Slow Burn Summer is a charming, witty rom-com about a down-on-her-luck ex-actress (Kate) who lands the role of a lifetime—pretending to be the author of a bestselling romance novel she didn’t write. Her grumpy-but-gorgeous agent, Charlie (those whiskey-cola eyes, hello?!), is hiding secrets, the real author is MIA, and the whole book tour is a lie waiting to unravel.

I loved Kate’s snarky sister dynamic and Fiona, Charlie’s business partner, who gave major Devil Wears Prada vibes (but with a hidden heart of gold). The slow-burn romance between Kate and Charlie was sweet, though I wish we’d gotten more depth.

Wanted to love this but it fell flat for me. VERY slow burn. The concept was good, but it seemed very pieced together in my opinion. I was also convinced there was an age gap at the beginning - turns out there was not.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced digital copy! All thoughts are my own - Publish date June 10 2025

Slow Burn Summer is story about finding yourself after going through a difficult time. Kate was fun and quirky which I enjoyed. I had a hard time relating to Kate at times but still enjoyed the story. I think this was more about self discovery instead of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ugh. I really enjoyed Josie’s A Winter in New York and One Day in December, but this one missed the mark for me. I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters and didn’t believe the romance between Kate and Charlie. There was barely any build up or tension. The banter was pretty much non existent. I did enjoy the last quarter of the book, especially the friendship between Kate and H and the way the book community showed up in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

In the aftermath of her divorce, Kate takes a job as a ghost AUTHOR, not ghost writer, to promote a new romance novel, which the actual, very established author does not want to be associated with. The agent who offers her this role is the son of the agent she’d had before putting her career on hold to be a wife and mother. Kate takes the job, because she loves the manuscript, but absolutely nothing goes according to plan from that point onward, including the story’s romance sub-plot.

Josie Silver is one of my favorite authors. Of all her titles, a Winter in New York is my absolute fave! It’s charming and mostly light-hearted. The cover and title of this latest book give off similar “light and happy” vibes, so I was not expecting the volume of tears I shed and the deep ache in my heart for Kate in the midst of her utterly awful circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of hilarious moments in the book, but prepare yourself, as well, for climbing down into the bottom of the pit with Kate for a little bit. At the point when she most needs her people around her, she finds herself all alone and must figure out how to navigate an awful situation by herself. And she DOES figure it out. For this reason, it just feels like Slow Burn Summer reads more as women’s fiction than as a rom-com.

The whole premise of a ghost author was baffling to me and made zero logical sense. However, I will say once you get to the end of the story, including the epilogue which reads like a prologue pushed to the end of the book, it begins to come together. If, like me, you are utterly perplexed by the premise, don’t give up. It will be worth it in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled getting into this book and should have just decided to DNF it. I had trouble connecting and caring about the characters. I'm horrible i know lol.

Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play” author on its summer book tour.

Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.

I really enjoyed the comedy parts of this, but the romance part didn't work for me. If you go into this book knowing it's not really a romance, you will enjoy it as funny women's fiction! I enjoyed it overall - but I think it's being marketed the wrong way!

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC of Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver. I am a big fan of Josie’s other books so I was excited to dive into this one! Slow Burn Summer follows a former soap star, Kate Elliott as she navigates life after her divorce. In an effort to get back into the acting world, Kate sends a letter to her former agent not knowing that he is now deceased and his son, Charlie, will receive the letter instead. Charlie is going through his own life changes so the two of them find each other at the most-unique of times. Kate is a lovable character, and it never hurts to have a heartthrob for a male lead. The story is really enjoyable, and flows well, but I found the sudden sparks between Charlie and Kate a little unrealistic. Although you know they will end up together, it seemed to happen suddenly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to another women’s fiction, romance book lover!

I have absolutely loved most of Josie Silver's other books, but this one fell flat for me. A good lesson in not judging a book by its cover, or title in this instance, I did not find this to be the summer romance I was expecting.

Newly divorced and in need of a job, one-time actress Kate Elliott contacts her former talent agency in search of work and ends up with something a little less conventional. Kate signs on to act as an author under a false pen name to promote a book whose author does not want to publish under their own name. Once the scene was set with Kate's scheme, and the story felt a little bland as it progressed. I thought I knew how things would unfold, and even though predictable, I think I would have enjoyed that more that the actual events. I didn't find the main characters to have much chemistry, leaving me not really caring what happened to them. There were a few parts that also felt drawn out unnecessarily.

I loved One Day in December so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! Once again Josie Silver did not disappoint. I usually don’t like slow burn romances but given the title I knew what I was getting into. I loved following along on the journey of Kate going on the book tour.
Kate’s sister was also a great character.
Thank you net galley and Random House Publishing!

I had the pleasure of receiving an advance reader's copy of Josie Silver's new novel, Slow Burn Summer, from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley.

The story follows Charlie, who is on the hunt for a ghostwriter to complete a romance novel whose original author wishes to remain anonymous. Enter Kate, a former child actor who walked away from fame when she married her now ex-husband. Everything is on track until a leaked email sends things spiraling out of control.

Now, to be completely honest—I’m a bit confused about how and when Charlie and Kate actually fell in love. It felt like they spent very little meaningful time together, and when they did, Charlie was usually swooping in to save her from something. I understand this is fiction, but there wasn’t much relationship development between them. One moment he’s rescuing her, and the next they’re suddenly in love? It left me thinking… wait, what just happened?

That said, I did enjoy the novel overall. The premise felt fresh and different from anything I’ve read before, which kept me interested. I also found Kate relatable—especially when it came to her streak of bad luck. It felt like every time she turned around, something else was going wrong, and honestly, I’ve been there. Sometimes I feel like if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all!

I going to be honest.... I think it might be time for me and this author to part ways. And it's definitely a "me not you" thing!! I just tend to get annoyed when "women's lit" gets categorized as romance, and that is usually what happens with this author's works. I have nothing against women's lit - in fact, I enjoy plenty of books that DO fit into that sub-genre. However. When something is kind of promoted as a romance.....and then there really isn't actually a romance..... it's not (bear with me) A ROMANCE BOOK.

This is a good story, don't get me wrong. I think it has aspects that are enjoyable, and the setting is somewhat believable especially considering where the world is at right now, and I like (in a way) that the MC isn't your average 20-something year old. BUT. I just didn't find the romance believable, and didn't really even see why the characters would want to be together at all, which is disappointing to say the least. Maybe if it would have been marketed as more of a women's fic/women's lit/lit fic type of book I would feel differently, but. All things considered, this was a no-go for me. :(

Just okay. I liked Kate, her energy is so sweet and heartfelt. The basic plot, a person hired to be the face of a book, in lieu of a famous author of another genre wishing to remain anonymous, is a great idea. So many avenues to explore on the road to breakout hit book and there are some sweet and funny moments in the first half that greatly entertained! But I also didn’t totally understand or agree with Kate’s approach and emotional reactions to the job. And I also didn’t believe that the backlash she faced would be as turbulent as it was, maybe a little rocky, but it felt very overdramatized.

Additionally, the romance was loosely built and underwhelming even while I liked Kate and Charlie’s interactions. There just wasn’t any spark. I just felt like I had nitpicky things throughout. Basically, it was far from bad, Josie Silver writes too well for that, but it also wasn’t entirely cohesive and there are others of her works I’d recommend instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

This was a very cute concept for a story! Kate is a divorcee trying to get her life back when she sends a letter to her late ex-agent JoJo. Charlie, his son, answers and found the perfect job for her. Kate is going to be the face of a book she didn’t write.

The side characters were more fun than the actual couple. I really didn’t even feel the chemistry between Kate and Charlie was way more intrigued with the mystery author honestly.

I enjoyed this lighter, non-holiday book from Josie Silver. It was more humorous but still had depth to the story. Kate was a promising young actress and gave it up to follow her husband. Now divorced, she needs a job and writes her former agent. He has passed away, and his son hires her to be the public identity of a famous author who has written a book based on own experience and wants to stay anonymous.
Kate has a bubbly personality and easily drops any filter, and she gets into interesting situations during the book publicity tour. Charlie, her new agent, is charismatic and handsome, and of course they become interested in each other.
Parts of the secret come out, and Kate and Charlie have to work together to deal with the aftermath.
It was a good, interesting summer read.

This book fell in the "just ok" range for me. I really enjoyed this author's prior books so maybe my expectations were a bit too high. I really do like her style of writing but I just could not get into this storyline. I thought the book was funny at times, but not sure the romance was there. I was rooting for Kate after losing her POS ex, but I just didn't feel the connection with Charlie.

I will continue to read this author even with this one maybe not being my favorite.

thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I have read this author before and really liked her previous books, but this one was just meh for me. The premise was good, but the execution just felt a bit off for me.

I found the FMC likeable and fun, cute and quirky. There also were cute side characters - in particular our FMC's sister. There were some funny scenes and an overall romcom type feel to the book. I also love a more mature protagonist with a little more life experience than in many romance books (40ish).

Unfortunately, the romance just fell quite flat for me - there was absolutely no build up or chemistry. I would read as more of a women's fiction or if you are just looking for a light read and like the description.

Tropes/Themes:
🎀 Supportive sister relationship
🎀 Grief
🎀 Divorced FMC / Divorced MMC
🎀 Slow burn / Low Spice
🎀 Forced Proximity

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

"Slow Burn Summer" is a delightful and engaging read, if you're looking for a story that keeps you guessing while warming your heart, this is one to pick up.

The novel introduces us to Kate, a woman fresh from a divorce and in need of her first job in decades. Enter Charlie, the son of Kate's former agent, who bravely takes a chance on her, adding a layer of professional and personal entanglement. He offers Kate the unusual role of being the public face for an anonymous author. Rounding out this dynamic trio is Fiona, the anonymous writer's fiercely protective agent, whose unwavering dedication to her client and the business adds both tension and humor to the narrative.

Josie Silver's writing is simply beautiful, drawing you effortlessly into the characters' inner lives and the vibrant world they inhabit. Every sentence feels crafted with care, allowing the reader to deeply connect with the emotional landscape of the story. The plot, while packed with events, unfolds with a remarkable sense of natural progression. Even when the situations veer into the delightfully ridiculous – and they do, in the best possible way – the narrative maintains its believability. The inclusion of Kate working in a costume shop, for instance, is a stroke of genius, grounding the more outlandish moments and making them feel entirely plausible within the story's unique logic.

One of the absolute highlights is the relationship between Kate and the anonymous author. Josie's writing allows this relationship to develop separately from the real life relationships between Kate, Charlie, Fiona, and others; and keeps you guessing as to the anonymous author's true identity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Josie Silver!

I really enjoyed how both the main female and male characters were sort of trialing a new phase of their life due to unexpected circumstances. It rings true to life and how you have to adjust and sometimes in those tough times, you end up finding something good. This book was fun and sweet.

3.5⭐️
0.5🌶️
Release date: June 10, 2025

This is supposed to be a slow burn romance… is the romance in the room with us??

I enjoyed the overall premise of this book & the fact that it was a different plot line than anything I’ve read before but it was more of just a regular fiction book than a romance. They didn’t hook up until 70% in & there was NO buildup leading up to it. No chemistry, no banter, it’s like they just all of a sudden had feelings for each other. And then after they hooked up they just didn’t talk about it again & didn’t actually get together until the last chapter??

I did really enjoy this book but I think it would’ve been better if there was either no romance at all or if there was more buildup & chemistry between them. I do like the premise of someone being a ghost author though & it was definitely more about that than the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.