The author's previous work was enjoyable, but the love story between Sam and Ben didn't resonate with the me in this, although there were some charming and witty parts. The characters were likable, but the romantic parts were strained and dull. The book was enjoyable as a fiction but not as a swoon-worthy romance. The storylines of dyslexia and neurodivergence were more engaging. The book was a great getaway to Martha's Vineyard, but the romance was lacking. I do believe this author is a great writer, though, so I will probably read her future works.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this ARC for an honest review.

Samantha Gale is spending the summer in Martha’s Vineyard chaperoning her teenaged half-brother, Tyler, while her parents go on a much-anticipated vacation. She’s hoping that this time in the one place she used to love will also help her figure out her next move in her career as she finds herself out of a job as a chef.

Before she even gets on the island though, she meets a handsome guy on the ferry but after a memorable encounter which leads to her tossing his book in the water, she hopes she won’t have to see him again. Of course little does she know Ben is the interim library director who she will be seeing quite a bit of as she has to take her brother to summer camp at the library. Well there’s no way he’ll be interested in her because she doesn’t like reading.

Actually, Sam has dyslexia and as she starts to get to know Ben and his own reasons for being on the island, sparks fly and both learn to understand one another. I thought the romance was really charming but it’s not just the romance that made this a strong story. I really thought the way Ben approached helping Sam to learn how to enjoy books was really sweet and genuine. There was a lot of humor and I especially liked the brother-sister bonding between Sam and Tyler as they get to know each other and develop a strong relationship. If you are still looking for the perfect beach read, this one is not to be missed.

I was so intrigued by this book based on the summary and the colorful and eye catching cover. However, I didn't feel like it quite lived up to my expectations. All in all, I found the overall romance story be a little dull and slow. Both leads were likable enough and I appreciated McKinlay working in the dyslexia storyline and shedding more light on it. It just missed the mark ever so slightly somehow. I was more invested in Sam and Tyler bonding as siblings over the summer than I was in her and Ben getting together. I also felt like there was very little lead up to it and it happened quite fast. In all honesty, if someone told me I was their person after 3 weeks...slight red flag? Also not sure what the point of having Em be a hypochondriac was. It felt like an afterthought.
Overall, I did like the general story, the restaurant and cooking aspect, the setting, and McKinlays' writing style.

Summary
Sam is a chef who quit her job, and is spending the summer taking care of her half-brother Tyler back home on Martha's Vineyard while she tries to figure out her next steps. She's always wanted to write a cookbook of her grandma's Portuguese recipes. Tyler and Sam couldn't be more different; he is a brainy science kid who is spending the summer doing a robotics camp at the library, and being dyslexic, Sam's least favorite place is the library. The new interim library director works with her best friend and oversees the robotics camp, and he's also the hot guy Sam saw on the ferry, who was reading. Bennett was intrigued by Sam from the moment she knocked his book into the ocean on the ferry. He's on Martha's Vineyard to find his birth father. Sam and Bennett work to help each other out and sparks start flying.

Review
This was a fun read. I really appreciated the inclusion of dyslexia to this storyline and the author's note at the beginning about how she researched fonts best for people with dyslexia and other things to make it more readable for them. It definitely helped shed some light on the struggles those with dyslexia have to deal with. Reading has been such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine not having that outlet. I loved Bennett reading to Sam and helping her discover that she does enjoy reading, but just in a different way. I also loved seeing Sam and her brother build their relationship. It is a perfect beach read for summer.

Very well done contemporary romance. opposites attract love story between a chef and a librarian. Sam, tHe heroine is dyslexic and reading*is not her passion, but cooking is. Ben is temporarily on assignment at the library and searching for his birth father. Sam takes the summer to repair her relationships with her teenage brother and her best friend Em. She and Ben fall in love. Have big misunderstandings but get their HEA.

This is a DNF for me. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and did not find myself wanting to pick this one up. Totally a me thing I think.

Review will be posted on 8/16/23

Samantha Gale, a chef, was passed over for a promotion and she feels it's due to two things: one being that she is a woman and the other is that she is dyslexic. She is angry, so she quits her job and decides to spend time at her parents' beach house on Martha's Vineyard while they are away. This works out perfectly because they need a chaperone for their son who is Sam's step-brother. Sam thinks this is a great opportunity to reconnect with her stepbrother and take time to relax for once. While en route she has an adorable meet cute with Ben Reynolds, the library director. Sparks fly! But how could a dyslexic foodie who loathes books fall in love with a book lover? There's no way, right? Well, as their romance blossoms, Ben pushes Sam to do more and be more and in turn, Sam helps Ben with a problem of his own. Jenn McKinlay's Summer Reading is just that - the perfect summer read for vacation or a lazy day at the pool.

I love that McKinlay switched the usual roles and made the female the book hater and the male the book aficionado. It was nice to turn the tables a bit and see something a little more unusual. McKinlay handled dyslexia so well and really gave it some thought; in fact, the book is published in dyslexia friendly font, etc. While there were some over-the-top cheesy romance moments in Summer Reading, I was here for it, because who doesn't love a big romantic gesture in their beach reads? No doubt that Summer Reading is a cute beach read that is an entirely feel-good romance; plus, it is one of my favorite book covers of the summer.

Someone get me to a New England beach town NOW. Why does it just sound like the most perfect place in the whole world?? This book has me researching Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard vacations like my life depends on it (it does, and that’s NOT dramatic).

This was a sweet story but the romance stayed pretty surface level to me. There was clearly a chemistry between Sam and Ben but for most of the book, it seemed like that’s all there was. I wanted a bit more of a slow burn for them.

The A+ of the book for me was Sam and her brother. I loved every milestone of sibling bonding they went through and it really warmed my heart!

**I received this book for review from NetGalley, but all thoughts and opinions are my own**

SOME SPOILERS

Summer Reading is a perfect beach/vacation read. It is a lighthearted romance,but also covers some deeper topics - which is my favorite kind of contemporary!

We are following a young woman, Samantha (Sam) who is back in her hometown for the summer due to being in between jobs. While back in town, she runs into a man she had a recent (and very memorable) encounter with and she is eager to find a fling for the summer. However, Bennett is on the hunt for something more. Will their relationship last?

I really enjoyed the setting of this one, I love a good small-town romance. Imagine Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) but on a beachy island. Everyone knows everyone! I also love that several of the scenes take place at the library!

The characters were also fun in this one, I loved watching Sam and her little brother grow closer through out the book and it makes me want to go call my sister!

I also love that the book not only discusses the topic of dyslexia and mentions ways to help those who are dyslexic in the work - but it also actively practices what it preaches by making the physical copy more dyslexia friendly. I also really enjoyed the conversation about how audiobooks are just as relevant/real reading as reading the physical copy - that is a hill I will die on, I love audiobooks.

My main gripe with the book is the way Ben acted towards the end, it felt slightly like he reacted that way just to add "drama/conflict" in the relationship rather than it being a genuine way that character would react. The ending felt a bit cliché too with him jumping on the boat.

I think you will like this book if you enjoy Emily Henry, Beach reads, slow burn romance, books about books, and found family.

Samantha is spending the summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her half brother, Tyler. Bennett is spending the summer working at the library and looking for answers about his father. The two are opposites - Sam is dyslexic and Bennett is a bookworm - but sometimes opposites attract.

I thought this was a perfect beach read! It was super fun.

While I wanted to love this one - the MMC is a librarian!! - something about the romance portion of the book felt forced. I respect McKinlay's attempt at writing about an FMC dyslexion, as it's not something you see in books. However, I felt like I was being beat over the head with Sam's dyslexia and that brought the mood of a summer read down a bit. However, I absolutely love the growth between Sam and her half-brother Tyler. As an older sister with a sibling 9 years younger than me, it's fun to see the connection between Sam and Tyler now that they are older and have more life experience.

Read if you like:
• meet cutes
• books about books
• oposites attract
• foodie romance
• dyslexia/neurodivergent rep
• sibling friendships
• East Coast settings (Martha's Vineyard)

I really loved this author’s previous work, but I couldn’t get into this novel. The characters weren’t all that enjoyable and overall I was just kind of bored. Thank you netgalley for my free review copy.

Summer Reading by Jenn McKinley is an easy beach read. Although this book clocks in at nearly 500 pages, it does go fast. The story is about Samantha who is a chef. She's back in Martha's Vineyard for the summer to watch her little brother while her dad and stepmom take a whirlwind trip to Europe. On the ferry to the island, Samantha meets Ben and accidentally destroys the book he's reading. It turns out that Ben is the interim library director. Sam thinks there's no way he can be into her because due to her severe dyslexia, she is unable to really read well. And with him being a library director, he's into books. Also, Sam. It turns out Ben is in Martha's Vineyard not just to work but to look for the identity of his father.

The positive about Summer Reading first. I did a hybrid read of this between my eARC and the paperback from the library. The paperback is set with a dyslexia friendly font and is mindful of using bold instead of italics. I wish all books came with consideration for dyslexic people. Otherwise, this book just feel kind of flat for me. As I said, it doesn't take long to read, but it also didn't keep my attention. I found my mind continually wandering and I chose to do other things besides read this book. It's an okay read but never really feels like it goes beyond the surface for the characters.

I really enjoyed the dyslexia representation in this sweet, beachy romance. Bonus points for the food and book talk between the main characters.

really enjoyed!! this was acute story great for a summer beach read. the romance was very sweet and both main characters were likeable

I really wanted to read some summery books this summer and so I picked this one up. With a swoony librarian as a hero, how could this one go wrong? Sam loses her chef’s job and goes back home to Martha’s Vineyard to watch her half brother. Sparks fly when she meets the new librarian but wonders how it can work when she doesn’t read due to her dyslexia.

So an opposites attract sets up this romance. But I liked the friendships that form and Sam’s and her half brother’s change in attitude towards each other even more than the relationship. And while I love that this book includes a neurodivergent character, I did grow a little weary of it popping up. With devices being able to read aloud what is on screen and audiobooks, the world is better equipped to help out this issue.

I did root for Sam and Bennett, which is what I judge all romances by. They drew close when they helped each other overcome obstacles. I liked their chemistry as it jumped off the page. I loved Sam and Tyler’s relationship and how it went from non-existent to a sweet sibling bond.

And I almost forgot to mention all the talk of food, since of course Sam is a chef. Make sure you don’t read this one on an empty stomach.

I am always all in on a summer book set in Martha’s Vineyard. Samantha returns to Martha’s Vineyard trying to figure out her life. When the opportunity arises to watch her teen half brother, who she barely knows, she jumps at the chance. It allows her an opportunity to get to know her brother and figure out her life after her career as a chef is up in flames.
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On the ferry over she meets a handsome Bennett. Bennett loves to read, works at the library and is her opposite. She hates to read, hates the library and all things bookish but she is drawn to Bennett. This is a romance and loved their relationship, but I really loved the sibling relationship in this one also!
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The author did a great job writing about the family dynamics of a modern family and an even better job writing about Sam’s dyslexia. There is also a great authors note.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This was a cute summer read that easily helped me get lost in the scenery of Martha’s Vineyard!

Sam is home for the summer to take care of her teenage brother while her father and step-mother go on vacation for a month. Home just happens to be Martha’s Vineyard where she meets and falls for Ben, the new librarian. With a sordid history with reading due to her dyslexia, Sam is resistant to the pull of attraction, but soon Ben and Sam become inseparable.

I thought this one was a bit long but was super cute and the perfect beach read.

Overall, this was a cute and fun vacation read for me! I will always tear through a book while im on vacation but this one was a little harder to get through because it took me a minute to get into but the more I read, the more that I enjoyed it. Another thing that I enjoyed about this book was that it takes place on Martha's Vineyard which I go to with my family every year so getting to read about it made me happy. The relationship between Sam and Bennett was definitely cute, but at the end of the day I was left wanting more out of their relationship even after the clever banter happening throughout the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jenn McKinlay for this opportunity to read and review this book!

The perfect summer/ beach read.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”