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.

I have enjoyed this book very much, but it feels more like a book about the book community as a whole and the book industry than a romance book.
I liked our MFC and how she navigated being a ghost author and an also learning about how our bestseller came to be. I also enjoyed the side characters, in particular Liv, she was feisty and witty. However I feel the romance between Kate and Charlie got overshadowed by everything else that was happening with and around the book.
Still a cosy read, rated it 3.5 out of 5.

Slow Burn Summer was such a fun read! It’s an interesting twist on the usual writer romances and I really enjoyed that.

I flew through the book and got really invested in the characters. I did find their personality to be a bit lacking sometimes. Kate and Charlie both had like 3 aspects to their personality and that was about it. I still don’t really know who Charlie is, besides a supportive agent/boyfriend.

The ending also could’ve wrapped up some more things. There was some drama with the ex husband that just never came up again and left me wondering why she let that go so easily. Her relationship with her daughter also could’ve used some more time to give it a satisfying ending.

But overal I really enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it as a fun summer romance!

I'm a huge Josie Silver fan so was thrilled to be given an advanced copy of Slow Burn Summer. I loved the story, desperate to know who was behind the novel that Kate was representing. The emails between Kate and H were one of my favourite parts, as well as the 'will they won't they' love story between Kate and Charlie.

This is the perfect book to read with a cocktail in your hand on a sun lounger by the pool, and will be recommending it for summer reads to all my friends.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

“𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚.”


Kate Elliot, a thirty-nine year old woman, is freshly divorced and is desperate need of a job. Her ex-husband was a cheater, he left Kate with nothing. She sends an email to her ex-employer JoJo, although he passed away—Kate was instead contacted by Charlie, JoJo's son.

Charlie offers Kate a offer; she had an opportunity to market a love story as the 'fake' author. The real author doesn't want it connected to their current work. Kate eagerly takes this opportunity after falling in love with the book. What comes next... You'll need to read to find out!

Things I loved about this book!

The sisterly bond - Kate has an older sister called Liv. Liv is very protective over her baby sister. I think Liv might be my favourite character in this book. I have an older sister, it's such a beautiful bond to have.

The banter - there were so many funny moments in this book, I had so much fun reading it.

THINGS I DIDN'T LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK!

The romance - There wasn't much chemistry between the characters in my opinion, there also wasn't much romance despite that being the genre. There was one spicy scene, but like I said before, there was no chemistry. I loved both of the characters individually, but I just felt like the romance was a miss. It didn't feel very slow-burn, it just felt like it didn't exist at all.

Thank you to Netgalley & Josie Silver for the ARC! These opinions are entirely my own.

This book really did what it said on the tin. A slow burn love between the two protagonists, but also the book itself and the reader. It started off well enough, but about a third of the way through, I found it particularly compulsive. Kate, the FMC is the same age as me so I was readily inclined to like her. Whilst 39 isn't old, compared to some of the females front and centre in this genre, she could be considered geriatric. The story highlighted all the best aspects of her age, the experience and kindness, whilst also imbuing her with the joy and youthfulness often forgotten. I especially loved her relationship with her sister and how much they supported each other. On a negative, the ending felt rushed, taking away from the diligence that the author had put in to the slow burn of it all. Overall though, there should always be a place for a MMC in Top Gun aviators, but notably in the summer.

once upon a time Kate was a promising soap opera actress. Now she's divorced the man she gave up her budding career for, and lives above her sister's shop.
The son of her former casting director has a role for her though: pretend she's the author of a soul piercing romance. The actual author does not want their name to be linked with this book as it's not their normal genre.

Pretty fresh plot, one that sounds outrageous, but makes complete sense in the book. If you are like me, you'll immediately start to try and find out who the actual author is. Surely it's the main lead, talent agent Charlie... or if not him, maybe it's Fiona.. or... (if you are like me, you think you've got it figured out, but no)
Meanwhile a romance, an actual one, ensues, and do I like a romance with characters who are not in their 20s anymore!

I loved the role of social media, I loved Kate, I loved Charlie too, and well, safe to say I enjoyed this read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, opinions are mine!

I really don't think you should go into this book looking for a romance, slow burn or otherwise....don't get me wrong there is romance in this book it just doesnt come to the forefront when thinking about this story. It is a really good chick lit story.
There is a lot about the comedy surrounding Kates life. Kate is our main character and she is coming out of her marriage a little hurt and a little jaded but she is a fun and happy character and is enjoyable to get to know and follow her on her journey back in to work. Her job is how she meets Charlie (her love interest), he too is coming out of a marriage and finding his way of sorts but I never really felt the romance for these two, friendship - yes, support network - yes!
I really liked Kate and I think you could certainly understand and relate to her, finding her way with a grown up daughter and a soon to be ex husband who she had devoted her life to and was now trying to find her place again.

I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review