Josie Silver’s Slow Burn Summer is an ode to the bookish community and to romance readers. With Silver’s signature heartfelt writing, it’s a really lovely read. Talent agent Charlie has just inherited his father’s business and is representing a beautiful romance whose author doesn’t want to be part of the publication, and that’s where Kate Elliot comes in—she’s recovering from her divorce and looking to restart her acting career, so she agrees to be the face of the book, and as the book grows in popularity, lines blur and sparks fly. Kate is such a wonderful lead. She’s smart and quirky and endearing. She’s finding herself and has this wonderful sister Liv who will do anything for her. Her love for the book made me wish that I could read it. I will say I feel like Charlie gets a little lost. He has some chapters that are more of his perspective, but I feel like he’s more of a background character and I wish there had been more of that. Especially because I really enjoyed Charlie. He was so dependable and charming and just believed so much in Kate. There is so much love in this book and the love it has for readers and the book community shines through; that was my favorite part. It’s heartwarming and sweet and just very classic Josie Silver.

4.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this for a honest review.
Josie Silver is an auto read author for me, so I was happy to get to read this book early. She didn't disappoint. Kate is going through a lot of changes: divorce, daughter off at college, and needing to find a job. She reaches out to her former agent, who has died, and is put in contact with his replacement (his son, Charlie). He offers her a job: pretend to be the author of a buzzy romance as the real author wants to remain unknown. Kate is to go on all of the media appearances and book signings. Kate and Charlie aren't sure about their professional partnership at first, but they soon change their minds.

I really liked the relationship between Kate and her sister, Liz. I wish we'd had a little more time with Kate and Charlie at the end of the book.

Slow Burn Summer is all about Kate and Charlie. Both have been through events that seemingly would be career ending things but meet and work together to publish a romance novel and make Kate the “ghost writer”!

All things seem to be going great with amazing review for the book and people loving Kate, until word gets out the Kate didn’t actually write the book. Kate and Charlie have to navigate through the drama of her being the ghost writer being revealed. Will this tear them apart or bring them closer together.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Slow Burn Summer" and all opinions expressed are my own. Josie Silver is one of my go to authors. I loved her first two books. This one was not my favorite. Overall I liked the story. I liked the humor throughout. This would be a good beach read for the summer.

Slow Burn Summer, emphasis on slow.

Kate, a former teen actress decides to return to her acting roots after her 20 year marriage ends and leaves her with nothing. She accepts the role of pretending to be the author of a romance novel to hide the identity of the real author.

Unbeknownst to Kate, her previous talent agent had passed away and his son Charlie would be representing her.

You see where this is going. But it never really got going.

I would classify Slow Burn Summer as more women’s fiction than a romance. I wish the last five-percent of the book had been sprinkled throughout. Maybe then I would’ve been excited for Kate and Charlie. But sadly it just fell flat for me and I found myself skimming pages to be done.

-Based in England.
-Older characters.
-Authors and publishing.
-Not a closed door, but the door was slightly ajar.
-The writing was good (this was the first I’ve read Josie Silver and I would like to read another one of her books).
-It was refreshingly free from “woke-ism” that’s too often found in books today.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for Slow Burn Summer. This was a cute read. Good use of humor. I loved the relationship between the main character, Kate, and her sister. It was sometimes hard for me to follow the British jargon (I’m American). I enjoyed reading this thoroughly though and would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, easy read for 2025.

Josie Silver is such an amazing author! This book mixed cute and cozy with emotion and romance. If had me giggling and rooting for the characters throughout. This book also encourages some reflection on things. Read ASAP!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This is an author whose work I enjoy yet ultimately i was disappointed in this one. There was little chemistry between Kate and Charlie; their declarations of love seemingly came out of nowhere. We got to see more of a relationship between Kate and her sister (who was a complete hoot, what a great character!). There wasn't a lot that was surprising throughout the story, either. The entire character of Alice, Kate's daughter, had nothing to do with the story - until wham, it did! - could see that coming a mile away - yet the way Kate forgave Alice immediately was completely unrealistic. I loved the emails between Kate and H. I liked this, didn't love it.

I loved the book community aspect of Slow Burn Summer. I enjoyed watching Kate, H, and the agency go through the process of making it to publishing day, Kate going to the signing event and being on the various podcasts/shows, shooting her cover photo, and going out to find the book on the shelves. However I didn't really like Kate much as a character. She just seemed a bit blah, and although I appreciated how everyone at the agency stood behind her when things blew up, I still felt like it was basically completely her fault, so the handling of it seemed a bit unrealistic. I also didn't like how she handled her daily 6:30 a.m. visitor toward the end of the book, and her sister's "situation" just seemed like a convenient and flimsy excuse for Kate to act the way she did. I also didn't feel that there was much actual chemistry between Charlie and Kate. I felt like she had more chemistry with H and was actually rooting for them for most of the book. This seemed more like women's fiction with a romance subplot.

That being said, there were definitely moments I loved. The pink cottage in Cornwall and the book signing, Kate and Charlie's visit to Jojo's apartment, Liv's support of Kate, everyone showing up for Kate toward the end, and the way the beginning "ties" into the end was super cute.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a light summer read that centers around the behind-the-scenes of publishing and representing a book, with enjoyable side characters and a smattering of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballentine for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A captivating romantic comedy that strikes a balance between heartfelt moments and light humor. The narrative centers around Charlie Francisco, a talent agent, and Kate Elliott, a former soap actress. Their collaboration for a summer book tour takes readers on a journey filled with romantic tension and the complexities of concealed identities. Silver's skill in developing emotionally rich characters is evident in the interplay between Charlie and Kate, as their evolving relationship mirrors themes of healing and second chances. The blend of professional ambition, romantic sparks, and humor creates an engaging story that romance enthusiasts will likely savor. Ideal for those who appreciate slow-burn romances infused with drama and charm,

4 solid stars for Josie Silver's "Slow Burn Summer" which I really enjoyed. I would categorize this one as a humorous "women's fiction", rather than a romance novel and that is actually better for me! I really liked the 40'ish FMC, Kate, recently & poorly divorced, who now has to hustle by trying to resurrect her long dormant acting career & gets a gig impersonating a reclusive author at events. I also liked her bad-ass sister Liv a lot- the guy was just okay. This one has a LOT of humor and snark. Really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to the author's fall release too! My sincere thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my advance reader's copy - a pleasure to read & review it.

Josie Silver writes such excellent romance novels with storylines that are not always the most predictable! I loved this novel. Kate is an actress hired by a publishing house to stand in as an author who wanted to remain anonymous. As the book becomes a bestseller the ruse is revealed causing chaos in her personal and professional life.

The characters in this book are wholly likeable and so well written. The story development was well done. It was a romance where romance is just a small fraction of the book, there is so much else going on. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the advance reader copy. Publication date June 10, 2025

I’ve read Josie Silver’s One Day in December and Winter in New York, and another poster described this as more “comrom” than “romcom” and I can heavily agree with that. Not that I didn’t enjoy the book publishing June 10th but I almost was surprised at how little romance there was in the book. Kate is a recent divorcee who has her life fall apart after being the SAHM and stepford wife to her husband she married very young, and her prenup left her with nothing. As a former soap actress before marriage, she tries to reach out to her agent who has passed and his son has inherited the family business. They have a non-traditional part for her as a “ghost author” with her name, socials and interviews all pretending she has wrong the book as the author typically writes another genre and doesn’t want it associated with their name. No one can see how big the book gets and chaos ensues. While most of Silver’s books take quite a while to get to the romance (she loves a slow burn so to say), this one really draws it out. This was a fun, low stakes read and the characters were very enjoyable! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Burn Summer // Josie Silver
Publishes June 10, 2025

I am in love with the plot of this book, the characters, the settings, just everything. The plot is so unique for a romance.

Kate is a former teen actress who left the acting world for love and marriage. Twenty years later, her child, Alice, is off at uni and her husband has divorced her after he was caught in an affair with his assistant. She writes a letter to her former talent agent to get back into work and instead of her agent receiving it, his son, Charlie, who has taken over the business since his death receives the letter. The job he has in mind for her is representing a book in which the author wants no notoriety. After reading the book in one weekend (more than once) Kate falls in love with it and agrees to be its “author”.

I’m sure you can guess where the problems might arise. It’s a slightly when is the house of cards found to fall feeling throughout. What I really loved is seeing who shows up for Kate and how (throughout the whole book, but just when the cards fall). The characters really shine in this novel.

My one slight issue came with the romance. I felt the attraction, the tension, the friendship and then one thing happens and I struggled to see it again. I even went back to reread but it still bothered me. I’m not sure it’s the book or me so I look forward to reading other reviews.

Thank you for this ARC

just didn’t love the concept of this one - was hard for me to get into. i wasn’t obsessed with the characters either, but was still entertained.

Thanks for the review copy. I love the premise of the book and feel it is well-written and executed. I love the cover. I like how different Silver's books are from each other and how her characters feel like real people.

While there were parts of this one that I did enjoy, there were some parts I didn’t. I thought the chemistry between Kate and Charlie could be hit-or-miss; I wanted to fuss at them to get over themselves. I think Kate’s character had some good development, but I did want to like a bit more.

Silver has again weaseled her way into my reading heart with characters who are highly enjoyable and a story that works even when it is at its most far-fetched. This is, however, a first for me in terms of her books because I'm usually a solid 4 star and this one managed to soar up to a 5 star rating. I could be uncharitable and say that the rating is because I've been on a reading drought of late and had a hard time really getting into anything that's on my TBR. But the reality is that I just really liked everything about it. Kate is a well written character who I found it hard to dislike. She has her faults, and she does lean on big sister Liv a lot, but she also realizes it and course corrects of her own volition. And even when she thinks she's being selfish, she's actually still there for her sister in little ways. Charlie is also a good person. Flawed in some ways, but those just make him more real. You would think that the plot would feel contrived, but there is never a moment where I thought that Silver was forcing things to make for a cute scene or to pave the way for the romance. Everything, even the baclava trifle guy, was believable and worked.

If you liked Silver stories in the past, this one shouldn't disappoint. And while you may think this one is picking up from Book Lovers thematically, it's really not and is just a good read that happens to be a romance with writers. Great for a vacation or when you need a pick me up. A few chuckles for sure interspersed with some drama and great slow build romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book but halfway through it really slows down and there’s just not enough of a connection between Kate and Charlie to keep you interested. In fact, for a book billed as romance the romance almost feels like an after thought through the entire story.

I also felt like there were a lot of side plots in the book that could have been removed. There was so much to the plot: the sister, the snarky ex husband, a drifting college aged daughter on top of being a fake author finding romance again that it just got to be too much. I think if they had cut out some of those the book would have felt more succinct.

I’m still giving this one 3 stars because Josie Silver is a good author but this one could have used a little bit more editing to really make it shine.

Katie Elliott agrees to pretend to be the author of a newly published romance novel. The actual author wants to remain anonymous. Charlie is the talent agent who brokers the deal for Katie to "act" like she is the author.
This started out cute but by the 50% point I began skimming through the story. The romance between the two main characters felt like kind of a sub plot to me. I did enjoy Katie's emails with the actual author of the book. Those felt genuine and heartfelt.
Slow Burn Summer is a cute story but don't expect much romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review.