Admittedly I don’t know if this book will stay with me for the long term but I held my interest and kept me reading which is a feat these days! Ultimately I think the pace of the plot felt off to me. I wanted maybe a bit more from Kate and Charlie because he was a great love interest but in the end their relationship seemed a little lackluster. The relationship between Kate and the author was very sweet, I’m glad that the book ended with them. Solid summer read!

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver is a charming, emotionally rich rom-com with a clever premise. The slow-burn romance with Charlie is tender and heartfelt, and Silver’s writing captures themes of reinvention and vulnerability with warmth. Though the pacing lags at times and the chemistry is more gentle than sizzling, it’s a satisfying, character-driven read for fans of thoughtful, slow-building love stories.

God I loved this book, I was kicking my feet in the air rooting for the main characters.
I loved the chemistry between the MMC and FMC, the sweet sibling bond between the FMC and her sister, and the intrigue of the whole ghost author plot. This was overall a fun book, thanks Josie Silver for delivering yet another sweet romcom.

This book was a "slow burn" and took awhile for me to get into. What is a talent agent supposed to do when one of his client's has no interest in promoting a novel? Of course, the obvious answer is to hire someone to play the part and see what happens from there! For those who are a Josie Silver fan, this is not one of her best but is still a quick read.

I had high expectations for this summer romance, but I think the slow burn was a little too literal for me. This author has always been hit or miss for me and I just could not get into this one. I will still try this author again because the ides are there for me, this one just did not do it for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC copy of this book!!

This was a cute quick read dealing with Kate's journey of self-discovery. The focus of the book is primarily this topic and light on the romance part. It was a solid story about Kate's "finding herself" and her love of writing but, overall, the romance with Charlie felt light it was an afterthought.

If you are looking for a filler book that deals with a somewhat heavy topic (i.e. divorce, finding yourself) then this is a good book to pick up. At only 352 pages, you can whiz through it but also feel like you read a story with substance. Just don't go in this for the romance and you will be all set.

Favorite book of the summer?? I think yes. Josie Silver has been a favorite author of mine since The Two Lives of Lydia Bird (it has lived rent free in my mind, literally), and she has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.

Slow Burn Summer may be my favorite summer read so far. It was so Josie Silver: lighthearted and comical while also tugging on the heartstrings and making the reader look inward. I absolutely adored both Kate and Charlie, both immensely flawed humans who slowly found themselves while falling in love. This was also such a fun and unique plot line, and my hat is off to Josie Silver for coming up with what feels so original in an increasingly unoriginal world.

I was at the bookstore on release day purchasing it so I could hold this beautiful book in my hands, and have already re-read it. I'm also already looking forward to her next book(s!) and have no doubt they'll be as fantastic as Slow Burn Summer, which will be a go-to summer read for me for many years.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me overall. Having loved previous Josie Silver books, I thought I knew what type of book I was getting into but it didn’t have the same emotional pull that her other books have.

I always appreciate books about authors and the publishing process because I feel like they are very authentic. It was incredibly fun peeking behind the curtain to see how this novel came about. However, I also felt like some of the tropes were a little overdone. The big problem of the book came fairly early on, and I felt like it was a little out of left field. I really liked the characters of Kate and Charlie but I wouldn’t classify their love story as a slow burn. Instead it was just warming up, then scorching, and then frigid. I didn’t think they had a very strong bond at the end (and I can recall being in tears at the end of other JS books).

I thought the bits about booksellers, fans, and the custard bandit were charming. There’s nothing like having a bunch of women (and some men!) come together in the name of a love story, and I enjoyed those parts.

Overall this was a good novel that kept my attention, but I wish the main characters could have developed a true connection with a slow burn.

What a lovely summer rom‑com that blends humor with emotional depth. Kate Elliott steps into a faux-author gig just as her life unravels. The slow-burn chemistry with Charlie simmers beautifully and the overall vibe was cozy and warm.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, & Dell for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved One Day in December I was excited to dive into another Josie Silver book. It’s possible that this one found me at not quite the right time for it. The characters didn’t have the chemistry I was hoping for and then the narrative fell a bit flat. I would have loved to see more of the community rallying around Kate and also more exchanges between her and Hugh. Instead things blew up and everyone got quite distant.

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

I love Josie Silver and the way she brings the characters to life. The MFC and MMC are easy to picture and to understand the emotions they are feeling. With some little help from friends and a few faux paus along the way, it was a sweet story that wrapped up nicely!

Anything written by Josie Silver is a hit, and this book was no exception! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC!!! This book was a hoot, and I am so excited for the world to read it!

I cannot believe how Slow Burn Summer exceeded my expectations. I was just expecting a light summer read with some kooky hijinks during the inevitable fallout from assumed identity situation so this story caught me completely by surprise. First Kate came in guns blazing and opinions strong and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. As she began to win over both her audience and her team however, I found myself rooting for her as well. My favorite surprise of this book was the handling of big emotions. There were some poignant observations surrounding grief and love; how both can alter us so completely and leave us broken or whole with lasting after effects. Without giving anything away, the journey that is taken throughout was satisfying and even with the self-assigned “slow burn” I was never impatient to move things along. Possibly because in large part to me the romance aspect was secondary to the overall story which included grief, family, prior relationship hangups, empty nest feelings, etc. Definitely not a 1 dimensional romance.

Random notes:
- Liv was hilarious and loyal af to her family. A cross between Rebecca from Ted Lasso and Villanelle from Killing Eve (as per Kate) is something I would love to see more of.
- Some beautiful imagery: publication day as “release day” wherein the book is a flock of birds migrating to the readers, a piece of the author visiting them for a while. I don’t know a single reader who would not love that thought.
- Whisky and cola is far superior to husky blue imo.
- Bridgerton and Peaky Blinders. Legendary.
- Minor odd construction of the dual POV where initially it bounced back and forth somewhat regularly and then it went to a more occasional 2nd POV. Made it just a bit odd due to how the book started.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’ve enjoyed Josie Silver’s works in the past, One Day in December and A Winter in New York, but I liked this one the least so far. I didn’t feel drawn to either of the two main characters nor did I feel any chemistry between them (no banter, no tension). The premise felt a bit contrived and while the concept sounded fun in theory, felt flat when executed. Although I enjoyed the interaction between the sisters, and Fiona Fox was a strong character for sure. The solved mystery unfortunately didn’t feel as rewarding, but the epilogue was quite a treat. I wish there would have been flashback scenes of Jojo Francisco so we could grieve with the characters - more shown, less told would have been more felt.

Thank you for my review copy!

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver
3.5 ⭐️
World - 3🌎 Plot - 3📖Characters - 4👫
Writing - 3.5🖋️Vibes - 3.5❤️Spice - 1🌶️
Slow Burn Summer lived up to its name, it started off a little slow for me, but once I settled into the story, I was hooked. I found myself really invested in these characters and their messy, unexpected journey. It ended up being the kind of feel-good, satisfying read that’s perfect for summer. And it’s a reminder that book people really are the best kind of people.
The story follows Kate, newly divorced and figuring out what’s next, who reaches out to her former acting agent, only to find out he’s passed away. Instead, she connects with his son, Charlie, a former screenwriter who’s also recently gone through a divorce and moved back from L.A. He offers Kate a single gig: pretend to be the author behind a buzzy new romance novel. Like ghostwriting, but with more lying and public appearances.
Kate used to dabble in writing romance for fun, so what could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: everything. Everything goes wrong.)
I loved the dual POV, it added depth and made the connection between Kate and Charlie feel more real, but I did wish we got a little more of Charlie’s perspective toward the end. Still, the story is heartfelt, smart, and full of charm.
If you're looking for a feel good, character-driven summer read with a unique premise and some behind-the-scenes publishing drama, this is a great pick

Oof. This was a miss for me. While I’ll always read Josie Silver, Slow Burn dragged and I couldn’t wait to get through it! Just not for me but I’ll be sure to get her next one and try again!

SLOW BURN SUMMER s by Josie Silver, an author I def have to be in the mood for. I feel like her books could be silly little Netflix shows — which absolutely have their market.

I did immediately enjoy the premise — a former aspiring actress attempts to get back in the biz following her daughter growing up and her husband leaving her. She gets picked up for an untraditional role — pretending to be the author of the next big romance book that’s sure to get a lot of buzz. It forces her to buddy up with her talent agent, a handsome man also at a big turning point in his life.

“Slow burn” indeed, but if you think of this more as just contemporary fiction, you won’t be disappointed. Again picture an Emily In Paris-esque type of show and ride the entertainment factor. There’s a random comparison to Jojo Moyes in the book about the fictional author and it really stuck in my head because I felt like I was reading one of her newer books at different points.

Silver captures the bittersweet ache of summer love and second chances with heartfelt charm. A tender, slow-burning romance that lingers.

I feel horrible saying that I really did not care for this book. The only thing that kept me going was being able to speed through it with the audio from Libby & knowing that it’d help get my NetGalley ratio up.

Silver lining is that I really liked Charlie, but I wish we had gotten way more of him; the romance was completely on the back burner. When they said slow burn, they were not joking.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Not my favorite :( Dragged at the beginning and took a bit to get into, and the concept was just too far fetched for me to really get on board with.