, and there’s nothing I want more than to give H a hug. I also loved the acknowledgment of the book community and how crazy we can be 😉
I don’t generally read the synopsis of most books, and if I’m being honest the cover and title didn’t come close to hinting what this book is actually like, but I’m glad, because I’m not sure I would’ve read it if it had been, which would have been a damned shame.

4.5🌟

Josie Silver has done it again!
From start to finish this book was an absolute joy to read! Loved it!

I knew that when I saw this and who wrote it, this would be a good read. I have been a huge Josie Silver fan from the very beginning.

This story follows Kate, the 40 something, newly divorced woman who is trying to find her way again after her daughter goes to uni. She walks in to the talent agency that she was with as a kid and meets Charlie, the son of the guy who owned the agency back in the day. She takes on a job pretending to be an author and marketing a book and then chaos ensues.

I truly loved this book and I loved all the little nods to the book world. This story is genuinely unique and one of a kind. The story had all the feels, it had laughs, it had swoons, there were some deep topics and I think it really highlighted the book world in a good way.

I have to say the star of the show, in my opinion, was Liv. She just made me laugh every time she was on the page. I truly loved her sarcasm, dry sense of humour and her protectiveness of Kate. All of the characters were totally relatable though and even the ones who were horrible were well written.

I truly loved this book and the fact that it was so unique and so different and I loved the little nods to the book world and the world of publishing. If I was being a bit picky then it did kind of end a bit abruptly but if you want a read that is fun, sweet, but uniquely different then I would definitely advise that you run and pick this up. I will be advising all my friends to pick this up as their beach read for this summer.

Kate is hired by a talent agency to pretend she's written a new romance novel, sure to be a bestseller, so that the actual author (who doesn't want to reveal themselves) can remain anonymous. Oh, and her new agent is the handsome Charlie.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book places itself slap bang in the middle of my Josie Silver book ranking. It was a fun read, if a bit too surface level for my liking. There wasn't anything too special about Kate and Charlie as a pairing. Mostly it was just fine.

What I did love? The cute friendship between Kate and said anonymous author. More of that please. And the cute little pink cottage setting in Cornwall, because pink.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. I enjoyed this book, it made me cry. Would re-read, 4/5.