Sweet and charming story that reads like a Nora Ephron film.

Both still grieving over sudden heartbreaks, agent Charlie and one-time actress Kate, join forces for a summer press tour to promote her debut novel. The novel isn’t actually hers but she is hired to pretend that she wrote it to keep the identity of the real writer a secret. He fell into the job as an agent after his Father’s passing and isn’t quite sure of his ability to help Kate navigate this farce.

Nice banter between characters, and Liv clearly steals the show as the quick witted older, protective sister of Kate.

I, personally would have liked to see a little more from Charlie’s POV and just didn’t feel the romantic chemistry between he and Kate as mush as I had hoped. I just felt like they rarely were ever in the same space and when they were, it felt a little forced.

I did enjoy how the story came full circle in the end and other readers look for little to no spice will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I like the themes in Slow Burn Summer: it's never too late to chase your dreams and people process grief differently. Charlie used to be a screenwriter and is now a talent agent, stepping into his father's shoes after he dies. At 39 and divorced, Kate pursues acting again, after a 20 year break spent raising her daughter. Charlie, the son of her previous agent, offers Kate the role of a ghost writer since the popular established author who wrote the romance novel does not want to be known.

Liz, Kate's older sister, is fiercely protective of her. I love how the bookish community, the sports' fans Kate met once, and her sister's customers all step up to defend Kate when there's backlash once she's revealed as an actress. Charlie and Kate found love again after being divorced and will not let anything stop them from pursuing their dreams of screenwriting and writing romance.

My biggest disappointment is that the romance between Charlie and Kate was barely there. The slow burn was dragged out for too long, and we barely get scenes that show the evolution of Charlie and Kate's relationship. I also wish there were more scenes with Kate's daughter as well.

The reveal of the true author behind the romance novel is engaging and done well. The epilogue and deleted scene (prologue) were a really nice way to end the story.

while i wasn’t able to finish this by pub date, i have loved every josie silver thus far and this seems like the perfect summer read! i will share my review on all retail sites as well!

I really enjoyed it and it was really easy to follow along with. Kate is a very strong women and I really liked that about her especially near the end. Josie Silver did a great job at adding a little bit of everything we needed. Not just in the characters relationships but the whole story itself. One of my favorite parts is the dinosaur part, it was perfect I loved it. I wish we got more from Charlie because I really liked his character. Liv is a sister that everyone hopes to have and I loved reading her love for her sister. Overall this book was a light-hearted easy read that I definitely recommend to be the perfect summer read.

The premise of this book is there, but for me, I just couldn’t get into the writing style, unfortunately. I ended up DNFimg it because it was a struggle for me and that’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just not for me, the content was good, I was just struggling to process the words as I read them.

I really enjoyed this book and I knew from the premise that it would pique my interest. While this is marketed as a romance book, I think it did read more as a lit fic which I personally loved. This book was a proper slow burn and the build up of Kate and Charlie's relationship was done so well. This was the perfect summer read for all book lovers!

Josie Silver is just a hit and miss for me, I think. I really enjoyed her book last year, A Winter in New York but Slow Burn Summer was a miss for me. It was soooo slow at the beginning, I couldn't get into it. The slow burn was too slow.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I've read other Josie Silver books and enjoyed them, so I had high hopes that I'd enjoy this one as well! Josie writes a perfect summer romance where two people help each other out and end up falling in love. There is the perfect amount of humor and slow burn romance between Charlie and Kate while on a book tour.

Without question Josie Silver has become an autobuy author for me; she’s someone who delivers a solid story from page one and Slowburn Summer had all the ingredients for a page turning romcom.
This story is primarily about Kate, a former actress whose recent divorce status and lack of funds has led her back to the agency she worked with many years ago. Mostly unrecognized, Kate is the perfect actor to stand in as the name and face for a romance debut written by a famous writer who wants to remain anonymous. In this non-traditional ghost-actor role, Kate becomes entrenched in the bookish life of Kate Darrowby, never knowing who actually wrote the book she’s representing. The mystery remains throughout the entire book with little slips and bits of info as to the author’s identity emerging throughout the novel, but I truly was surprised by the final pages.

This book felt like a love letter to readers. Kate experiences what it’s like to be a famous author without actually writing the book so there’s a sort of “fan in the day and the life of” feeling that runs throughout. She’s such a likable character so when things turn south it’s who shows up that makes this story special. I absolutely loved Kate’s sister Liv. Every girl should be so lucky to have a badass sister like her. Not only did she always have Kate’s back but she provided quite a bit of comic relief.

Like the title suggests, this is definitely a slowburn, in fact the romance itself isn’t front and center (which was totally fine by me), so readers should be aware that this book feels more like a comedy than a Rom-com. As Kate’s hot Top Gun-esque agent, Charlie’s responsibility is to represent her. Initially there is more work than workplace romance, but a steady spark begins to kindle when time and again Charlie prioritizes Kate more than a typical client. My favorite part was the grand gesture that doesn’t even come from Charlie, but by the bookish community who show up for her when it counts the most. Imagine if the book world always did this instead of jumping to condemn authors? Hmmm, just a thought.

This would be a perfect beach read and a book I feel like I could recommend to many readers. I received a copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the e-Arc of Josie Silvers newest book.
I had really high hopes for this one because I loved “A Winter in New York” but unfortunately this one fell short for me. It felt really broken up and disjointed. I felt there were so many avenues tried within the book especially in the end it was almost too much going on. On the other hand, I went in thinking this would be a romance novel but there was very little romance… it took 2/3 of the book to get any. I will still give it 3 stars because the premise of the actress playing a fake author was really interesting and fun, but most of the book just fell short.

I think this is a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” for why this book didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if Josie Silver’s writing is for me anymore; I think my preferences have changed since I first found and love ‘One Day In December’ and I keep picking up her books hoping for another win like that but I think it’s time to accept we‘ve grown apart.

I was pleasantly surprised that the FMC wasn’t in her early 20s like it’s so common to see in contemporary romance (instead she has a daughter around that age!) but I didn’t love the ex-husband drama. The description mentioned she’s divorced but the talk about cheating just isn’t for me, there’s a lot of (understandable) bitterness and I just don’t care for that. But I do really hope this book finds its audience!

No surprise, but I loved this book! Josie Silver has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to her new releases.
Kate a recently divorcee needs a job, so in desperation she writes to her old talent agent from 20 years ago. When his son calls her with a job she can’t resist even though she’s sad her old agent had passed away.
She wasn’t expecting this job.
Imagine being an author without writing a book. They wanted her to pose as the author and do all of the publicity without revealing who the true author is.
She dives into her roll, but it quickly derails. What happens when people finds out she’s a fraud?

I gave this one my best shot, but decided to DNF at the 44% mark.

For a romance to work for me, I have to feel like the characters have an emotional connection. I never felt that between Kate and Charlie. She’s an actress playing the role of author to a book Charlie’s firm represents. Nothing about this plot or these characters kept me engaged enough to keep reading.

While this was a disappointment for me, others may find it enjoyable. It’s lighthearted and an easy summer read. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Was this book everything I expected? Yes! Was it a little predictable? Of course. Did I still love Josie Silver's signature style? 100%. This was a quick, easy summer romance. Thank you to one of my favorite publishers, Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be released tomorrow, 06/10/2025!

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver
3.5 ⭐️
World - 3🌎 Plot - 3📖Characters - 4👫
Writing - 3.5🖋️Vibes - 3.5❤️Spice - 1🌶️

Slow Burn Summer lived up to its name, it started off a little slow for me, but once I settled into the story, I was hooked. I found myself really invested in these characters and their messy, unexpected journey. It ended up being the kind of feel-good, satisfying read that’s perfect for summer. And it’s a reminder that book people really are the best kind of people.

The story follows Kate, newly divorced and figuring out what’s next, who reaches out to her former acting agent, only to find out he’s passed away. Instead, she connects with his son, Charlie, a former screenwriter who’s also recently gone through a divorce and moved back from L.A. He offers Kate a single gig: pretend to be the author behind a buzzy new romance novel. Like ghostwriting, but with more lying and public appearances.
Kate used to dabble in writing romance for fun, so what could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: everything. Everything goes wrong.)

I loved the dual POV, it added depth and made the connection between Kate and Charlie feel more real, but I did wish we got a little more of Charlie’s perspective toward the end. Still, the story is heartfelt, smart, and full of charm.

If you're looking for a feel good, character-driven summer read with a unique premise and some behind-the-scenes publishing drama, this is a great pick

What a great read! The characters are lovable and the story is for book lovers! I loved how Josie Silver showed off the book community! I fell in love with Kate and Charlie but enjoyed the snarky of Liv (Kate's older sister) and Fiona (Charlie's partner)! The story of love, loss, and finding oneself through it all was wonderfully written!

Enjoyable read! I’ve read a lot of romance novels, and it was fun to see a bit different of a plot in Slow Burn Summer. Kate Elliot is working to reinvent her life after an unexpected, bitter divorce and empty nest. Kate decides to return to her acting roots and ends up working with the son of her former agent- Charlie Francisco. Charlie is also in the process of reinventing his life after a hard divorce, move and career change. Kate is hired to be the public face to a new romance novel written in secret by a famous novelist. Kate loves the book and wants to help it succeed, so she takes the job and makes the publicity rounds using her acting skills. Charlie supports her and through the whole process, they fall in love. I enjoyed the book- and I especially loved Kate as a character. She is plucky and heartfelt and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Kate is a recent divorcee and very ex-actress, desperate for work. And it just so happens her old talent agency, now run by her former agent’s son, Charlie, has the perfect job for her. You’ve heard of ghostwriters, pen names, all of that. But Kate here is about to be a ghostauthor. The author doesn’t want their name attached to the romance novel they wrote, so Kate is going to be the author. It’ll be her name on the cover, her at all the events, so on. What starts out as a job, a means to an end, becomes so much more as Kate calls in love with this story and embroiled in the difficulties that are being an author.

I love this premise! Ghostauthors? Weird but makes sense. It feels particularly relevant with all the discourse on AI novels and pen names and privacy, and Josie Silver does a great job building up and tearing down Kate’s world repeatedly. You want Kate to succeed, she’s one of those likeable for no reason characters who’s never done anything really wrong. You don’t need to know who the real author is because writing is about more than just the writer. It’s about getting the story out there for others who may need it, regardless of who wrote it. It’s a new take on masculinity and romance novels that doesn’t seem deep at first, since it’s presented so lightheartedly. Just an all around good read for not just summer (despite what the title suggests)!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Kate Elliott is a middle-aged divorcee who needs a job. She reaches out to her agent to find out that he's passed, but his son has an interesting job for her. Pretend to be the author of a new romance book. She takes the opportunity, and along the way, she falls in love with her new life and her agent. They have a few misunderstandings, but overall, they make it through until the press finds out that she's not really the author. I laughed out loud when she met the real author who disguises himself in a T-Rex costume. Overall, we get a HEA, and it's a great summer read!

I really liked this! It felt a bit different than other Josie Silver books I've read, style-wise. But it was good! The first half of the book felt a bit superficial (not in a bad way, just as far as how deep the story and characters felt to me) but the second half was more intense in my opinion and I became invested! Great for fans of Ava Wilder!