I enjoyed this book! It was a sweet story about a woman growing into her adult life and a romance. There was love - family love, friend love, romantic love. There were lots of great quirky characters. A fun summer read!

This is such a fun, romantic book. It was cute and sweet and the perfect summer romance! It's not your typical romance, but one that dips into parts of society let discussed while still being the perfect enemies to lovers romance.

There is sometimes the idea in media that art should be as broad and generic as possible. I am firmly opposed to that mindset. To me, the best reads are those which are based in the specific.

In writing the story of Gretchen, a Cape Cod native who ends up working at a pole fitness club, Micciche clearly has an in depth knowledge both of the Cape Cod economy (as someone whose classmates did J1 visas, I appreciated the shout out) and of pole fitness. The book is billed as enemies to lovers, but I found that while the romance was foregrounded, the book is really about the phase in your 20s where you are really trying to pull things together and sort of, but not totally succeeding.

This is a great summer read - I enjoyed that the romantic leads really supported each other in their goals and ambitions and the book is written from the perspective of people who do sex work (Brady is a stripper) in a realistic, non judgemental way. This was a fun summer read and I will definitely read future books by Micciche. This is for fans of Abby Jimenez and Elin Hildebrand.

The End of Summer by KJ Micciche simply put was just a lot of fun! 
The characters were so much fun, and their chemistry was adorable.
I thought the writing was quick, fun and engaging.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this new title.

I am DFNing this book at 16%
I was really excited to read this book! The concept “waitress gets fired from her job for a mistake ends up working as a pole dancer and ends up having to work with the guy who fired her. Romantic hijinks ensue!”
However, I could not get past the poorly done research and clunky writing.

The research:
- Strange obsession with the actor David Krumholtz aside (multiple characters aside from Gretchen our FMC seem to be able to recite his entire IMBD at the drop of a hat), there is a minor character who says she saw him at the Premiere of The Santa Clause 2 with Apple TV executives. The movie came out in 2002, iTVs (now called Apple TVs) were available to the public in 2007, and AppleTV+ the streaming service began in 2017. All of that took me 5 minutes to research
- The reference to “a Chapelle show”. I admit, at first I thought the author had misspelled Chappell as in “Chappell Roan” but no, it’s in reference to Dave Chapelle. A comedian who, while occasionally says thought provoking (and controversial) things in recent years, has not really been a major household name in at least 15 years
- The jelly-o shots. Gretchen gets hired to work at “not a stripe club…a pole dancing studio” Going off the premise I thought she was going to work at an actual stripe club, but then, I was thinking “oh an actual pole dancing studio, where people can take basic classes, maybe also aerial dance classes or chair routines” Which are very real places. Where you wear work out clothes and ABSOLUTELY no drinking is allowed (at least in the state I live in). But quickly it appears to be both and neither. Gretchen is in charge of making and handing out Jell-O shots (which oh no, are similar colors, can’t see that going wrong) and the women who might be instructors, might just be dancers, are all wearing various stripper outfits. It actually would make more sense if she was hired as a server at a strip club than whatever this is meant to be.

The writing:
- There were spelling and grammar errors
- Characters unironically use the terms “slay” and “bae” is normal conversation as if it’s 2014.
- At one point, after pages of Gretchen’s decrepit apartment building being described (including a paragraph describing how a shared outdoor area often spells like “a sack full of assholes” because a neighboring dog “dedicates” there three times a day), her inner monologue says “I’m a grown ass woman, according to me new employer”. Instead of IMMEDIATELY explaining what that means, we get two more pages before the boss actually says that to her

There’s also the fact that Brady (the MMC) picking Gretchen to work ( the inciting reason as to why she’s been fired.) because she is “the only native English speaker available“ and the INSANE amount of times people are referred to as J-1s (the reason Gretchen and Brady can’t get jobs in their preferred fields)

It is very unlikely I’ll return to this book ever

Thank you NetGalley and Cabaret Books LLC for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I loved this book until I reached the end. It was fun, different and refreshing. The zingy one liners are hilarious, not to mention the many different ways she refers to a male genitalia. I loved Gretchen’s character arc, watching her go from a meek daddy's girl, to a self assured bassass woman.

I feel like there was a missed opportunity for the interaction between Gretchen and Miranda when she picks up her car after the bachelorette party. I wanted to see the on page interaction there, not a brief recall.

I did not like the way the story ended. The dad was way over protective and off his rocker thinking he could dictate his adult daughter's life, she isn't even living under his roof. I would have liked to see more on page confrontation of her putting her dad in his place after coming into her own.

And what was with the boyfriend going to talk to her parents and explain his future plan and promising he will ask her to marry him down the road. I get wanting the in laws to like you, but the relationship is between the two of you, not them. They need to stay in their lane.

Ok the flip side, I did like that in the end she didn't get her dream happily ever after, she had to pivot and adjust to accept the consequences of her choice.

I am disappointed that Miranda didn't get what was coming to her.

I did find some spelling errors. Hopefully those are found.

The End of Summer is a chaotic, sun-soaked rom-com that brings the heat, the humor, and a surprising dose of emotional depth. Gretchen is instantly lovable — clumsy, determined, and way over her head — and her banter with Brady is sharp, funny, and flirty in all the right ways.

The premise is as wild as it sounds: accidental unemployment, accidental stripping, and a very illegal bachelorette-party business that somehow turns into a catalyst for personal growth. Micciche strikes a great balance between absurdity and sincerity, making even the most outrageous plot points feel oddly believable.

There were a few pacing hiccups in the middle, and some side characters could’ve used more development, but overall, this is a perfect summer escape read with a heartwarming enemies-to-lovers .

This book was fun all the way through! Brady and Gretchen lose their jobs over the same dining incident, and both find work in unexpected places- a pole dancing club that hosts bachelorette parties. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the twists and turns are a lot of fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this book.
Unfortunately, I had to DNF around 25%. I liked the idea of the book. But I couldn’t connect with the story and the characters. It was just falling short for me.
But I hope it is received well!

I enjoyed The End of Summer. I have not read a book like it before. It reminded me of Coyote Ugly and Magic Mike. Gretchen is going to school to be a teacher. She makes money by waitressing. Brady is the assistant manager of the restaurant where Gretchen works. They both get fired on the same night. Gretchen and Brady learn how hard it is to find a job in the middle of summer in Cape Cod. They have bills to pay and are desperate for work. Their best friends come to the rescue and find jobs for them.

I loved that this is an unconventional romance. I’m a HUGE Gavin & Stacey fan, so rarely told romances somewhat akin to Smithy & Nessa’s are some of by favourites. I adored Zoloft’s (the kitty’s) adorable, mischievous shenanigans. This book is a great reminder to not make assumptions, and on the importance of second chances, and finding unorthodox but brave solutions to difficult problems. I also adored Gretchen’s method for anxiety calming. I do something similar, but as we’re not near a beach I try and do forest bathing instead.

I’m a Priest’s daughter but have always wanted to try pole and silk exercises, but haven’t yet been brave enough as I worried what people would think. However I loved seeing a glimpse into this world, and the banter switched between hilarious and immensely sweet.

I also loved the author’s backstory for her inspiration for the novel.

I grabbed this book as I'm an aerialist/pole dancer who loves to read. Seemed right up my alley. And overall it was fun.

However, the author spent so much time introducing us to these characters as individuals that the romance felt flat and rushed once we finally got to it. I felt like I knew Gretchen’s parents better than anytime else... weird choice. It’s still worth giving a read of you want something fun for the summer.

KJ Micciche is an autobuy author for me and she proves why, again, with this latest novel. 5 starts from me, all the way.

This story was funny and cute. They had such a funny interesting meet up and then fate shoving them back together. There was romance and a little spice with a big helping of comedy. I never realized all the different nicknames for human privates but Im definitely stealing a few funny ones from this book. I absolutely loved that this story ended with a happily ever after that really wasn't a happily ever after (you'll understand when you read) It was not your typical white picket ending. It was more of a beginning to their happily ever after. Also curious whether there will be more stories based on the characters introduced in this book because there definitely could be.

Both Gretchen and Brady lose their jobs at a fancy restaurant at the beginning of summer. Both desperate for work, they turn to the bachelorette party scene. It is a fun storyline about these usually straight-laced people making money at these parties. Brady is a super sweet golden retriever, and Gretchen is just down on her luck/finding herself. Think Magic Mike/Coyote Ugly vibes. There’s a lot of heart and some spice while these two navigate the trials of being out of work and figuring out what’s next. I loved the Cape Cod setting. Pick up this book if you’re looking for a fun rom-com with a bit of flair and strippers.

I loved the author’s note at the end about how she found confidence and strength from pole dancing classes. It is a great subplot as Gretchen found benefits physically and mentally through learning pole dancing.

Thank you, NetGalley, Cabaret Books, and K.J. Micciche, for an advanced digital copy of this book.

If you're in the mood for an enemies, turned partners-in-crime, turned lovers storyline - this is the book for you! When I originally read the synopsis, I thought "wow, this would be like if all those times we joked about dropping out or quitting our jobs to become strippers was turned into a Hallmark plotline!"

The plot surrounding this choice of employment is definitely unique (and there will be a lot of euphemisms for male body parts) and yet Gretchen and Brady had such a wholesome HEA. Both had their own backstories and families that provided them with enough depth to make them into believable characters. However, I do think there were a few missed opportunities between the MCs and some of the side characters, including Brady's dad and Gretchen's boss. There are times where some of the slang used by characters was a little cringy, but I also bet if you worked within the bachelorette/party industry and had to 'perform' in an over the top way, it would become part of the character.

Overall, this is a fun and easy read! Definitely one to pick up if you're looking for a beach read to finish by "the end of summer"!

Thank you to NetGalley, Cabaret Books, and K.J. Micciche for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a fun read! I really loved this new book by KJ Micciche. While very different from her other work, the thing that sucked me in like every other book was her main characters. I really loved Gretchen and Brady's dynamic and their eventual relationship. I found the central plot to be very unique. My only problem with thr book came at the end- I loved that they opened the dance studio but I never felt like I was shown just how much Gretchen loved dancing throughout the book. I think if I had seen that I would have believed it a little more.

The End of Summer is one of those books that feels like a rom-com you’ve watched before and kind of liked—but also forgot existed until someone brought it up again and you went, “Oh yeah! That was cute.”

And it is cute. And fun. But also deeply predictable. I’m talking “yep, saw that coming a mile away” levels of predictable. If you like your summer reads with low stakes, flirty banter, and the literary equivalent of a Hallmark Channel plotline, this’ll scratch the itch.

Gretchen and Brady have decent chemistry, the side hustle plot is mildly unhinged (in a good way), and the Cape Cod setting is doing a lot of heavy lifting to give this book its vibes. But there wasn’t a whole lot of surprise or emotional depth for me—I finished it feeling more like I’d had a decent snack than a satisfying meal.

Basically: it’s a nice time. Just not a standout.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review—this one was like a beach read with training wheels. Nothing wrong with that, but I kept waiting for it to break into a sprint and it never really did.

This book was so funny and filled with so much cute romance and banter. I highly recommend this book!

I absolutely loved this book!! Thank you so much NetGalley I enjoyed the writing it was a funny rom com. Gretchen and Brady chemistry was so good. I enjoyed how they met in the book I felt like we don’t get a lot of stripper rom com so thank you for thinking outside the box and not writing a normal rom com I look forward to reading more books