Posted to Goodreads: Recent high school graduate Ellie meets Leroy at a party at Baylor college. The two hit it off and spend the night together knowing that they may never see each other again. However, Ellie and Leroy reconnect and begin communicating through long phone calls. Ellie travels from Texas to Leroy's home in Colorado to spend the summer and the two fall even deeper in love but when new issues arise they must decide if they can stay together and what their life will look like.

This book felt like a self-published book that lacked any guidance from an editorial staff which is disappointing because it was published through one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. The characters and their relationships lack depth and just come across as flat. I never care about Ellie or Leroy and it felt like a chore to keep reading about them. Their behavior and their interactions with their families quickly moved from drama to melodrama which was more annoying than intriguing. Also, for a book that takes place in the United States during the 90s, the characters didn't feel like anyone I knew when I was a teen in the United States during the 90s. According to the author's Goodreads page, she resides in New Zealand which is obvious because the dialog in this book isn't like anything I have ever heard in the US. I don't understand why she felt it was necessary to base the book in a place that she is obviously unfamiliar with because the use of non-American slang throughout the book was distracting and eventually very frustrating. This is the author's second book and I have read both of her novels and it is highly unlikely that I will read any of her future work.

I DNF'd this close to the end. It just wasn't captivating me at all. I had such high hopes for this.

Ellie is a sweet, naive, and an obedient eighteen-year-old. Leroy is a responsible, kind, football player. This book is engaging. The writer makes it easy for the reader to visualize the story. Leroy and Ellie are relatable characters but the author could have added flaws to make them more intriguing. Leroy’s parents seemed way too good to be true. It was hard to connect with Ellie’s character because she’s not ambitious enough to be completely career-oriented. Some paragraphs served no purpose in the story. The cover for this book is misleading. If readers expect typical high school sports drama they will be disappointed.

I almost got whiplash with how fast the story between the main characters moved - from meeting at a party to living together with his family in the first couple of chapters?! this story lacked pace and the characters were's as interesting as they needed to be when skipping over the tension and drama of falling in love.

Its May 1998 and Ellie is attending a frat party. She is at the party with her best friend Amber.Amber is drunk and dancing with Eric. They are celebrating graduation.Eric looks like will Smith.Ellie meets a guy Leroy.

I unfortunately was not a fan of this story. I found it dry in most spots and the characters very one demential. I’m disappointed that I didn’t like it as I had high hopes

Thanks to the author and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for a honest review!

I actually quite enjoyed this, I haven't read the QB Bad Boy and Me, but I think that's not really necessary to understand this book. I do have some issues with this book though. I'm not a huge fan of insta love, but it was okay in this book. I felt the chemistry between the characters and that helped a lot. There were some scenes that I didn't expect, read sex, but that's because I'm not used to reading that sort of scenes. I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, it felt a bit rushed at times.

That being said, I really liked Cass! I love her attitude and I really understood her about Noah and all. I can see myself being best friends with her lol. I didn't really like Leroy that much, but I loved how he cared for Ellie. Sometimes he felt a bit too perfect and I'm not a huge fan when someone calls me babe/baby all the time, but that's just my personal preference.

The end of the story felt a bit rushed as well, but nevertheless I did enjoy it! It even made me LOL and I may have shed a tear at one time

such a beautiful romance story! I loved reading about Ellie and Leroy :) Also, I originally thought Noah would be a major issue towards their relationship, but he was the person that helped them get closer with issues he caused them to deal with. The life-changing situation at the end was highly unexpected, but I was not surprised with the ending. Leroy and Ellie represent true love from such a young age, and teach readers the importance of how to make decisions like that. Family bonds, friendships, and identities are all strong themes in the story. Ellie used to be such an insecure young girl, but once she met Leroy, she became stronger and gained more confidence with herself. Her character development grew rapidly, and the story ends with her as a strong woman. LOVED READING THIS!!

honestly, i was so surprised on how much i loved this book. it was just such a light hearted and fun summer read. since it took place in the summer, it just gave me this feel of the summer and romantic feeling.
i was also pretty shocked how quick the romance moved. for some reason, i thought that the romance would be a slow burn, but as quick pace as it was.
it was also super cool just to see the romance grow as they got closer together. it was just cool to see that the couple was so in love they would do anything to be together. which was just so cute.
and i completely loved the ending and how they got pregnant with twins and got engaged and his family was so involved with the whole pregnancy. and that the mom did make up with everyone.
but, the whole format we so jacked up, but it’s something that can be fixed in the future. i really is wish it had chapters and not just one big one.

Summer of 98

The Summer of 98 by Tay Marley. I have to say I loved this book. I got into it so easy and started getting the bad feeling that something was going to happen to one of my favorite characters but thankfully it didn’t and I loved how it ended!!!
5 Stars

This was better than I expected 😁 I read the first book by this author (The QB Bad Boy and Me), and as much as I liked the story I had a hard time relating to the characters in that one. I found the language the characters used harder to follow. Maybe that was because of my own high school experience, but whatever it was I found their reality harder to imagine, and therefore relate to.

But it was better with this one. The characters were more relatable because they were older, and out of high school (well, most of them anyway). So their realities were a bit more realistic for me to imagine happening. Though there were still a few times I needed to remind myself they were still in their teen years. Even if their personalities were more mature.

This book was a cute story about first love. Leroy was like the guy that every girl wants, he checks all the boxes so to speak 😍 He's attentive, sweet, caring, loyal, he listens, and he does absolutely anything for those he loves. He seems way older than he actually is, and I think for that reason I kept having the feeling of him being too good to be true. As much as I was rooting for him and Ellie, I kept fearing that something was going to give, and everything was going to fall apart. It kept me on the edge of my seat while I read, and that thought kept me reading until the end 💕

A job well done by the author 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I really enjoyed Cass 😊 I found her funny and sweet🌻. She was the best friend that sometimes put her own happiness on the back burner in order to keep the peace, or to keep everyone else happy. She's a strong willed woman, though she has her weaknesses, and she keeps everyone on their toes with her go with the flow personality.

With everything I liked about this book, there are things that nagged at my mind. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this story, and how Leroy and Ellie's love story came about, but I wanted more. Especially with what I know they encounter later on. I wanted to see how they tackled those challenges, both together and separately, and if those struggles effected their relationship with each other and others.

All in all, this book was cute and put a smile on my face. I think this book, and her other story (The QB Bad Boy and Me) would make great movies. I mean, I would watch it 🙋🏻‍♀️

If I can't put a book down for a single minute, it automatically deserves that 5-star rating. I had the time of my life witnessing the story. For instance, the author excels in bringing the '90s back to life. It surely made me appreciate that decade more, most especially the music.

The Summer of '98 follows the story of Ellie who met Leroy at a party in her hometown. They hit it off and they spent their summer together. When Ellie lived with Leroy in Colorado over the summer, everything changes. This book will take you to their crazy summer adventures and heartfelt moments.

I love the relationship between Ellie and Leroy. They loved each other from the very beginning and I am glad that they stuck with each other despite what happened. I also love the Lahey family. They welcomed Ellie with open arms from day one and was always supportive of her.

Overall, this book was truly amazing beyond words and I'm glad I was able to witness Ellie and Leroy's story. I also like how the structure of the book also included Leroy's point of view. The way the author wrote this book felt like I was witnessing the story live. Ellie and Leroy were able to successfully conquer obstacles as teenagers. A very important lesson that I picked up from Ellie and Leroy is that love conquers all. No matter what comes in your way, as long as love is strong, everything will be okay.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

A teen whirlwind romance with a classic happily ever after, only with a twist that makes some relationships and breaks others. I loved the way the characters were introduced and how the book shows that long-distance can work no matter what happens if you love them enough. I fell in love with the idea that two different people from polar opposite backgrounds and childhoods could be the ones to fall for each other. Ellie and Leroy have to overcome one of the biggest struggles as teenagers in love, showing the ideal way that we should treat people, especially those we love and care about. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading a romance novel.

Thank you NetGalley & WattPad for my free ARC.

A quick summer romance read, taking a historical look back at characters from the first book. It was a good read and I liked the characters, but some of the story lines just didn't do it for me. It didn't live upto the hype of the first book, which was a shame. Still I look forward to what else the characters might get upto in future books.

I love summer novels and this was so much fun to read. I really enjoyed It and the romance was great!

Y’all I died *insert fainting gif here* what an incredible addition to the qbbbam series! I loved reading about draytons parents love story as much as drayton and dallas! This book was breathtaking intriguing and full of sweet and sappy moments! Loved every moment of it, Tay is a wonderful writer and has the ability to keep her readers hooked from the first sentence! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!

To start with, I haven't read the book this is a prequel to, but it was never a problem. I'm sure there were things here and there that were little references and winks to the first book, but not knowing them didn't impact this reading at all. So there's that, if you're interested in picking this up but haven't read the other one.

I was looking forward to a sporty summer romance, which this wound up... not really being that? I think a big part of my disappointment was going in with expectations that there would be more football and falling in love. Instead, the football is background at best and there isn't much falling in love, because these two meet and immediately act like they've been together for years. (Seriously, spoiler alert, but they end up moving in together and starting a family within three months.) I know some people are into that instant love sort of thing, but it was a little too hard for me to suspend my disbelief there.

There was also a lot of the things that felt really unresolved to me, which maybe aren't an issue in the sequel, but considering the sequel is at least 16-17 years in the future, it feels like this book would be the time to actually work through it. Namely, issues with the brother Noah and Ellie's parents. I don't know, there was just a lot of things I wish we'd seen more of instead of rushing through everything. Rushing to be in love, to start a family, to forgive everyone, etc.

I'm still giving it three stars because the two of them were a very cute couple, even if they definitely didn't act like a new couple that had just met. Also, because Leroy was very sweet and asks for continual consent basically every time he and Ellie are together, even just making out, which is something that unfortunately doesn't happen a lot in romance books.

The Summer of '98, by Tay Marley, is a tough one for me. Basically, I didn't want to love it, yet somehow I couldn't put it down.

The author excels in bringing the time period to life. Everything brought me back in time, making me smile at some of the changes since '98.

I enjoy the writing a lot. I am honestly impressed with the author's writing style and story development.

That said, the thing I don't love is that I find the majority of the plot to be far fetched. For some stories, I can easily suspend belief and just enjoy the story, For this book, I hovered on that line. I wanted to ignore things, but I kept coming back.

What didn't work specifically?
I can't imagine parents allowing someone to go live with a boyfriend for the summer. Sure, Ellie's mom is awful and just doesn't "get it" but still.
And what parent of an 18 year old boy allows his girlfriend to visit for the summer?
Yes, other things bugged me, like Noah, but I still just kept coming back to these things.
And, overall, although extremely enjoyable, the whole relationship between Leroy and Ellie seems too big to be true.

But again, it's a fun read.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is In this book was really great. The characters were relatable and fun to read about.
The pacing and storyline were good if not a tab predictable.
Overall I enjoyed it. It was fast paced and fun, a prefect summer binge read.