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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You guys, this one hit a little too close to home for me. Not that my husband has ever asked for an open marriage, but we are high school sweethearts who have never been with anyone else in their life. I am not ruining any spoilers because that’s in the blurb itself.
I could very easily put myself into the main character’s shoes. I’m not a saint – I’ve thought how I’ve missed out on multiple things by being with the same man since I was 14. So, when Will proposed an open marriage to Sam and how Sam felt, I could see both sides. I knew why Will was asking and I could also understand how horrible Sam felt that she felt that she wasn’t good enough for her husband. The conflicting emotions this book evoked in myself felt like this book was written for me.
As a 35-year-old woman (I had to do the math because I’m at that stage of life where I don’t remember) with two small kids with said man I’ve been with since I was 14, reading about someone who was 40 years and had three grown children wasn’t too far out of my wheelhouse (except the grown children lol). My husband and I have been through A LOT in the few years we have had children. But that is a different review for a different day.
Logan, Will’s best friend, is of course someone I imagined to be Glen Powell. Because, why wouldn’t his best friend be wonderful looking, and swoon-worthy. Sam and Logan has gone on family vacations throughout the years, and Sam was a pseudo mom to Chole, Logan’s daughter, after his wife passed. There was never any cheating between the two of them ever, just a connection.
Once Will requested for an open marriage, Logan offered Sam the chance to be his co-rider on his classic car trips. Of course, he restores classic cars and then takes them to the owners. They’ve traveled together, but never alone.
I was really into this book until about the middle part, and it slowed down for me. There was a lot of internal and sometimes duplicate thoughts from Sam. I had hoped for a bit more angst than what we did get throughout this book, but I highly enjoyed when Logan and Sam did have dialogue with each other. It was connected and had depth to their friendship. Of course, I rooted for them from the very beginning. I don’t think you pick up this book without already rooting for him LOL
Maisy Yates makes us wait for it. Slow burn. Sexual Tension. She did surprise me a little with a small tidbit about their history that I didn’t see coming.
Was this my favorite read of the summer? No. Did it keep my attention and provide some good insights on life? It certainly did. Was I happy at how it ended? YES.
#avidreaderbookblog #readingislife #bookblogger #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #romance #romancebookstagram #romancebookstagrammer #romancebookblogger #maisyyates #maisyyatesauthor
I could very easily put myself into the main character’s shoes. I’m not a saint – I’ve thought how I’ve missed out on multiple things by being with the same man since I was 14. So, when Will proposed an open marriage to Sam and how Sam felt, I could see both sides. I knew why Will was asking and I could also understand how horrible Sam felt that she felt that she wasn’t good enough for her husband. The conflicting emotions this book evoked in myself felt like this book was written for me.
As a 35-year-old woman (I had to do the math because I’m at that stage of life where I don’t remember) with two small kids with said man I’ve been with since I was 14, reading about someone who was 40 years and had three grown children wasn’t too far out of my wheelhouse (except the grown children lol). My husband and I have been through A LOT in the few years we have had children. But that is a different review for a different day.
Logan, Will’s best friend, is of course someone I imagined to be Glen Powell. Because, why wouldn’t his best friend be wonderful looking, and swoon-worthy. Sam and Logan has gone on family vacations throughout the years, and Sam was a pseudo mom to Chole, Logan’s daughter, after his wife passed. There was never any cheating between the two of them ever, just a connection.
Once Will requested for an open marriage, Logan offered Sam the chance to be his co-rider on his classic car trips. Of course, he restores classic cars and then takes them to the owners. They’ve traveled together, but never alone.
I was really into this book until about the middle part, and it slowed down for me. There was a lot of internal and sometimes duplicate thoughts from Sam. I had hoped for a bit more angst than what we did get throughout this book, but I highly enjoyed when Logan and Sam did have dialogue with each other. It was connected and had depth to their friendship. Of course, I rooted for them from the very beginning. I don’t think you pick up this book without already rooting for him LOL
Maisy Yates makes us wait for it. Slow burn. Sexual Tension. She did surprise me a little with a small tidbit about their history that I didn’t see coming.
Was this my favorite read of the summer? No. Did it keep my attention and provide some good insights on life? It certainly did. Was I happy at how it ended? YES.
#avidreaderbookblog #readingislife #bookblogger #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #romance #romancebookstagram #romancebookstagrammer #romancebookblogger #maisyyates #maisyyatesauthor
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Really enjoyed the book, would have loved to see Sam truly take some time for herself between the dudes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This one had me emotional from the get go.
It gave me a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts throughout. I don’t know that it will be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I love a summer road trip romance always and the narrator did a great job on nailing the FMCs emotions.
This book was heavily character driven, and the FMCs character development/growth is a significant plot point. I felt like it was very well executed.
Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC.
It gave me a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts throughout. I don’t know that it will be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I love a summer road trip romance always and the narrator did a great job on nailing the FMCs emotions.
This book was heavily character driven, and the FMCs character development/growth is a significant plot point. I felt like it was very well executed.
Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC.
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
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
emotional
hopeful
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
ARC Review
Ooooh lordy this is a messy book full of complicated feelings and imperfect people. The book begins with Sam's husband of over 20 years informing her that he wants an open marriage. They married young, before even completing high school, because of an unexpected pregnancy. He now feels that he missed out on certain life experiences. Primarily, sleeping with other people. Sam does not feel these same regrets. In her eyes, their marriage is everything she would hope for, but she isn’t comfortable with her husband dabbling around with other women, only to come home to tell her about it. She offers him a separation for the summer to sow his wild oats and on an agreed upon date, they will reassess.
With the expectation that she will be ending the summer back with her husband, Sam agrees to be the backup driver for her husband’s longtime best friend, Logan. During trips across the US to deliver custom cars, Sam confronts difficult truths about herself, her marriage, and Logan.
This was not a comfortable read for me. The first part of the book dealt with Sam floundering in her confusion about her husband’s decision. There are also chapters interspersed with the present day, telling of family vacations of the past, with Logan and his daughter Chloe continuing to join them after the death of his wife. These chapters lead up to a big moment that changes the way both the reader and Sam view her story.
This book was an interesting ride. Having not grown up in a religious environment, I found church-related references and restrictions challenging. At one point, it felt like they used prayer as their main form of birth control (spoiler alert: it didn’t work). I liked how Sam never seemed to resent her kids, even though they led to different life choices from what she had planned. It would have been beneficial to have content warnings beforehand to better understand what to expect. Nevertheless, it ultimately developed into a compelling narrative of personal growth and self-awareness.
Thank you to Maisey Yates, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for an advanced copy of this eBook.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cruel Summer follows Sam, a 40 year old woman, whose life is turned upside down when her teenage sweetheart and husband asks for an open marriage after 22 years of marriage!
When her husbands best friend Logan asks her to drive a classic car across the country she takes the opportunity to get out of her comfort zone. I am a sucker for Taylor Swift so I was intrigued by the premise of the book and the title. When I got into the book though, I had a difficult time. I did not enjoy how god and essentially what boiled down to purity culture always seemed to seep into everything she thought and did.
The book felt reparative as she examined her life and I wish she would just get to the point. She was a very frustrating character for me.
I have not read any of Yates other works so I cannot say how this novel compares to them. This one was not my cup of tea.
The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job with each character and it did keep me engaged which for me is an ESSENTIAL part of an audiobook for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
I love love love reading books about women finding love again, especially after being in an eye opening past relationship. Our characters were so realistic and honestly enjoyable. I really appreciated how fleshed out this book felt.
This book was charming, witty and just overall really enjoyable. Our narrator Nancy Peterson did an amazing job of bringing this book and its characters to life.
Bonus points for how personal this was and all the interior passages as Sam worked through grief and loss and discovering her real self. I liked those parts and the slow burn as they gravitated together. I wish I had seen more of why Sam was so special and what made him decide she was THE one for him in high school . I wanted to know more about her overall. Still, I couldn’t put this down because I wanted to see how she dealt with the central conflict, which was short but at that point had been already resolved on her end.