Oh my goodness. I’m just going to start off by saying this is HANDS DOWN my favourite Elle Kennedy Book I’ve ever read.

Cassandra goes back to her home town to spend time with her Grandmother and say goodbye to the Hotel that has been in their family for 50 years. Before Cassie’s grandmother moves away and moves on with her life.

She goes to Avalon Bay looking for a summer fling. And she may have gotten a little more than what she bargained for…
She meets Tate accidentally by eavesdropping on him getting dumped by his former fling. When she suggests to have a fling with her he declines and advises instead to be her wingman.

The chemistry and banter between the 2 is just absolutely perfection. I love them.

Then there’s the family aspects. Cassie and her mom do not get along she’s a narcissist. Cassie and her fathers relationship is weird. They love being together but she feels like his new wife doesn’t like her. And she feels like a burden. But Cassie loves her 2, 6 year old twin sisters and would do anything for them.

I just love all of the dimensions in this book. It covers literally everything. The ending nearly murdered me, it twists a knife in your heart and then it gets mended. I just, it was a whirlwind of a book and I loved it with all my heart. If I say too much more I’ll give away too many spoilers.

Thank you so so much NetGalley for this ARC. One of my favourites of the year by far! Our July 18th!

This was definitely my favorite book from the series. Cassie and Tate were really great characters and I loved the chemistry they had. This starts out with Cassie looking to have a fling and turns into a friends to lovers situation.
Cassie's connections to Avalon Bay were fun and her family is very complicated. That part of the story was so interesting and a bit suspenseful.
Tate really surprised me. For a player, he is well respected and a stand up guy.
You get to revisit all of the previous characters and add in a spunky Grandma and feisty twins and it was a great read.

This Elle Kennedy series has been so much fun to read. Tate and Cassie were fun characters to read about -- this might be my favorite in the Avalon Bay series so far. I think what I loved so much about this book, and this series, is that it manages to be both sweet and silly while at the same time bringing just the write amount of depth to the characters.

Summer girl is the third book in the Avalon bay series. You do not need to read the other two to follow the story. This was a great coming of age summer romance. It was a little slow in the beginning but got faster towards the end. I would have liked an epilogue because I always like to know what happens after the HEA.

Cassie is spending the whole summer in Avalon Bay with her grandmother who has sold the legendary hotel that has been a landmark for decades. As a summer girl (versus a local) turning twenty-one she's hoping to enjoy this one last summer with a summer fling! She meets and hits it off with Tate immediately! They get along so well and have so much fun, that Tate doesn't want to ruin their friendship by getting involved. So he friend zones her. So despite their mutual attraction to each other, they try to maintain that fine line. But that's not the only minefield they have to walk this summer. The other relationships around them have just as much impact on their summer!
I loved the premise of this story and I loved the main characters. Definitely a good beach and summer read. The drawbacks for me, and this is just me because I know so many absolutely loved this book, but some of the dialogue was off putting and the amount of time spent on the size of Cassie's breasts and how many different terms could be used to describe them. It seemed out of place at times and too much of a focus.
I do know this is part of a series, and I have not read the other books and didn't feel like I needed to. I imagine it's a series focusing on different characters so you'd be fine jumping into this one!

ARC REVIEW

That Summer Girl
By: Elle Kennedy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Publishing Date: 7/18/2023

Cassie is spending the summer with her grandmother in Avalon Bay. Upon arriving in the quaint beach town, Cassie meets Tate. ( who is house sitting next door to her grandmother's house) Tate has experienced his fair share of hookups, and Cassie realizes he would be the perfect candidate for a " summer fling."  It's her last summer before starting college, and she wants to gain some experience.  Tate considers the offer, but after learning Cassie is a virgin, he is worried she will catch feelings and politely declines her offer. Instead, he decides to be her "wing man."  But when Cassie and Tate dance between friends and lovers, lines get blurred, and so do both of their feelings....

This is my favorite of the Avalon Bay series so far! Even though this is #3 of the series, you could definitely read this without reading the first 2. The characters from Good Girl Complex  and Bad Girl Reputation are mentioned, but not enough to affect the story.

My favorite part about this series is the location. Avalon Bay is the PERFECT beach town to get lost in. I recommend reading these in the summer because it's the pefect summer time escape. (Or winter if you are missing that summer feeling)

This book has multiple layers .....romance, some spice ( not a TON), family relationships, family drama, and even some infedility! I enjoyed all the story lines and the story did a really good job of holding my interest.

I recommend picking this one up next month, especially if you read the first 2.

Enjoy your vacation to Avalon Bay!


Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc! Always appreciative!

I really liked Cassie, she's fun and nice and, to me at least, very relatable. Her learned lesson that just because someone is family doesn't mean they have a right to bring in your life made me really proud of her, and I think it's something more people need to hear.
I loved Tate too. Except for his name. His name is a little silly, and then the author had the audacity to also put in a character named Landon, which is a name I happen to love.
He was really supportive of her though, and their relationship progression was so natural. They didn't have a lot of big talks about the status of their relationship, they just had a very mutual understanding of where it was. Their third act breakup was even on such good terms that I had a hard time being mad at it. I was mad at other characters for being the cause of it, but I understood it. It was the kind of breakup that I think actually works for a reunion though, and if they keep being used so much in romance I want there to be more like this.

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Thank you Netgalley and the publish for the e-ARC of The Summer Girl, which comes out July 18th!

Cassie hasn’t spent a summer at Avalon Bay in years since her parents divorce. Her grandmother is selling the hotel that’s been in the family for years so she decides to spend one last summer there again. Her only goal isn’t to reconnect with family, she’s also hoping to have a summer fling.

This was a great book to kick off your summer beach reads! Cassie’s story unfortunately is my least favorite of the Avalon Bay series, but it was still an enjoyable quick read

First and Foremost a most sincere thanks to the publishers, to the author Elle Kennedy, and of course to Netgalley for providing an advanced reading copy of this book. I will only be giving this a good review if I can be the summer girl.... Pretty please.. I loved all things about this book. It gave love.
It gave fun and antics. Most of all it was real in ways that romance books often aren't. four stars would rec and would read again!

I loved getting back to Avalon Bay! This series and this book are perfect for summer. They’re cute, lighthearted, and a little spicy. Tate and Cassie’s relationship works so well in this story, because they’re both genuine and likable characters.

The town of Avalon Bay transported me as I read and I want to take a long trip to this picturesque town. Dealing with family, relationships, and navigating young adulthood is what these books are about. I appreciated that while it’s lots of fun, there are moments of seriousness and depth that balance this into the perfect story. A great addition to the Avalon Bay Series!

College senior Cassie Soul came to Avalon Bay for the first time in years. She's here for the summer in hopes to spend time with her grandmother and hopefully find a perfect summer fling. On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy. Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so reluctantly he friend-zones her…only to realize his mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. Soon he's willing to give her the fling and maybe even something more. As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light.

It took me a little bit to get into this book. I don't know why I thought the characters in this series were a bit older, so when I saw Cassie is this goodie two shoes 20 year old I was a little thrown off. Honestly, when will Elle Kennedy start writing older character?! Overall I really enjoyed this story. I really related to Cassie and her need to people please and putting peoples needs above her own. And I loved how Tate helped her balance that nagging voice out. I loved the family drama within Cassie's family and the foreshadowing in Tate's family dynamic. The spice was classic Elle Kennedy heat. It's always well done. I loved how she toed the line between friends to lovers, and that will they wont they aspect. We get a bonus by seeing our favorite characters from the past books in the series. Overall this is a fun light summer romance for all your beach vacations.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/18

I read this book in two sittings which is actually really impressive for me, so that has to say something about this book! To be honest, it took me a while to get into. I loved the settings and most of the characters, and honestly really related to the MC in many ways. However, something was missing for me in the story and I'm not quite sure what it was. I like the chemistry between the two MC's but the spicy was just a tas too spicy for me (minority opinion I'm sure).
The end was perfect in every way, the epilogue was done so well and I really really enjoyed the character development. This also made me want to stay in someone's small-town, beach house for the summer and get to know the locals. it was a really good summer read and enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this book.

Thank you st. Martin's press, Netgalley and Elle Kennedy for the arc!

3 stars

Cassie us spending her summer in Avalon Bay and helping her grandmother pack up her house. She meets Tate Bartlett, a guy who knows how to have a good time. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and he seems like the perfect guy for the job. Tate is a local who isn't looking for a relationship but could be down for a friends with benefits situation. As they get to know each other more, they just might be what the other needs.

• slowburn
• small town/beach town
• girl next door

The chemistry between the characters was good and I enjoyed the banter. This book has some steam which I also enjoyed! The setting made me wish I could visit a fun beach town like this. I liked how Cassie really grew throughout the book and how the dynamic with her family changed.

This book took me a while to get into. I kept putting it down because it felt slow and it took a while for things to finally start happening. The Summer Girl felt like a ya book which also aren't typically what I like to read.

Overall, this was a nice beach read but something I wouldn't reread.

The Summer Girl was a tough one to rate because I did really enjoy reading it, and it was well written with some great smutty scenes too! This is my first book I’ve read in this series as they are all standalone, so I don’t have another introduction to the Avalon Bay world.

Tate is sweet and likeable, and Cassie is mostly likeable as well, but I’m not a fan of the virgin-hero trope so that was a tough hill for me to get over. They joke in the book about girls objectifying guys being a double standard (much more allowed than guys objectifying girls?!), but I had to agree sometimes and didn’t love some of those elements. I think if you love the virgin-hero trope you will eat this book up!!

There were a couple of twists, but one in particular that threw me for a loop that I really didn’t like. I think the author was trying to add a bit more drama to the story and not make it just like every other book I’ve read, which she succeeded in, this just isn’t the one I would have wanted personally.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and St Martin’s Press for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the advanced reader copy! This book was a lot of fun- I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down!

This book is a perfect beach read for the summer- the characters are well developed and I loved the whole community of Avalon Bay. Like I know I couldn’t afford it and it’s not actually real, but I want to stay at the Beacon hotel.

This book has the perfect amount of spice for me- and there is one scene that is chef’s kiss! I’m not going to spoil it because I’m not an actual jerk.

I could have done without the “twist” near the end. I didn’t think it was necessary and kind of threw me off. That being said- it didn’t ruin the whole book for me and I’d definitely still recommend it to anyone who loves steamy beach reads!

I love Elle Kennedy, and this book is another win for sure! As always, this book pulled me in from the start and is the perfect summer read. Definitely recommend for everyone this summer!

4.5 stars thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-Book. I really enjoyed this book the sexual tension btw Cassie and Tate was fire!!! and I was here for all of it. It also got deep with her relationship with her parents and my heart broke and then got put together again. I think this was the best story out of all 3 books.

This summer romance belongs on your summer reading shortlist!

Five-Star Book Review: THE SUMMER GIRL by Elle Kennedy

🌊 Book Synopsis: College senior Cassie Soul is in Avalon Bay for the summer and on the lookout for a summer fling. She may be in town to help her grandmother pack up her home and spend time with her dad and his new family, but she’s also looking for some fun before leaving Avalon Bay, likely for good. The first guy she meets and clicks with is Tate Bartlett, a fun-loving golden boy who promptly puts her in the friend zone. But they might just be perfect for each other.

⛵️ My Take: This book is the perfect summer read! It’s steamy, but it also has strong character development and depth. Both characters are trying their best to do the right thing in a variety of hard situations with each other, friends, and family. Especially family. I really liked how they both grew throughout the book and that this novel included both the importance of and the need to set limits with family. This was easily my favorite of the three-book Avalon’s Bay series. And it can definitely be read as a standalone. Highly recommend this as part of your summer reading lineup!

Read THE SUMMER GIRL for
- Dual POV slow-burn romance
- Summer beach town vibes
- Body positivity

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

THE SUMMER GIRL comes out July 18

😘 Thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the eARC of THE SUMMER GIRL and introducing me to a new author!

I swear every Elle Kennedy book I read is better than the last.! This absolutely captivating tale reeled me in. I finished the entire book in one sitting because I had to know more. I needed it like I needed to breathe. I laughed, I cringed, I cheered, and I cried! This is the absolute most perfect summer book! Enjoy the ride my friends!