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.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love Josie Silver books, but I do feel the title/marketing of this is a bit confusing. This is less romance and more women's fiction. Slow Burn Summer does indicate...a burn.

Not my favorite of her books, but still a good, emotional read which is what I expect from Josie.

I have ADORED Josie Silver's writing and gave five stars to both One Day in December (love this one so much) and A Winter in New York, but this one was a miss for me. While I appreciated an older (39) FMC as a romantic lead, as I'm also 39, I wasn't sold on this character or the premise. I know for many romances, a certain level of disbelief must be suspended, the "acting" job of lying about being the author of a book is just so implausible and is no way a job and a lifetime commitment to the lie. There was zero chemistry tween Kate and Charlie and maybe had I enjoyed them together more I could look past the implausibility of events. There were moments of this book that were truly funny, which I enjoyed, but I wish the author had stuck to more of her traditional emotional romances she had written in the past.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

so romantic and shows independence. I loved how it was book based and we got to know the MC’s in special ways.

Another hit from Josie Silver an author I really love. I really enjoyed this second chance romance and can't wait for more from this author.

Romance

Silver never disappoints!

Kate and Charlie are the perfect second chance romance couple. Kate caught her husband cheating and finds herself living above her sister's shop without a lot of prospects. She used to be an actress before she gave it up for marriage. In an act of desperation, Kate writes a letter to her old agent asking for any opportunity he may have.

Charlie has moved back home to London from LA after his own marriage imploded. He is a script writer but has taken over his father's agency after he passed. He reads Kate's letter to his father and cannot help being moved by her words, so he sets up a meeting.

The job Charlie has for Kate is not an ideal situation but is perfect for Kate. He needs an unknown actress to portray the author of a romance novelist. The actual writer doesn't want his name associated with the book and Kate would be the ideal candidate to pose as the author.

Kate accepting the job forces her and Charlie to work together but Charlie takes it a step further and shows up for her. She is used to being the one taking care of everything and for once, someone is looking out for her.

As the title implies, Kate and Charlie's romance is a slow burn. Some may find this a little slow or boring because Charlie and Kate don't really have issues other than what is created by their circumstances. I found this story to be humorous, heart-warming and authentic feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

I have been a huge fan of Josie Silver since reading One Day in December and I was so excited when I saw her name come up with a new novel. Slow Burn Summer just didn't do it for me :/ While it was a quick read, I did not feel the romance vibes between Kate and Charlie...at all. I get the title "slow burn," but it felt like no romance at all.

I adore Josie Silver's books and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

Absolutely loved this book from the very first page. It’s really fresh and funny. Romantic and relatable!

Kate was an amazing main character. I rooted for her from the moment I met her. And Charlie - well. What can I say about Charlie. As per all of Josie's male leads, I fell head over heels in love with him.

I soooo enjoyed reading this book!! Highly recommended and I'd give it ALL THE STARS!!!!!

Slow Burn Summer just didn't do it for me. Having read and loved A Winter in New York and One Night on the Island, I was expecting this book to be another romantic hit by Josie Silver. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to its expectations. I thought Slow Burn Summer read more as women's fiction than romance. Charlie and Kate's relationship was very much the back burner of this story. As a result, their love story didn't feel complete. I just didn't feel the chemistry between them :( Charlie's character felt one-dimensional. I still didn't have a good idea of who he was at the end of the book. I felt like I knew the fictional book's author better than him! Kate wasn't too bad. I enjoyed her humor and relationship with her sister, Liv. I felt bad for Kate at the end with all of the hate she was getting. Charlie and Kate's relationship was severely underdeveloped. I wanted more from their relationship. It felt like they barely interacted. Their slow burn wasn't executed well. I also thought the pacing of the book could have been better. It was too slow at points, and the plot wasn't engaging enough to keep me fully invested. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC.

I had high hopes for Slow Burn Summer, because the plot and set up sounded so cute. I also love actual adult romances (characters with grown kids on their second marriages). Workplace romances? Always fun. But sadly it just wasn’t for me. The romance or ANY character relationships didn’t even start until around the 60% mark, and then when it did there was no tension. It just happened too fast for me. The writing also didn’t pull me into the story. And I didn’t enjoy the author reveal. It didn’t make much sense to me. Nor did how Charlie was literally everywhere.

I think you’ll like this if you like easy to read, kitschy, beach reads.

Another fantastically written book by Josie Silver! Every book of hers has been a 5 star read for me so I had high expectations going in to this one and it did not disappoint. I loved the characters and the plot and the romance and everything in between. I can’t wait for Josie’ Silver’’s next book!!