★★★☆☆

I’ve been a fan of Josie Silver from the start. One Day in December is a recommendation I hand out often. One Night on the Island is a beloved annual reread for me. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Slow Burn Summer.

That said, I really struggled with this one. While the premise felt a bit out there at first, I was open to giving it a shot because I trust Josie’s storytelling. And to be fair, it played out better than I initially expected. Still, there were some moments that felt highly unrealistic and pulled me out of the story. At times, it also felt like the book was trying too hard to be trendy, with frequent references to bookstagram and other buzzwords that didn’t feel organic.

My biggest issue, though, was the lack of chemistry between Charlie and Kate. There was no real buildup to their relationship, and when they finally got together, it honestly caught me off guard. I just didn’t feel the connection.

To be honest, I have a hard time classifying this as a romance. The real heart of the story is Kate’s journey: navigating life post-divorce, returning to work, and rebuilding her sense of self. When her first acting gig crumbles, she finds strength and resilience, and that arc is where the book shines. I think if the focus had stayed on her personal growth rather than forcing a flat romantic subplot, the story would have landed much more powerfully.

Still, I remain a fan and am excited to see what Josie Silver writes next.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5!! Really liked this one. Kate felt so real — I connected with her honesty and how she’s just trying to find her footing after everything she’s been through. The slow burn between her and Charlie was so satisfying. Nothing rushed, just two people growing closer in a way that felt natural and earned. Josie Silver nailed the quiet, steady kind of love story that sticks with you. Great summer read! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Talent agent Charlie Francisco needs to hire an Actress to play the part of “Debut Novelist” for a Romance book written by an author who writes bestsellers in a completely different genre. It sounds simple at first-create a name and author bio-take a professional photo-and voilà-an author named Kate Darrowby is born! No chance of a pseudonym getting traced back to the author who wants to remain anonymous, when the book has a different name and face attached to the work. The marketing strategy is unique but what could go wrong?

Kate Elliott, a former soap opera Actress, is in need of a fresh start, so after reading “The Power of Love” -which just may be the BEST romance that she has ever read-she signs the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) agreeing to play the part. After all, it should just be a few interviews, and a couple of signings, and appearances during a Summer Tour when the novel is released for Publication.

Aided by Kate’s charming personality, the popularity of the book takes on a life of its own UNTIL…🤐 (No spoilers here!)

I was immediately engaged by this story-curling up on my couch with my kitten, and enjoying the glimpse we are given into the World of Publishing and the life of an author! I loved Kate’s relationship with her sister, Liv, and reading this made me miss my Sister who I haven’t seen since last Fall. The first half of the story only hints at a potential romance, which takes a back seat to the story described, which was fine by me.

The second half, while STILL enjoyable, wasn’t as strong for me as the humor didn’t always hit-becoming a bit too slapstick for my personal taste, and the romance seemed to develop just a little TOO quickly, preventing this from earning all the stars-BUT it’s still a book that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend!

One fun addition to the book-there is a deleted scene after the epilogue which I believe was originally the prologue of this story. I am glad it was deleted but it will be fun to hear if you think it should have been left in!

This book is scheduled to be released on June 10, 2025

Thank You to Dell for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

So grateful to have received this arc from NetGalley! I eat up a book about books! Started off little slow for me but then it was drama after drama and I was hooked to see what happened next. I would def say little to no spice (there’s only like 1-2 pages either little spice) so if that’s your preference def recommend reading this. Adored the ending so sweet!

Josie Silver has done it again! If you couldn’t get enough of One Day in December, you will be at the edge of your seat for Slow Burn Summer. The perfect romance to kick off the summer season with. I don’t know about you but to me summer wouldn’t be complete without an over flowing stack of romance books to be read. Make sure Slow Burn Summer is in your stack!!

Slow Burn Summer was such a perfect summer read. I always love Josie Silver’s books, and this one was no exception. The story was fun, heartfelt, and had just the right amount of slow-burn romance that kept me hooked the whole way through.

I really liked the setup of Kate pretending to be the author of a romance novel on tour. It was such a unique twist, and her chemistry with Charlie was there from the start. Both of them are dealing with a lot, and watching their relationship build as they navigated all the chaos felt really natural.

I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at the book world and the little mystery around who actually wrote the novel. It added just enough depth without taking away from the romance.

This one had everything I wanted in a summer read and left me smiling. If you’re a Josie Silver fan or just looking for a feel-good book to relax with, I definitely recommend it.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

This is my first read by Josie Silver and I see I have some catching up to do with her other books. Thirty nine year old Kate Elliott is a former soap actress and at one time she was represented by talent agent Charlie Francisco's father. But Kate got married, had a baby, and now, all this time later, she's divorced and living over her sister's shop. Not the grown up life that Kate envisioned at this point in her almost forties.

Charlie isn't doing what he planned to be doing, either. He was a very successful member of a TV writing team until he and his partner (wife actually) broke up and the Hollywood rumor mill trashed his reputation. So off to work for his dad's company slunk Charlie and now that his father has died, this is the life Charlie feels compelled to live. It's when he needs to find a person to play the writer of a novel that he meets Kate, someone his father really liked all those years ago.

Kate feels like a fraud as she garners accolades for a book she didn't write. Charlie promises Kate he will be with her at every stop of her fake publicity tour, which grows by the day since Kate's motormouth goofiness is a big hit on the tour circuit and is propelling the book's success by leaps and bounds. The book is good anyway but Kate is drawing in the attention in ways that were unexpected. She's almost too good at her job. It doesn't hurt (or does it?) that Kate and Charlie are falling for each other.

But disaster hits in various ways and things become a big mess...literally. Think cake pieces, custard, fruit pieces, jelly and cream...yeah, I had to look this part up but trust me, it makes a mess. Of course, wires get crossed, feelings get hurt, and one can regret falling for someone just as quickly as one fell for someone.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a unique storyline, cute, a very slow burn, more of a contemporary fiction than romance. I enjoyed the read but nothing outstanding, 3.5 stars.

An addictively fun read!
While most of the characters have experienced loss of some kind, the group of friends are quite resilient despite hurts of the past.
This book unwittingly shows the power of friendship and how the love and support of just one person can make a positive impact on ones life.
Don't misunderstand - this book is more comic than tragic,by far!
The overall tone of the book is a fun, manageable chaos with lots of laughable moments.
A wonderful choice for a lite summer read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

First of all. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Secondly, I did not know this was not going to be written in first person and I truly don’t enjoy them as much if they’re not…

Sadly, this book was just not hitting how I felt it should. The slow burn was just not there for me tension wise. Also, this seemed more like a find yourself book than a romance book but maybe that’s just me.

I love Josie Silver and was so thankful to be approved for the ARC of Slow Burn Summer! This was a fun, lighthearted romance. I especially loved the relationship between Kate and her sister, Liv. Some parts of this felt a bit choppy for me, while other sections felt a bit too drawn out (trifle gate), but overall I did enjoy the story.

This was an engaging and character focused story with a fun setup when Kate a newly divorced actress agrees to impersonate an author for a promotional book tour.

The romance between Kate and her talent agent Charlie was sweet, but ultimately didn't fully deliver the romantic fulfillment I was hoping for. Her personal growth and self discovery was more the star of the show and this felt more in line with women's fiction.

Still a great read with a lot of heart.

This was a slow book with honestly not a whole lot happening. I enjoyed the relationship between Kate and her sister Liv, but aside from that, the whole thing fell flat for me.

clever and heartfelt romance that's quite well written and quite well done. 4 stars. tysm for the arc, would recommend.

3.5 stars. Kate Elliott needs a job and as a former soap actress, she reaches out to her old boss, who has since passed, but her letter reaches his son Charles Francisco. Although Charles doesn’t have the exact job that Kate is seeking, he does have a job to offer, specifically to play the role of an author for an upcoming debut novel where the true author prefers to remain anonymous. In the process of Kate filling the shoes of this author, she does fall in love with the book and is happy to endorse a story that feels personal to her.

While the storyline was potentially interesting, some parts felt partially unfinished or not fleshed out well. The relationship between Kate and the actual author was mysterious and insightful regarding the book promotion and for the social media fiasco, but really only added extra curiosity. While I understood the slow burn nature between Charles and Kate because of the title, I think the execution didn’t quite match. Kate found him attractive, but it was hard to pick up any vibes on Charlie’s behalf except how he made himself more available as both a coworker and a friend although the chemistry didn’t quite feel organic to me and somewhat forced when it came to love.

As far as Kate’s character arc, she’s a really wonderful person and started off at a low point and then hits another one so I genuinely felt bad for all of her obstacles although she handles herself gracefully. She does remind me why readers fall in love with books and connect with other readers and want to meet the author who created something meaningful to them. Her vulnerability is what makes her a relatable character and to want to advocate for her, especially in finding her own happiness. Aside from Kate, the other true star of the show is Kate’s sister Liv, who is the fiercely protective older sister we all wish we had in our lives. Although not my favorite read by Josie Silver, it was a more creative plot with interesting nuances.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to get this arc copy.

This was my first josie silver book I have read and heard many good things about her writing going into this book I was expecting a rom com and that did not deliver I was a little disappointed.hoping this book would have gotten better but unfortunately it was a miss for me. I did however enjoy her writing so I look forward to reading more books by this author

3.75⭐️ I am a sucker for anything Josie Silver writes and this was no exception! The premise was so new and fun. I loved all the characters; especially Liv and the mystery author! The love story felt a bit forced and like it came out of nowhere but by the end, it seemed to work. Not as heavy of a plot as some of her other books, but still touches on grief. I also didn’t really consider this a “summer read” as the title suggests. Still a fun read, for whatever season!

Although the premise is a bit absurd, the romance is top notch. I thought I might hate it but the banter outweighs any craziness that occurs. One of my favorite parts of the book, without given spoilers was when you have a great event of not messing with the book community an them standing together. I loved that book lovers stayed together. Also can we get more men rom com writers? i feel like it would be a great perspective.

This was soo cute! I had a fun time. I highly recommend, if you need a quirky summer read. It has that Josie Silver flair, that just makes her books so special - with the perfect amount of depth.

This is one of those romance novels where you have to suspend a little belief and just let the story carry you away. The whole idea of a publisher creating a fake persona for a book isn’t that out of the realm of possibility. Pen name and instagrams attached to them already exist. Adding an actor to the mix isn’t that out of the realm of possibility here. Silver sets all that up well but the coincidences kind of get to be a little much but again, if you can let yourself suspend belief you’ll love it. This book really just feels like a tribute to the romance genre which is very sweet to someone like me who’s been reading romances for years. The real magic of this is the story of Kate and how she gets her life back after a very difficult divorce. It’s very relatable to me on a personal level. I loved watching her find herself again and overcome the bad hand she has been dealt. This was fun but it was more Kate’s story than the romance so I wish it marketed more as women’s fiction and not an outright romance because if the romance was taken out of this, it would still be a great story.