Loved this book about longing, and childhood, and an unforgettable romance. The characters are truly the kind that stick with you long after the book has ended, and the writing is...chefs kiss. Loved this title, and will always read a book from Kirwan!

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

I found the main character to lack some depth, and I'm not sure if it's due to the writing style or just the character's personality, but it made it difficult for me to connect with this book, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

If you want a romance that also takes you through some mental and emotional therapy, then this is it. At times irreverent and funny, Long Past Summer is a harrowing journey about learning from past mistakes and reconciling your present with your dreams.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the E-ARC. Im sad to say that this book just did not do it for me. I didnt connect with the FMC I found her to be childish even though she was already a grown woman. The story was good but it was just not something that I connected with.

Shelf Awareness for Readers, August 26, 2022:

A successful lawyer gets sucked back into the what-ifs of her long-lost first love in debut novelist Noué Kirwan's Long Past Summer, a steamy romance full of heart. Mikaela Marchand is a highly successful lawyer, poised to finally make partner at her prestigious New York law firm after being passed over year after year for less impressive white male colleagues. When her annual shot at promotion hinges on successfully litigating a lawsuit for a client, she's determined to give it everything she's got--until she discovers the client is Cameron Murphy, her first love, being sued by his ex-wife, Julie, her ex-best friend.

Long Past Summer moves backward and forward in time between Mikaela and Cameron's early days together in 2002 and the palpable tension--sexual and otherwise--between the two in present day. The romance between them is heightened by the sense of destiny their backstories lend to the current moment. The two seem meant to be together in some way, yet just as fated to be dogged by Julie in the present as they once were in the past.

Though some of the intricacies of their past can feel slow at times, the level of detail Kirwan weaves throughout the novel ultimately proves necessary to the 2022 timeline, which drives forward to a conclusion grounded in self-discovery and vulnerability. A story of lost love and forgotten friendships, Long Past Summer is a smart, sexy romance that pushes the boundaries of the genre and will appeal to readers of all stripes. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

I had high hopes for this - the synopsis gave me Seven Days in June vibes, and I absolutely loved that book. Going in though, I quickly found that the writing style wasn't working for me at all and that the writing wasn't pulling me in. I didn't feel interested enough to continue reading, so I decided to DNF this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I felt every emotion that the main characters were experiencing and felt glued to their story. From beginning to end.

This book took me a bit of time to read- it's about friendship, workplace stress, and insecurities. Definitely lots of drama and trying to figure things out along the way.

I can't believe this book doesn't have more hype! While it did start slower than I'd normally like, the writing was beautiful and easy to follow. I loved the themes of this book and loved Kirwan's conversations about what she faces as a woman of color.

I thought the romance element was very realistic - it was messy and vulnerable. I was rooting for Cam and Kirwan the entire time, and loved how the relationship was so complex and beautiful. This was filled with BIPOC representation, second chance tropes and feminist themes that I absolutely loved!

DNF @45%. I found myself needing to put it down more than once. The pacing was slow and I was having a really hard time connecting with the characters. Thank you to HTP for the advanced copy!

Okay first of all, THAT GORGEOUS COVER THO! I really, truly thought this book was soooo good. This book covers a lot of topics, some heavier and than other but it does it in just the right way. This story is complex, interesting and beautifully told.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for my gifted copy. This book was published 8/2 and I recommend it.

I was really excited to read this book, but unfortunately I have put it down more than once. I'm finding the pacing slow and having difficulty connecting with the characters. After skimming some of the pages, it does not seem like the pacing improves nor do I find some of the characters likeable. DNF.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!.

this books presents an interesting scenario which you don't often see, so I liked that a lot. The characters are written well and I think this book will do good!

This book is about second chances. If you like that trope, you’ll enjoy this one. It flips back and forth between past and present, and it’s well done. Perfect read before summer ends. This is my first book from this author and I like her writing style so I’m definitely grabbing more books from her.

Long Past Summer is a second chance romance, but for me, it's also a lessons learned and the past coming back to bite you story. The main characters are primarily Mikaela and Cam, but Julie is in there too, and all three of them are a bit of a mess, especially when it comes to the decisions they've made Bad decisions or not, the further I got into the book, the more Cam and Mikaela made sense to me. Yes, that means they had to grow on me, but I think that was more a me thing than anything else and nothing to do with the author's writing. The book is well written, and I like Kirwan's writing style. I'll be interested to see how she grows in her craft with future books.

the setup…
Mikaela Marchand has always had a plan for her life and set her sights for New York following graduation. But that summer after her high school graduation in hometown Harmon, Georgia certainly impacted that journey when she met college student Cameron (Cam) Murphy who was home for the break and working at the Sheriff’s Office. That’s where they met following a foolish high school prank Mikaela and best friend Julie performed in front of the entire school. What first appeared to be a moment in passing between the three of them turned out to be more defining than they’d ever imagined.

the heart of the story…
Mikaela has always been the levelheaded one in her friendship with Julie so that high school prank wasn’t so much her idea as it was her following behind Julie, the true dynamic of their friendship. That was a constant imbalance in their relationship so when the spark was between Cam and Mikaela instead of him and Julie who couldn’t imagine any boy not being interested in her, that became a secret wedge in that friendship though Mikaela kept the relationship secret. Move forward twenty years and she’s indeed in New York working at a prestigious law firm, highly successful and on the precipice of becoming a partner but her relationship with Cam and Julie fractured. The story transitions between past and present to slowly reveal what happened that summer and beyond to the present when Cam reappears in Mikaela’s professional life. I liked how the story was woven as I became more intrigued about the past as allusions about what happened in the past constantly teased in the present. I struggled with Mikaela and her lack of commitment to Cam, even though I often identified with her behavior. He, alternatively, was always steadfast in his love for her and I wondered why he stuck around.

the narration…
I liked the narrator but believed she missed the mark completely on Cam and his southern accent. It was less than authentic and bugged me every time he had a voice. Her pacing was fine but unfortunately because he figured a lot in the story, that defined my experience with the performance.

the bottom line…
First, I highly recommend you put some distance between the time you read the blurb and when you begin the book. It just reveals too much about where these people end up and I liked that it was slowly played out over the course of the book. Just don’t read it again. Even though I struggled with Mikaela and her behavior towards Cam and Julie, I found her realistic and identified with her conflicts. Her relationship with Julie was dysfunctional but they’d been friends since childhood and waking up to the reality doesn’t happen overnight. I also found Mikaela’s professional environment to be highly interesting and a true depiction of what happens in real life. But the love between Cam and Mikaela was the constant in the story that threads throughout and you can’t help rooting for them to find their way. It all provided for a highly engaging reading experience despite my issues with the narration. It’s a strong beginning for a debut author. 3.5 stars

Mikaela Marchand (Mike) is working as a high powered attorney in New York, planning on making partner in the next little while. The shy, follower from small town Georgia has moved on, until her image with that of her ex-BFF end up on the massive billboard in Times Square. The picture is on the cover of a high-profile magazine and Julie, the ex-friend, is suing the magazine and the photographer for using her image without permission. The thing is, Mikaela is counsel for the magazine, so is involved in the case. The other thing is that the photographer is Julie's ex-husband and Mikaela's ex-boyfriend, Cameron Murphy. Now you know, this is going to be complicated.

I had mixed feelings towards this book. The book is told in both the present and the past through flashbacks. I don't usually mind this style, but the flashbacks were so angsty, that I just wanted to skim through them. The present storyline is what I was interested in. Noué Kirwan does a great job showing us what women of colour deal with in the professional world, and how men can still get away with behaviour that would cause them to lose their job. The main competition for the partner position is a white man, who has made several errors of judgement, but is still being considered. When Mike is removed from the case due to conflict of interest, he is the one who replaces her, which causes her to see red. This book has young love, second chance romance, jealousy, vindictiveness, friendship, family, as well as finding what is important in life and fairness in the business world and the glass ceiling. As I said there were parts of this story that I really enjoyed and others that were just okay, but I recommend you pick this one up if the synopsis interests you to see for yourself.

This was a moving story about first love, best friends, regrets and second chances perfect for fans of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (aka, THE book of the summer). I loved that this book features Mikaela, a strong Black woman chasing after her dreams of making junior partner in her NYC law firm who has to reconsider what she truly wants when forced to work with her ex and contemplate a second chance at their love. Told in flashbacks to the summer they fell in love and the present day, this was a tad longer than I thought it needed to be but still good on audio narrated by Nicola Lambo. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.