Slow Burn Summer is the kind of book you read with an iced coffee in hand and your phone on Do Not Disturb. It’s not super fast-paced or overly dramatic—it’s just real, emotional, and honestly kind of lovely. The setup is fun: a soap actress gets hired to pretend to be the author of a romance novel on a book tour, and it totally delivers on the behind-the-scenes book world vibes.

It’s definitely more about Kate finding her footing again after a divorce than it is a full-on romance (though that does show up later). She’s a little messy, a little lost, and doing her best to rebuild when everything feels unfamiliar. I really liked her. There’s also a sweet sister relationship and some thoughtful reflections on grief—not just the kind that comes from losing someone, but the kind that shows up when your life turns out completely different than you imagined.

It’s one of those quiet reads that sneaks up on you. If you’re in the mood for something honest and character-driven with a little book world fun, this one’s worth checking out.

Thank you @josiesilverauthor and @dellromance for the #gifted PR, book and ebook ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spicy, male female, 3rd person dual point of view, contemporary romance. This has a bit of spice that isnt explicit. Interesting and original premise with grown up actual adult main leads. Very slow burn with humor and my favorite trope of forced proximity.

This was an interesting storyline with potential!

Kate, a retired (?) actress, tries to get back into acting after taking a long break to raise her child (now a young adult in college) in order to support herself after a divorce and a hefty prenup left her with barely anything.

She had wrote a letter to her old manager, only for his son, Charlie, to respond. His father had previously passed, and now he’s trying to fill his shoes and works at his talent agency with his previous partner.

The new role that they think is perfect for her? She’ll be the face of the author of a new romance book - a book that it’s already famous author didn’t want to have tied to them because romance wasn’t their genre. Kinda like ghost-writing, but with a bit of a more extreme twist to it, if you will.

While she’s doing events, Charlie shows up for her in all the ways. They slowly start to bond, and their friendship blooms but not without its ups and downs.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Josie Silver, and Random House Publishing / Ballentine for an eARC in return for an honest opinion.

Kate didn't realize what she was getting herself into when she signed up to be a "ghost author" for someone who wanted to remain anonymous. She just loved the book and wanted the world to know about it. She meets up with Charlie who becomes her agent after his dad passes away and ends up being there when she needs someone the most. This really was a slow burn love story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I think by the end of Slow Burn Summer you'll be rooting for Charlie and Kate just as much as I was!

I read/listened to the audio and loved the narrator, Anna Acton.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 10 June 2025

Kate Elliott is recently divorced and living above her sister's fancy dress shop when she decides to reach out to her old acting agent to see if there's any way she could get some work. But her old agent has passed away, and in his place is his son, Charlie Francisco who is dealing with his own divorce and has taken over for his father, a job he doesn’t necessarily want. When Kate gets a call back to come in for an interview, Charlie makes her an offer—pretend to the author of a beautiful romance book whose real author wishes to remain anonymous. Kate agrees and everything that could go wrong—does.

I really enjoyed this easy, entertaining story. I found Kate's character to be incredibly endearing—giving Bridget Jones energy. The storyline is original and entertaining. The series of complications created during the book tour were at times outrageous and funny, but the underlying subplot of Kate's relationship with her family felt relatable. I also really liked the relationship between Kate and Charlie, and I found myself waiting to see what would happen between them. This was just a fun, easy read—perfect for summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner by Josie Silver! This novel's unique premise was enjoyable for me. A novelist who wants to publish anonymously has his agent hire actress Kate Elliott to portray the writer for social media and book tour engagements. Everything is going well until the boyfriend of Kate's daughter spills the beans and sells the info to a tabloid. Once adoring fans are outraged and feel betrayed. Agent Charlie Francisco has to do damage control. It's made even more difficult by the fact that Charlie and Kate have feelings that aren't strictly professional.

Kate Elliott isn't your stereotypical fluffy love interest. Her depth of feeling for the novel, her anxiety over her daughter, and her relationship with her sister make her a deeper character than you may expect for a rom-com. It's a slow burn indeed, because Charlie is a mysterious figure for most of the novel, his background only shared in the form of rumors. I loved the development of Charlie and Kate's relationship in the midst of absolute disaster. This is a fantastic read!

This book definitely stood up to its name and was a slow burn for me. The premise was a bit off-putting to start, but once I got into the story, then I was really invested. I was a bit confused by Fiona's character until the end and don't know if she was entirely necessary because it detracted from the main story for me, but I did love the relationship between the main character and her sister in addition to the romantic part of the story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am obsessed with One Day In December and have been searching for that same magical feeling in this author's books ever since that read. I haven't found it yet, but this read was pretty good none withstanding. I enjoyed the premise A LOT. Who in the book community wouldn't want to pretend to be an author and represent a book that made them FEEL EVERYTHING ?? Where do I even sign up for a gig like that? It sounds like a dream job IMO. The T-Rex costume? Hilarous. I loved it. I loved H and his email correspondence with Kate. I did not guess correctly at all at who the mysterious H could possibly be, and I am glad that the author did not go the obvious route for the mystery writer. The writing in this book reminded me a lot of Sophie Cousens, another author I adore. This book was just a joy and a fun read.

This is a great summer read about a woman starting over in London after divorcing her cheating ex. Definitely recommend.

This was such an interesting story! I feel like a lot of romance books have the fmc in publishing in some way, but this one did that in such a unique way that made it so much fun to read.

My only complaint with this was that the pacing felt a little weird at times, both with the plot and with the romance itself. They both felt almost too fast, but only in really odd places.

Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I really wanted to love this one as the premise had so much potential. But unfortunately, it just didn’t land for me. The plot felt scattered, like it couldn’t decide what kind of story it wanted to tell. One minute Liv was central to everything, and then she practically vanished without explanation.

I went in expecting a slow burn romance, but this was really slow. So slow, in fact, that the chemistry between Kate and Charlie never quite sparked for me. Oddly enough, I felt like there was more tension and energy between Kate and Hugh than with the actual love interest.

In the end, it was an okay read—not terrible, just not memorable. 3.5 star rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#NETGALLEYARC

3.25 🌟

Nothing will ever beat the feeling of reading "One Day in December" for me! There were some laugh out loud moments, especially with the Trifle debacle! Still unsure how the title fits?!

I have been a fan of Josie Silver's previous books and I found this premise to be intriguing but the story fell a little flat for me in the 2nd half. I like the characters well enough, but the story just left me wanting more. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found Slow Burn Summer to be extremely readable and easy to sink into. While it felt like a bit of a slow burn read as Kate melts into the reader's heart, the romance was NOT a slow burn. I do not think the title fits the premise of the book at all! The cover is exceptional but the title is misleading and weird for the story. But wow, I really enjoyed this book! The characters are fantastic and drawn so well with dynamic thoughts, emotions, and pasts.. I loved the relationships Josie Silver explored in this book and the intricacies between sisters as well as mothers and daughters who are nearly grown up. The idea of a ghostwriter-ish but really just a face of a book was SO intriguing and I loved how it all played out. This was not a sad, sad story like previous I've read by Josie Silver and I enjoyed this one very much!

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver is out now! Thank you Netgalley and Dell for my e-arc!

What a fun book! I fell in love with the characters! Josie Silver is an immediate purchase author for me!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I love Josie Silver, and this was another hit for me!

I have read stories about being a ghostwriter, but this time we have a ghost author...what a unique plotline!

Kate is divorced from her cheating husband. The man who she gave up her career for as an actress with big promise. Kate decides to try her luck again as an actress and reaches out to her agent from before. The one who told her she was making a big mistake throwing away her career for a man! Unbeknownst to her, JoJo has died, and her letter reaches his son Charlie. Charlie is now taking on the role of agent since his own life has also taken a turn. And he is in need of an actress to fill the outward role of an author to keep the true identity a secret...and let the games begin!

This was such a fun, and yet emotional read. I was invested in Kate finding her rhythm again, rediscovering a life that she had sacrificed. While I am all about the romance, this had a perfect balance as women's fiction too. Our couple was great, but our side characters were amazing too. Kate's sister Liv needs her own book! Even Fiona had some hidden depth to her prickly exterior.

While I really enjoyed this book, I wish we had a little more establishing the relationship between Kate and Charlie. Every page they were on together was golden, but it wasn't so much a slow burn, and their love seemed to come a little quick in the declaration even though the connection was felt. And I really wanted some retribution against the ex-husband!! Grrrr!!

4.5 stars

I loved the premise of the book. The idea of Kate pretending she had written a novel and then promotes it as hers. Of course word will get out.
But I loved that Kate felt that she had become the Guardian angel of the book.
And Slow Burn is such an appropriate title for the book. The pace was as it should be to tell this story.

There are so many things I loved about this story.

The bangle bracelets that the sisters shared and gained strength from.

How so many events circled back:
Charlie & Jojo
Kate & Jojo
Kate & the unknown man before the interview
Kate & unknown author
Kate & Hugh
Hugh & Fiona
Fiona & Jojo

And the quotes : "There's a line in the book about life being a series of unconnected scenes," she said. How sometimes thing happen outside of the expected timeline of events, and they only ever exist in invisible ink."
"There's an intentionally blank page for the reader to imagine or interpret."
"It feels like a pause, "

The prologue was so good for filling in the blanks in the background of the story.

I've never read Josie Silver before. I usually stick to closed door stories. This had one very short scene that was not closed door.

It rarely happens but I'd like to read this book again.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

This was almost a DNF for me but I pushed through. I feel like the beginning was slow moving for me. I did end up enjoying the book but just took me almost half the book to get into it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Slow Burn Summer is a sweet, emotional read that takes its time getting where it’s going—and that’s exactly what makes it work. Josie Silver knows how to write characters you really care about, with all their flaws and complicated feelings. The romance builds slowly and naturally, with just the right amount of tension and heart. It’s the kind of book that feels like a warm afternoon—comforting, a little bittersweet, and hard to put down. If you’re into love stories that aren’t rushed and give you all the feels, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

My Rating: ⭐️ 3/5

Author: Josie Silver
Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell

FMC: Kate | MMC: Charlie
POV: Third, Single (Kate)
Narrative: Central
Timeline: Linear
Main Settings: U.K.

Genres: Romantic Comedy, Women’s Fiction
Romance: M/F
Spice Level: 🌶️ 2/5 - Open Door, Mild, Fade to Black

Tropes/Themes: Fake identity, Forced proximity, Healing after heartbreak, Slow burn, self discovery, starting over, motherhood

CWs/Potential Triggers: Grief/Death of a parent (referenced but not graphically depicted), Infidelity (off-page, past), Divorce, Betrayal

Summary:
In this romantic comedy, a washed-up actress fresh off a divorce and a talent agent reluctantly running the business he never planned to inherit (who is also divorced) fake their way through a summer book tour.

Kate’s trying to start over and navigate her new life. She reaches out to a former mentor and ends up meeting his son, Charlie, instead. Charlie’s just trying to keep his late father’s agency afloat and he offers Kate a lifeline: pretend to be the anonymous author of a swoony romance novel. They have to sell the lie with Kate playing the part of “novelist” on a book tour for Charlie’s agency’s publicity-shy client.

But as sparks fly and tensions simmer, the fake starts to feel a little too real. It’s messy, heartwarming, and full of slow-burn charm.

My Thoughts:
This one had such a fun premise and while the setup had a lot of promise, the execution felt a bit…safe. The story leans more on emotional introspection than rom-com banter, so if you’re looking for zingy chemistry or laugh-out-loud moments, you might find yourself disappointed.

Kate is likable— vulnerable, trying to rebuild, and genuinely invested in the book she’s pretending to have written. Charlie is your classic emotionally unavailable type with a tragic backstory and some very stubborn walls. Their dynamic had potential, but the slow burn didn’t quite ignite for me the way I hoped. It’s definitely more of a quiet simmer than a sizzle.

There are some lovely, heartfelt moments, but the tension and payoff never fully hit the mark. If you’re in the mood for a reflective, gently-paced love story with a unique concept, this could work, but I personally was hoping for a little more spark.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Dell for providing me a copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.