This was my first book by Josie silver and when I read the premise of the book I was instantly sucked in. A woman putting her name on a book in behalf of an anonymous writer that does not want to be attached to their book, a handsome agent helping her become the face of the book for its upcoming publication, I’m sold. The book started out fine and was enjoyable overall but I did feel like the book did drag a little and it really had more of a slow pace for me. I do enjoy a good slow burn romance but this book had such little romance and it was more plot driven. The love interest didn’t connect romantically until more than half way through the book so I would really classify it more as literary fiction with a romance subplot. Overall I did enjoy it but due to the slow pacing and the romance subplot I did rate it a bit lower at 3.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kate meets Charlie when she is offered a role, playing an author who wants to keep their identity a secret. It wasn't unexpected that the lie is uncovered given how she seemed to ignore an NDA!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Ballantine/Dell & Josie Silver for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

What an interesting twist on the Ghost Writer concept- a Ghost Author! I loved every twist and turn of this theme, reasoning and resolution. I definitely felt the enigmatic pull between our MCs. I appreciated the MMC POV chapters but would have LOVED to hear more about his previous marriage's issues/dissolutions since the FMCs sister had such an opinion.

Stream of consciousness thoughts: Ooh Alice's boyfriend sure made me mad! Fiona was really something, and talk about unpacking her story- loved! Liv and Nish are couple goals!

Mood readers- seasonal readers- those with a never-ending TBR. Do not let the title stress you about when you should read this book. While it does largely take place in what one would consider the summer months- this book does not require itself to be read in that season. I believe it can be read anytime of year. Which leads to this brief comment- the title isn't the right title for this book. (I realize titles are OFTEN marketing and pub directed so no slight to the author!)

I liked both Kate and Charlie but I actually want a book about Liv and Nish now. It was enjoyable but some of it felt a bit contrived.

This was my second Josie Silver book, and I was excited to ream more from her after really enjoying One Day in December. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed the concept of the story, but wish the characters were more deeply developed. I felt like I still didn’t really know them by the end. There were still some very funny and sweet moments in this book, and I particularly liked the grumpy cab driver! Thanks to the publisher for granting me this early edition. I look forward to reading more from Josie in the future!

Tropes include: Agent/Actress, SLOW BURN, lol banter. Unfortunately this one wasn't a hit for me, could be my mood and the season of reading i'm in so feel like my review could be taken wrongly. Read this read for youself if you are in need of a light and airy rom com type read this summer.

Josie Silver does it again. This book has so much depth and comedy, I was laughing out loud in parts and couldn’t put it down. The concept of Kate coming out of retirement as an actress to be a stand in book author is just fantastic. The characters were relatable and lovable, and the chemistry between Kate and Charlie was so believable.

I loved every minute of it!

This romcom was more comedy and very little romance, which worked really well until the last chapter, then I was asking myself what I missed or if they just missed a couple typical relationship steps. I also wished she would stop saying "whisky-cola eyes", I found myself rolling my own eyes after the first few times. I did love the banter, the mishaps, and the back story with Kate and Charlie's father. I wish we could have read parts of the book she was promoting though. The love and bond between Kate and Liv was perfect. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

SLOW BURN SUMMER - JOSIE SILVER

3.5⭐

Charlie Francisco a talent agent needs an actress who would be a ghost author for a ridiculously good romance book whose real author wants to do nothing with its publication. Enter Kate Elliot a former actress who happens to be present at the right place looking towards a new future.
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A very interesting plot/ premise of a ghost author and the subsequent book promotion which leads to a chaotic yet fun situations which are enjoyable to read.
But romance between the leads was a big disappointment.
Not a favourite by her but definitely a one time read.

Recently divorced Kate is looking to get back into acting. She didn’t expect her first job to job be acting like the author of a great romance novel.

This book was so charming. I truly can’t say enough good things about it. This is the kind of book that kept me up reading all night and it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book that much!

Alright... I've been obsessed with Silver since I read One Day in December!!

I was so ecstatic that I got an early copy of Slow Burn Summer. Josie's books remind me of curling up to a cozy cup of coffee in the sunshine next to a field of sunflowers.

A fun and unique summer rom com! Kate definitely had a let's go with the flow vibe. I have to say the romance was very teeny tiny in this one. There is very little build up or sassy chemistry between the two. All of a sudden they declared their love and I was thinking... wait how?! haha.

I definitely did enjoy the book but it's not normally what we see from Silver. There are some really fun moments in this book. Loved the T rex costume... I was dying haha.

Overall, while this wasn't a favorite of mine from Josie I still enjoyed it!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my copy.

First off, thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.


This was my first read from this author and from what I've heard I expected more of a romance but I'd say it leaned more towards womens fiction. I did not love the premise of someone else taking credit for someone elses work. I also did not feel that there was a lot of chemistry between the two characters. That being said I did overall the author's writing and would definately give one of her other books a try!

I was SO excited for this book and it just fell flat. It felt very disjointed to me and did not flow as smoothly as I would have liked. The main character, Kate, is newly divorced and broke, and accepts a job posing as an author for a romance book. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, I really disliked Kate. I found her to be fake, a liar and just very meh. There is a romance woven throughout the book, but it felt like an addition to the story and was not smooth or natural. There was no chemistry, the banter wasn't there and it just felt forced by the author. I never considered this a DNF, so it kept me engaged, but I felt like I was waiting for more through most of the book and it just never fully delivered. Maybe I went in with expectations that were too high?! 
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Slow Burn Summer is a fun Rom Com, perfect for a summer vacation read. My favorite characters were the sisters. They were loving, comical & loyal. This is another classic romance with all the tension and a bit of a mystery thrown in. It was a beautiful picture of how to handle life when it blows up in your face. The story is very current & the social media references ring true. Enjoyed seing how all the storylines would play out in the end. For readers who liked One Day in December, this will not disappoint.

This would be a great screen adaptation. Hope to watch it someday!

This was the first book that I have read by Josie Silver, and I really enjoyed her writing style. While this was the first, it definitely will not be the last!

In this book we follow Kate Elliot, who is hired by Charlie Francisco to act as a "debut novelist". A romance novel is being published, but the original author wants nothing to do with it. The solution was for Kate to act like SHE wrote the romance novel. She creates a fake pen name, Kate Darrowby, a fake author bio, and has professional photos taken to fit the part.

Josie Silver has an incredible talent of bringing characters to life. I absolutely loved Kate. She was funny, and the deeper I got into the story, the. more I wanted to learn about her! While I really enjoyed Josie Silver's style of writing, the romance in this book fell a little flat for me. I was expecting the story to feel a lot more "rom-commy" then it actually was.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Normally I’m not a fan of love after divorce stories as they’re not relatable to me personally, but I feel like Josie Silver did an excellent job with this one.

The characters were enjoyable, and I was surprised by the reveal at the end.

I would recommend this to others.

Slow Burn Summer is Josie Silver’s latest romance; this is my first non-Christmas story by this author. The story is part character-development and part romance, with some suspense. While the action takes place in London, it can easily be understood by international readers.

Kate Elliott is a 39-year-old recent divorcee whose life has fallen apart. She left her husband after discovering that he was cheating on her, but the prenuptial agreement prevents her from getting a financial settlement. She worked briefly as an actress in her as a young adult but gave up her career for marriage and motherhood. Her 19-year-old daughter, Alice, is in college. Kate’s former talent agent, JoJo Francisco, is deceased but his son has taken over the business. When Kate contacts him looking for work, he has only one potential assignment: pose as a romance novelist and go on a book tour for the anonymous publicity-shy author.

Charlie Francisco is a recent divorce who is adjusting to his new life and career. He was married to a daughter of Hollywood royalty, and together they were successful screenwriters of rom-coms. When she ended the marriage, he was so despondent that his father, JoJo, dragged him back to London. Shortly afterwards, JoJo died and Charlie was left to run his talent agency. JoJo shared an office with a prominent literary agent, Fiona Fox, who represents writers. Fiona has a potentially bestselling romance novel written by one of her clients who writes bestsellers in another genre and wants nothing to do with this book. Fiona has to find someone who can pose as the author, Kate Darrowby, and go on a summer book tour, while keeping the true author’s identity a secret.

After Kate reads a few chapters in the novel, she’s enthralled with the story and accepts the author-impersonator assignment. She is required to attend all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication as Kate Darrowby. Kate loves the book and is intrigued by the mystery of the author’s real identity. The story is so beautiful that it’s made her believe in love again. Kate and Charlie initially have some friction between them but they soon become more friendly and develop romantic feelings for each other.

Kate enjoys her role as “successful novelist,” but the lies start to get out of hand. As the book tour progresses, things heat up between Kate and Charlie, but it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between what’s real and fake. Kate is trying to figure out the identity of the real author, which isn’t revealed until the end of the book. Kate’s sister, Liv, is very supportive of her, and adds a lot of humor to the story.

Slow Burn Summer is a gift to romance readers, providing behind-the-scenes views of the publishing world. Readers will empathize with Kate and Charlie’s initial heartbreak and their subsequent determination to build new lives for themselves. The fact that they forge a romantic bond is a bonus, if it can survive the madness of the book tour. Slow Burn Summer will make readers laugh at the predicaments and entanglements that Kate gets herself in by her author-impersonation duties.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found the concept of this book to be interesting and different. Kate recently divorced and in need a job connects with her old talent agency, where Charlie has recently taken over for his father. She agrees to be the public face and name associated with a novel as the author wants to remain anonymous. They are navigating the balance of a working relationship and complicated personal lives. Overall, I liked it but didn’t love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Finding herself in need of a job, Kate reaches out to her agent from 20 years ago, back before she followed her now ex-husband to another country, giving up her dream for his. The agent’s son is now fulfilling his late father’s duties and proposes an interesting deal for her to consider: not ghost writing a book, but ghost authoring - being the public face for an established author seeking privacy. What could go wrong, right? A lot! I was committed to a 3 star rating due to some character (under)development and timeline/story progression unbelievability, but the last 10% boosted it a half star to a solid 3.5. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This is my second JS book (the other being One Day in December), and they are great feel good quick reads in between heavier titles!

I've enjoyed a number of books by this author and was looking forward to jumping into their latest!!

A little workplace/friends to lovers romance but honestly, Kate and Charlie worked so much better as friends. A little booktok drama montage at the end that worked but also felt out of place. Some magical sounding locations outside of London that I would love to go spend time in all packaged up in a new take on a ghost writing story that we haven't seen before.

The story itself was enjoyable and a rather quick read but ultimately I think my expectations were a little higher than what was delivered.



Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC in exchange for my review!