I loved this second chance romance. The characters were adorable. I loved the way the narrator brought the characters to life!

4 stars

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

Ok, this is a hard one because there were some great aspects and some not-so-great aspects of this story. This is a second-chance romance involving best friends who split suddenly, and Ryan ghosted Jones, then showed back up in town 10 years later with a daughter in tow. These two are super sweet together; they fall right back into a friendship even though they had not communicated in 10 years. What is even better is that these two actually communicate. If there is confusion, awkwardness, or whatever, they talk things through. How many times in a romance does this happen? Pretty much never, so that is refreshing! Talk about healthy relationships! Ryan had a pretty tough 10 years; his dad died, and his god-daughter's mom died, leaving him with an adorable little girl with some trauma. These two MCs put her as a priority, and I also like that. I will say, though, Jones meets Karla and sees Ryan for the first time in a decade, then goes out and buys a booster seat after talking to them for like 10 minutes. Then the next day invites these two over to spend the night, not addressing Ryan, the adult, but Karla, the child. That is super creepy to me. If you follow my reviews on whatever platform, you will also be aware that I detest instalove. You can argue that these two knew each other in childhood and were first friends and first kisses, blah blah blah, but TEN YEARS have gone by without a single word passing. These two left each other as boys and met again as full-grown men, and through that have had changes and various life experiences. You can't just say Hey, I knew you in a past life, let's have sleepovers and have both guys thinking of living together two days after meeting again. Too much too fast. Yes, it's a shorter book, but let's have some time passing to get to know one another again. That is all I have, it's sweet and sappy with some spice and very fast love happening, but that instalove just knocks it down for me every time.

DNF.
I really thought I would like this book and its story.
But I got so lost almost immediately and I just couldn’t bring myself to keep going.
I think I’ll try reading it

3.5 ⭐

Super low angst (like literally non-existent), sweet second chance romance!

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
- second chance romance
- small town
- single dad
- friends to lovers
- hurt x comfort
- demi rep

2 ⭐️⭐️ Audiobook Review


Promised Summer had an intriguing premise and a setting that seemed perfect for a heartfelt, emotional story. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver for me. The characters felt underdeveloped, and I struggled to connect with their motivations and choices. The pacing was uneven, with certain plot points dragging while others felt rushed or unresolved.

As for the audiobook narration, it was clear and easy to follow, but it didn’t elevate the story or help build much emotional engagement. I found myself losing interest and having to rewind at times because my mind would wander.

While I appreciate the themes the author tried to explore, the overall execution didn’t meet my expectations. This one just wasn’t for me, but I hope others may connect with it more.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the audio ARC