To be published: June 24, 2025. (Thanks Netgalley!)

I don't think I knew where this story was going in the beginning but it ended up being kind of sweet. I think the whole "I can't love two people" got to me and hearing the words "I am not an experience for you to have" felt like a gut punch.

Sam is trying to deal with her husband asking for an open marriage- to see if there's more out there after settling down young and raising young kids. Sam doesn't want change and things aren't that bad. SO they agree to take the summer and Sam ends up on a road trip with a long time friend. In exploring her new situation, Logan and Sam end up discussing long time feelings and how it felt to squash those down in order to be where they were, but things can only stay squashed for so long.

Cruel Summer is a story about what happens when life doesn’t go according to plan—and how that might actually be a good thing. Samantha thinks she has it all figured out until her husband suggests an open marriage (yikes). Cue a summer road trip with his best friend, Logan, who’s the last person she expected to connect with.

The story explores love, identity, and starting over in a way that feels both heartfelt and relatable. Nancy Peterson’s narration fits the tone perfectly and adds depth to Sam’s emotional journey. It’s a great pick if you enjoy stories about second chances and rediscovering yourself when everything changes.

ARC Review

-Single POV (Third Person)
-Second Chance Romance
-Slow Burn
-Opposites Attract
-Husband Best Friend
-Single Dad
-Friends To Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Road Trip Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️

I enjoyed this book but at times it felt like it dragged.

Samantha (40 years old) was married to Will for 22 years. Until he asked for an open marriage, she countered by suggesting separating for the summer and letting him live his “hoe” phase and reassessing at the end. During this time period she realized her life wasn’t just rainbows and butterflies how she thought it was.

In this book she finds herself with the help of Logan (Husband Best Friend).
There is a lot of uphill battle with herself trying to figure out who she is when she’s not with Will, being Will’s wife or being a mother. Logan gives her the hard truths.

I loved how Logan was always there for her when she needed it.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing & Maisey Yates for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Listen- this one might be a real thinker for a romance reader. I mean- our FMC's husband asks for an open marriage (after 3 kids and 22 years...) on the first page! This novel might make a reader think about how you move forward when a request can't be taken back. But also- when you've lived your life so long doing everything "right" are you really happy? or just happy you did it "right"?

I really liked the way the author took us on this journey- the way she blended their past, gave reason for their road trips, endeared us to Logan every step of the way. Excellent story!

Narration was really well done. I will say the narrator's voice felt a little older than the way portrayed the FMC, but this did not detract from the full experience.

I really liked the premise and was excited to dive in, but I was left wanting more by the end. There was a lot of introspection woven throughout the story, which sometimes made the romance parts feel out of place or disconnected. The main character, Sam, could be a bit over the top and downright ridiculous at times, which made it hard to fully connect with her. That said, I absolutely loved Logan and how he consistently stood up for her. He was definitely a highlight. Overall, an interesting read with some engaging moments, but it didn’t fully come together for me. I already liked the audiobook and thought that it was well done.

I was hooked from chapter 1. I love how well this book navigates loss, love, personal growth & loving yourself despite it all.

The flashbacks were really well done & I loved hearing Sam’s inner monologue & growth into loving and trusting herself outside of her relationship & future.

The audiobook narrator did amazing & I loved listening to this book!

Maisey Yates has just become a must buy author for me!

4.75⭐️
I don’t give 5⭐️ often but ai do when a book takes a hold for whatever reason and this one did just that. Was it perfect? No, especially because I consumed the audiobook but when you plan on listening to a bit before bed and finish it the next day but instead stay up until 4:45am to finish it, it had an impact!

It was narrated by Nancy Peterson and I’ll be honest, if I was rating it on audio production alone it would have come in at 3⭐️ as it was recorded so painfully slow that I wouldn’t have stayed engaged had I not been able to speed it up. But alas I listened to it at 1.75X speed which gave a great pacing as well as altered the pitch a bit making it more engaging. Now she is a decent audio narrator, I just don’t think this match up was ideal. It almost felt like I was listening to a historical fiction book instead of a romance-women’s fiction with how the narration was approached. At the recorded speed and pitch it dragged down the narrative.


That being said… the prose?? Wow. Many time in books where women go on a self exploration and a relationship is in jeopardy I usually find myself rooting for things to go back to typical (except in the case of abuse or something like that). However as the book unfolded I was really able to embrace the journey that our FMC went on.

In reading other reviews folks pointed out what they wished the book would have tackled which I find weird especially because while sure there were many facets that could have been addressed that wouldn’t have muddied the point. However, while I believe this is a stand alone romance it did open up such an opportunity for a series that examines different points of view and even different facets to our FMC Samantha’s journey.

I don’t want to give anything away so I’m a bit stunted in saying more so I’ll leave it at this… if you’re looking for a romance that goes a bit deeper, especially for readers of a certain age, I highly recommend giving this a go. It has the introspection plus the classic romance vibes including a touch of spice. It came out on June 24th so it’s out now.

Now. Despite my challenges with the narration I do recommend the format as I think k it allowed me to sink into what the author was trying to convey rather than get caught up in the writing style or things of that nature. Just speed it up a bit!!

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Harlequin Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This was an interesting summer read. I don’t typically pickup books about older married couples because I don’t have much in common with them. While the same is true for this book I did enjoy the plot and inner conflict the MC was facing.

I absolutely loved this book!!!

It now has a special place in my heart. I think as a woman you’re always expected to be a certain way and always think what others might say and always always ALWAYS put everyone else’s needs before you own, those are topics that are really highlighted in this book.

It was so relatable in that aspect as well as how messy grief is. How it shatters you. How you have to learn to deal with it, process it. How healing is not linear and some days are better than others.

This book also touched on allowing yourself to be as you are and be happy with just you.

Finding yourself again after you’ve allowed yourself to be lost in everyone else.

There was relationship love in this book but more than anything it was about loving you, falling in love with yourself and choosing yourself and your happiness because YOU MATTER!

Also highlights how healing love is and how you can become the best version of yourself when you’re loved completely as you are and as you transform into who you’re meant to be.

This was a wonderfully written book. I loved every bit of it. I see myself reading this again in the future. It was so beautiful.

The author’s note mentioned her real life battle with loss and grief and as someone that struggles with that, it was so palpable how realistic it was that I didn’t need to read that to know this author knows what it’s like to lose someone.

I could go on endlessly about this book but I’ll stop here.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio and Maisey Yates for giving me an ARC of this spectacular book!

Cruel Summer is not the usual story penned by author Maisey Yates. I have enjoyed every book I’ve read by Ms. Yates but none have told quite the emotional tale of this book. Samantha Parker and her husband Will are empty nesters at the age of 40. Sam is excited to begin a new phase of their lives. Having been together since they were 16 and married before they graduated from high school with their first of three sons on the way, they have since been doing what was expected of them, becoming pillars of the community and no longer the talk of the small town.

Will takes Sam to dinner, her thinking he wants to make plans for their first summer alone. Those aren’t the plans he wants to discuss, but rather he brings up his desire to try an open marriage. His stance is that they were together so young that they have no idea of the other lives they didn’t have. Devastated, Sam comes to the conclusion that if she doesn’t give him some time he will leave her but there is no way she can sit back and witness such a thing. Sam’s counter proposal is that they will separate for four months, May to September, with no contact. Neither will live at their home during this time. At the end of this period they will meet together at the house and decide their future, with her in hopes that they will be able to resume their lives together.

With a long summer ahead of her, Sam dreads slowly counting off the days until Will’s best friend Logan Martin unexpectedly comes to see her. Logan is taking her side and offering her a job to help him deliver the custom classic cars he has created to their new owners cross country. With his daughter now in college and working there for the summer he has no one to help spell him on the long trips. With four deliveries planned for the summer, this will give Sam breaks at home plus road trips with a bit of sight seeing along the way. What Sam did not expect to find on the open road was her true self.

This story was told with such heartbreaking feeling. The characters are drawn so well they could be family. The depth of emotion conveyed is intense. This well may be my very favorite Maisey Yates book to date. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I wasn’t expecting this book in the very best way. Very moving about a woman’s life and what happens when her husband blows up their life together. Some interesting twists and turns and a wonderful love story at the end. Narrator was excellent!

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canary Street Press and Maisey Yates for this arc. The following is my honest review.

I went into Cruel Summer expecting a slow burn summer read — what I didn’t anticipate was how sharp and captivating Maisey Yates’ storytelling would be, even when it felt like trying to drink from a firehose in the opening chapters. At first, the pacing felt overwhelming, sentences packed with information and emotion, but then I realized it was a reflection of the heroine’s reality — drowning in the shock of a suddenly imploded marriage. The style mirrors the state of mind, and that choice ends up working beautifully.
This is a book about rediscovering yourself when life takes an unexpected left turn. It shines when exploring the tensions between who you are, who you’ve been, and who you deserve to be. The characters aren’t fresh out of college or fumbling through early adulthood — and that felt like a gift. These are people in their forties grappling with questions about belonging, desire, and belonging to themselves first.
I loved how openly the story explores the weight of expectations — from society, from spouses, and from ourselves — and how liberating it can be to shed them. The scene where Samantha is in a dressing room choosing an outfit for herself, making a decision rooted in her own opinion, felt like a quiet revolution. The banter and sparks between her and Logan — from arguing over music to trading stories on long drives — captured that magical “you feel like summer” energy that’s hard to forget.
The second-chance romance here is layered and messy in a very adult, very real way. It doesn’t shy away from the blurred lines between loyalty and betrayal, or the fact that life doesn’t fit into neat binaries. And while some moments felt like they could have been tightened — instances where I found myself thinking, “I get it, can we move on?” — the depth of the inner monologues ultimately paid off. I came away knowing these characters like friends.
Logan is an absolute scene-stealer. The dynamic between him and Samantha felt reminiscent of some of my favorite book boyfriends — broody but nurturing, gruff but kind. The intimacy here crackles (and whew, the spice delivers), but it’s also grounded in trust and vulnerability, making those moments feel earned.
If I had one qualm, it’s that the ending felt a bit ambiguous, leaving questions about where these characters landed long term. But in a way, that suits the nature of this book — a story about finding belonging and beauty in the undefined spaces, about making peace with life being a work in progress.
In the end, Cruel Summer is a compelling, poignant exploration of second acts and second chances. Maisey Yates delivers a memorable summer read that celebrates resilience, reinvention, and rediscovering joy when the roadmap you’ve been following goes up in flames.

Just finished cruel summer by Maisey Yates. This book had my feelings all over the place. I did end up loving it so glad she got the love she deserved in the end. This is how every person deserves to be treated, loved and taken care of. So much heart break to get there though. Wanted to cry many times but I didn’t while I was driving. Loved the narrators. Thanks to @hqn_shamelessromantics for this read!

So it took a bit for me to get into this one. I can't say that I'm a fan of how it started. It starts quick and to the point. Will asks Samantha for an open marriage. Boom, right off the bat. Look, if that's consensual and both parties genuinely want that then cool. But when you know that it's a one sided request, it's hard to get thru. Not going to lie, this book was really predictable. But! I did enjoy it. Yes, you know what's going to happen the minute you read it and yes, it plays out exactly the way you think it will. But it was still really great watching Sam find herself and fight for what she really wants. And I liked how believable her journey was, it wasn't a quick change, it was gradual and purposeful.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book and the storyline of adventure throughout this book. Cruel Summer is about Samantha and her journey of finding herself after twenty two years of marriage and three kids. A summer of adventure, exploring and healing. This story features main characters in their 40s and showcases love is messy and complicated. Love can be so many things and we can love more than one person in our life. The story starts with Samantha’s husband, Will asking her to take a break in their marriage during the summer. Explore the country with Sam as she explores a second chance at life, loving, loss and so much more.

The audiobook was narrated by Nancy Peterson. She was the perfect voice for Sam bringing out all the feelings in this story. Her tone and pacing was perfect and I found myself just loving listening to this audiobook. A perfect summer read or listen!

This was a sweet story, but it did become redundant after a while. I think there could have been fewer of the main character's internal monologues about starting her family and marriage early. .

This book was very emotional! Between Logan’s grief and Sam’s it definitely is kinda Sam. I love how Samantha learned that she doesn’t need anyone in life to happy. She learned to live herself for who she is. Even after her husband asked to see other people. Logan learned that he does deserve happiness and he learned to have courage. I loved this summer romantic read!

Thank you to @netgalley and Harlequin audio for allowing me to have this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Maisey Yates delivers an emotionally charged, deeply satisfying romance in Cruel Summer—a story that dives headfirst into a messy heartbreak, healing, and the dangerous allure of a second chance you never thought you’d get.

When Sam’s husband unexpectedly proposes an open marriage, it shatters the foundation of the life she thought she had built. Reeling from betrayal, she agrees to a summer apart—one that takes a surprising turn when she hits the road in a classic car with Logan, her husband’s best friend. Logan is protective, grounded, and undeniably on her side, and their journey across a sun-soaked landscape becomes a slow-burn unraveling of years of suppressed feelings.

Yates writes the tension between Sam and Logan with exquisite care—balancing spice and swoon with raw emotional honesty. This isn’t just a story about forbidden desire; it’s about permission. Permission to want something more, to walk away from what no longer serves you, and to finally choose yourself.

The audiobook, narrated by Nancy Peterson, brings added depth to the story. Peterson’s performance is grounded and emotionally attuned—she captures Sam’s pain, confusion, and growing confidence with nuance and warmth. Her pacing allows the tension to build naturally, and she handles the moments of intimacy and inner conflict with a quiet power that enhances the listening experience. Peterson also does a great job distinguishing voices without overplaying them, keeping the focus on the characters’ emotional journeys.

This is the kind of story you feel in your chest—and don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about it long after the last page or final track. Perfect for fans of angsty, character-driven romance with a strong emotional payoff.

The narration was great. It kept me involved when I wanted to quit. The topic was very hard and triggering for me. I finished the book and in the end was grateful for the perspective. I loved the character growth.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Interesting premise, well-written, and loved the narrator, otherwise predictable.