This was a fun time!! To me personally, this wasn’t really a romance. More of a women’s fiction about a recent divorcee finding herself, enjoyment in life, and connections after marriage, etc. The romance was very much a side plot, or honestly, an afterthought. There was nooo build up or tension between Kate and Charlie, so when the romance did “happen,” it felt very sudden and random. The romance was very much sporadicly thrown in throughout the book. So, no slow burn 🥲 the plot about Kate being a stand in author was fun and entertaining, but around 60% random plot twists kept getting thrown in, making the story as a whole feel kind of chaotic and random. I enjoyed the writing and was entertained overall, but it didn’t work for me the way I had hoped! Thank you Dell for the ARC 🫶🏼

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an engaging read! I enjoyed the plot and would read it again. I love the fake dating trope.

Really enjoyed the unique premise — acting as a ghost-author to help tell someone else's story (and maybe fix your life a little) was such a fun twist. I especially appreciated that it’s a later-in-life romance, post-divorce and children, as that can be pretty rare. It felt refreshing and more grounded than your usual love story. The chemistry was a bit slow to build, but by the end, it paid off in a satisfying way. Overall, a thoughtful, creative, and cozy read — perfect if you’re into character-driven romance with emotional depth.

As riddled with plot holes as this premise might sound, I could completely see why an author would want to do this. The media/internet/greater public can be a lot (as Kate quickly finds out) and if they just want the story to exist separately from themselves...it's actually not that far fetched!

Kate's character was glorious, as we get to be along for the ride as she rediscovers her wants, needs and dreams. My favorite character is Kate's sister Liz, who is just a bulldog of a best friend, followed closely by Fiona, another strong, feisty lady involved in the author identity/cover up scheme. In all, Kate's misadventures, along with a helping of book/reader community appreciation, made this a lovely read.

This book is dual POV but could have really used more Charlie chapters, as he feels like a bit of a blank slate. I feel like I knew Kate intimately, but never quite knew where Charlie stood.

This was a cute slow burn book, just like the title promises. I found it enjoyable. I've never read anything from this author before and she is quite hyped up. I didn't find particular depth to the main characters and felt like I have read some of these tropes a lot lately and it didn't stand out from other recent reads. Thank you for the ARC!

⭐️: 3.5/5

When the title of this book says it’s a slow burn, it means it’s a slooow burn. Ok so don’t get me wrong, I was actually kind of invested in the story, but it took so long to materialize fully that I was also a little bored, but Josie Silver’s writing style kept me invested enough in the characters to keep reading, even if little (or redundant things) were happening plot wise. This one was a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery (aka, who’s the mystery author?) but I think it was supposed to be primarily a romance, which I didn’t ~feel~ between the two main characters. Honestly, I was kind of shocked it went in the romantic direction it did, since I couldn’t find the chemistry.

Although there are multiple POVs, they’re kind of vague, and really it’s primarily Kate that we hear from, with maybe a half chapter here and there from Charlie. I always prefer a romcom that’s dual POV more equally, because I like hearing from both characters. It often stops me from getting frustrated when one character is acting in a certain way, since you know more about what’s happening behind the scenes in their mind. This was a bit of a twist on the “main character is a struggling author” trope that is so common in romance books. I like, get why that theme is so common, but it’s SO overdone, and while this was not exactly the same, which made it a little better, it was still ~there~.

The pacing was overall pretty good, but the main story was just kind of…boring? And the romance felt like a bit of an afterthought. I think the issue is that the story wasn’t as deep as it may have been intended to be. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the read overall though, it was just ultimately a bit forgettable.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse @dellromance for providing this eARC for my review!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I wanted a cute, light, funny romance and this book was exactly what I needed and more. This was my second Josie Silver book, and it won’t be my last. Kate, the FMC, is awkward and her tendency to anxiously prattle on when she’s nervous is incredibly relatable, while Charlie, the MMC, is charming and supportive, yet full of self doubt. The way Silver wrote about both characters’ grief, whether loss of a parent or the end of a marriage, and the insecurities and never feeling like you are quite good enough, showed how grief comes in all forms but that you can still find fun and joy in life. The bond between Kate and her sister Liv was special and hilarious, and Liv stole every scene she was in. Do not trifle with Liv.

Thanks to Dell Romance for the gifted copy!

I’ve loved Josie’s books for years, with LYDIA BIRD being one of my all-time favorite books, and it saddens me that she’s moving away from the gut-punching, emotional romances that made me cry. Much like her last book, SLOW BURN SUMMER is an attempt at the lighter romcom genre, but ended up reading like general fiction with a romance subplot. The focus here is on the FMC Kate standing in as the author of a romance novel written by an author-who-will-not-be-named. She’s just gotten a divorce and is using this to put her life back together, but she also ends up falling for her agent, Charlie. Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the chemistry between them at all, and the best part, in my opinion, was her protective older sister, Liv. In the end, this was a heartwarming fiction book… it just didn’t really feel like traditional Josie to me.

A contemporary fiction story about a woman who re-discovers herself after a heartbreaking divorce and empty nest. The cover suggests a romance, this book is not that romantic. The plot is a bit all over the place, but it is well written and easy to understand.

Kate was a soap actress in the UK who threw it all away to get married at 19, now her daughter is 19 and she is back to her old agent’s office. Her old agent has died and his son has taken over, although he doesn’t like being an agent and isn’t much of a character.

They hire Kate to be a ghost author- to pretend to be the author of a romantic book that becomes a best seller. It is written by a famous author who doesn’t want to be associated with the book but we don’t know him.

This book is really about Kate, coming to terms with her new life; deciding what to share with the public. There is a tiny bit of romance although I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the two. She does have a great sister who is a god side character.

I liked it but I didn’t love it. Weird plot elements kept being introduced at all points throughout the story and it felt a bit chaotic.

The title is meaningless, it isn’t a slow burn, I am not sure that the book even takes place in the summer. Just a personal pet peeve that I feel like sometimes publishers take a book title out of a hat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC. Book to be published June 10, 2025.

3/5 Stars!!!
Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver can be broken down in three parts:

The plot summary really doesn’t do equate to what this book is about. The cover looks like it’s a rom-com. I found the idea super creative: Kate, divorced after finding her husband with his secretary, is a has been soap opera actress who needs to find a new career and takes the job as a writer for book she didn’t actually write. The actual writer wants his/her identity to be hidden. Her agent Charlie is the love interest, as he’s the son of her original agent when she was acting. Sounds promising and cute right?
I found no chemistry between Charlie and Kate. I wish there was an actual back story. There is a severe lack of story outside of the fake author trope. Would love to have them had an encounter 20 years ago when Kate was an actress. Wish we could have seen more plots involving her ex-husband and college aged daughter who wants to run off to Australia with her boyfriend. Even that storyline is a major plot point and is just brushed under the rug.
But this was more about Kate finding herself along the way, as she rediscovers and attempts to get over her ex-husband’s infidelities. It’s about identity and resurgence after a divorce. There is 10% romance, and 90% fake author plot.
My eyes rolled out of my head the last few chapters involving a trifle assault. No kidding.
What a unique idea for a rom-com, however the focus was all over the place. The title doesn't even match what the plot of the book is.
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If we can never replicate the amazing One Day in December, I will be sad.

I really loved this book!

It had the familiar vibes of your favorite romcom, but it felt so fresh still. I loved that the mc was older than 25. I thought the idea of a "ghost author" was fun and different. And I really loved that there was a low-level mystery in wondering who the real author was that we got to follow along with.

These characters are easy to route for, the story was light and cozy, but also deep and tear-inducing at times.

If you're a fan of Sophie Cousens' "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", I think you would absolutely love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Slow Burn Summer is a sweet, heartfelt, funny rom-com and the perfect beach read!

Kate is a former soap opera actress who has recently gone through a messy divorce and is looking for work. Charlie is a talent agent, who happens to be the son of Kate’s former talent agent, and is looking for a relatively unknown actress for an unconventional job. When Charlie meets Kate, he knows he has found the right person.

One thing I really liked about this book is that the main characters were older, around 40-ish, which was refreshing. Kate’s character was so relatable and the cast of side characters added so much to the story. Liv, Kate’s sister, stole the show. She is the person that everyone wants in their corner. I only wish the romance in the story had more tension and chemistry. I loved the characters and of course wanted them together after the slowest of slow burns, but that one thing missed the mark for me. But overall, this is a great summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the opportunity to read an ARC of Slow Burn Summer in exchange for my honest review.

Slow burn summer is sweet and emotional read with a pace that matches the title. The characters feel real and they’re emotionally complex. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story overall as well the pacing of the romance between Kate and Charlie. I think it’s sweet and hopeful that two divorced individuals are coming together, especially because Kate is older than most heroines are in romance books. It makes it feel a little more relatable, especially because she’s a character who has made mistakes. Overall this was a pretty good read.

This is a cute British romcom. Perfect for a beach read. Slow moving, but kept my interest. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters, Kate, a former actress and Charlie, an agent. There is a side character Hugh, which Kate has never met, but develops a relationship with through emails. I think I would have been more interested in seeing something develop between these two characters.

3.5 Stars. Thank you to Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the early arc of this book!

I have loved several of Josie Silver's books and this one was just as lovely! This story was all around fun and sweet. I love the banter, the mix of characters, and the premise of the plot. The story was enjoyable and an easy fun read! 📖✨

“I’ve never met anyone quite like you before. You have this … this translucency, you wear your soul close to your skin and it scares me stupid. It’s probably what makes you such a good actor. You look into the lens and show the world exactly who you are, unfiltered.”

A beautiful love story for any bookish person, with Kate's life seemingly at a standstill, she reaches out to her old agent and finds his son is now at the helm. Enter Charlie, who is also fresh off a divorce and trying to live up to his father's legacy, who helps Kate get a job as a ghost author for a new romance novel. As the PR world takes over Kate's life, she finds herself in a tumultuous publication process, showing her the true power of love.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

I never pass up a Josie Silver book if I get the opportunity to read one. I admit sometimes they are hit or miss for me, but this one was a hit. The characters are charming and the book is a delight. The MC Kate is relatable and flawed in the best way. She tries to make the best of situations and usually in a way that is quite humorous. There are some scenes that made me actually Laugh Out Loud...T-Rex. It's a great beach or lake read for the summer.

slow burn summer was the perfect book if you’re in the mood for a light summer romance that has unexpected twists and funny banter. while i do recommend this as a summer romance to pick up, i was not fully invested in the romance of our main characters, kate and charlie.

kate is recently divorced after finding her husband having an affair with his secretary, and because of a very aggressive pre-nup, she now finds herself without any money and in desperate need for a job. she contacts her old talent agency from 20 years prior to see if they would hire her again. charlie, the talent agent, offers her a job acting as an author that wishes to remain anonymous for a new romance book they have written.

there are many hilarious twists and turns that kate finds herself in. she also has an older sister that is fiercely protective and supportive. and of course, with charlie as kate’s new agent, a bond forms between the both of them that manifests into friendship and more. kate and charlie had good moments, but ultimately there wasn’t enough on the page for me to believe their romantic evolvement. i needed more from them and it wasn’t believable to me. still, i do think this was an easy read and good for reading on vacation over the summer.

thank you net galley and penguin random house for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I love Josie Silver’s books.. this book was a bit heavier. This was more adult-ish book? Meaning, their struggle in life is adult problems. Two wounded people falling for each other (after bad divorces). I also liked characters in this book. I loved Kate and Liv!! I know they are real sisters but their “wo-mance” is hilarious. And almost my most favorite part of the book!

Overall I would say 3.5 stars!!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eArc copy of this book.

3.5 ⭐

I really enjoyed the actual story and plot of this book. I felt it was clever- an actress signs up to play an author for a new romance novel that is set to be released. The actress is relatable in her interviews and gains the public's adoration and affection when the book is released. The more public the book and author become, the more likely the secret of who actually wrote the book is threatened to be uncovered.

I liked Josie's writing style and how she made the FMC relatable and down to earth. I really wouldn't call this a romance since the 2 MCs were barely together. The chemistry between them felt a little forced and didn't feel real.

The story and plot had a nice flow to it that kept me interested, albeit wanting more romance, but overall, this was an enjoyable and easy read.