ARC provided by NetGalley in return for a fair review.

I was a bit dubious about this one, on one hand, it's Melissa Brayden, and her books rarely disappoint; on the other hand, I'm not usually a fan of books reunion books, so I wasn't sure if it could overcome that.

It did. I loved it for the most part. I'm not usually a fan of flashbacks, but here the backstory actually takes up two thirds of the book, and honestly that was the part I enjoyed most, the end seemed a bit rushed, while most of the warm (and some of the more heartbreaking) moments happened during the 'past' section. I loved the way their relationship unfolded, and Maggie's families reaction to her coming out was both sweet and funny. The secondary characters were fleshed out and interesting (although the Louis storyline just seemed to be left dangling) and I was also happily surprised that most of the supporting characters didn't evolve into the tropes I thought they would, while the 'event' that happens mid way through had me reading with a lump in my throat.

The major downside was that it was written in first person, which meant that Courtney got the short end of the stick. We don't really get a handle on her emotions (or many of her motivations) and most of this isn't revealed until a big conversation happens towards the end (although I'm sure the readers were following her emotional cues a bit better than Maggie did). It also meant that we didn't get to see the flip side of how her life went. How did her mother react to her coming out? What was she doing while she was away from town? It's hinted at, but I would have preferred a more well rounded view. If this had been written in a first person point of view switch, I proabaly would have given it five stars. I also got a little tired of the 'I'm only here for a few months thing' it got more than a little repetitive, as did Maggie's insecurity, which seemed baseless.

That said, this is still a charming story, with quite a bit of heart. Anything by Melissa Brayden is worth reading, and this is no exception.

4.5

Thrown together in school when Courtney arrives mid semester and sits next to Maggie in History class, these two polar opposites form a strong friendship that deepens into more. But time and life have a way of forcing hard decisions and not all is well in paradise.


Jump forward and Margaret is a successful realtor still living in the small town she grew up in, happy enough but aware of missed opportunities. When she bumps in to Courtney the overwhelming emotion is anger towards the woman who walked away. But as the author perfectly encapsulates, “Just because you’re through with your past, doesn’t mean its through with you.”


This is another excellent romance from Melissa Brayden. The flashback is well done, the then and now always clear and well managed. The story arc is a perfect balance from anger through acceptance and into hope. The setting may be an extremely traditional American small town school and the strawberry farms of SoCal but it is extremely well drawn, evocative and full of sensual description.



Margaret and Courtney are both loveable and we cannot help want to see it all work out, to long for that HEA, through their trials and tribulations, their losses and pain. Margaret, with the perfect family and home life seems like the solid and strong character, while in fact it is Courtney with the domineering father and broken home who shows the strength both to leave when she can no longer bear the pain and come back to fight again.



In addition we have some excellent secondary characters, Margaret’s parents and older brother are adorable, and her friends are well drawn characters who each have their own journey and growing to do as the timeline unfolds. The friendship between Maggie and Travis is fun, and Mel’s growth from school bitch to good buddy is a great example of personal growth.



Ms Brayden always writes excellent traditional romances, full of beautiful women and witty dialogue, but this is my favourite to date. I felt it was more mature and had more depth. The tragedy is real, the angst well done without being over the top, and the character development palpable in both the main characters and their friends. While perhaps the then and now could have been more mixed, to intersperse the young adult angst with the more witty adult Ms Brayden is the master of, it felt more personal, with deeper emotions, and turned another good romance into a great one. I have no doubt this will be a favourite with many many romance readers, highly recommended.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I couldn't put this book down, the angst and connection between the two characters ate at me throughout the entire story. The emotions that this story evoked was amazing. If you are looking for a deeply emotional book that will have you fall for the characters right away and go through the lives of the characters as if you were them this is the book for you. Melissa Brayden has done it again!

Wow. I felt so many different emotions while reading Strawberry Summer. I believe I felt the emotions that Melissa wanted to evoke of her readers.

I rather enjoyed reading the YA/New Adult for the first half of the book as much as the latter half when they were adults. I'm glad it wasn't a constant back and forth from the past to the present.

Margaret and Courtney were likable characters, each for different reasons as they both had their strengths and weaknesses. I also liked the rest of the characters except a select few, who we weren't supposed to anyway. It was great getting to know some of the people who lived in Tanner Peak and how they all interacted with each other.

This is definitely one of my favourite books by Melissa Brayden and is definitely worth many rereads in the future.

This was a fun little surprise! I haven't been a big fan of Brayden's other novels, but this story was adorable. Everything came together here--great characters, chemistry between the two protagonists, sharp dialogue, and supporting characters that didn't (entirely) exist to help push the two protagonists together. Back to the dialogue for a moment--it was genuinely hilarious! The setup for this book is in no way original: being told from the offset that some inciting incident for a breakup between Courtney and Maggie is going to happen, then the flashback to the beginning of the relationship leading up to said breakup and finally the assumed eventual reconcile. However, this well-traveled story is saved here by the sheer strength of chemistry Courtney and Maggie have with each other. This is how a romance novel should be done.

Really loved this book. Due to the nature of the book, you get an idea of the present time and then the following chapters flashback to the past. I knew what was going to happen between Courtney and Maggie but the way the author did it was in a way I really didn't expect. I mean, it almost made me cry in public (don't read this in a coffee shop, or at least the middle part of the book) because it was done really well. The romance was so sweet to read about and you could tell they had a solid foundation. It wasn't one of those romances where you wondered whether the people actually liked each other, or where one of them was so horrible that you dislike the whole relationship. I rooted for them for the start.

The side characters were also really great, each one having their own life and goals outside of the main characters and I really enjoyed reading about all of them. There was not a character in the book where I got bored reading about them or wished they weren't in the book.

I would definitely recommend this book!

‘Strawberry Summer’ is a story of young love that captured my heart and didn’t let go until the very last page. Maggie and Courtney seem like complete opposites but the attraction between them is sweet and intense, as all first loves are. The emotional connection is so strong that neither of them can ever forget how it makes them feel. I so wanted them to be together and felt tears welling at several points in the book. As they become adults their lives change but the pull is still there. Melissa Brayden has imagined a perfect setting, amongst the strawberry fields and in the heart of small town California. Her writing is so evocative and I felt as if I was among those fields every summer with Maggie and Courtney. This is a beautiful and passionate story of a love that had me from the start.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in return for an honest review.

This is the story of Margaret and Courtney.

They originally meet when they're both Juniors in High School and Courtney moves into town. Her father is in charge of the company whose department store is moving into town.

Teen Courtney is an interesting character. She seems to get along with everyone. The popular and the less than popular like Maggie.

Maggie is on the fringes of the high school, a Strawberry farm kid who gets grief for that.

But she is also proud of the farm, and working on the farm, etc.

It's a teen romance at the start and there's much of the angst that goes with it. And then we slowly move through time as the two girls grow up into women. The two women keep moving away from each other and coming back. But each time it's harder to fit together. Can they figure out where they should be? Or maybe they shouldn't be together at all.

It was a complicated plot with stuff in the past and present and I thought that the author put it all together really well.

It was another very cool Melissa Brayden book with super interesting characters in different sort of plots.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

“There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book” ( Jameson 2010). This quote basically sums up this reader’s experience with Strawberry Summer…I chose to keep turning those pages until I finished the book. It’s that good…and this is why:
The plot was interesting with some twists and turns along the way as the main characters, Maggie and Courtney, tried to navigate their life, career path, and love for each other. Ms. Brayden also skillfully crafted the growth of the secondary characters…especially Travis and Melanie. It was nice to see how these characters evolved throughout the book. The author’s characters are multidimensional with realistic dialogue that allows the reader to experience an array of emotional depth.
I will state the obvious…this reader highly recommends this book for anyone who wants to detour from the sometimes harsh realities of life and enjoy an escapism into small town America with quirky, lovable, and very memorable characters.

This was a lovely book and I should probably give it more stars ... sometimes we need a half. I was captivated but also left somewhat wanting with big gaps in time not quite illustrating the pain of separation. Overall though an enjoyable read.

I loved this book so much. The progression of their relationship through the years was refreshing. Another hit for Brayden.

Wow! This is a fantastic book! It’s the best book I have read in a year. Strawberry Summer is a feel-good romance that is so well developed that I am going to miss the characters. I can only wish that Ms. Brayden writes a sequel using these characters.

Margaret “Maggie” Beringer and Courtney Carrington are the two main characters. Maggie is the daughter of a strawberry farmer and Courtney is the daughter of a wealthy owner of a department store. From the first page, I felt drawn into this story. Initially, we are introduced to the present time when Maggie and Courtney meet as adults. In the second chapter, we are taken back to when they are teenagers in high school. The story is written through the eyes of Maggie, and you are immediately in touch with her feelings and insecurities.

There have been plenty of books written with flashbacks in time. Ms. Brayden did not abuse this technique. She only goes backward once and remains in that time for about half of the book. The remainder of the book is dedicated to the present time.

The romance is sweet and the humor is enjoyable. I found myself chuckling when reading some of the scenes. The story seems very realistic.

Of course, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I gave it 5+++ stars out of 5 stars.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes in return for a fair and honest review.

This f/f second-chance romance is about former small town sweethearts meet again several years later. I've enjoyed Melissa Brayden's writing in the past (particularly her most recent, First Position), unfortunately the characterization in this book feels flat and undeveloped. The story focuses for more than half the book on the flashbacks to high school/college summers rather than the more interesting adult re-connection and reconciliation. Readers may enjoy the sweet summer romance, but the relationship ended up feeling shallow and unsatisfying.

Fabulous. I could expound more-a solidly depicted plot, an irresistible interplay between the two protagonists, a continuity in the quality of the writing from previous volumes by this author and a sweet, timeless ending, but those benefits will be immediately obvious to any reader. I enjoyed this much more than I have a number of recent reads.

Loved this! I'm a big Brayden fan (well who isn't?) so I was excited about this book. In reading some of the reviews, I realized this was going to be different that some of her recent books. It was different. The first half of the book is YA or maybe New Adult would be better. Then the second half is in present time when they are in their late 20's. I'm not big on flashbacks, so I was a little worried about it. Luckily it is all in the first half and didn't switch back and forth. I liked this much better and had no problems getting into the story. The other difference in this book was that it had a bit of a heavier feel to it. I cried more than once. It reminded me more of Braydens first book Waiting in the Wings, which is my favorite. It may be why I loved this book so much. Because this book was heavier, it made you feel for the characters. You just really connect to them, especially Maggie, who's head space we are in. This is a perfect example of how to write a really good first person story.

I don't want to go into the storyline too much to spoiler anything. I will say the characters are great. The romance and love story is off the charts. The sex scenes are steamy and these characters have unbelievable chemistry. There is some drama and some angst that drew me to tears. Overall this is just a well written, enjoyable Brayden book.

For me this is a must have for romance fans. Fans of good YA or NA will also enjoy this. Brayden did not have any trouble writing about teenagers. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read anything else Brayden writes.

P.S. I have been in a reading funk this past week. This book was perfect to break that funk and get me reading again. It's nice to be able to count on how good a Brayden book will be.

An ARC was given to me by Bold Strokes Books, for a honest review.

If you haven't read a Brayden book yet you are seriously missing out. I have read everything she has written so far, and haven’t been disappointed once. This book may be my favorite of hers. I absolutely loved the story. I love the small town setting. I noticed that this book did not have over used phrases, that Ms. Brayden struggled with in previous books. Brayden’s characters are always very likable and keep your attention from the start. She has mastered dialogue. As in she nails conversations you have had with friends. I would pre-purchase her next ten books if I could. Every time I read a new release of hers, I decide I should go back and read WITW. She is an author you want to own in ebook and paperback. You should really read this book if you are a fan of lesbian romance. No one really does it better, and if you haven’t read her previous books I have no idea what you are waiting for. She should write faster.

Melissa Brayden has written a sweet and charming small town lesbian romance with this book. Being a new author to me, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that the blurb really stood out to me and I had to read it. Well, let me tell you I was not disappointed in the slightest and think I have found myself a new author to fangirl over.

Strawberry Summer balances the perfect love story between two woman who are polar opposites. Maggie is the shy girl from a small town who would rather keep to herself than fit in with everybody else. Courtney is the "city" girl who turns heads and is quite popular and friendly with everyone. So when they say that opposites attract well, this couldn't be more true for these two women.

One thing that I really loved about this story is how it is presented to readers. The prologue of the story lays Maggie's current predicament- running into the woman who got away- which leaves her second guessing all her decisions up until that point. Then, readers are taken back from how these two met all the way through that fateful meeting some 8 years later. So we sort of get a YA-Adult romance story, which for me is pretty cool. However, this is not a young adult romance. I would probably categorize it as new adult which is pretty fitting for the ages of the characters.

In terms of the romance, I think the author is spot on. It's not erotically charged and the sex scenes are a bit downplayed (but not to the point that it doesn't occur because it DOES), and the feelings of love are pretty strong. So strong in fact that I felt it coming through the pages. EEPP!! I love being able to feel the passion and this story does just that.

Overall, this is a wonderful story and I am so glad I took a chance on a new to me author and read this one. It's also a breath of fresh air to go from the traditional romances to a lesbian one. The world is full of people and it's nice to see that gay couples have their stories told too. So, if your a fan of F/F romances (good ones are hard to come by) or are looking for something a little bit different than I recommend this book to you!

Great read! I love this authors work. From the first page to the last, I was utterly engulfed. Fun characters and a great storyline. The pages practically turned themselves. What a fun romance that had me laughing and (almost) crying. You can't go wrong getting this book. Enjoy!