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abidavisf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
You know you’re onto a winner when even the acknowledgments warmed your heart from the inside out. Summer Romance is a thrill. It is hilarious and emotional and life-affirming. It is reflective and gut-wrenching and everything I want in a book. Hope is never lost in this book, even when it tries so hard to be. Summer Romance is love in written word.
Humour blends so perfectly with raw emotion and grief that I found myself laughing while crying multiple times throughout this book. Ethan, in particular, had me howling, while Ali’s journey to rediscovering herself tugged on my heart incessantly. There are matches made in heaven, and then there are two genuinely good people who make everything around them better finding their soulmates in each other. Summer Romance is beautiful.
Remember, folks, the time will pass anyway. “Life’s going to do what life’s going to do.” Get the dog.
Humour blends so perfectly with raw emotion and grief that I found myself laughing while crying multiple times throughout this book. Ethan, in particular, had me howling, while Ali’s journey to rediscovering herself tugged on my heart incessantly. There are matches made in heaven, and then there are two genuinely good people who make everything around them better finding their soulmates in each other. Summer Romance is beautiful.
Remember, folks, the time will pass anyway. “Life’s going to do what life’s going to do.” Get the dog.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
thegabscast's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When we meet Ali, she’s grieving the loss of her mother and the end of her marriage. She is stuck in a rut and hasn’t been taking care of herself and has been absent from her own life. One day, she gets motivated to go to the dog park and her dog pees on a handsome man. Enter: Ethan. Ethan is funny, smart, kind, and doesn’t live in town. Ali thinks she can sign up for a summer romance, but as a rom-com, this obviously develops into something so much more. I loved how the exposition was done in this book. You slowly start to understand just how Ali got to this point in her life and really root for her to find her happiness. Ethan is very sweet, although a couple of his memories and how obsessed he was with Ali back in high school took me out of the story a couple of times. I do love how you come to understand him as well and why he doesn’t want to move back to his hometown. I adored Phyllis and her insights. Frannie was a bit annoying and her parents were very inconsiderate of their children, but I didn’t hate them. I really loved that the characters weren’t all in their 20s and felt like fully fleshed out people with realistic problems. The relationships all had depth to them and felt so human. I do wish we had gotten a little bit more time with Ethan’s trajectory as his story felt a bit rushed towards the end. I do also wish Ali’s motivation to put herself back together stemmed a lot less from finding a new love and was more inspired by how her emotional absence was impacting her children. It just felt like a really easy way to fall into a bad pattern. Overall, I really liked this book and how it tackled the topics of loss, divorce, and finding yourself again. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a romance book with a little more substance. I give it 4/5 stars. There is sexual tension but no spice, the one scene is closed door/fade to black.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage
lexim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Emotional abuse
booksbystephanie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Summer Romance, a novel by Annabel Monaghan, available June 4, 2024!
Ali is a recently separated mom of three who recently lost her mother to cancer and is navigating a fog of “who really am I?” after the end of her marriage looms. A chance meet-cute in a dog park with Ethan (aka Scooter, Ali’s friend Frannie’s brother) shifts the tide and helps Ali realize that she is someone worthy of love and speaking up under all that grief. Ethan is the “mayor” of a town four hours away in Massa Cheez-its (love it!) and isn’t thrilled to be in his hometown that treats him like the sixteen-year-old delinquent he once was. But one summer with Ali and he’s rethinking everything…
The character arcs for both in this book were so well written. Ali’s struggle with grieving her beloved mother and the anger over realizing that Ali ignored her failing marriage because her mother stepped in was such a realistic and interesting way to frame Ali’s loss of self. Ethan found a family in his hometown that he never realized could be there for him. He just needed to open his heart to it. I loved that both characters were older and had complicated lives. They dealt with their issues maturely and in a way that wasn’t overly dramatic.
I’m a sucker for “real” romances, and this delivered. It was like this could have happened to your neighbor! I’m also a huge believer in signs and messages from those who have passed and this book had all that and more. Something so many readers can relate to!
A perfect Memorial Day weekend read and start to the summer, Summer Romance is the found family, single mom, best friend’s brother story you didn’t know you needed!
Be sure to read the TW, especially if you have a hard time with grief and loss.
Thank you so much to G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced (e-)reader copy and a chance to rate and review this book!
4 ⭐️ a whiff of 🌶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
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