📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Summer Girl (Avalon Bay, Book 3) by Elle Kennedy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 392 / Genre: Romance

Cassie is on break from college staying at her grandmother’s house in Avalon Bay and looking for a summer fling and the chance to finally lose her V-card. Never one to get too serious about any girl, Tate doesn’t want to break a virgin’s heart, so he valiantly offers to be her wingman and help her find her summer fling. You can guess how that arrangement went. The chemistry between Cassie and Tate is off the charts in this cute and spicy romcom. I especially liked watching Cassie grow up and deal with her issues with her bitch of a mother, finally standing up for herself. This was an excellent beach read and I look forward to reading more from Elle Kennedy.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I liked this one!! Elle Kennedy is an auto-but author for me and this series gets better with each book. Having it come full circle with the hotel grand opening and learning about the family behind the original owners was really enjoyable for me. Cute summer romance with great banter between the two main characters!

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of The Summer Girl.

Elle Kennedy is one of my favorite authors and I loved this book as well. Cassie good bash to the home town she started in . As a college student, she is looking for a summer fling. She meets Tate and get are adorable together.

✏️ Author: Elle Kennedy
📅 Pub Date: July 18, 2023 OUT NOW!
🌟 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Cassie is spending the summer in Avalon Bay with her grandma. Going into her last year of college in the fall a virgin, she wants a summer fling before going back. No commitments just a fun and sexy summer. And boy does she get flung. 😉

Yall. Tate is one of my new book boyfriends. Hands down no question. An absolutely sexy sex god who also cries with you when you've been hurt?! 😍❤️‍🔥 One of my very favorite things about this book is that while yes Cassie heads into this just looking for a fling and you assume this is a summer romance all the sex and leave book, it's so so much more! Cassie has a narcissistic mother and a distant father we see her deal with. Tate is a golden boy with a golden family, but we also see the cracks in their veneer too. Trust me, it's still sexy. Super sexy with some of the best sex scenes I've ever saw written, it still has so much depth and heart.

Kennedy is an absolutely fantastic author and how I've slept on her this long is beyond me. The only good part about this is I hall now have two other Avalon Bay books to dive into and quite a few of her other series to read. Which I will be doing immediately! I love her. I love Avalon Bay. And I loved Cassie and Tates love so much. Buy this book yesterday! You'll thank me later. 😚

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Elle Kennedy. 🖤

The Summer Girl (eARC) — 4 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 07/19/2023 - Out Now!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
👀 Multiple POVs
💓 Contemporary Romance
🤩 Addicting Read
🏡 Small Town Setting
💪 Strong Characters + Development
💗 Friends to Lovers
🔓 Open Door Romance
😂 Plenty of LOL Moments

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🎯 You’re competitive while playing games
💭 You have a strong imagination
🌞 You’ve had a summer fling/romance
⛵️ You enjoy spending time on the water
🙇‍♀️ You have dealt with parental verbal abuse

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Summer Girl is probably my favorite of the Avalon Bay series! For readers who haven’t read any books in the Avalon Bay series, have no fear! You can also read this book as a stand-alone rom-com. The author does a great job fully telling the story, so you won’t feel left out if you haven’t read the other books.

This book had the perfect balance of emotional and lighthearted moments, and I adored Cassie’s character. The writing made me fully engaged, and I looked forward to reading “what’s next.” I really enjoyed that this wasn’t just about romance. It took a deep dive into Cassie’s relationship with her parents who are divorced, and we saw the comparison to Tate’s relationship with his parents. Plus, don’t get me started on the romantic chemistry!! It gave me all the feels!

𝐓𝐖: sexual content, profanity, miscarriage, verbal and emotional abuse, body shaming, infidelity, abortion

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The most drama in a book I’ve read. The revelations at the end were eye opening. Parent-child relationship was very front and center in this book. Tate his parents love each other and show it, with Cassie her parents are divorced, not in good terms, dad remarried and mom is toxic narcissist. The relationship with Tate and Cassie starts as friends, Tate turns down Cassie’s request for a summer fling but they end up in one anyway. I liked how they talked/communicated with each other instead of ignoring/avoiding made a couple.

Hands downs the best in the series! A total must read. The tension! Ugh I didn’t realize how much I needed this book!

I don't even know what to say about this book. Overall, I liked the storyline. I loved getting to know Tate as he really is a good guy. Cassie was immature (most likely due to her young age) which makes sense.

The part that bothered me the most was that everyone including Cassie herself was obessed with her breast size. We get it, they are big, people stare, she gets comments about them but it was like they were an extra character in the book and I just didn't like it.

This is the perfect book for a summer read. I'm not a summer person myself, or a water person at all, but this book made me want to be.

Cassie and Tate had great chemistry and banter. I felt that they were really mature for their ages. They are in their early 20s, which I notice some books with characters in this age rage write the characters immature and naïve. Although this is not an inaccurate representation of that age group, I'm starting to find it hard to relate to so I appreciate how mature they were.

I find this series to be fun to read, while each book can be read as stand alone, you'll appreciate the drop ins of the other characters more if you read them in order.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I love Elle Kennedy! Her books are just so readable. Avalon Bay isn't my favorite series of hers, but this was still a great read within that world.

I’ve been a little critical of this series; even though I adore Elle’s writing and can usually count on a great read no matter what she puts out, I did not love the first book in this series, and I gave the second book only one star. This book finally reminded me of why I adore Elle so much. Avalon Bay is a great little town she’s crafted, and we finally got a great heroine in Cassie, and a delicious hero in Tate, along with tie-ins to previous characters in the series. I’m a sucker for the slow building friends to lover’s trope, and this one pulled me right in and I was happy to be along for the ride.
Looking forward to more books like <i>this</i> one from Elle in the future!

Another great addition to the series. I always love her writing style. She always hooks me from the first page. The book was quirky and sexy and had me hoping for the couple. I love the banter between the characters and chemistry is great as usual. I’d high recommend and hope to read more from her in the future

Ever get “friend-zoned” right away by a potential crush? Well unfortunately, returning to the family inn and seaside town of Avalon Bay, has Cassie suffering from this unfortunate embarrassment. Tate Bartlett, adorably hot golden boy, thinks better of his initial attraction to Cassie, opting to be her friend and wing man in finding a more suitable summer fling.

Despite this master plan, will they be able to stay away from each other? Of course not! What fun would that be…

This summer plan is further complicated by Cassie’s horrible mother, and some long lurking family secrets. Steamy romance, summer love, and twisty situations…what’s not to love?

How in the world did I not know this was a series?!
Definitely going back to read the rest!

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for you honest review.

“You should never stop telling people how they make you feel.”

I loved Tate and Cassie, but what I loved most was the underlying themes of family and parent relationships and how complicated they can be. Sometimes trying to understand our parents we have to remember how much life they lived before they had us and how it shaped them.

Don’t get me wrong this was also a fun steamy summer read, with characters from the first two books in the series and some lighthearted fun. I just loved that is also felt like more than that!

Read if you like:

☀️ Small town beach romance
☀️ Dual POV
☀️ Complicated family relationships
☀️ Cinnamon roll hero

My favorite of the series! I was even a little emotional at the ending. Finally a book from the series where I liked both characters; Cassie’s backstory was especially relatable personally and tugged at my heartstrings. And that curveball reveal/twist towards the end of the book?! My jaw was on the floor. Overall, a super enjoyable steamy, small town, summer read! Glad I read them in order but definitely can be read on their own or out of order. I listened to the audiobook and thought both narrators did a great job!

For me, Elle Kennedy doesn't miss! This is a great addition to a fun but angsty series. The summer vibes in this book are so perfect, and Kennedy’s storytelling puts you right in Avalon Bay. I’ve been waiting for Tate’s story for so long!

This is easily my favorite of the Avalon Bay series. I loved the friends to lovers trope and the golden boy / awkward girl dynamic.

My main issues were that once Cassie and Tate got together she suddenly stopped being awkward and rambly which was a huge bit that was played up the first half of the book. Also, the third act family drama was a bit much especially since the resolution to that bit was so rushed but overall I loved this book.

So dang cute. I loved the first book, the second fell flat for me, but loved this one. Tate is the swooniest book boyfriend. I could have done without the mention of Cassie’s chest a million times but otherwise, great story. Really sad no one punched Cassie’s mom by the end.

I have read all of the other books in this series, and this one is BY FAR the best! The characters are relatable and seem reasonable, they have a great inner voice! The spicy scenes are among the best of any summer romance I read this year! Super spicy, but not at all cheesy or cringey! We follow a 21 year old who is getting ready to start her senior year of college, but takes a summer in the town where her Dad lives to spend some time with him. She has big plans to have a summer fling, but ends up befriending a local guy. After spending time in the friend zone and counseling her through a few encounters, OF COURSE, he turns to more than friends. But unlike other books where that's the end, we get to follow their early romance and watch them navigate the twists and turns of a few family secrets. I loved the addition of a plot that was more than just the two of them getting together. Highly recommend!

This is my first book by Elle Kennedy, but it won't be my last. I loved Cassie's internal monologue as she progressed from awkward and unsure to being a confident young woman. Tate was a little bit cocky but also sweet and I loved his relationship with his parents. The story contains plenty of family drama on all sides, sentimentality, and the romance between Tate & Cassie is both steamy and sweet. I'll definitely be reading the rest in this series, and look for this author in the future.