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A review by kelly_e
Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay
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: Sexual content and Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Alcohol