4 stars for THE SUMMER OF YOU AND ME by Denise Hunter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I totally judged this book by its cover — that was my sole purpose in requesting the ARC from Net Galley. I am SO glad I did because not only did I enjoy this book so thoroughly, but I also found a new author to add to my “must read more of” list.

Denise Hunter wrote such a beautiful love story from start to finish. And I’ll be the first to admit that this trope isn’t my favorite, but it was done in such a tasteful way that I genuinely found myself cheering Maggie and Josh on from the sidelines, despite what others may think.

The romance + the mystery of “Ethan’s twin” had me hooked. Honestly from the very beginning I knew I would enjoy this story.

The characters were real and raw, with emotion that felt honest. It pulled at my heartstrings to see Maggie struggle with her feelings (about Josh, Ethan, her mother, grief, loss, moving on).

The twist had me audibly gasping because even though I should have, I honestly did not see it coming.

Definitely check this one out when it comes out on April 22. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of THE SUMMER IF YOU AND ME ✨

One day Maggie is at the fair with her young daughter and swears she sees her husband among the crowds. Trouble is, he was killed in the line of duty five years ago.

Calling upon his brother to help her search for him opens up a new world of possibilities neither of them ever expected, and are a little afraid to entertain. But they don't give up, and eventually are confronted with an impossible truth.

This novel is at once a mystery, a love story, and a story of revitalization. Grief is heavy and comes in waves, some hitting so hard and fast it makes us feel like we'll never get a breath of fresh air again. But holding stagnant doesn't allow you to buoy back to the surface, lifted by the spirits of those who came before. By the love and honor you have for them. This is a story about humanity in a lot of ways. Coping with death. Resilience.

An undercurrent of support, love, and understanding runs through this novel. The characters seem to be at least casually religious, though it's not outwardly discussed much through the narrative. Instead they lead by example, telling truths even when it hurts, finding forgiveness in difficult situations, overcoming shock in favor of compassion. There is plenty of drama in this book, but I could feel the safety net underneath, in the best way possible.

The Summer of You and Me blurs genre lines to bring a story that will tug at your heart strings. I absolutely loved it. I hope you will too.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Denise Hunter read, and not my last. It was familiar, like a warm hug. Coming to you on April 22, 2025 its one to put at the top of your TBR lists. Five years after the loss of her husband, Maggie still mourns Ethan and the life they should have had together. She struggles with the "what ifs" and she navigates the world raising the daughter that Ethan loved, but never got to meet. Blessed with supportive in-laws, Maggie and her daughter travel back to her husbands home town to spend the summer with Ethans family. With a surprise twist, Maggie finds herself and her brother-in-law Josh (who is in love with her) on a mystery that could change their lives forever.

The audiobook read wonderfully. I could listen to Kim Churchill all day.

Thank you NetGalley, Denise Hunter and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions I share are my own.

Reading The Summer of You and Me feels like slipping into a memory—sun-drenched days, salty breezes, and that one summer where everything shifted. Denise Hunter paints the season with nostalgia and nuance, wrapping her characters in heartache, healing, and a second chance that feels both tender and true.

This isn’t just a romance—it’s a story about timing, trust, and the kind of love that doesn’t just survive the storm, but is shaped by it. The emotional undercurrent runs deep, but it’s balanced by Hunter’s gift for writing those soft, swoony moments that make you believe in love all over again.

Perfect for fans of beachy settings, meaningful connection, and that sweet ache of what-could-have-been finally becoming what is—this book is summer bottled up in pages.

Denise Hunter knows how to swoon a reader from the first chapter. She writes and creates the most relatable characters, and heart felt stories! Wonderfully done. I cherished each page.

Maggie Reynolds lost her husband, Ethan, to war. Five years later she spends the summer in Seabrook, where her late husband was from, and sees his doppelgänger. She employs her brother-in-law Josh, who has been in lover with her for years, to help her find this doppelgänger.

This book is a little mystery, a little love story. The only problem is it lacks depth, on the verge of cheesy. I would have DNFed this book if it wasn't an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Publish date is April 22, 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Setting: Seabrook, a charming, nostalgia-drenched beachside community
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

The Summer of You and Me is the kind of novel that stays with you long after you turn the final page. With lyrical prose, richly drawn characters, and a storyline that gently balances grief, hope, and the quiet ache of what might have been, this book is an emotional triumph.

Five years after her husband’s tragic death, Maggie returns to Seabrook—the place where their love first blossomed—as a way to find closure. Her intentions are simple: say goodbye to the future they planned and spend time with the Reynolds family, who still feel like her own. But as summer unfolds, so do old feelings, new truths, and a mystery that shakes the foundation of everything she thought she knew.

Josh Reynolds, Maggie’s brother-in-law, is one of the most compelling romantic leads I’ve read in a long time. His long-buried love for Maggie is tender, selfless, and deeply moving. Watching their dynamic shift, slowly and respectfully, as Maggie begins to open herself to the idea of life after Ethan, is both heart-wrenching and hopeful.

But it’s the appearance of a stranger—one who looks hauntingly like Ethan—that adds an unexpected twist. The mystery is subtle but effective, driving the plot forward and forcing Maggie to confront not just her grief, but her identity and the possibility of a new beginning.

The Summer of You and Me is not just a love story—it’s a story of rediscovery. Of finding your way back to yourself after loss. Of realizing that moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, and that love, in its many forms, can be both enduring and transformative.

Tender, romantic, and filled with emotional depth, this book is a must-read for anyone who believes in the healing power of time, truth, and second chances. #NetGalley, #thesummerofyouandme #booked_this_weekend

OH THE DRAMA!!!!!! i almost couldn’t keep up with it at points bc just when a situation was resolved another one popped up!! i thoroughly enjoyed this and loved all the characters!! i breezed through this and it has me so excited for summer to begin!! it’s a perfect beach read!! i listened to the audiobook in less than 24 hours because i had to know what was happening!!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for the e-arc & audiobook in exchange for my honest review!!

The Summer Of You And Me by Denise Hunter

A BIG thank you to #NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and author #DeniseHunter for sending me #TheSummerOfYouAndMe in exchange for my honest review.

About the book: 5 years ago Maggie Reynolds lost her husband and love of her life, Ethan. After all this time Maggie is finally ready to try and move on and get some closure.
She decides to bring her and Ethan’s daughter back to her home town for the summer, back to where Ethan’s family is.
Maggie takes her daughter to an amusement park in town and while she’s there she’s sees a man that looks exactly like Ethan! But how could it be? Ethan is dead.
Maggie immediately calls Josh, her brother in law, who quickly comes up to the fair. This turns into a “quest” to find the young man and when they finally do find him it raises way more questions than answers.
During their journey to discovering the truth Maggie and Josh begin to get closer and closer, but something Maggie doesn’t know is Josh has loved Maggie since her first laid eyes on her. He’s ready to lay it all out there for her, but will she reciprocate his love?

What I thought? What an absolute sweet story! I really enjoyed this one. I love how it was just a good nice “clean” story. The story grabbed me from start to finish, and the characters were all really likable. I would definitely want to read more by this author in the future. I would rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

Kim Churchill did an amazing job as narrator and really helped bring the story to life!

This book will be released April 21, 2025

Love love love.. This book gave me so many different emotions!! I was all over and could not stop listening. The narrator does such a good job making you really feel the words

I'm relatively new to Denise Hunter but I definitely will be looking for more of her books after this one. I am one of those people who tends to stay away from mystery books because I either find the ending out too soon or the story isn't logical with its ending. Not a problem with this book! Hunter grips you with the story from the beginning and keeps you guessing until the end. A great story and telling, and the narrator did an amazing job. Definitely get your hands on this one!

Thank you Net galley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the advanced audio of this book. This is a really hard one to review because overall it was a fun, sweet, lovable characters, small town second chances with such a unique storyline read but…there were so many moments when I did not like their choices or reactions that it put an overall damper on my view of the story. The beginning of the book is slow and felt like more development could have occurred within that part of the story rather than dumping loads of background information at the end. It’s a quick read with a different plot that was enjoyable. Narration was well done. Rounded up for Goodreads. Solid 3.5 for me.

I enjoyed the audiobook version and the narrator. She did a great job of switching between characters and I never felt confused. I liked the premise and characters, but the story felt a bit slow. The twist of the story was pretty obvious but it was dragged out. I thought the audio book could have been a few hours shorter. Overall I thought it was a quick, light listen and would be interested in reading more from this author.

I went into The Summer of You and Me expecting a soap opera-style romance—long-lost husbands with amnesia, dramatic betrayals, the whole thing. Instead, I found a thoughtful, well-paced story about love, loss, and self-discovery. The slow-moving relationships and well-adjusted characters made it all the more compelling, and just when I was sure I had the ending figured out, I was completely wrong. As someone raised by a single mom who never met my father, this book left me overthinking how different life could have been in another world. It’s not often a romance novel makes me reflect that deeply, but this one did.

This one is tough for me. The overall storyline wasn't bad but something just fell flat for me. The first 75% of the book was okay, it kept my attention but felt kind of boring. Nothing significant happened an didn't provide any real emotions or feelings for me within the characters. It felt slightly depressing.

The twist actually surprised me, which made this 3 stars for me vs. 2. Its not often that I dont see a twist coming but I didn't. Once we got the information, which came very fast and summed everything up pretty much immediately, I felt like the story line drug on again until it ended.

I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was good, but I always love books with dual narration better. Hearing the female voice make the male voice and call Maggie "honey" kept making me cringe.

Overall I didn't hate it. I just didn't love it.

The Summer of You and Me is an emotional and bittersweet story of love, loss, and unexpected second chances. When Maggie spots someone who looks exactly like her late husband at a state fair, it sets off a heartbreaking journey of uncovering long-buried secrets. As she and Josh navigate their growing feelings, family tensions rise, and grief lingers in every corner of their story.

Denise Hunter delivers a deeply moving read filled with heartache, hope, and emotional twists that will stay with you long after the final page. Prepare yourself—this one hurts, but it’s beautifully worth it.

This book somehow had me feeling ALL the things. It was sweet, nostalgic, hopeful and romantic. The idea of seeing your deceased ex spouse is... Well, really sad. I loved the MMC in this, who is also her (former??) brother-in-law. Such a sweet love story with actual boundaries and healthy conversations being had.

On the narrator: She was great!! Perfect for the nostalgia in this story.

My first by Denise H. Loved!

4.5/5.0

I am a big fan of Denise Hunter. I just finished listening to The Summer of You and Me. I loved it!!!

It was a slower start for me on this one, but once I got more into the mystery and drama of it I enjoyed it! I loved the grief of a spouse displayed in this story, it felt raw and messy which the reality. I also adored Maggie’s relationship with her daughter, it was so sweet! However, I didn’t buy into the romance between Maggie and John and it just felt trauma bonded to me. John was obsessed from the start and Maggie felt removed for most of it. I didn’t enjoy the comparison of John to her late husband.. idk didn’t hit for me. I didn’t NOT enjoy this book, but I wasn’t in love. The ending wrapped up well for me and the plot twist bumped up the stars.

I was captivated from the beginning and the mystery over the man that Maggie saw at the Carnival that resembled her late husband. It has been five years since she lost her husband. Seeing this young man that resembles her husband sends her on this unraveling of what really happened to him. Josh is her late husband's brother and has been helping Maggie with her five year old daughter Zoey. The way Maggie and Josh dove into the mystery and tried to unravel the clues. I love the twists and turns that came in the story.

The audiobook is narrated by Kim Churchill. She did such a great job voicing this story and the various characters. The tone and emotion was perfect. She really kept the story flowing. She had varying voices for Josh and Maggie and I could follow their various dialogue.