📖🎧 Cruel Summer - Maisey Yates
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Narrator: Nancy Peterson
Trigger Warning: Death, Grief, Open Relationships
Spice Level: 🌶️

I went in not knowing what to expect.
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And then—chapter one.
Open marriage.
Midlife crisis? Maybe. Or maybe just… life unraveling in ways no one saw coming.
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The writing? Gripping. Smooth. I didn’t want to stop listening. Nancy Peterson’s narration was immersive — one of those audiobooks that wraps itself around your day until suddenly you’ve listened straight through.
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What struck me most was how often women downplay our own needs — quietly, repeatedly — while prioritizing people pleasing. Always worrying about how others see us, rarely asking what we want.
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Grief is a language I still don’t speak fluently. I never know how to comfort someone grieving.
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Maisey Yates could’ve leaned into cliché — but didn’t. The story is written with restraint and emotional maturity. It feels like adulting in the best and worst ways.
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The MMC? He has boundaries. He has standards. And yes, that’s swoon-worthy.
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Also: shout-out to the Arizona cameos — always love seeing home show up on the page.
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For anyone navigating love, loss, identity, or the messy space in-between — especially at 39½ — this one’s for you.
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⭐️ Highly recommend for readers who love emotional nuance, mature characters, and deeply immersive audiobooks.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the Audio ARC!
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#CruelSummer #MaiseyYates #AudiobookLove #GriefAndLove #SpiceAndSubstance #MidlifeFiction #ArizonaReads #Bookstagram #NancyPetersonNarrates #WomenWhoFeelDeeply

I wanted to like this but really the FMC split with her husband and jumped right into bed with her husband's best friend. She took NO time to fully become her own woman.

3.5 stars! This was an enjoyable self-discovery book for a "middle aged" woman (still young in my opinion) who married her high school sweetheart due to pregnancy... so it was extremely relatable! Loved the Ex's best friend trope & was so pleased with a functional family ending! I love adults being adults!!

✨ Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

I picked this one up based solely on the title (because, yes, I’m a Swiftie) and the stunning cover—but what I got was a beautifully written, emotional journey that totally surprised me in the best way.

This was my first Maisey Yates book, and now I’m wondering how I’ve gone this long without her in my reading life.

At its core, Cruel Summer is about a woman at a crossroads—navigating heartbreak, identity, and the question of what it means to live a life that’s truly yours. It’s a story of rediscovery, of finding strength in the mess, and of realizing that happiness doesn’t always look like what we planned.

The main character’s evolution felt so real and raw—like someone you know or could be. I laughed, I cried (a little), and I found myself cheering her on as she peeled back the layers of her life to uncover what she actually wants.

This isn’t your typical summer read—it’s deeper. Thoughtful. Empowering. It tackles themes of change, self-worth, second chances, and the beauty of starting over… even when it feels like the ground is shifting beneath you.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @MaiseyYates for the ARC. I absolutely recommend this one if you’re craving a story that hits you right in the feels but still leaves you hopeful.

#CruelSummer #MaiseyYates #BookReview #NetGalley #ARCReview #Bookstagram #WomensFiction #ReadWithMe #BookLoversUnite #SecondChances #EmotionalReads #SelfDiscovery #SummerReads #SwiftieReads #StrongFemaleLead #BooksOfInstagram #ReclaimYourStory

ARC REVIEW:

Not typically a book I would pick out for myself but I genuinely was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. True definition of you get what you ask for and I couldn’t be happier. Will definitely be checking out more books by this author

4/4.5⭐️. I loved this book! It was done so well. The characters were relatable. I haven’t read a book about well established married couples. The narrator was also fantastic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked this book for the most part. I got this as an audio book and the narration was really good. Overall it was easy to listen to!
The main character is working g on finding herself again after living for everyone else. While when I picked up this book I thought it would be this fluffy romcom based off the cover, it covered real life problems and heavy stuff like all your kids leaving to start their lives and falling out of love with your person.
Even with all the reality she gets her HEA., which I love.

What a great story about finding yourself after always living for others. Great summer read for those of us who wish we could have lived life a little differently.

The narrator was fantastic. Her voice was clear and you could hear the difference between characters. The story was so good and it was well written. I enjoyed reading about characters in their 40s who were flawed and seemed like real life. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ALC. I will be reading more from this author in the future.

3.5 stars

Thank you @htp_hive @htpbooks @htpbooks_audio for the complimentary DRC & audiobook.

‘ “I think we should see other people…” That one sentence unravels Samantha Parker’s perfect life.’

Can you imagine hearing those words from your husband of over 20 years? That’s exactly what happens to Samantha in Cruel Summer. To try and save her marriage, she agrees to a summer with no contact, no rules. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, growth, and some hard truths.

I really enjoyed it. Samantha and her husband were teenage parents, from a super religious and gossipy town… so there was a lot of past baggage for her to unravel while thinking of decisions she made throughout her life. A lot of people, women especially, will be able to relate to at least one or two of the things that she went through. As a teen mom a lot of her experiences hit close to home for me.

That being said, I did struggle with some of the repetition as Samantha delved into her past, I felt a lot of events, or circumstances were brought up too often. One character also did something towards the end that was so out of character and felt so out of the blue that I was actually really angry, and not in a, ‘this book is so good it made me feel things’ kinda way. All in all, I recommend this if you enjoy contemporary fiction, romance, and stories of self discovery.

All the stars for Nancy Peterson’s narration.

This one had me emotional from the get go.

It gave me a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts throughout. I don’t know that it will be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I love a summer road trip romance always and the narrator did a great job on nailing the FMCs emotions.

This book was heavily character driven, and the FMCs character development/growth is a significant plot point. I felt like it was very well executed.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC.

Samantha and Will married in high school.They’d been married for over 20 years and Will takes Samantha to dinner to ask her for an open marriage.HORRIBLE!

I contemplated how many stars to give. The premise of the story was refreshing, different, new. I liked that the main characters are older, more mature. I Samantha's marriage falling apart and how it did. That might sound strange, but again it was a new and yet real premise. I liked how Logan stood by her and even his admiration for how she was there for him through his tough times, despite her not even liking him. Where it felt apart for me was the editing. About 50% of this book could have been cut out because it was just a repeat of what was already said/explained/repetition of scenes. Then their attitude towards each other threw me off. I get the back and forth, but a lot of times it was almost a contradiction to what was presented in a scene right before. One moment the characters were one way, the next the complete opposite. I was confused by where the characters were supposed to be emotionally. I found myself rolling my eyes at those parts and it was almost hard to finish. Nancy Peterson did a good job narrating as Samantha, but I didn't like how she made Logan sound in some moments. The words and meaning in the book was one way but her tone was completely not there. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about the character.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the arc.

This was such an unexpected premise. Samantha’s world is flipped upside down when her husband of over 20 years casually suggests they open their marriage. The timing? Right as their kids have left the nest and she was looking forward to some quiet, cozy years with her high school sweetheart. 

They agree to a no-contact break to “explore” whatever this new phase might be, and while Samantha is sure he’ll come back to her, she decides to do something totally out of character: join her husband’s best friend on a road trip, helping him with his classic car restoration business. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, awkward moments, unexpected connections, and a few laugh-out-loud detours.

What I really appreciated is that this topic—open marriage, especially later in life—isn’t one we see often in fiction, and definitely not in a way that feels grounded and respectful. It wasn’t smutty or overdone. Just real people trying to figure things out. It could’ve easily gone off the rails, but the characters stay true to themselves.

Was I glued to every page? Not quite. But I was definitely intrigued, and I think this author has a fresh voice and unique perspective. I’d happily pick up whatever she writes next.

This book came out of nowhere and was the most fabulous story! If you are a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty, but you're an adult this book could have the relationship love triangle for you. (Belly & Conrad, Belly & Jeremiah. IYKYK).

I listened to the audio on this one and I spent the entire time rooting for Samantha. After her husband of over twenty years asked her for an open marriage I was so living for her adventures with the swoon worthy Logan. He's got hot bad boy turned single dad energy AND he restores classic cars. Again, swoon! The journey for this story is glorious and the destination will leave you satisfied!

I found this book to be very enjoyable! I was a little worried because it’s an older demographic and the plot isn’t relatable to my life which is usually don’t like. Cruel Summer made me feel all the emotions!

Audiobook. NetGalley Arc. This book was a DNF for me. I gave it sometime and even went back to a few times to try to finish but it gave me the ick

this was the perfect summer audiobook. i loved it SO MUCH! it was so sweet and scenic, and i think it was the perfect poolside audiobook!!

I enjoyed this story pretty well. The narration was good. Easy to listen to! This is a book about finding yourself after losing yourself time and time again in everyone else, taking care of everyone except yourself, and juggling life, motherhood, being a wife, and making a house a home.

The cover of this book seems fun/flirty, but this deals with some heavy, real-life stuff, like growing out of love with your spouse and having an empty nest with no kids at home. Who are you when all of that is gone? I think it's something you probably don't think about until it's staring you in the face. I loved that she got her happily ever after, though. 🙂

With all that being said, there was a ton of inner monologue that felt really repetitive. I get it. Those things kept going through her head, but man, it was a whole lot of the same thoughts..

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook through NetGalley.

The beginning of this book had me feeling a certain way and I wan't prepared for that many feelings for what I was hoping to be a breezy summer romance book. That being said, the sadness I felt for Samantha started to evaporate as she takes the summer apart from her husband.

Samantha embarks on a summer of road trips in classic cars with unexpected love at the end. More importantly, she learns that it's okay to step away from what you know and embrace a future with less certainty. Samantha's character starts out with so much concern over how she will be viewed that it stops her from doing things she wants to. One bikini and a tattoo later, all of life's questions haven't been answered but she has started to understand it's okay not to make everyone around her happy, so long as she is happy with her choices.

Be prepared to start out with a little heartache for Samantha and Will.
Be prepared to be a little heartbroken for Logan.
Be prepared to be happy for Samantha and Logan.
And in the end, maybe you will also be happy for Samantha and Will as they meet again at the end of the summer to discuss where they want their marriage to go.