I really enjoyed this book and I hope that I get more of Samantha's life. The audiobook was amazing and I definitely recommend!

Loved this book. A great summer read if you’re looking for an untraditional romance with more emotion to it. I loved watching the main character develop as the book progressed and I think she is totally relatable in the situation she was in.

⭐️ 4.5 | 🌶️ 2

The cover caught my eye and reading the blurb sold me! I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to fellow spouses.

Sam gets blindsided by her husband, asking for an open marriage, after being married for over 20 years. They decide on a hall pass for the summer and this begins the start of Sam’s self discovery.

I could not stop listening to this audiobook. It really made me wonder about my choices in life and if I was really happy or just following the norm. This was my first book by Maisey and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

I’ll be honest.. I almost didn’t finish this book. I wasn’t sure it was for me at first, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. The payoff was absolutely worth it. The emotional depth, the twists, the way everything came together-it hit me harder than I expected. It surprised me in the best way, and by the end, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Definitely one of those reads that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this audio ARC.

I felt the beginning of the book was very repetitive but I realize that it was simply the fmc trying to digest the information that was given to her.

The fmc tries to detangle the expectations that her upbringing left her with. She carries a lot of guilt and is a people pleaser. Concerned, very much, what people in her small town think of / perceive her and her family. This summer, however, she finally doing things without looking for other peoples permission or approval.

The mmc helps her with being truthful to herself and about how she feels about the world around her. The mmc helps her experience things that she would never have gotten the opportunity to do in the before of her life.

I think the fmc was relatable. Despite the age difference (hers and my own) I found myself reflecting on my own experiences from what she was going through.

The narrator, Nancy Peterson, did an excellent job. She was able to convey the emotion, the loss, the grief, and love. She was able to give each character their own voice and bring them to life.

Tropes:
- Separated fmc x widower mmc
- Road trip
- Friends to lovers
- Pining

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced Audio copy for an honest review. I liked this more than I even thought I was going to. I have never read anything from this author but I will be in the future. Interested from the very beginning when the main characters husband tells her he wants an open relationship after being together 20 years. So they decide to have a summer apart and see what happens. Really enjoyed the narrator as well. Would recommend!

Review for Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

I really enjoyed Cruel Summer—the story pulled me in right away and kept me engaged throughout. While I’m not exactly in the same stage of life as the main character, I found her incredibly relatable. Her struggles, reflections, and personal growth felt honest and authentic.

The narrator was excellent and brought an added depth to the story, making it a truly enjoyable listen. One of my favorite aspects was watching the FMC find her way back to herself—her journey of self-discovery and transformation was both empowering and heartfelt.

This was my first experience with Maisey Yates, and I’ll definitely be reading (or listening to) more of her work. A compelling, emotionally resonant read with just the right amount of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I thought this book was phenomenal. It was such a deep dive into emotions, and I couldn't put it down. Sam and Will, married with 3 grown children, are without children for three summers. Will decides and tells his wife, Sam, that he would ike to try an open marriage. This opens up a big old can of worms. 5 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the copy of the audiobook in exchange for my review.

I absolutely flew through this book. I was so sucked into this story from the very beginning. The drama! The romance! This was the first book I’ve read/listened to by Maisey Yates and I really enjoy her writing style. It’s so honest and messy. The characters have a lot of history and depth and the romance is 🔥

Samantha and Will have been married since they were teens and now they are 40 year old empty nesters. To Sam’s shock, Will decides he would like to separate for the summer and travel alone and that he would like an open marriage. This absolutely rocks Sam’s whole world and her entire view of her 20+ year marriage.

Enter Logan. Logan is Will’s best friend and a
widower. He and his daughter have always been close with Sam, Will and their kids. Will has already divulged to Logan that he wants an open marriage with Sam so Logan invites Sam on a roadtrip he has scheduled for work so that she isn’t home alone depressed. Logan and Sam get to take the roadtrip of a lifetime and explore old feelings.

🚘Separated FMC
🚘Widower MMC
🚘Second Chance
🚘Forced proximity
🚘Travel romance
🚘Friends to lovers


This audiobook is already available on Hoopla. Narration by Nancy Peterson is two thumbs up! The cover perfectly encapsulates Sam’s new chapter in life. The end of the book includes a really fun playlist 🎵🎤

I couldn’t stop listening to this book! If you're into small-town secrets, complicated pasts, and characters you shouldn't root for but totally do…this one's for you. The fmc takes off for the summer, road-tripping with his charming-but-rough-around-the-edges best friend, Logan, to deliver classic cars. The journey’s less about the miles and more about Sam figuring out who she is when everything she knows feels shaky. It’s a slow-burn romance with heart-tugging moments and some serious self-discovery vibes.. The narrators voice was so relaxing I kept falling asleep listening such a great read or listen for summer!

This was such a beautiful story!!!

The opening of this book is my actual worst nightmare… Sam gets her world flipped upside down when her husband tells her he is not happy and asks for an open marriage. Sam processes and offers a compromise, one summer. One summer to do what he needs to do and get it out of his system so they can get back on track… or so she thinks.

I felt Sam changing shape throughout the story. While some of her self-reflection felt repetitive at times, it was so thought-provoking and introspective. Sam questions what she believes and why she believes it, she questions whether or not she can trust herself, what she really wants out of her life.

A beautiful story of love, loss, grief, self-sacrifice and self discovery. Will be recommending to all!

Audio: well produced, great narrator! Her vocals brought Sam to life!

“...she had felt like her life had fallen apart. If she had only known…that she had needed everything to fall apart so she could put it all back together in this different shape.”

Samantha Parker, wife and mother, thinks she has the perfect life until one day her husband tells her he wants to have an open marriage for the summer. Devastated and confused, she decides she wants to go on vacation to get away from it all. Logan Martin, Samantha’s husband’s best friend and classic car restorer, needs a driver to help him deliver these cars all over the US. Samantha decides to take Logan up on his offer, even though they haven’t always seen eye to eye. Throughout the road trip, the two share and reflect on the past and their current situations and start to connect like never before.
Given a journey to find happiness that she didn’t know she needed, this is a story of self discovery, personal growth, fresh starts, living life for yourself and not for anyone else. A story about changing the illusion of a perfect life and relationship/marriage and realizing it is never too late to live your life without regrets and love yourself unapologetically, even if that means getting out of your comfort zone and/or ruffling some feathers.

The first part of the story was extremely sad and heartbreaking, but I enjoyed watching the FMC’s personal journey to self discovery and self worth. I also thought the Cruel Summer playlist was a fun addition. However, don’t judge this book by its beautiful summery cover. The title and story inside holds raw, emotional depth and realistic complexity, much deeper than the cover leads you to believe. Just know going in that this isn’t a typical lighthearted summer/beach read…it was truly a cruel summer story but had a powerful and reflective message.

The audio book narrator, Nancy Peterson, did a good job portraying all the emotions and feelings that the characters were experiencing and giving each their own unique voice. The tone and pacing helped bring the characters and story to life.

Thank you @htpbooks, @readmirabooks, @htp_hive, @htpbooks_audio, and @netgalley for the #gifted ARC and ALC.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cruel Summer follows Sam, a 40 year old woman, whose life is turned upside down when her teenage sweetheart and husband asks for an open marriage after 22 years of marriage!
When her husbands best friend Logan asks her to drive a classic car across the country she takes the opportunity to get out of her comfort zone. I am a sucker for Taylor Swift so I was intrigued by the premise of the book and the title. When I got into the book though, I had a difficult time. I did not enjoy how god and essentially what boiled down to purity culture always seemed to seep into everything she thought and did.
The book felt reparative as she examined her life and I wish she would just get to the point. She was a very frustrating character for me.

I have not read any of Yates other works so I cannot say how this novel compares to them. This one was not my cup of tea.
The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job with each character and it did keep me engaged which for me is an ESSENTIAL part of an audiobook for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Harperaudio and NetGalley for the audio ARC

4 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Audiobook Review

The audio was great and I was so excited to listen to this. I’ve read a few of Maiseys books and always enjoy them. The narrator was great and so was the whole audiobook

I loved reading Samantha’s story it was bittersweet and beautiful. Listening to her grow throughout the book was beautiful. Loved it all.

Cruel Summer is a story about Sam, an early 40s woman whose husband of over 20 years just told her he wanted to open her marriage because he wanted more.

As a woman approaching 40 in a 15+ year marriage, this book is so relevant. These are the conversations we are having with our peers, our spouses... this loss of self identity is wild. It's so easy to paint Will as the bad guy here, but really they both weren't happy. Could they have worked on it? Maybe. I know several couples who have opened their marriage or gotten divorced after their kids leave the home. What once used to be so taboo is really just normal and important to discuss.

Really thought I was going to have to sucker punch Logan for a hot minute, but I'll give him a pass.

Narration was beautiful! Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book had wonderful themes are dealing with grief in all forms, relationships and how they change, and how people change. The book was deep and meaningful. However, I didn’t feel a connection to it.
The narrator did wonderful job on this book.

4 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

I love love love reading books about women finding love again, especially after being in an eye opening past relationship. Our characters were so realistic and honestly enjoyable. I really appreciated how fleshed out this book felt.

This book was charming, witty and just overall really enjoyable. Our narrator Nancy Peterson did an amazing job of bringing this book and its characters to life.

Samantha was one of my favorite FMCs.
She was upset over her husband, but then she found herself and finally didn’t was right for her and NOT for a man!
We support womens rights and wrongs!

They say some books find you at the right moment in time, and this book did. From the start, I was emotional while reading this book. I think being at a certain age and a certain point in my life was similar to the book, and I just felt what the main character, Samantha. was going through so much. What started as a heart breaking revelation with her husband, ended up being a story of self discovery journey of love and empowerment. And I thought the author did an excellent job in taking us on the journey with Samantha. I think the majority of us women have felt the insecurites that Samantha did. I think the majority of women have woken up one day, not knowing who we really are and how we got to this place in life. I found myself writting down little bits of info and wisdom that Samantha would say or think because they really resonated with me. I listened to this book on audio, and the narrator did a good job with capturing my attentiong for the whole book.. The only think that I didn't like was the ending. I need a concise ending in every book. I wanted to know how each of the characters lives ended up. I don't like open ended endings. I rated this a 4 star book on my Goodreads and will recomened on my social, especially for women in this period of life.

“I’m not an experience for you to have” — that line really sums up the emotional core of Cruel Summer. The premise was interesting and definitely eye-opening, with some moments that hit harder than expected. It’s a firm reminder to be careful what you ask for, especially when it comes to love, power, and blurred boundaries. While the concept was strong, the execution felt a bit uneven, and I didn’t fully connect with the characters. Still, it had something to say, and I appreciated that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rated R for language, sexual content, and mature themes.