Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. Just after being cheated on and a divorces, Kate Elliott is at a loss, especially since her daughter is off to Uni. Hoping to jump back into the acting game that she gave up when she married, she reaches out to her old agent. Little does she know, he has passed and his son Charlie has now taken over the reigns. He has the most unlikely role for her. She is to be a ghostwriter in a sense that she didn't write the book but she is to pose as the author from release date on. Things are looking on track for a big payday until someone releases the truth. Now her world is crashing down around her. Sweet, sweet story. I don't usually read Rom-coms but Josie Silver is one author I will always read. This being a different kind of story that I had not read before makes it even better! #SlowBurnSummer #JosieSilver #RandomHouseBallatine #June2025

Perfect summer vacation book! This one was really cute and a fun and easy read. I loved the characters so much and I felt like they were well-developed and easy to cheer for, even though the romance angle felt a little convenient and forced. I just didn't feel the chemistry on the page but YMMV. In addition to the main romantic characters, the supporting characters were well-developed, too. (I maintain that the great love in the book is between Kate and her sister, which is why the romance felt slightly clunky to me. The sister love leaps off the page and their scenes together were consistently my favorites.)

Kate is a recently divorced mother of a college-aged daughter who abandoned her burgeoing acting career in London to marry a man who turned out to be a faithless ratfink. When she is offered an oppportunity to "act" once again as the "ghost face" for an author who wants to remain anonymous, hijinks, disaster, love and more ensue.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Josie Silver, and the publisher for this digital ARC. Such a treat to get an early look at an upcoming book for a favorite author.

This was my first book by this author, and it did not disappoint. As a book person, I loved reading about the background process of publishing and releasing the book that the main character is a “ghost author” for. It was so fun to read about, but I also enjoyed how there were serious moments as well that our main character is trying to work through. I wouldn’t say there is much romance in this, but I thought what we did get was very sweet. And, like the title says, is DEFINITELY slow burn! Also there was such a fun little twist at the end that melted my heart a little bit. 3.5 stars for this one.

This was probably an almost 3 stars for me. I was super interested in the premise of a 39 year old FMC, who used to be an actress, posing as a romance author because the actual author doesn’t want to be known for writing romance but it fell a bit flat for me. I was dying for the FMC and MMC to be on the page together but they hardly ever were - the romance was not the focal point but there were a lot of other plot lines and characters to keep me turning the page.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

Kate gave up her acting career when she married her now ex-husband. Forced to restart her life, she moves into an efficiency apartment above her sister’s dress shop and tries to relaunch her career by contacting her former agenct.

While he has since passed, his son responded to her letter and agrees to meet with her. During this meeting, Charlie, a fellow divorced, pitches the idea of being the ghost author of a debut romance novel.

This is a sweet, likable story. I really wooed the character development and the sister storyline. the romance fell a little flat and left a little to be desired, almost like the romance was an after thought to the other storylines. Definitely slow-burn, but still fun.

Thanks to net galley for the early read!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this novel. Kate and Charlie made you want to root for them individually and as a couple. While there was definitely chemistry between them from the beginning, I appreciated that their positions caused them to develop a deep friendship and trust- especially considering their pasts. They each made the other person a better version of themselves who I think is how it should be. This was definitely more than a romance. It touched on different kinds of relationships, grief and grieving, and how people in the public eye are treated.

A true slow burn romance that I tore through in two days - you'll fall in love with Kate and Charlie, who despite what life has thrown at them, continue to show up for each other and themselves. It was beautiful to see Kate's journey of putting herself back to together while learning to trust herself and love in the process. I feel like it did speed up a bit too much near the end after so much build up, tension, and longing for more than 50% of the book but otherwise loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

This book caught me by surprise. I got emotional towards the end of the book. It started out a little slowly but as the story built I got more invested. It was very well written and such a good story with multi layers, that were especially revealed in the end. I would definitely recommend this book!

DNF at 60% as I couldn't stand that this is 2025 and a male author doesn't want to be associated with writing romance. Immediately no and a terrible stigma to continue to give FaceTime too. Not to mention the writing was sloppy and the story felt choppy.

Slow Burn Summer was a witty, warm, and delightfully meta rom-com that brought a fresh spin to the fake identity trope. The author crafted a summery story full of heart, with a premise that felt both whimsical and grounded: an actress pretending to be a reclusive author on a book tour while unknowingly falling for the man who brought the whole scheme together.
Kate and Charlie’s chemistry simmered from the start, and their banter gave the story a great spark. Both were flawed and reeling from their respective divorces, which added depth and tenderness to their connection. The slow-burn romance was satisfying, even if it took its time getting there. And the behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world added a fun twist for book lovers.
Some plot points felt a touch predictable, and the pacing dipped in the middle, but the payoff was worth it. Full of humor, healing, and just the right dose of romantic drama, this book was perfect for fans of second chances and stories about finding love where you least expect it.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The book that's such a slow burn, I pretty much forgot the whole thing.

Kate (I think, I honestly forgot the FMC's name) is abandoned by her crap husband, and left with next to nothing thanks to a prenup. She had a brief role on a soap years ago, and reaches out to her former agent asking for work. He's since died, and his son took over the company. He has a different sort of role for her: Interviewing and publicizing a book written by an author who wishes to remain in the shadows.

It took me a lot longer than I anticipated to get through this one. While it was good, I had higher hopes for a Josie Silver book.

Thanks, NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Paperback for this eARC.

This was a really light and easy read and perfect for summer! I always enjoy a book with older main characters and this one did not disappoint. However, the story was a bit predictable and I don’t really enjoy the miscommunication trope that much. I did have alot of fun reading this book. It was quick and is perfect for a vacation read! It was very funny and very sweet and definitely a slow burn!

3.5 stars rounded up

This was an perfect summer rom-com. Yes, it was a bit predictable but that's one thing I love about rom-coms. I love the feel-good feeling. This is titled Slow Burn Summer and this was a slow burn but I love slow burns.
Kate and Charlie were very relatable characters. I love how Kate was a former actress acting as a ghost writer for Charlie, who is extremely introverted. The best way I can describe third book would just be "a fun, warm, cozy, easy summer read"


A big thanks to Random House Publishing Ballantine and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
Expected publication August 10, 2025

Imagine writing a romance novel, but wishing to remain anonymous as its author. The real author does not write romance and his readers would question him if it were his name on the cover. Former teen soap opera actress, Kate Elliott is recently divorced and because of an iron clad prenup, has no money. One night she sends her former talent agent a handwritten letter asking for consideration in any possible job that will ease her situation. Meet Charlie Francisco, her former agents son who has inherited the company. Charlie receives the letter and thinks Kate would be perfect as the debut "author" of the book. She is hired and is there for all of the pub day festivities, morning shows, pod casts and social media promotions. This comes with plenty of exciting moments with her fans as well as the unfortunate moments when the turn on her.

This story is centered around the passing of a life once lived for both Kate and Charlie. They were both relatable characters, but their romance did not seem to sizzle like other rom-coms. I loved Liz, Kate's sister. She would stop at nothing to protect her little sister.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is my second Josie Silver book and it will not be my last.

I read A Winter in New York a few years ago and had some mixed feelings about the premise of the lie that the entire story was built around. It felt so unnecessary. Same author writes another book where there is a made up story that is basis for the entire plot. I understand that it sets up the inevitable conflict once the lie has been revealed but it was honestly frustrating to read about a slow moving cars crash. The slow burn romance was so slow I missed it. I wanted to hope this story would pick a lane and stay in it but it couldn’t quite figure out if it wanted to be a love story or a woman finding her own way after a devastating experience. Unfortunately, I grew very tired of the plot. Not a story that I would recommend.

I was intrigued by the storyline of a writer wanting to not take credit for their work. I felt like the romance portion of the book was not a slow burn. It seemed to come out of nowhere and there was not much substance to the romance portion of the book

This book was certainly interesting, and not at all what I expected.

Kate becomes the ghost author for a romance novel has to deal with the consequences of that decision all while falling for her agent. That alone got me interested.

As a romance reader, there was a lot about this story I loved. The idea of everything was really fun and exciting. However, 3rd person pov is admittedly a little harder for me to get into, so while I did really enjoy the book it took a little bit of time for me to get into the groove with it.

It has a little bit of a slow pacing and the romance definitely is secondary to the rest of the story. This is my first Josie Silver book but I plan on reading her other books. The writing was great and I’m sure if you like a women’s fiction with a romance subplot you’ll love this book.

This novel is billed as a slow burn romance but it's more about Kate and the many challenges she faces in her role acting as the author of a romance novel. Throughout, she receives support from her sister, Liv, and from her agent, Charlie. While there is an attraction between Kate and Charlie, it takes a back seat to how Kate responds to the vitriol she is subjected to when it becomes known that she is not actually the author of the romance. I found myself rooting for Kate and I was eager to learn how things would ultimately be resolved. An enjoyable read.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
It was super slow in the beginning and kind of in the middle too but finally picked up towards the end. There were a bunch of plots that felt forced to tie in to everything. The title is a bit deceiving considering there was little to no romance between Charlie and Kate. I did love that it was a male author who wrote the next great romance novel and the fact that he wanted to help Kate write her own great novel too.