What a sweet story. Josie Silver took some real life issues, created a bit of a love story around them, splashed some humor on top, and gave us a delightful romantic comedy. I definitely recommend Slow Burn Summer.

I am rounding up to four because I like how Josie writes but I need 3.5 if I’m being honest . This one this wasn’t my favorite. The description makes you think this will be more of an enemies to lovers situation, which isn’t the case. Both of these characters are likable but the conflict seemed a bit bland. I was going into this expecting some big emotions because that’s what I expect from her writing, but it fell flat for me. If you’re looking for more of a light hearted story, I guess this one’s for you.

4 ⭐️

This was cute. Much lighter, happier and hopeful than the previous Josie Silver books I’ve picked up. The writing got a little repetitive at times, but nothing dreary or heavy to push through.

A bestselling author pens an out-of-genre novel and hires a down-on-her-luck divorcee actress to be the face of it. And may I say, how timely: given the buzz and speculation all over the internet regarding a certain romantasy author using a pseudonym.

There were a lot of sweet moments in this that I loved. To keep it vague and avoid spoilers: the bangles, the deleted scenes, the cab driver, the epilogue. I felt the romance itself kind of took a back seat in this story, which was fine for me. I’d have thought based on the title it would’ve been more summery or beach vibes, which it was not (but again, fine for me).

If you’ve picked up Josie Silver in the past and didn’t find yourself a fan, this one just might be the one that changes your mind. It was easily my favorite one I’ve read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books | Random House Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley & ballantine dell for the arc and early read! josie silver has always been a must-read author for me, so i was glad to get a copy of this.

what i liked about this book:
⟡ this book was a lot more lighthearted and funny than i'm used to from silver? not that her past books aren't, but this felt like i was reading a sophie cousens book at parts. there were some zany moments involving a t-rex costume and a trifle, and it was just a lot of fun.
⟡ i really really liked kate as a main character. on the brink of 40 & a recent divorce under her belt, she's trying to get her life back in order and takes an acting job for the first time in 20 years -- maybe even the role of a lifetime. kate was very sincere and charming, and i could see why so many people were in her corner during her low points.
⟡ separately, i also loved her older sister liv. another fun, fiery, hilarious character.
⟡ the premise had a strong start and i really liked reading about kate getting used to her role as a "ghost author." which leads me to...

what i didn't like:
⟡ the premise of the book is kate's position as posing as the author of a new book on behalf of a mystery writer, and that got blown up way too quickly! the result of that made me enjoy the first half of the book & find the second pretty boring.
⟡ the romance didn’t work for me, i’m sorry. i guess it was ~slow burn~ since they don’t kiss until over halfway through the book, but i never really understood the moment where they went from colleagues to romantic interests. also, in the beginning apparently they didn't like each other? i never got that impression!
⟡ charlie as a whole was a frustrating character, mostly because the author decided to give him his own pov but it was extremely limited; really, just when he was having a work meeting that kate wasn’t a part of. by the end of the book, i still didn’t think we really knew much about him, and despite the book being a romance, it felt like the subplot throughout it all.
⟡ the ending was pretty corny, sorry not sorry.

overall i was pretty disappointed by this, but it was also a quick read and had some bright spots that makes it hard to rate it any less, especially since i’ll continue reading josie silver’s work.

I have been a fan of Josie Silver since reading One Day in December. Unfortunately, Slow Burn Summer missed the mark for me. While the storyline was original, I just did not feel the romance vibes between Kate and Charlie. I also felt confused with the title and thought it was going to be a summer rom-com type of story. That was not the case at all.

2.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for this arc. But sadly, I struggled getting into this and even finishing it. I didn’t mind the writing but just couldn’t connect with either main character.

This book was cute, but honestly may have trouble actually recommending it. The plot itself felt original in the author/agent book trope. Kate is a PR stand-in for an author who wrote a love story who wants to remain a mystery-and Charlie is literary agent who inherited the job from his father-and in theory the story is about their romance. However-I very much felt the the romance was an afterthought (to be honest I was more invested in Kate finding herself rather than a romance with Charlie). The end wraps things up nicely but there’s a scene at the end in a hotel bar that felt honestly forced and almost left field? This book was an ok summer read, but not my favorite Josie Silver book.

This is a sad review for me. I do really enjoy Josie Silver books. One Day in December was a 5 star read. This book, though, was just a complete miss for me. The concept of a ghost author, not a ghost writer, was a bit of a stretch for me at the outgo but I was all in for a book about books so I watched it unfold. It just didn’t get anywhere, unfortunately.

The FMC, Kate, just didn’t pull my interest and she often seemed inept and ridiculous, rather than witty and charming. She made a series of not-smart bad decisions relative to her faux author role that caused the unraveling and outfall yet no one within her professional circle held her accountable. She defied an NDA multiple times and no one batted an eyelash, being more concerned for her than about the mess her choices created.

I also felt no chemistry between the FMC and the MMC. Their relationship felt forced, rushed, underdeveloped and unrealistic. The FMC, Kate, seemed much older and without great appeal while her Top Gun-esque hot MMC counterpart, Charlie, was all LA tan and polished finish. His height and aviator sunglasses were mentioned repeatedly. The two just didn’t connect and didn’t fit for me at all.

Overall, sadly, a disappointing read for me. It’s definitely got swoony romance elements that many will love but they felt unrealistic and cheesy to me.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book and offer my thoughts!
My review is posted on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7453461212

Recently divorced Kate, a former actress who stopped acting to get married and raise her daughter, ends up taking the unique position of being the public face for a romance novel by a novelist that wants to remain private. Kate Bridget Jones’ herself through the process by being herself. She also has a very hot agent she feels pulled to.

This was a slow burn but very cute. Kate was a very likeable and charismatic protagonist. I would have liked to get more of Charlie, her love interest, more than his top gun looks and whiskey eyes, but I loved the chapters that followed him. I proI agree with reviews that say this book leans more women’s’ fiction than romance, but I loved it all the same!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

This reaaaally is a slow burn, and waaay to slow for my taste. I am so sorry but i really couldn't get on board with the 3rd person POV and up to 40% I just couldn't see where this was going, The cover and the blurb really made me believe this was going to be a bit different.
Also felt like there were a lot of plotlines around the main story that wouldn't allow to focus on the actual story and that was a bit problematic for me.

Dual pov, divorced main characters, grief done well, wonderful sister relationship. Story got a bit slow half way through and had some pacing issues. Cover led me to believe it was going to a bit more light hearted than it was.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute premise. And while I did think it was a bit predictable, I ask you what rom-com type book isn’t? They aren’t meant to be thrillers or mysteries. The characters were cute. I loved the sisters connection. In fact, that may have been my favorite relationship in the book.

This author is an automatic read for me.

Slow Burn Summee, made it seem like this was a slow burn romance. But the romance seemed almost nonexistent except for one semi steamy scene that honestly seemed so out of place. And the chemistry between Kate and Charlie just wasn't there for me.

2.75 stars

Another lovely Josie Silver read for me. This story is very plot driven and I know it’s a rom-com but the romance is definitely a side plot. The slow burn in the title is very true when it comes to the romance in this story. If you want romance forward this book probably won’t be for you.
The cast of characters were so lovely and felt very real. Kate is truly such an open book. She’s been through a lot and still always showing up and giving it her all. Then Charlie the main stud who has also been through a recent divorce is facing the forbidden romance trope. The side characters were some of my favorites too. Liv is the most amazingly funny and protective sister. Fiona is so bold and won’t take no for an answer kind of powerhouse.
As for the story it takes place in London during summer. You mostly get Kate’s pov with a little of Charlie’s to help round out the story. I love that the story did come full circle and the author thought of cute little things to bring it to a beautiful end.

I think it was a decent reader and would certainly fit someone’s narrative taste palette but it was too adult and too slow burn for me leaning more into women‘s literature rather than a funny romcom I have been expecting.

Slow Burn Summer follows Kate Elliott, a recently divorced former actress looking for work in her late 30s. She is offered a job as a ghost author, with all the interviews and public appearances that come along with actually authoring a novel. There was drama and suspense that kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next - even when Kate made a very questionable decision that had me scoffing out loud as I was reading. I also found myself constantly reevaluating the morality of the premise - it was hard to get behind the idea of the blatant dishonesty of Kate's role and I never felt like I fully got on board with the concept. I would say the romance was a mild burn and I didn't feel like the summer season played into the plot in a meaningful way, but I was invested in the characters and enjoyed this read overall.

Thank you Random House for the arc!

Josie Silver does it again with a feel good romance that has all of the touches we have come to expect from her work. You will not be disappointed.

Book people know this to be true - meeting your favorite author is akin to meeting a rock star.
So what happens when the woman pictured on the back of the book cover, the one you saw on TV and podcast interviews, the one you stood on line to meet at a signing - is not the one who wrote your most favorite love story?

That's how we meet Kate Darrowby, really Kate Elliot, a divorcee who once had a bit part in a soap opera. When Kate becomes an empty nester at just 40 years old, she takes a chance and emails her old agent. Unfortunately, Jojo has passed and in his place is his son Charlie- and Charlie does have a job for Kate. She will be the face of The Power of Love, a book whose real author would like to remain anonymous - and unknown.

Naturally, the book community finds out that Kate is not the real author of the heralded romance novel and hijinks ensue - too many hijinks. The book gets bogged down in the middle and a slow burn turns into a bit of a slog. There are plotlines surrounding Kate's sister, her family, her dress shop etc etc etc. There is, of course, a romance of one's own for Kate as she starts to fall for Charlie.

As much as I love books about books, I would have preferred a more streamlined version of this one.

SLOW BURN SUMMER ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Release date 6/10/25. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Unfortunately, this one wasn’t really for me. Kate at the age of 39, is now divorced, her only child away for college, and she’s been left with virtually nothing from her cheating ex. She needs to get back to acting as an income. When she approaches her old agency, they have a gig for being the face and author of a novel that someone else has written (wanting to remain nameless). This book was..fine. Nothing special, a quick read. I did t quite feel the chemistry nor the need for romance with the leads. I couldn’t tell if this was 2 different stories and 3? The flow felt a bit odd to me. As a Josie Silver fan, this one missed the mark for me.

This is my first Josie Silver read it certainly will not be my last. What a pleasant read. The topic was handled in the most interesting way. Kate gives up an acting career to marry supposedly the love of her life. After finding out he cheated they divorced. She writes a letter to the agent that gave her her acting career start and it all continues from there. Do not pass up the chance to read this novel Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.