dnfed at 30% This was disappointing as I was hoping that it be an opportunity to delve into a new author but I just couldn't find the correct grove with it.

Slow Burn Summer, the perfect title for Silver’s latest offering, is my go-to author when I need something refreshing, new or different from typical romance tropes. For me, her forte is undoubtedly Brit tongue-in-the-cheek deadpans; sassy comebacks woven into that ‘what could happen next.’ I read this page-turner in one sitting and had no wish for it to end. And what an ending it was! It’s been a long while since I’ve read such a surprisingly original epilogue.

Kate Elliott, who got the raw end of a marriage deal, is so easy to like–of course, I couldn’t say the same about her ex. Yet she’s determined to find her way back. With the help of her older and super-protective sister, I truly loved Liv’s fierce, no-nonsense awesomeness; she has a roof over her head. Kate’s acting career came to a sharp end years back–guess why; however, an opportunity arises to step into a no-named author’s book promo role in a highly discreet manner.

I wasn’t the only one rooting for Kate while she navigated her self-doubts, book signing hurdles and nerve-racking interviews. Not only is her gorgeous agent, divorcee Charlie Francisco, trying to fill his father’s footsteps while supporting her every step of the way, but his cleverly construed backstory is only divulged in a moment when the author chose to make it emotionally moving. Silver fed Fiona’s persona, his business associate with a long spoon, yet I didn’t dislike the cutthroat businesswoman in her either! Yes, the character development, innovative storytelling and setting are beyond par.

I couldn’t wait to find out who the mysterious author of the love story of a lifetime was. Don’t we all enjoy that exciting undertone of suspense? Well, messages to Kate showed me they had every reason not to reveal their true identity; we see ‘H’ in an outrageous fancy dress, we meet guys and gals in a build up to a ‘trifling’ fight–laugh out loud isn’t in it and more importantly, for me anyway, was observing Kate come into her own. It’s like one story inside another with humour, heated moments, slow-burning passion and a wonderful family I’d want as my own.

I saw myself as a reader/reviewer through Kate’s eyes. Once a book goes out to the world, our comments on social platforms can impact its success. Silver brought home how accolades and criticism are received; how promo can overwhelm, let alone for a newbie. One of the twists in the story floored me, it happens in real life, especially when someone you thought trustworthy isn’t. And I’m leaving it at that, future readers. Give this beach read a go; you won’t regret reading what Silver has put to paper so magnificently. Bravo!

Much gratitude to Penguin General UK and Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thankyou netgalley for providing the arc!

Unfortunately this book was not it for me, i found the pacing to be slightly chaotic and couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. I had high hopes for this one but it just missed the mark for me, i did however really enjoy following the author and publishing journey and seeing how that played out.
But overall this book is 2 stars for me.

I do love a read where the characters are closer in age to me - a little more seasoned, might say. While the romance was not always the main focus of this story, I still rather enjoyed it. Watching Kate navigate life and rediscover herself in the process was great. It was funny, and well-written - as one would expect from Josie Silver.

Thank you Penguin General and NetGalley for letting me read an eARC of this book 🫶

I have read two books by Josie Silver before and liked both of those very much so I had quite high expectations when I started to read this book. I'm happy to say that my reading experience was as good as I was hoping for 😍

This one was lovely contemporary novel with some romance and comedy. I loved the characters very much and also story itself was interesting and it kept me turning pages pretty fast 🤭

Thank you Josie Silver, Penguin UK & NetGalley for providing this ARC to review.

Slow Burn Summer is centered around Kate (a recent divorcee), who is seeking an acting job with her old Agency. Her previous talent agent Jojo has passed away and his son Charlie has taken over his position. She is offered a contract by Charlie, to play the part of 'Author' for a book she didn't write - helping keep the real Author's identity a secret. Kate instantly falls in love with the romance novel and agrees to the role.
What could possibly go wrong when you're pretending to be someone else?

I adored this book and what was such a unique story. Love is at the heart of this, but I wouldn't say this is a romance novel. There are so many amazing characters, funny moments, tension, sadness and other mini storylines woven through the pages, I felt captivated by it as a whole. My only gripe is that I could not get enough of the C&K moments, they felt like crack and I was always impatiently waiting for the next fleeting moment - I loved their chemistry.

Put this on your tbr list for a cozy winter read - curled up with a blanket & a glass of wine.

I enjoyed this. I wasn't wowed by any means but it was a nice story.
While I didnt have much feelings towards a romantic relationship between them. This is likely due to it feeling like the side plot. A forgotten one at times.
I did enjoy the other part of the story.

The characters in this book are older than in books I typically read - I’m a sports college romance girlie normally, however I liked it as a cute rom com with slow burn
Thank you net galley for gifting me this arc.

Thank you to penguin and net galley for the arc!

I enjoyed this book as it was a lighthearted rom com that was quick to read and the characters were enjoyable and relatable.
The romance lacked a bit of chemistry for me but I enjoyed their banter!

This is the first book I have read by this author. Unfortunately I was disappointed, did not really like the characters or the style of writing and I am therefore not in a hurry to read another.

This was a more lighthearted romcom than the pull on the heartstrings book that this author usually writes and I enjoyed reading it, especially the strong female character Kate, who is the protagonist in this story.

A well known author has written the heartbreaking account of his life and the love and loss of his wife. Being a thriller writer he does not want to publish this as a book but his agent believes otherwise. Enter Kate, divorced ex soap actress who is looking to return to an acting career whose letter arrives at the agency just as they are looking for a ghost writer to pose as the author of the novel. The events which unfold are the story of what happens when what is essentially a lie enters the world and the repercussions of this being found out.

As a character Kate makes this book and although I didn’t really love her relationship with agent Charlie, I found her voice to be really engaging and at times both laugh out loud funny and devastatingly tragic. It is a well scripted novel and one that I would recommend to others, especially if they enjoy a strong female role model lead and some good background characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another lovely read from Josie Silver.

As a very enthusiastic slow burn lover, I went into this book hoping that it would live up to its title and unsurprisingly, it did! The chemistry between Kate and Charlie felt incredibly natural and realistic, and I loved that despite being unable to cross certain lines for so long, Charlie continued to show up for Kate time and time again. They deserved to find peace and happiness in one another.

Josie also did a beautiful job at portraying the relationship between Kate and her sister, Liv. Seeing how fiercely Liv protected Kate and how that fire bled into Kate's bone, helping her to be brave, was so sweet to witness. I don't have a sister, but if I did, I'd want to have a relationship like these two.

I can't forget to mention Kate as a character. She was a wonderful FMC and I love that she consistently wore her heart on her sleeve. It made her brave, even in the quiet moments, and I wish I could have that same courage.

Thank you so much to Penguin UK for sending me the e-ARC through NetGalley. I appreciate it❤️

This is a lighthearted, humorous story about Kate, who divorces her cheating husband. Hoping to resume her previous career she writes to her old agent JoJo.
JoJo has been replaced by his son Charlie, and he offers her the chance to pretend she is the author of a new book to be published, the original author wishing to remain anonymous. Kate agrees to take on the job, with amusing unexpected consequences.
An original plot, the characters make the story come alive. I enjoyed the friendship between Kate and Liv, her amusing sister. Charlie is supportive and helpful, and romance begins to sizzle between them.
This is an engaging story with characters you can empathise with, and laugh out loud dialogue, though there is a dark side. An intriguing story with great characters.

Whilst the characters have depth I just didn’t connect with them and it ruined the story for me 😭 this is my first book from this author so I’m not sure if I’d read any of her other books!

REVIEW
cw: mentions of adultery, bereavement, grief

When a once-in-a-lifetime romance manuscript lands on talent agent Charlie Francisco's desk, he has one major problem: the author wants nothing to do with its publication. So he needs to find someone to “play” author on its summer book tour.
Divorcee Kate Elliott, a former soap actress is perfect for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication, with one caveat: she can’t ever know who really wrote a story so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.
As Charlie and Kate’s working relationship grows closer, and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?

This was a very easy, enjoyable read, with an entertaining plot. I loved the twist on using an actress to play the role of the author, instead of it being the other way around.
Kate was immediately likable. I loved her fallibility, as well as her relationship with her sister, Liv. They were hilarious together. I also loved her emails with 'H', the actual writer of the book. Kate's reaction to her author bio made me laugh, and there were some truly hilarious scenes, but one of my favourites was the race to the radio station, including the train ride down.
I liked Charlie. He was an MMC with the best of intentions, but his execution was sometimes lacking. While I liked his connection with Kate, I wasn't a fan of his disappearing acts though. Still, my heart ached for him when Kate inadvertently hurt him by questioning whether he actually wrote his own material in LA.
The romance was definitely not the main focus for the first half of the story, and honestly? That was fine, as there were still lots of amusing things going on. I do think that when it came, it could have been a little better developed, because, given the title, I was expecting more slow-BURN, and definitely some full-on mutual pining. Still, when it did finally surface, Kate and Charlie were adorable together, and I loved their time at the festival and in Henley. However, I was SO frustrated with Charlie after Henley. His complex relationship with his late-father, Jojo, was moving, and well-written, but I wish we'd have had more of Charlie’s POV. I don’t need 50/50 in a dual POV book, but in this case Charlie’s character would have benefited from having more opportunities to develop his on-page feelings for Kate, in my opinion, so that the reader could really root for him as well as Kate. I also think they would have helped the reader better understand his disappearances, so he appeared less blasé. Still, they were cute together whenever they both let their guard down.
I did love some of the supporting characters, but especially Liv. She was wonderful, and I LOVED how supportive she was of her sister, as well as her sense of humour. I also ADORED the gift she gave Kate before the book festival. As for the trifle incident? Well, I cackled laughing. That said, I hated how she and her family were treated in the aftermath, but her husband was also a sweetheart.
Kate's ex husband, Richard, was awful, and I hated his superior attitude. As for his 'comment'? Well, I think I was just as angry as Kate! I didn’t like Fiona at all early on, as she was so abrasive. But the entire dinosaur situation was hilarious, and I grudgingly came to respect her towards the end, even if I didn't particularly like her approach. The final chaper with Charlie, and the 'deleted scene' made me realise that behind the business-like hard exterior, she was actually a much more complex person. 'H' was an absolute sweetheart, and I really felt for them when we discovered the true story behind the book, and how much they adored their late-partner.
The final third slowly pulled the fake-author storyline and the romance together. I really felt for Kate when she was looking after her sister's shop, and still dealing with the fallout. But I LOVED how Yushu helped her out. Meanwhile, chapter fifty-one left me whooping and cheering. The final couple of chapters were perfect, and I LOVED the tie twist. Meanwhile, the epilogue was very sweet.
While I still feel that the romance was secondary, there was lots to love about this story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥.5

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Slow Burn Summer is published on 17th July the UK*

Favourite Quotes:

‘You said “Goodnight, Darrowby”,’ she whispered. ‘I wanted you to call me Kate.’ He lifted the edge of his blanket. ‘Come here.’ She climbed up and he settled the blanket over them.

‘I wrote the scripts,’ he said, so quietly she wasn’t sure if she was dreaming as she fell beneath heavy layers of sleep. ‘I’m pretty used to ignoring whatever people say about me, but not that.’
'I believe you,’ she breathed.

‘You want my world-renowned author to dress up as a dinosaur?’
‘No, you want your world-renowned author to dress up as a dinosaur,’ Liv corrected. ‘This is your sh*t show, not mine.’

‘I need a drink, he said, sudden and loud. ‘A f***king big one.’ He swung around and stomped out into the sunny afternoon towards his low black car, too intent on escape to consider the fact he was still dressed as a T-Rex.

‘I don’t want you to wonder if I’m a decent man.’

‘I think you should write the next line.’
He thought about it before he spoke again. ‘I’d write that in the ordinary run of things he’d like to take her dancing and see a movie and buy her flowers, but that isn’t how their story goes. They only have this one deleted scene, so they pretend they’ve already done all of those things and skip to the part where he kisses her breathless and asks her to spend the night in his bed.’

‘She wrote that it felt as if they’d danced, and been to the movies, and he’d given her all of the flowers,’ she whispered.

She’d felt bolstered by the thought that, however bad things got, they were in it together. She didn’t feel that way any more, because the reality was that however much the book had taken over her life, it hadn’t taken over Charlie’s.

She remembered one of the early meetings at the publishing house, when they’d likened the spread of the book to a tidal wave. No one had thought to mention that she might actually drown.

I hope you can find some humour in the situation, Kate, you seem to be someone who likes to laugh. You share that in common with my late wife. I think you would have liked her very much. Everyone did.

How had agreeing to represent H’s beautiful book led to her sitting alone on the cold shop floor, scared of her own shadow? She’d spent the last year and a bit scraping herself up after the divorce, and just when she’d thought she was finally getting somewhere, life had gone completely off the rails again.

'I’d come through a horrible divorce and lost any faith in love, and reading that fragile, lion-hearted love story made me believe again. I felt the power of the words actually superglue my heart back together.’

He wasn’t sure if he’d imagined the lingering trace of Jojo’s scent as he’d pulled it over himself, and he’d closed his eyes and allowed the rug and the car to feel like his father’s arms around him. What he wouldn’t give.

‘Maybe he thought he was making a grand gesture?’ someone suggested.
‘I’d have preferred a book token,’ Claire said, making everyone laugh.

‘I love you,’ she said. ‘With every single beat of my fragile, messy heart.’

'You make things happen, Kate, you’re a beautiful, chaotic magnet holding everything together.’

‘I want to be part of your story.’
'You’re my whole book, Charlie.’

She looked at him, really looked at him, and she didn’t say how exhausted he looked, or how truly broken her heart was for him that Eleanor died, or how she was painfully aware that eighteen months is both a long time and a blink of an eye to get over losing the love of your life. His disordered home was a reflection of what was going on behind his eyes, of his solitary descent into quiet chaos.

The story is well written but there are some problematic parts.

Firstly, from the title, the colour palette and general feeling I believed this book was going to be a cute and cuddly summer romance. In reality, the romance is non-existent. I didn't feel any chemistry between the two main characters, they start a relationship yes, but it's nothing heart-wrenching or extremely yearning. I found it quite anti-climatic actually.

Secondly, while there is a deep understanding of the publishing system, there isn't of the marketing department. No professional would ever decide to take up this job! It's a nightmare waiting to happen!! But let's believe for the sake of the story that somebody was desperate enough to do it. The fact that they didn't plan for the discovery of their deception is very unprofessional! In every marketing course, they teach you to plan for the worst-case scenario! The fact that they didn't here, it's very irritating and very unprofessional. Also, let me tell you: the idea that all publicity is good publicity is very outdated and again shows that the person is not a professional. Bad press can seriously hurt, as we can see in this book, because everything remains online. if something this bad is not controlled, it could mean the end of not only the person but the publishing house, too!
Just a real-life tip: if you find yourself in a shitstorm NEVER EVER EVER leave it to fester! You need to be on that ASAP!!!! It can only grow!!!! And if you don't control the narrative, it's the end.
Again I reiterate: in this situation, the shitstorm was very predictable and a plan for that situation should have been the top priority for the team!

Thirdly, what transpired from the story is that the publishing house - Fiona, Charlie and in a way even H took advantage of Kate!! She just wanted to get back in the market after a bad divorce and was given an impossible task! If Charlie was a good man, he would have never given her the job in the first place! That's also one of the reasons why I don't like his character or the fact that he end up together with Kate. He's actually one of the villain of the story 😂 and not in a good way 😘

To sum up: the story is okay, well-written and not the usual publisher-author story, but there is room for improvement.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I've read and loved a few of Josie's books and this one did not disappoint. The characters (even the not so warm ones).all have depth and as the reader you feel like you really get to know them. I instantly liked Kate and of course you want her life to turn around and be on the up...The same with Charlie,.another really likeable character going through his own issues..The premise of the book is very clever, though the title I don't find quite fitting. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for my arc.

3.75 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy of this book. This book was really cute but I just didn't connect to the characters in this one. It was still a good little romance book and I'll still read her backlist of her other books in the future.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Josie Silver for allowing me early access to the book in exchange for an honest review!✨

This is not my typical style of book necessarily, and I've also never read one of this authors books before, however, I had a good time! it was sweet and romantic without being over the top, but I also enjoyed the underlying messages aspect.

This was fun but fell a little flat for me. It took me a while to get into the story but once I did it was very readable. The plot, while predictable, was fairly well executed and the main characters were all likeable. It’s technically told from both Kate and Charlie’s POV but there’s so little of Charlie’s it feels like it maybe would have been better if it was just a single POV. The romance was sweet but felt like it went from mutual(ish) pining to confessions of love really quickly at the end, it could have done with a bit more progression to make it believable.
That being said, I had a good time and would probably recommend this to folk wanting a light hearted read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.