3.5-4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassie is looking for a summer hookup, and Tate does nothing BUT hookup. Cassie tries to "fling" Tate, but Tate actually likes Cassie and friend zones her instead. However, after a spicy, girl-next-door window scene, the two venture into different territory.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers, or casual hookup to lovers, trope. I didn't really like the plot twist that tore them apart (because there's always something that tears the MCs apart before HEA). But overall, it was a good summer read with some decent spice!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The third installment from the Avalon Bay series - and my favorite so far.

Lovers of the series will be very familiar with Tate, Avalon Bay's resident golden boy who can't commit... until he bumps into Cassie, who's spending the summer in the Bay before her senior year of college. They agree to a summer fling... but will that turn into something more?

A fun, spicy summer read with a closer look at family conflict to give this book a lot of heart.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

This has been my absolute favorite book so far in this series. An easy 5 stars from me. I absolutely loved Tate and Cassie's time together. Every time they were around each other I was smiling at their interactions, their conversations & their fun banter. I also liked how much they were able to help each other grow through the different things going on in their lives. Overall, I cannot recommend this one enough. It can be read as a standalone but it's more fun to know the characters from the other 2 books - so although you don't have to, I recommend reading the others first!

“Have you forgotten my most important rule of life, dear? Always leave the house dressed as if you’re going to—” “—be murdered,”

“I tried not to get attached and I failed. My heart is officially engaged.”


Cassie grew up at the bay but moved away in middle school when her parents got divorced. Her mother is very me, me, me and is rude to everyone. Her mom is her worst critic & hates her dad. A lot of insecurities stem from her mothers words & actions. Finally Cassie decides to stay with her grandmother one last summer before her grandma moves closer to them in Boston.

Tate moved to the Bay Area during highschool and is now a part time sail instructor. He is house sitting all summer right next door to Cassie.

Of course their windows face each other & Cassie accidentally sees Tate undress & he catches her of course. He airdrops his number to her and jokingly calls her a peeping Tom. 😂

Cassie’s grandmother Lydia is also the previous owner of The Beacon hotel that Mac (from the first book in the series) bought & is restoring. The grand opening is at the end of summer where everyone is coming to see it.

Cassie & Tate are constantly running into each other & the tension is there. They finally act on it & they get interrupted by Mac who basically tells Tate to stop because Cassie is girlfriend material & not just a hook up. Tate becomes her wingman & we all know where this is going to lead. He is starting to get jealous but doesn’t realize it while she starts to seek out other guys.

The summer is filled with events galore and during the charity men’s auction she saves him from the cougars by bidding on Tate & winning. Of course she gets to boss him around the def of the night. Although they are just friends they are so into each other that the tension is so high. They both get inside their rooms and they start acting naughty in the window. Phone sex & getting each other off from a distance and honestly it was hot.

Cassie’s mother is rude & horrible when speaking about her daughter and Cassie just doesn’t stand up for herself. Tate over hears everything and this is where we finally see them get to be a summer fling. As things progress between them Tate starts to wonder why should it have to end at the end of summer. Why can’t it continue?

We of course have to have our 3 quarters of the way done drama & it was not what I expected at all. This book had me smiling, laughing, & crying. I truly love this series it’s just so cute and easy to read.

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the first two books to understand the other characters who show up.

Thank you NetGalley, Elle Kennedy & the publisher for letting me read this book as an arc!!

It's been a blast to read the Avalon Bay series, and be able to experience different characters stories in each book. It's something I really love about Elle Kennedy's series is that characters readers grow attached to from the other books sometimes get their own story being told.

I couldn't put this book down. Much like the other books in the Avalon Bay series I never wanted them to end. I loved every page, and never wanted to stop reading. It makes me happy to have been able to read advanced reader copies of all the books so for. Thank you so much NetGalley for an arc of this book.

this is the third book in the avalon bay series. i wasn't sure what to expect going into this one since i didn't enjoy the last book as much. cassie is back in town for the summer to spend time with her family, friends & hoping to look for a summer fling. at first it felt like all that this book would focus on was cassie searching for the perfect fling with not much depth to anything but I was wrong about that. as i got further into the book it focused more on her family dynamics & relationships, including tate's family as well. i really started to enjoy it so much more once i got to that part. i liked the way the other characters from the series were included in this one. i wasn't a fan of the third act break up at all in this one which lowered my rating a bit. there was a mix of both things i love & hate in a book but overall, i did enjoy this read, especially the second half & i really loved the way it ended 

thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Avalon Bay is the perfect summer read! What a bittersweet goodbye to this sweet summer series. But now no matter if you are on a beach or by a lake or in a lush field The Summer Girl and the previous Avalon Bay books are your perfect summer binge-read.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: Cassie Soul is said summer girl in The Summer Girl. I really liked Cassie as I found her so relatable. Her parents went through a nasty divorce, she is studious, and a bit of a late bloomer. Sounds a lot like me. Cassie’s grandparents ran the local hotel and are now selling it as they are too old to keep running it. Her love interest is Tate Bartlett, who gave big golden retriever vibes and started his story in not such a great spot. He’s getting broken up with and he has a bit of a player’s reputation. Once you get to know him better though you will grow to like him, all he needs is the right girl to settle down with.
Setting: It’s bittersweet to leave Avalon Bay. This book had so many moments with many of our fave characters from the instalments. But it did feel much more solitary so you can definitely read it without reading the other books.
Pacing: I will admit I did struggle a bit to start off this book, I just found I was not as hooked in the beginning. When I did get fully into the story I was super engaged and read the thing quickly. I did find some plot points were not as flushed out like the games near the end didn’t even feel that necessary to the story. Plus as this was the last Avalon Bay book I would have loved an extended epilogue of some kind that featured all the characters. Now I’ll give Elle full credit she surprised me in a very specific to me way. The stepmom, dad, and half-siblings dynamic first of all. Mine is nowhere near as dramatic as this shapes out to be. But I can really relate to your parents not getting along and feeling like you struggle to open up to your family in that situation.
Romance: This book was pretty damn steamy. My fave scene in particular may have involved our two leads looking out at each other through their bedroom windows. For the emotional aspects, Elle made me shed a tear a bit over this couple (then I had a really good cry over the family dynamics).

Cassie is spending her college summer break with her grandmother. She’s also on a mission to find a no-strings summer fling, which is where popular golden boy Tate comes in.

This was pretty light for the most part as Cassie and Tate figured things out and she navigated communication issues in her tense blended family. It was pretty slow-moving for me but picked up abruptly at the end. It was very mild in terms of spice. But it’s a sweet summery read, if a bit tame. And surprisingly funny!

This book was the return to the Elle Kennedy stories I fell in love with!

Like I would assume a lot of us, I was first introduced to Elle through her her Off Campus and Briar U series, which will both hold a special place in my heart forever. As a “shy” or “nerdy” girl whose guilty pleasure was “jocks” and “playboys” who deep down had hearts of gold, you can see why I would fall in love with Elle’s writing and characters (Dean Di Laurentis will always be my #1).

After reading the first two books in the series, I did not have a great feeling about Tate. I thought Tate was going to be a terrible person who would probably cheat on the first woman he fell in love with, as we didn’t know much about him and I absolutely hated his FWB Alana. I even thought at first when I saw the redhead on the cover that this was a Tate + Alana story and I wanted to scream!!! THANKFULLY, this one worked out for me in such a positive way!

Cassie was a straight up treasure!!! She was remarkably smart, optimistic, and downright adorable. Within just a couple chapters, 𝘐 was in love with her! Obviously, Tate had no chance and that was very clear from the beginning. Through their interactions and “friendship” I grew to love Tate just as much as Cassie. A real straight-up guy, with the best of intensions and a true gentleman (except those times you didn’t want one 🥵) was what I ultimately saw in him. He taught Cassie to stand up for herself, while she taught him what love was. Such a wonderful couple not just in Avalon Bay, but in the entire Elle Kennedy universe!

I also loved a lot of the side characters. We already knew most of Tate’s friends through the first two books in the series, but we got to meet a few more and we got to meet our FMC Cassie and her family. While her mother was the bane of her existence, I loved the way her family dynamic ultimately ended up working out. It was beautiful watching her and her stepmother Nia find common ground and understanding; Nia really had me crying at the end!!! And let’s not forget about her hoot of a grandmother! Not her elderly grandma calling her out on being loud in the sack and telling her to keep her “TV” volume down with a wink! I would be mortified but unable to do anything but laugh if this happened to me! And the way her grandmother stood up for her consistently, whether it was subtle in the beginning or a complete takedown of Cassie’s mother at the end, her grandmother was a sweet woman with a lot of love and heart for her granddaughter.

Lastly, I loved how I was wrong about the cheating…or at least who was a cheater. I won’t say more than that, but that was such a weird little pop of drama at the end that I gobbled up! I hate cheating and I hate cheaters, but I loved everyone’s reaction to the situation, especially Tate’s.


Final Thoughts:

I loved their romance, I loved the side characters, and I loved how much of an emotional and mysterious journey this took us on. Do yourselves a favor and check it out!

Special thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Elle Kennedy for the advance review copy of this masterpiece! The opinions and thoughts expressed above are honest and my own.

Elle Kennedy just keeps getting better. The Sumer Girl is my favorite so far the the Avalon Bay series. You will fall in love with Cassie and swoon over Tate. This summer read was so much fun. There were so many laugh out loud moments that made this a joy to read. Still, Kennedy offered tons of depth and heartfelt moments as well. This is one of those books like a favorite movie that you want to visit over and over again.

Cassie returns to Avalon Bay to spend the summer with her grandmother and say farewell to the Beacon. She has one goal before returning to Boston for her senior year of college and that is to have a passionate summer fling. That brings us to the gorgeous playboy with a heart of gold, Tate. Cassie in all her awkward glory sets her sights on Tate but after one amazing kiss he puts her in the friend zone. The chemistry between these two and the true friendship that they build can't keep them apart for long. Cassie had a lot of character growth throughout the story. Tate is the one who helps build her up and convince her to start voicing her feelings and needs. Love, love, loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is THE beach read of the summer, and I will not entertain anyone suggesting otherwise.

I so thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this read. From the build up to the spice to the… just everything. Elle Kennedy once again hit it out of the park with this new adult masterpiece.

Seeing your parents as people- not infallible all-knowing beings- who make mistakes and giving them grace and forgiveness- or, in some cases, not, was a big theme, and one I think is so utterly apt for new adult romance. Outside of the swoony, sweet, and steamy fling to more relationship, watching Cassie and Tate navigate this life realization with their families- one already broken, and the other seemingly fairy tale perfect- was my favorite part.

I loved being back in Avalon Bay with Tate and Cassie. I loved getting to know them and watching them getting to know each other. The story was so fun and their chemistry was great!
I debated between a 4 and a 5 but decided on 5 because I would love to own the paperback.

"𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳."
"𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚."

The perfect summer read does not ex——

This book is so fun. It’s sexy, it’s angsty, it’s flirty and fun but also serious at times. You really do get a little bit of everything:

☀️ Summer romance
☀️ Friends/ Friends with benefits to lovers
☀️ Dual POV
☀️ Beach town setting
☀️ Virgin FMC
☀️ Cinnamon roll MMC

Cassie is visiting her grandma for the summer and first but she meets happen to be the very sexy boy next door, Tate. We love a good neighbor romance! Cassie is looking for a summer fling and who better to fling with than Tate?! And then, as they say, the rest is history.

I completely fell in love with Cassie and Tate and their fun, flirty banter. And the spice?! I was not ready! I know Elle Kennedy is no stranger to spice so I should have expected it but it caught me by surprise in the best way. The window scene!!? 🥵🥵

This book didn’t just deliver in the romcom department, but explored some very real tough subjects such as divorced parents, family drama and the fear of being vulnerable with those closest to us. There were also plot twists I did not see coming which is a huge plus.

I have loved all the books in this series but I think Cassie & Tate might be my favorite. Fair warning, though, you’ll wish you were on a beach town somewhere with a hot neighbor next door to have some fun with. Or is that just me!?

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @ellekennedy for the advanced copy.

🌊 Book Review 🌊

Happy Pub Day to The Summer Girl, book 3 of the Avalon Bay series by one of my favorite authors @ellekennedy33 . Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC. Both Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation were 5⭐️ reads for me, and The Summer Girl joins their ranks. It's my new favorite of the series and one of my top 10 reads of the year.

✔️ He's a player, she's a good girl
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Small Town
✔️ Bachelor Auction (a rare trope nowadays but A FAVE)
✔️ Let's Just Be Friends
✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Teach Me
✔️ It's Just Sex

The Summer Girl is about Cassie who is just in town for the summer since her grandmother will be moving out of Avalon Bay. She wants to have a summer fling, and how great would it be if this super hot guy who finds her amusing and not awkward would be her flingee, giving her some experience in bedroom matters. Unfortunately, playboy Tate is hesitant. He's not a relationship guy and her inexperience freaks him out. He's super attracted and wants to just stay friends, but that is proving to be impossible.

So we all know that Elle is masterful at writing great banter, pining, and spice. This book exceeded my already high expectations. Not only that but the emotional storytelling with both Tate and Cassie's relationship with their families was incredibly told and moved me. I am a stoic Capricorn and my eyes were watery during this read. This joins just 3 other books as a lock for one of my top 10 reads for this year. 5⭐️ - I highly recommend (especially if you loved The Mistake from the Off-Campus series).

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

I am so pleasantly surprised by this book, I didn’t love book 1 in this series, and then I liked Bad Girl Reputation more, and now this one is significantly better and definitely my favorite in the series. It was a touching friends-to-lovers romance and I loved the neighbors aspect. It was heartwarming and entertaining!

Elle Kennedy hasn't failed ne yet!

I absolutely loved Tate. Was he a f-ckboy? yes! BUT HE WAS RESPECTFUL AND ADORABLE!

I also loved Cassie and felt so sad for her. Her mom was a monster.

I do wish her big boobs weren't mentioned every chapter.

The Summer Girl is the third installment in Elle Kennedy's Avalon Bay series. I really enjoyed the first two books, but I have to say I think this one is my favorite so far.

It's always fun to return to the small beachy town of Avalon Bay and this time we get to see the town through the eyes of Cassie Soul, a young woman who used to lived there but hasn't been back in years. She's there now to spend the summer with her grandmother and she also hopes to have a bit of fun and find herself a summer fling.

She has a pretty funny meet cute with local hot guy, Tate Bartlett, and immediately thinks he would be an ideal candidate for her fling. In a surprise twist, Tate turns her down but says he would love to be friends with her and to even serve as her wingman to help her find her fling.

If you enjoy a good friends to lovers story, you'll love this one because the chemistry between Tate and Cassie is just wonderful. There's tons of fun, flirty banter but they also connect on a much deeper level and I just enjoyed watching them get to know one another as the summer went on.

There's also an extra twist involving secrets and family drama just to add some dramatic flair and keep you turning those pages.

If you're looking for a perfect read to take with you to the pool or beach, grab yourself a copy of The Summer Girl. You won't regret it!

The Summer Girl was my first book by Elle Kennedy and now I want to go back and read the first two books in this series. Being a New Englander, I especially loved the setting and the sailing storyline.

I loved how Cassie and Tate interacted with each other. Their banter was excellent and they had great communication. Their chemistry was amazing and the spice was chef’s kiss.

I have to keep this spoiler-free, but I cannot tell you how much I’d like to have a conversation with one of the characters because that woman needs a stern talking to! If you know, you know!

Overall, this was a fast and fun book that screams beach read. I say give this one a try!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Cassie is visiting Avalon Bay for the summer. She grew up here until her parents divorced when she was in middle school when she went to live with her mom, only coming back to visit her father a few times a year and for just a few weeks every summer. This summer she plans to spend the entire summer there and decides she wants to enjoy a summer "fling" while there, something she hasn't done before.

Tate has lived in Avalon Bay since about the time Cassie left, and they run into each other on one of her first nights in town. They both have attraction and Tate is interested, but is also concerned about Cassie's feelings so friend-zone's her. He even offers to be her wingman as she looks for a fling candidate.

The Summer Girl is a perfect summer read. I fell into this story quickly and didn't want to put the book down. I hit a little bit of a hiccup when Tate was first backing off because of his fear of feelings, but stuck with this book and am so happy I did. The Summer Girl is such a complex, multi-layered story with the romance being just one aspect. Each of their families play critical roles in this story, and I felt very invested to see how things were going to wind up. I even found myself tearful at one point, and I rarely cry when reading. I loved how everything comes together in the end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 18, 2023

A fun/sexy summer read with a few icks. So much talk about Cassie’s bra size and virginity and this quest for her to lose it in addition to the unnecessary smoking, and the emotionally abusive mother who constantly wrecked her kids body image was quite off putting. It’s very stereotypical and immature (the characters are in their early 20s and it’s written well that way). If you want something mindless with a bit of steam that takes place near the beach, you found it!