This eventually became a bit of a soap opera. I saw Ron Charles give a positive review on CBS Sunday Morning, and figured this would not be his usual genre, and was pleased that I was able to get it on NetGalley. I did have to remind myself at times who was who when.
As this was an advanced copy, I did note a couple of mistakes, which does not detract from my rating. It was Shelby's flashdrive, not Jewel's that was mentioned, and at one point in the past it uses Declan when it should have used Chance. You get some parts of the story from 3 different points of view, which was repetitive at times.
I did appreciate that there was no swearing, limited sex, and some humor.

Book Review: A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 rounded up)

Michelle Lindo-Rice’s A Summer for the Books is a layered, emotionally driven novel about fractured friendship, forgotten memories, and the hard truths that hide in the spaces between what’s said and what’s buried. Told through three points of view—Jewel, Shelby, and Lacey—the story unfolds across two timelines and a patchwork of journal entries and book excerpts. At times, it’s a lot to track, but the payoff comes in the emotional depth and the push toward healing.

Jewel, a once-successful author struggling with writer’s block and a crumbling personal life, gets a surprise call: her estranged best friend Shelby has been in an accident and lost the past twelve years of memory. That includes her adopted daughter, Lacey—and the friendship-ending fallout with Jewel. Shelby’s first instinct is to call the one person she trusted most, unaware they’re no longer close. Jewel, despite her baggage, shows up.

The story then follows their slow, cautious reunion, while Lacey, away for the summer, searches for her birth parents and her identity. Secrets simmer under the surface, and while everyone’s grappling with their own version of the truth, the question becomes: Can this friendship survive a second chance?

The emotional beats are authentic. The dynamics between the three women—Jewel, Shelby, and Lacey—are messy and real. Lindo-Rice shines in portraying the complexities of love that doesn’t always look pretty: the friend who hurt you but you still miss, the child who wants to know more even if it might hurt, the creative spirit stifled by guilt and regret.

The themes of forgiveness, identity, and the fluid nature of family are well handled, and the beachside bookstore setting adds a cozy-but-not-too-sweet atmosphere. Fans of dual timelines and second-chance stories will feel right at home.

The structure can be overwhelming. With three POVs, two timelines, excerpts from two books, and journal entries, the narrative occasionally loses clarity. Early chapters, in particular, require effort to stay grounded in whose head we’re in and when. It smooths out by the final act, but some readers may struggle to get there.

Also, Jewel’s character remains divisive. While some readers may empathize with her struggles, many will find her selfishness hard to forgive. Her development is uneven—she makes a late push toward redemption, but it doesn’t land with the emotional weight it needs to.

A Summer for the Books is heartfelt and ambitious. It stumbles in pacing and structure but ultimately delivers a moving story about friendship, reinvention, and the truths we owe each other. It’s perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner or Sunny Hostin—readers who appreciate emotion-forward fiction that doesn’t shy away from life’s rough edges.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot happening in this book.
On top of the three povs from the main characters there were excerpts from two separate books as well as journal entries. At times it did get so confusing I would have flip back to the chapter page to figure out what character and timeline I was reading from but towards the end that got easier.
There were many heartfelt themes including loss, love and friendship. I definitely felt for all of the characters but Jewel was way too selfish and I felt like there was no character development for her.

Overall I liked this a lot and finished it fairly quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this story , it pulled out my heart strings from the beginning of the book to the very end. I felt such a connection to these two characters, Jewel and Shelby because they started out as best friends and then had grown apart and then come back together again. The second chance trope is one of my favorites and these two definitely got a second chance at their friendship. it was such a heartwarming story about love, friendship, and being there truly for someone when they need you the most. I would highly recommend this book and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. A four-star read for me.!!

A book about books, sign me up! A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice is available in a few weeks. Don't miss this one.

"Books were the perfect companion. Reliable. Her romances always had a happy ending, and her thrillers always ended with the bad guy dead or in handcuffs."

3 Stars

Best friends Jewel and Shelby have been estranged for the last 10 years over a larger than life secret and promise that was broken.

After writing a best seller loosely based on her life, Jewel, has the worst case of writer's block. She can't get anything to stick and she has bills to pay and family to look after. It's a pretty dire situation.

Shelby is an avid bike rider, and owns a bookstore at the beach. Her adopted daughter, Lacey, who she loves with all her heart, has decided she wants to find her birth parents, something that rocks Shelby to her core. See, Shelby knows more than she's letting on, and if Lacey discovers the truth, it could ruin their relationship.

One evening, Shelby is in a terrifying accident, waking up with no memories of the last 12 years. She has no idea that she has a daughter or that she and Jewel haven't spoken in so long. Her first call is to Jewel, who is caught off guard and surprised that Shelby wants to see her. But she drops everything and races to her side to help her regain her strength.

Shelby is shocked when Jewel tells her they've been estranged and demands answers. She also can't believe she has a daughter!

What takes place next is a bittersweet reunion for the best friends, with a larger-than-life secret always looming in the background. Will the truth come out? Will Shelby get her memories back? Will Jewel and Shelby rekindle their friendship?

I enjoyed this one! It was full of mystery, intrigue, friendship, and found family. Having parts of Jewel's novel interspersed between the current days events really helped me as a reader understand what happened all those years ago that forced these two friends apart.

I loved all the characters except for Jewel, I found her incredibly selfish and even though she tried to redeem herself toward the end, I still wasn't her biggest fan. Shelby and Lacey, and all the side characters were great though!

A fun summer read!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Summer for the Books was a decent read. I like stories of friendships overcoming obstacles because that is very true to life. Overall, there were too many points of view and the story really dragged in places. Some of the side stories did not add to the overall storyline. These side stories and extra details just felt like filler and did not contribute meaningfully. There was also a lot of repetition about the friends being scared about their secret coming out that was unnecessary.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I’m honestly so pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. I hadn’t heard of the author or the book prior to this and quite frankly forgot I even requested it on Net Galley so my expectations were low. I enjoyed the description and the cover looked cute and it turned out to be! All of the Delaware references were an unexpected bonus as well. I’m a Blue Hen and a Delaware beach-goer so that created a nice level of story relatability for me.

I thought the story line was interesting and definitely appreciated the character guide at the beginning. When starting a book it’s confusing enough when you have a lot of characters so that helped navigate the journal entries pretty well. I can’t exactly put my finger on it but it fell flat for me. I felt there was good character development and I enjoyed the friends rediscovering one another and Lacey discovering herself. However, I think if they maybe dove into the past a little more? It almost felt unfinished in a sense since we never even got to meet Lacey’s dad and her learn about him. The whole book she had this strong sense to know who she is and where she came from but only seemed to care about her birth mother? The trio of Lacey and her friends was also cute and I’m glad it didn’t end in ruins.

Overall, this was a cute read and definitely had me interested in discovering the truth though at times the pacing fell flat. Thanks a bunch to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style. This book was such a heartfelt read with rebuilding friendships. I will be looking for more by this author!

I was given an early copy of this book in exchange for a review. I enjoyed this book by an author I had not previously read.

Shelby Andrews owns a bookstore on the beach. Her adopted daughter Lacey is away for the summer. Little does Shelby know, Lacey is searching for her birth parents. In the mean time Shelby is involved in a biking accident and in the hospital. Shelby has lost her memory and contacts her "good friend" Jewel Stone to come help her not remembering that she and Jewel haven't been in contact for years. Jewel is a struggling author who had one big hit and a few other not so great books and is struggling to write her next book. Jewel immediately goes to Shelby to help in any way she can. Read this book to find out why the friends were estranged, who are Lacey's birth parents, does Jewel write another bestseller and if the two friends are able to patch up their difficulties. Pick up your copy in July 2025 to find out the answers.

My first read by the author and I truly enjoyed her writing. It was amazing and both characters had me hooked throughout the whole book. I would for sure by this book for my shelf!

loved this book about friends . One becomes a successful writer and the other owns a book store. an accident brings them back together to work on their issues and reveal secrets. loved the timelines and the romance.

This is a good look at rebuilding friendships and learning to start over after an event.
I liked the setting of a bookstore by the sea. And the friendship as they spend time and rebuild it.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.