Cruel Summer is a heartfelt, emotionally rich romance about midlife reinvention, autonomy, and the messy beauty of rediscovering yourself. Sam’s journey is both raw and redemptive; her experiences echo the quiet awakenings many women face when asked to choose between selfhood and caretaking. Logan brings warmth and complexity, and the road-trip framework gives the story a refreshingly kinetic energy.

If you enjoy emotionally grounded romance with lifelike messiness and soul-baring growth—not just between two people, but within oneself—you’ll likely find this tale captivating and unforgettable.

A beautifully written, emotionally rich story that lingers long after the final page. Cruel Summer delivers heartfelt moments, complex characters, and a slow-burning tension that keeps you turning pages. Yates captures the beauty and heartbreak of coming home—and the unexpected ways love can find us again. A perfect read for anyone who enjoys a deep, emotional journey with just the right touch of hope.

This was my first Maisey Yates book, I wasn't really sure how this one was going to go. I absolutely could not imagine what this must be like. You feel like you are getting to your empty nest stage and ready to enjoy life, until everything you thought about your marriage falls apart. Her novel explores themes of self-love, healing, and personal transformation, while struggling with grief. While it includes romantic elements, the heart of the story is about rediscovering yourself after loss and learning to prioritize your own happiness and how to love yourself. Deeply relatable and emotionally resonant, the book highlights how grief is messy and non-linear, and how love—both for yourself and from others—can be healing. A powerful, heartfelt read that will leave a lasting impact on your heart. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book. The book starts off with Sam and her husband trying to decide what their lives are going to be like since they are going to be empty nesters now that all of their children are off to college. Sam goes through so many emotions trying to figure out who she is going to be after her husband asks to have an open marriage which is not something Sam ever thought would happen.
She goes on to have a summer filled by roadtrips with Logan, her husband's best friend, who restores old cars and then delivers them back to the owners. On these trips Sam not only discovers things about herself and her future but also that Logan does not dislike her like she previously thought, in fact far from it.

This was a great romance novel with a good amount of sex scenes.

I love the cars that Logan has restored and the trips that Sam and Logan get to take across the country in these cars, I was a little jealous of these fictional characters.

The ending was perfect; I loved the discussions that Sam had with Will and Logan in advance of the ending. They were realistic discussions for the situation Sam had found herself in.

Nancy Peterson did a great job narrating the story and I look forward to listening to more of Nancy's work in the future.

🌞🔥 A road trip, a breakup, and one very persistent best friend… this Cruel Summer was anything but boring. Emotional, reflective, and a little messy—in all the right ways. 💔🚙💋

Title: Cruel Summer
Author: Maisey Yates
Format: Audiobook 🎧
Narrators: Nancy Peterson
Narration Style: Solo

Tropes: Road trip romance, he falls first, husband’s best friend, second chance (ish), self-discovery, open marriage drama, small town shame

Trophy Worthy: 👍
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️ (emotional tension + a few heated moments)

❤️‍🔥Favorite Quotes
“I am not a zip line, Samantha, or a tattoo. I’m not an experience for you to have. I’m not a rebellion for your mother or a fuck you to your husband. If you want me, you can’t want him. It’s that simple.”
“The past is gone. The future hasn’t happened yet.”


🎧 Narration Review:
Nancy Peterson handled the solo narration beautifully. While I usually prefer duet performances, I was shocked that her male voice didn’t pull me out of the story once—which is rare for me. She really brought Sam’s emotional journey to life and made the quieter, more introspective moments feel incredibly personal. 👏


📚 Author Review:
This is my first book by Maisey Yates and she gave us a deeply real, emotional slice-of-life story with a premise that feels more grounded than most: a marriage hitting a crossroad after decades together. This isn’t mafia chaos or billionaire fantasy—it’s the kind of situation you could imagine happening in your own cul-de-sac. The themes of religious guilt, young motherhood, small town pressure, and losing your identity in a long marriage are all thoughtfully woven through the story. Yes, Sam’s inner monologue got repetitive at times, but the growth? Worth it.


📖 Book Review:
The story kicks off with a punch: Sam’s husband of 20+ years asks for an open marriage. Cue my rage on her behalf. He wants to go find himself but still keep her waiting at home like a loyal puppy? Nope. 🫠

What follows is a journey—literal and emotional. Sam embarks on a summer of self-discovery and reconnects with her husband’s best friend, Logan, who is absolutely down bad for her. The chemistry between Sam and Logan felt raw and believable, and even though I was skeptical going in, I found myself rooting for them. 🥹

After reading other reviews, I saw some readers didn’t vibe with early scenes that referenced teen sex and religious upbringing, but they’re not gratuitous—they inform the life-altering choices that shaped Sam’s path. This is a small town story, where shame lingers and expectations are sky-high. Watching Sam realize she’d spent her life trying to make herself smaller to fit in hit hard.

While this isn’t my usual dramatic, plot-twist-laced ride, it surprised me. It felt human. Honest. And a little painful. 💔

💭 Overall Thoughts:
This book made me think. About marriage, identity, and what it means to start over when you’ve already built an entire life. It’s not a wild romance with a flashy plot—but it is a grounded, emotional slow-burn that sneaks up on you and makes you feel. A solid listen with heart, heat, and hard truths.


🎧 Thank you to NetGalley, Maisey Yates, and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

♬ “Mr. steal your girl, then make her cry…”

A fun, romantic journey about finding love in unexpected places, new adventures, and living for yourself, being unapologetically you.

THE ROMANCE WARMED MY COLD, COLD HEART!!! No, because the tension and chemistry between Logan and Sam was insanely intense, like I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WEREN'T TOGETHER TO BEGIN WITH. Logan truly saw the deepest, rawest parts of Sam like Will never could. He was the push she needed to start living her life the way SHE wanted.

The audiobook was delightful! I love to pair the audio with the actual book and follow along; it makes it feel cinematic. I do think that the narrator lacked the emotions needed in her voice, but aside from that I can’t complain!

Yes, there are things I’d say need improvement, but I’m happy with how this read turned out, and I 100% recommend it. Especially to my Swifties!

Book itself: 2.7 ★
Audiobook: 3.6 ★

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 & 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!

🫶🏻Review🫶🏻
5🌟
📖Book: 50/78
📚 Title:
Cruel Summer
✍️Author:
Maisey Yates
📄Pages: 320
💫Genre:
Fiction•Romance
🗣️Narrator:
Nancy Peterson
••••••••••••••••••••••••
📝Synopsis 📝
Samantha has been married to Will, her high school sweetheart for 20 years now. She loves her life but one day out of the blue he drops one on her and suggests they try for an open marriage.

💭My Thoughts 💭
Maisey Yates, you had me flipping through these pages but that Author’s Note was captivating😭 This book is beautifully written and perfect for us Gen X Swifties 🫶🏻 I loved Samantha and could relate to her in so many ways to her. It is hard always trying to please the ones you love, the ones you don’t want to let down, and the ones who love to judge. Her story was so realistic and no matter what age you are, you felt her pain and longed for her happiness. Logan was also written beautifully with his imperfections and all. I can go on and on but don’t want to spoil it, but I can’t get over the Theme, Tropes, and Swiftie References 🥹🫶🏻 The playlist was freaking amazing as well!
I also listened to this on audiobook and loved it!


✨Thank you @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This book is one I’ll cherish forever🫶🏻
•••••••••••••••••••••••
💭QOTD💭
Do you prefer for books to have a playlist ?
•••••••••••••••••••••••
#CruelSummer
#romancebooks
#netgalley
#bookreview
#bookreviewer #fictionbooks #summerbooks #bookrecommendations #bookworms #bibliophile

2.5 ⭐️

This book wasn’t really for me. I just couldn’t connect with the FMC. She really annoyed me and relied too heavily on the opinion on others. I do think it was nice to see her somewhat find herself again over the course of the summer, however, this storyline in general was just not for me.

The narrator did do a great job of on this and made it enjoyable + easy to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley + Harlequin Audio for the Arc!

I rated this book 3.75 stars. I really enjoyed the story between Logan and Samantha. However, I was iffy on her leaving her husband for his best friend. Not because they weren't meant to be, but because it feels like borderline cheating trope in a sense.

This was a story of self discovery. After her kids are grown and she becomes an empty nester, her husband drops a bomb on her. Sam is left to question her relationship and rediscover who she is and what she wants with her life. The book covers young pregnancy and feeling religious pressure to do the “right thing”. The audiobook narrator did a great job of really making you feel Sam’s emotions as she goes through it. I did find her inner thoughts and dialogue became repetitive, but aside from that it was an interesting and thought provoking story. I went in not sure what I was expecting but ended up pleasantly surprised.
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a strong woman who makes the most of a seemingly unfortunate situation. Sam's life has been content with her childhood sweetheart, but when her husband proposes an open marriage (at least for the summer) to explore the things they may have missed out on, she's shocked but realizes she has to make the most of it. A series of road trips with her husband's friend helps her realize that the only way to survive as a young person is to think you know everything (and then later realize how far from the truth that is). Sam doesn't shy away from hard and that makes her the kind of woman we should all aspire to be... even if her life ends up differently from how she pictured it.

Solid read of a story that isn't as often told.

Thank you To Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for the audiobook!

This book was wonderful as an audiobook!Maisey Yates did a phenomenal job writing this one. It was deep with so much emotion. The character arcs were beautiful!

Even though I’m not in the same situation as Samantha I felt myself thinking what would I do if I was faced with the same thing? I thought Maisey handled this topic so well. She made her characters really work for their happily ever after. Those are the best stories. This author broke me and put me back together throughout the course of this story. Samantha’s journey was deep, hard and thought provoking! She came through it a much stronger character than in the beginning even though her choices were gut wrenching.
The narrator was fantastic at bringing Samantha’s story to life. Her voice is exactly how I imagined Sam’s voice to sound like. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. I listened to this book all in one day. I received this book from Harlequin audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio and Maisey Yates for a copy of this book.

I originally asked for this audio book based on the cover alone. As I started listening I found myself wondering if this would be a book I could keep listening too, as it starts with major changes to Sam's life in a somewhat heart wrenching manner. However, I was quickly engrossed in her path to discovering herself apart from pleasing others.

This book was engaging, and while all books have twists and turns, I like the way things ended up.
Great book!

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book when I started it. I went back and forth for the first little bit, but stuck with it and really ended up enjoying the story. I absolutely fell in love with Sam and Logan and how their story unfolded. I ate up Sam's experience of finding herself and finding what she wanted aside from just being a wife to her husband. Would definitely recommend to friends.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

I really enjoyed this. The main character really frustrated me at times but to be honest, I empathized with her too. She was taught to follow a status quo and follow the order of how life should look. It was so engrained in her.

Will was a POS for the way he handled it, but he had also been in the same struggle she was and just took the chance.

I love her with Logan. Logan is what she really needed and he helped her find herself which i appreciated. She had her own growth and growth in her relationships.

This was a great book with good layers to it.

A fun romance following a newly common storyline of opening up a marriage.
Our main character starts off with thinking she has the perfect life only for it to fall apart when he husband basically wants to open up the marriage. What unfolds is a story of self-discovery with a warm romance attached (husband's best friend)

It is on the less open door side, probably closer to women's fiction than romance but still a great read!

This was a wonderful story of finding yourself. I loved our female main character and I loved the adventures she went on. I also loved how she chose herself in the end but she also got him too. Thank you!

What happens when the life you built starts to unravel with one sentence? Samantha Parker thought she had it all—until her husband asks for an open marriage. Cue a summer of solitude, soul-searching, and an unexpected cross-country journey with Logan, her husband’s best friend and a classic-car restorer with a broody charm and a knack for challenging her comfort zone.

Maisey Yates delivers a deeply emotional, slow-burn romance that’s as much about falling in love with yourself as it is about finding connection in unexpected places. With breathtaking backdrops, simmering tension, and raw introspection, Cruel Summer explores what it means to choose yourself when the roadmap of your life goes up in flames.

💬 Favorite vibe: “You feel like summer” energy wrapped in second-chance romance and self-discovery.
🔥 Spice level: A gentle sizzle that builds with trust and vulnerability.
📚 Perfect for fans of: Road trip romances, emotional depth, and messy, real love stories.


#CruelSummer #MaiseyYates #BookReview #SummerReads #RoadTripRomance #WomensFiction #HarlequinAudio #NetGalley

Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

It is the story of Samantha Parker(Sam) whose life was perfect when her husband asks for an open marriage.
She proposes a temporary summer separation thinking he’ll realize his mistake and come back to her.
Meanwhile, she leaves for a road trip with his best friend, Logan, as he offers her a job of delivering classic cars with him.

✨
I really liked the book. It was a good read. Initially I thought that it must be a cute and fun summer read but it deals with a lot of serious topics.

It’s a book about heartbreak, discovering and re-discovering yourself.
The storytelling was done well. It’s a tricky topic and could have been messed up easily but the story unfolded perfectly. The characters are not young adults fresh out of college or school but still learn and unlearn things along the way. It deals with issues in quite a realistic way, in an adult manner.

The author took her time to let the readers understand and follow the journey rather than rushing us through the story. Definitely thought provoking.


The audiobook was great. The production quality and flow was great, no issues with the audio.
The narrator did a great job.