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sayamatsuki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Vomit, and Grief
wad3mil3sgarru2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
mandareads222's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
jenny_bean_reads's review against another edition
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. Based on the wait to get this book from the library, I'm not the only one. Let me tell you, I wish I had just bought it because I don't know how I managed to survive without reading it this long! To be honest, I will probably still buy a copy, or put a special edition on a wishlist for future birthdays/Christmases.
Witty banter, excellent relationship development in several departments - familial, friendship, and romantic. I absolutely loved the inclusivity of neurodivergence in the main character, Samantha (Sam).
Like the author says in her note at the start of the book, I can't imagine not having books to escape into, and I loved that Sam was so willing to give audiobooks another try after Bennett (Ben) started reading a book to her.
Though I do not have dyslexia that I'm aware of, I appreciate the hell out of the representation of both dyslexia and ADHD. From the barriers to overcome, the coping mechanisms to help them live in a world hostile to the way their brains work, and the way different people treat them is top notch. If only all people could be as kind and thoughtful as Ben, Emily, and Tyler.
Speaking of Ben, his willingness to figure out what he had done wrong on his own was fantastic. When he realized how he had overlooked her disability and made it hard for her to communicate, he showed up, owned it, and apologized. I was equally delighted in Sam's willingness to hear him out and accept his apology.
As someone who can have a negative internal dialogue, reading Sam's dialogue change from intensely negative and self-attacking to a tentatively more positive was huge growth and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing that come from her arc.
I will definitely be buying Emily's story when it comes out in May.
Witty banter, excellent relationship development in several departments - familial, friendship, and romantic. I absolutely loved the inclusivity of neurodivergence in the main character, Samantha (Sam).
Like the author says in her note at the start of the book, I can't imagine not having books to escape into, and I loved that Sam was so willing to give audiobooks another try after Bennett (Ben) started reading a book to her.
Though I do not have dyslexia that I'm aware of, I appreciate the hell out of the representation of both dyslexia and ADHD. From the barriers to overcome, the coping mechanisms to help them live in a world hostile to the way their brains work, and the way different people treat them is top notch. If only all people could be as kind and thoughtful as Ben, Emily, and Tyler.
Speaking of Ben, his willingness to figure out what he had done wrong on his own was fantastic. When he realized how he had overlooked her disability and made it hard for her to communicate, he showed up, owned it, and apologized. I was equally delighted in Sam's willingness to hear him out and accept his apology.
As someone who can have a negative internal dialogue, reading Sam's dialogue change from intensely negative and self-attacking to a tentatively more positive was huge growth and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing that come from her arc.
I will definitely be buying Emily's story when it comes out in May.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, and Car accident
kelly_e's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Title: Summer Reading
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beachy • Breezy • Relaxing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who’s dyslexic, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.
Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When I was researching 2023 beach reads, Summer Reading was one that really piqued my interest. The idea of a book loving male character and a female lead who doesn't like to read sounded really interesting. Unfortunately, this novel tried to cover too much ground and ended up falling kind of flat.
I'll start off by saying that I highly commend Jenn McKinlay and her publishing team for offering a formatting friendly novel to readers. This isn't necessarily something I have considered before but I really appreciated the author's note explaining the reasoning and I do think it's something I will be more conscious of going forward. Additionally, the neurodivergent rep (dyslexia) is something that is often overlooked in the reading world. I definitely know that not all people with dyslexia don't like to read, and maybe it would have been nice to see that side of the coin, but I also understand why the story went the way it did.
As for the characters, I adored Ben in the beginning, but that connection waned as the story progressed. Sam's disinterest in her brother kind of bothered me at the start, but it was nice to see their relationship develop as they came to know and understand one another better. It was Tyler's character and the island setting that really kept me invested.
While Summer Reading did a lot of things right, it also tried to cover too much ground. Some of the side plots could have easily been left out, or it could have easily been turned into a series with multiple books where these side plots were explored. Instead it ended up being too long and lost my attention before I made it to the end.
A very summery novel exploring family, self-discovery and love, this isn't one that will stick with me. I could see how readers could easily devour it in a sitting or two while on vacation, but also if you skip it I wouldn't say you'd be missing out.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for neurodivergent rep
• anyone in need to quick beach read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Honestly, some days it was exhausting being in my own head."
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beachy • Breezy • Relaxing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who’s dyslexic, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.
Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When I was researching 2023 beach reads, Summer Reading was one that really piqued my interest. The idea of a book loving male character and a female lead who doesn't like to read sounded really interesting. Unfortunately, this novel tried to cover too much ground and ended up falling kind of flat.
I'll start off by saying that I highly commend Jenn McKinlay and her publishing team for offering a formatting friendly novel to readers. This isn't necessarily something I have considered before but I really appreciated the author's note explaining the reasoning and I do think it's something I will be more conscious of going forward. Additionally, the neurodivergent rep (dyslexia) is something that is often overlooked in the reading world. I definitely know that not all people with dyslexia don't like to read, and maybe it would have been nice to see that side of the coin, but I also understand why the story went the way it did.
As for the characters, I adored Ben in the beginning, but that connection waned as the story progressed. Sam's disinterest in her brother kind of bothered me at the start, but it was nice to see their relationship develop as they came to know and understand one another better. It was Tyler's character and the island setting that really kept me invested.
While Summer Reading did a lot of things right, it also tried to cover too much ground. Some of the side plots could have easily been left out, or it could have easily been turned into a series with multiple books where these side plots were explored. Instead it ended up being too long and lost my attention before I made it to the end.
A very summery novel exploring family, self-discovery and love, this isn't one that will stick with me. I could see how readers could easily devour it in a sitting or two while on vacation, but also if you skip it I wouldn't say you'd be missing out.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for neurodivergent rep
• anyone in need to quick beach read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Honestly, some days it was exhausting being in my own head."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Taylor Swift songs: “jump then fall (tv)”, “daylight”
Age rating: 17+ (3 brief spicy scenes, 1.5/5🌶️)
This book has a Portuguese heroine with severe dyslexia, and the physical copy is printed in a dyslexia-friendly style, adjusted to make it easier for people with dyslexia to read! So there’s a huge TW for the discussions of ableism she has faced (some things are truly heinous).
I also loved the focusing on her culture, especially her relationship with her grandmother and cooking!
We love a gender swap on the traditional reader-non reader trope, where he’s the reader (a hot motorcycle riding librarian) and she’s the non reader (has dyslexia). Ben is so incredibly sweet and protective of her, always making her feel special and loved and enough. I love how he reads romance books to her so he can share his love of reading and stories with her in a way that is accessible to her!! He is just so precious. I also love how she doesn’t have to tell him when he messed up (in forgetting about her accessibility needs) and he realizes it himself through actual self reflection and apologizes and makes it up to her. A true king for that.
They’re originally only in town for the summer, so they are only meant to have summer fling, but I loved seeing them slowly realize they can’t live without each other! Overall, this was a really cute, solid read! I love the neurodiversity representation!!
Side note: I’m confused bc the cover has short auburn hair with a clean shaven face, but the book says he has dark shoulder length hair and a trim beard throughout the whole novel
Age rating: 17+ (3 brief spicy scenes, 1.5/5🌶️)
This book has a Portuguese heroine with severe dyslexia, and the physical copy is printed in a dyslexia-friendly style, adjusted to make it easier for people with dyslexia to read! So there’s a huge TW for the discussions of ableism she has faced (some things are truly heinous).
I also loved the focusing on her culture, especially her relationship with her grandmother and cooking!
We love a gender swap on the traditional reader-non reader trope, where he’s the reader (a hot motorcycle riding librarian) and she’s the non reader (has dyslexia). Ben is so incredibly sweet and protective of her, always making her feel special and loved and enough. I love how he reads romance books to her so he can share his love of reading and stories with her in a way that is accessible to her!! He is just so precious. I also love how she doesn’t have to tell him when he messed up (in forgetting about her accessibility needs) and he realizes it himself through actual self reflection and apologizes and makes it up to her. A true king for that.
They’re originally only in town for the summer, so they are only meant to have summer fling, but I loved seeing them slowly realize they can’t live without each other! Overall, this was a really cute, solid read! I love the neurodiversity representation!!
Side note: I’m confused bc the cover has short auburn hair with a clean shaven face, but the book says he has dark shoulder length hair and a trim beard throughout the whole novel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Sexual content
cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content
meganpbennett's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Summer Reading is a fun romance novel that also covers some very serious issues, as is common in this genre. I enjoyed the twin storylines, and appreciate the representation given for ADHD and Dyslexia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
nicolelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.25
An endearing rom-com with a sweet sibling and family element as well. The Martha’s Vineyard setting was great as well. Interesting/enlightening to read about dyslexia in adult main character as I’ve only ever read about it in middle grade books before. A couple of spicy moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer