m nearing almost 100 romance books read this year and this has to be my absolute favorite. The main character and her friendships are so relatable and realistic. It surprisingly led me to reflect on my work life balance and how much I reciprocate in my relationships. Am I attentive to the doings of my friends lives? Am I blowing people off to the point they no longer feel cared for? Am I being selfish? Love the growth, energy, and love shown all throughout.

A charming, sun-soaked romance about second chances and self-discovery. Summer at Elswick follows Camille Luna as she escapes her stressful city life for a seaside town and reconnects with Danny Brennan, the carefree friend she always underestimated. With laughter, romance, and the salty ocean breeze, this story explores friendship, love, and choosing the life and heart you truly want.

I really enjoyed this story! Very relatable - college graduate and you think you’re supposed to have your life figured out - and once you start that dream job and begin to wonder if that’s still the dream or did you rush into it.
I loved Cam’s character and her group of friends. It was a fun story to follow along and I loved the ending how it all came together!
Easy to follow along and fun to read - I will be recommending this one!

I loved this book so much. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it...but I went back & restarted it and fell in love with the characters. I love their group of friends & how they are like family to each other & how they work through their ups & downs.

I laughed & laughed at the scene in the middle with the vibrator (that Esme talks Cam into buying)..... definitely one of the best parts of the book.

I loved how it worked out & how well Danny & Cam fit together. I love their tattoos & meanings.

This is one of the books that you read & it lingers... you almost don't want to start a new book right away, because you want to linger in this one for a while...

Thanks to the author, publisher & Netgalley for the ARC read. All opinions are my own.

I look forward to reading more books by this author!!

Friends to lovers contemporary romance that had me hooked! And on the beach?! Sold.
🌶️🌶️

Thank you netgalley and Jenna Ramirez for the opportunity to review this ARC copy.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Such a good beach town romance and very timely while I am feeling every sense of burnout as well.

Camille is a really good character struggling with job loss and a massive financial burden. It’s a wonder this generation has zero desire or loyalty to companies when you’re worked to the bone and then thrown to the side.

The romance with Danny was so good, and such fun. The side characters brought tons of extra to the story as well and it felt very atmospheric reading - you were in the diner with them. I’m such a sucker for a friends to bff to lovers story. 🩷

Thank you NetGalley!

Burn Out Summer is a warm, emotional story. We have Cam, our MFC, who is so relatable to real life people and the struggles we face in our current world. I loved Danny, he’s everything Cam needed in her life. The chemistry between them two was so well done. The journey between the characters was more than a romance, it was about figuring out life, stability, friendship and life. Overall Burn Out Summer was a bittersweet compelling story. I enjoyed it so much & it truly surprised me

This is a smart, contemporary story about a young woman who hits the wall and has to figure out what rest and ambition look like on the same page. Ramirez keeps the focus on daily choices, not speeches. Work stress, family pressure, and friendships all get space, and the romantic thread grows out of shared honesty instead of grand gestures. The writing is clean, scenes move with purpose, and the timeline feels believable for a summer that changes your plans.

The book handles burnout with care. You see how small compromises pile up, how comparison makes everything worse, and how recovery takes structure, not magic. I liked the mix of light moments and harder conversations, and the way the friend group holds boundaries while still showing up. The love story is warm and grounded, with real talk about time, energy, and what each person can give. If you want a character led summer read that respects mental health and still lets you enjoy the swoony parts, this hits the mark.

I rated it four stars and not five because it delivers what I want from this kind of novel. I cared about the lead, the pacing stayed steady, and several scenes stuck with me the next day. It is thoughtful without dragging and romantic without turning every chapter into a declaration. I would hand this to anyone who has felt stretched thin and wants a story that takes that seriously while still offering some joy.

"Sometimes, the best love stories are the slow-burning fires. Not the ones that ignite the quickest."

Burnout Summer is about a college graduate who is struggling with what her life is supposed to look like as an adult. With crippling student loan debt, a recent termination of employment, and a new arrest record, she has some actual evaluating in front of her. What is her life going to look like moving forward? How is she going to dig herself out of this hole? Is she even happy with her life anymore?
And how will the dynamic of her friendships change with recent revelations?
As an adult, I can genuinely say that I remember going through this evaluation myself. Everyone in their 20s has some existential crisis, and it's a bear trying to work through. I empathized with Camille's character and the realization that she was a self-absorbed friend who focused only on the negatives in her life.

"It's okay to be unsure about what you want. Because maybe the more valuable question is What do you need?"

Once I reached the 30% mark in this book, I had to put down all my other books and just devour the rest. The angst, the heartache, the... hope! We are all constantly growing individuals, and while we had a tidal wave of growth and discovery in our 20s, now we have the opportunity to bloom. Camille bloomed in Elswick, Rhode Island,
Never let your dreams die, hold onto hope, and demand your dreams to breathe.

A love letter to those in their 20s who are figuring out life after college.

The self acceptance and self confidence themes are so well done in Burnout Summer.

Add in a romance where he’s *always loved her* and they become better versions of themselves together, this was a joy to read. The friend group was messy yet relatable. The small seaside town shenanigans brought some brevity. Overall, an amazing debut! Can’t wait for more books from Jenna Ramirez.

“Are you lonely?” she asked quietly. “Aren’t we all a little lonely?”

A quarter-life-crisis leads to a second coming of age novel about a 25 year old Gen Z who finds herself fired because "her heart isn't in it" in her Corporate World job. Shortly thereafter she finds herself in jail for having a bit of a meltdown in the presence of a police officer. But Camille's Knight in Shining Armor comes in the form of her best friend Danny, who takes her back to her hometown and allows her the privilege of working at Beau's, his tavern, while she finds out what is next. Armed with a mountain of personal and student debt, Camille has done nearly everything right and is still not thriving.

“I’m not averse to seafood. It’s just . . . at the bottom of the list of food I want to eat.”

Camile, naturally, falls in love with Danny, who has some of the most romantic and gorgeous expressions of love. It is a best-friends-to-lovers trope with side characters who have a lot of potential. Her ex boyfriend Cory has found love and is getting married, but 2 other friends are about to have books of their own. I am sure this will be first in a series, and I can't wait to read the others. Ramirez absolutely captures the voice and the spirit of Gen Z, and brings the reader to the feeling of malaise we all feel at the point in which the government thinks we are an adult but the workforce very much treats us as a child. The characters are really quintessential 25 year olds and their voice and struggles are really authentic- Student loan debt and rent are 80% of her now non-existent income. Boomers and Millenials in the work force are very confused by Gen z not wanting to put work at the center of their world.

“Twenty-five is about figuring stuff out. It’s okay to be lost.”

I give this book an enthusiastic 4 stars- it is very well done as a debut and it is a romance that has some deeper themes. I look forward to what is coming next from this talented new voice in fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Book to be published May 12, 2026.

I really really enjoyed this book. It was a slow start, but it turned into a delicious love story with an emphasis on the love. And that’s all kinds of love - platonic, romantic and familial. I especially loved the setting at Beau’s in Rhode Island. And the beach. Sigh. The beach. I don’t personally pine for the beach, but as a peaceful setting, it’s hard to beat. The friendships as a group of 5 and individually are so well developed and deep. And, of course I adored Danny and Cam. Oh, and the clear set up for Drew’s story next. 💜💜📚

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

When Camille Luna manages to get fired and arrested (a minor incident with a wayward lighter and a piece of trash) on the same day, it's her best friend Danny who comes to the rescue. He not only drives down to DC to pick her up but also offers to let her stay with him for the whole summer as she figures out what to do next. Once Cam gets to the picturesque town of Elswick, Rhode Island, where Danny owns and runs his deceased uncle's restaurant, she can finally relax and start to think about what she actually wants in her life. Unfortunately, one of those things might be a relationship with Danny--amidst Cam's core group of college friends, when she and her ex, Cory, broke up, it fractured the group in ways that they are only just starting to come out of. Will Cam risk the bonds of friendship again if it means possibly being with the love of her life?

BURNOUT SUMMER perfectly captures the angst of being in your twenties, post college, when it feels like you're too old to be aimless but still too young to really know what you want in your life. Ramirez also did an excellent job of showcasing how misunderstandings happen between friends, even in the world of easy access (cell phones). Cam and Danny's relationship was really nuanced in a way that enhanced the reading. This will be a great summer read for those who like romances with:
-friends to lovers
-he falls first
-getting the band back together
-forced proximity

Burnout Summer is out May 12, 2026