time of dnf: 10%

unfortunately realized almost immediately that I was too ambitious and this book was probably never meant for me so I figured I would pivot to my other Josie Silver ARC bc I am still in the mood for her work!!

thank you sm to netgalley and balantine/dell for this arc to review!

I loved One Day in December and really wanted to love this. The plot is so unique and could have absolutely been a home run.

BUT
-the romance fell really flat for me
-i didnt like the female character. the way her cover was blown was so obvious and happened a bit to early for me. and shes a grown women but i felt like her attitude or commentary was a little more immature than i liked.

this feels like a step back from ODID where we got so much character development and really got to know them. This book felt like it wasnt given 100%.

Such a fun and sweet story. I love a rom com and this one delivered. I loved getting to read the relationships between Kate, Liz, Charlie, and H develop through the story. The character development of Kate was spot on and I loved the sister dynamic being equally important as the relationship with Charlie played out. Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for the e-ARC!

I almost can't believe this is the same author that wrote A Winter in New York. I really enjoyed that one, but this just wasn't doing anything for me. I didn't love the third person POV, and the characters were just kind of duds.

Charlie and Kate are both going through rough patches, him with his messy Hollywood divorce and father's passing, and she with a divorce that left her having to start all over again. So naturally, she goes back to her last career, which was acting, where Kate and Charlie meet for the first time. Kate picks up a job as a ghost author, you heard that write an author, not the writer. She is the face for a book the true author never wanted to be known for. Talk about drama! But can she pull it off without being found out?

True to its name, this book was such a fun slow burn. This book clearly comes from the heart of a bookworm and is meant to be a love letter to the book community. While the title might make you think this is a romance, I think it is much more likely to be classified as women's fiction. There were hints of romance brewing, but ultimately, we didn't see much of it on the page.

Boy, the cast of characters in this book was entertaining. Kate's sister, Charlie's work partner Fiona, and the gaggle of secondary characters around London who end up helping Kate after someone is bullying her were so touching. I would read the book again just for the drama!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/10!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC of this book! I've read and loved a few other Josie Silver books, so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. It felt a little unfinished and choppy, which is to be expected with an advance copy I suppose (may re-read later in the year after it's been officially published for awhile!). Kate is a former actress who left acting right before her career took off to get married and have a baby. Her agent, JoJo Francisco, warned her against this but she didn't listen to him. 20 years later, freshly divorced, Kate sends a letter to JoJo looking for acting work, only to find out he has recently died and his son Charlie has taken over the business. Charlie has an interesting offer for her - pose as the author of a new romance novel, written by an author who doesn't want their name connected to the book. Seems simple enough - people hire ghost writers all the time - but the plan implodes when Kate's daughter's boyfriend exposes the entire operation. Now Kate has to navigate the fallout while simultaneously falling for her agent, Charlie. I loved Kate and Charlie as indivudual characters, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between them and found their declaration of love for each other to be surprising and premature. We didn't get enough build-up for it to seem real, in my opinion. This book is about grief, romance, family, and finding your way back to yourself. While I didn't love it, I still enjoyed it and will continue to read books by this author. My rating is 3.5/5 stars.

2.5/5 ⭐️ I found the ghost writer aspect of this story to be somewhat boring. It dragged on for too long and the stakes weren’t high enough to build a book around in my opinion. The saving grace were the pieces of Charlie and Kate’s story. If they had been more prominent I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Slow Burn Summer
by: Josie Silver

This was such a fun, surprisingly heartfelt read. 📚💛
A down-on-her-luck actress pretending to be a romance novelist on a book tour? Yes, please. 🎭✍️ Charlie, the talent agent with a messy past, and Kate, the fake author with something to prove, have all the friction and slow-burn tension you'd want from a good summer story. 🔥👀
The setup is classic—fake identity, forced proximity, a little enemies-to-lovers—but it never feels overdone. The writing has heart, the characters are layered, and it delivers on both the laughs and the emotional moments.
It’s a rom-com, but one that also digs into starting over, taking risks, and finding connection in unexpected places. 🛣️💬
Definitely recommend if you like character-driven love stories with a clever twist.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for this advanced reader digital copy.

Pub Date: 6/10/25

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was elated to receive an advance copy of Josie Silver’s latest, having loved One Night on the Island and A Winter in New York. Unfortunately, Slow Burn Summer fell completely flat for me.

Despite the title, there’s no “burn” at all and the romance feels abrupt. Frankly, the title doesn’t feel connected to the story at all.

The premise had so much potential: a famous writer doesn’t want to be associated with the beautiful romance they’ve written, so an actress is hired to pretend to be the author. But the execution just didn’t deliver. While there are a few enjoyable moments, the overall storyline feels disjointed and the main character underdeveloped. Overall, it lacks the emotional depth and cohesion of Silver’s other books.

I’ll still keep working through Josie Silver’s backlist, but this one didn’t work for me.

Thank you, @ballantinebooks and @Netgalley for the gifted ARC!

Kate is a former actress who gave it all up for the man of her dreams. She never thought that twenty years later, she'd catch him cheating, and it sends her life into a tailspin. She reaches out to her former agent to find his son is now in charge. He's got an interesting proposal for Kate to be a ghost author for a book that's about to be published.

Thoughts 💭
Things I loved about the book were that the FMC is almost 40, she's relatable, she's tough and persistent, the hilarious banter, and there's a strong sister relationship. This story is all about reinventing yourself and proving it's never too late to start over. I really enjoyed the message and thought Kate was delightful.

Things that didn't connect with me were the relationship between Charlie and Kate. It was too slow (even for a slow burn romance) and seemed a little forced. There was a surprising lack of romance for a romance book. The way Kate's cover was blown had me slapping my head. I saw it coming a mile away and was screaming at her for doing that. There were a lot of slow parts to this, and I found myself skimming a lot. This was my first Joise Silver book, and I've heard such great things, but I just wasn't feeling this.

As I started reading this, I was sure it was going to be a 4 star book. I liked Kate (and Liz and Charlie). I found her relatable. It was the unraveling of the reveal that caused me to not love the book the same anymore. I know people on the internet are crazy, but I truly don’t see people realistically hating her so much for pretending to be the author, especially when she had the author’s blessing. Also, the PR firm in charge was terrible! It should have been addressed from the beginning because I could see it would have cleared things up and garnered her sympathy, which it did once she actually did speak. On a different note, the whole ex-husband storyline seemed not well fleshed out. I’m not sure why he was brought in for bits and pieces. There is no part of me that believe an 18 year old girl would be okay staying with her father and his mistress, especially vacationing with them, after he cheated on her mother and left her penniless. That was very odd and unrealistic. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but it did just seem to come apart after the first half.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the ARC.

2.75 ⭐️
This was definitely an interesting story! I liked the concept a lot, and it sure was a whirlwind story. The romance plot of it all just kind of fell flat for me. It was kind of all over the place, and I just did not really see the chemistry between them, or see them as a couple at times. Also, the phrase "whiskey-cola eyes" is a phrase I do not want to see for at least a month lol. I feel like her family just disappeared in the second half. We do not see her daughter, sister, brother-in-law, etc. in the last 15%, maybe. I liked part of the ending, but I also feel like we do not ever find out what Charlie decides to do with himself. Maybe we did, but I did not find it memorable if so. Richard, her ex-husband, is actually a terrible person, and I was also confused by the way he disappeared after he said that statement about her breaking into his house. It was a cute concept, and it does deal with different cases of grief, but it was not my favorite story, sadly.

I love all of Josie Silver's books and this one was just ok for me. I finished but it took a while to get going .

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC un exchange for an honest review.

This was quick, entertaining, and had such a unique premise. I felt that the pacing of the romance was off, which in turn, affected the chemistry between the two main characters. There were also some other plot lines including the daughter and the ex that I would like to have seen better resolved. Still a fun summer read that kept me engaged.

The premise of this book was intriguing--an unknown actress is hired to be the public face for a book whose author wishes to remain anonymous. We all know this was never going to work. Despite figuring that from the start, you'd think the path to getting there would be more interesting. However, I found it pretty straightforward and uninteresting. The pacing was off. She was revealed too early not to be the actual author, which left too much on the back end for me. Additionally, there wasn't much chemistry with the love interest. The main character, Katie, was likable and relatable, but the supporting cast just didn't do it for me. I didn't look forward to picking it up like I did with Silver's other books! Maybe next time.

I really thought this was going to be a cute summer romance. I enjoyed the book; it also fell a bit flat at times for me as well. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC!

Absolutely loved this book! The perfect summertime read. I'll be recommending this to anyone looking for a beach read.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this ARC! I really thought this was going to be a cute summer romance. Felt like the romance was minimal and a little scattered. I did love the commentary and some of the scenes. While i was reading it, i felt immersed in the story.

What do you do when you have an author who is too shy to go on her book tour? You hire a "novelist" to play her part. When talent agent, Charlie, finds Kate, he wants her to play the part for a summer book tour. She's a soap opera actress who seems right for the part. After recovering from a divorce the job seems to be just what she needs. Sparks fly between Kate and Charlie. Can they stick to their roles or give in to the temptation. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It is very enjoyable.

This book was okay. It is more of a contemporary fiction story than a romcom.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.