The Summer Girl is the 3rd book in the Avalon Bay books by Elle Kennedy. I didn't read the first two because I honestly didn't know it was the 3rd book until I picked it up...oops! Luckily, this books works well as a stand alone and is a perfect vacation or beach read. A stunning beach town filled with locals and seasonal rich "clones," summer romance, family dynamics, young adult drama, and end-of-an-era vibes...all in one book. There is a feeling of will they/won't they and a build up of anticipation throughout the book that has more of an authentic feel than some romance novels. This book comes out mid-summer, which is the perfect time to scoop it up.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy is definitely my favorite of the three released so far in the Avalon Bay series.

Cassie Soul hasn't spent time in Avalon Bay in a long time, not since her parents spilt up when she was a teen. Now, since her grandmother is selling the family hotel, she is down for the summer helping tie up loose ends. The potential for a summer fling is also high up on her list.

Tate Bartlett, boat instructor, loves to have a casual fling. Yet, he's hesitant to be with Cassie as she is everything that he isn't. Until he grabs his head out of the sand and realizes that she may just be someone he wants to "hang out" with and check that summer fling off her list with.

Cassie and Tate are fast turning from friends into lovers with some complications. Will Cassie be just "that summer girl" to Tate?

Dual point of view made this book a hit for me and I enjoyed the pacing of both character. I smiled while reading when characters from the previous novels were mentioned! However; this book can be read as a standalone. I feel that some trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel (miscarriage) would've made this book a five star read for me.

Summer Beach Read PERFECTION! I absolutely adored The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy! It's perfect for a binge read poolside, on the beach, or anywhere all year round!

Cassie & Tate were the friends to lovers goodness I had no idea I needed in my life! These too had the best chemistry and hilarious banter. I laughed, I swooned, and totally cried. I read this one in one day it was just that good, and now lives rent free in my mind! I can't say I'm mad about that though!

If you need the perfect escape head to Avalon Bay!

Thank you to Net Galley, Elle Kennedy and St. Martins Griffin for this ARC copy. This is the third book in the series of Avalon Bay and personally I think it was my favorite. I really loved Tates character and enjoyed seeing his developing feelings and growing realizations about how he felt about Cassie.

I liked that they showed the challenging dynamic that Cassie had with both her parents and how it differed. The subtle and not so subtle digs from her mother felt very realistic and are something that many people experience. Cassies challenges with her parents really helped to ensure that Cassies character felt fully developed.

I really enjoyed how the series was interconnected and we saw the same friend group from the previous books. Loved the rivalry everyone had during the Beach Games! The nod towards Briar U was also cool as it shows that all the books can be interconnected.

Overall this was a fun summer read and I finished it quite quickly. I would definitely recommend it for people who like a romance book.

Let's just agree, Elle Kennedy is the queen of college-age romance.

4.5 stars for The Summer Girl

I adore the Avalon Bay series! Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation were excellent and I was very excited to see what would come next.

Tate and Cassie hit it off right away, and their connection just grows so naturally throughout the story. I was so caught up in this story that I flew through this book in less than a day. I just couldn't put it down!

I love these books because there's a great romance, but there's also a great storyline too. This one has complicated family dynamics, with Tate having the most in-love, adore-each-other parents and Cassie having a strained relationship with her dad and stepmom and an awful relationship with her mother. The way that Cassie and Tate have each other's back for the hard moments definitely made me a little misty-eyed.

There were also a ton of laugh-out-loud moments in this book. It was great getting to see the couples from the first two books, seeing how their relationships were progressing, and seeing the connection to Briar U!

I highly recommend this series!

A huge thank you to Elle Kennedy, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced ebook! I loved every page.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think I may have enjoyed this book more than the previous two in the series. It wasn't the relationship between the two main characters, but how the family issues were presented and resolved. It was dramatic, but also real. I guess it was longer than I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I wish I could give this one separate star ratings for the start and the end of it, but since I can’t, I have to average it out to a 3.

Cassie is a summer girl, spending the summer before her senior year of college in small town Avalon Bay. The pretty South Carolina beach town is a fun setting, with the talk of its restaurants and bars and the fun Beach Games event. It is also full of gorgeous young men, and Cassie wants to find one to “fling her.” which may be the oddest way I’ve ever heard someone describe finding someone to hook up with. She finds Tate, and the two have a quick connection both physically and mentally,

The book is written in a less mature way than I am used to, which may be purely due to the young age of our main characters. Cassie is a virgin, and she actual blushes when she says the word virgin at one point, making me cringe. Tate talks a ton about her breasts, with he and his friends constantly referring to her (and the other girls’) tits. I got very annoyed with some of this and wanted my 30 year old protagonists back!

If you can get past those things, I did enjoy the connection between the two and think Tate will grow into a fantastic man once he grows up a bit more. The story was chock full of family drama, adding a deliciously juicy secret and some great open conversations.

This was book 3 in the Avalon Bay series. I haven’t read the first two, but can guess exactly who they were about while reading this one. It worked as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked this one! Getting to see all the growth that Cassie and Tate go through together was really sweet. I loved the friends-to-fling trope that we got to see happen. Also can I just say that Cassie’s relationship with her half-sisters was the most wholesome thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I loved each interaction we got to see of the three of them.

I was a little surprised that this book was about a new red-headed girl instead of the Avalon Bay girl with red hair we all already knew. But, I was still happy with the outcome of this story anyways. There was a sprinkle of found family in this book, as we see Mac kind of adopt Cassie into their friend group.

I loved Lydia Tanner and am so glad we got to see more of her in this book! And the descriptions of the updated Beacon. Cassie's mom - sucks.

This one was a little spicy so if that’s not your thing, maybe skip this one or look for the chapters to skip over! But overall, this book was sweet and I really loved the ending!

🤍 Thank you so much to the publisher @stmartinspress & @netgalley for this advanced reader copy!

⚠️TW: body shaming, emotional abuse, miscarriage, cursing, infidelity, panic attacks/disorders, biphobia, abortion

OK so, I do have to start with one complaint:
From the very beginning, when the character is introducing herself to the reader, and throughout the first couple chapters, when we get the point of view of other people meeting her for the first time, the very first thing they talk about is how she is this tiny, petite girl, but just has GINORMOUS boobs. Like if this little pixie sized girl had boobs as big as they are saying, she would just be in constant pain.
Beyond that, I was so pleasantly surprised by the depth that these characters and this story had. This book dealt with traumatic parental relationships, and grieving in such a REAL way. The characters were loveable and complex. Every issue wasn’t magically resolved. It was real and it was lovely.

Normally, I would be so mad about a major bombshell with only 50 pages left, but for some reason, I was so sucked into this story that I didn’t even care.

ANOTHER 20/10 FROM ELLE KENNEDY. Out here rocking my world in this little beach town.

I love Tate.

Cassie is visiting her family in Avalon Bay for the summer and is on the prowl for a summer fling. Tate is a typical local guy who is known to have no strings attached relationships. He also happens to be house sitting next door to Cassie's grandmother's. Their friendship turned casual fling just might be the real deal; or will it come crashing down when summer is over and Cassie has to go back to college?

Elle Kennedy does it again! This was such a great summer read! It was fun and steamy, but also hit some heavy topics that were very real and raw. The way that Cassie dealt with her narcissistic mother and her feeling of abandonment and replacement in her father's life really had me in my feels. I highly recommend The Summer Girl!

Thank you to Elle Kennedy, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

The Summer Girl was a fun summer read! Though, a bit more immaturely written than what I typically read, it was a nice “vacation” from thrillers 😉

Cassie returns to her summer stomping grounds in Avalon Bay, to help her grandmother pack up for her move up to north, to be closer to friends. Her family has sold their famous Beacon Hotel, and this will be Cassie’s last summer in the area. Cassie is inexperienced in the romance department, and hoping for a summer fling. Due to her family’s stature in the town, she’s got the label of a little rich girl, who spends more time at country clubs than with the locals. UNTIL one night when Cassie’s friend bails on her at a party full of locals, and she meets Tate. He is described as the hottest guy she’s literally ever seen.

As you can assume, cheeky banter turns into sparks. But awkward family drama threatens to a rift between the two.

The Summer Girl was solid summer read - perfect for a lazy pool day or sitting Oceanside!

Cassie is in Avalon Bay for the summer and is looking for a summer fling! Tate is the guy that is always up for a good time but Cassie isn't someone he wants to be with because he will end up just breaking her heart. So he becomes her wingman and surely nothing more will happen between them, just friends...right?

Cassie comes from a divorced family and has a strained relationship with both her parents which makes her upbringing a little tough. Tate is so into Cassie from the beginning he helps her through some of the things she had to endure during her childhood.

I just love when the guy who won't fall in love, starts to! There is just enough humor. heartwarming moments, and spice in this one. This is book 3 in the series and I haven't read any of them prior. Some of the friends in this story had their own books prior but nothing took away from the story. The secret revealed at the end was so surprising!

I received this digital ARC from NetGalley for free for an honest review.

Sometimes Elle Kennedy is good for a quick, satisfying, steamy read. This book didn’t quite do it for me. It just seemed a bit juvenile, and although the characters are young, they also just read as a bit silly and superficial. There is a beach town, so if you’re looking for a summer beach vibe, this might work for you. Just know that the main love interest is constantly talking about the girl’s “rack.” I wanted to like this book more than I ended up liking it.

The Summer Girl

Elle Kennedy

The Summer Girl is Cassie who spends the summer in Avalon Bay. This is the perfect Elle Kennedy book for the summer. It has everything you need: family, good hometown beach, a summer fling, friendship, and a bit of smut.

Thank you Netgally for your he ARC copy! This book will releases in a few weeks! July 18th!!

✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ / 5

#bookish #bookstagram #booktok #book #readersofinstagram #readthis #goodreads #goodreadschallenge #bookchallenge #ellekennedy #avalonbay #thesummergirl

Every time we head back to Avalon Bay, I get happy. This also includes a quick Easter Egg for her Briar U series as Cassie's alma mater, but I digress.

Tate, our ultimate fuckboy, finally meets his match and it's amazing. Cassie wants a summer fling with no strings while she's in town for The Beacon's grand opening - and to lose her virginity. Avalon Bay has no shortage of activities, though my favorite was the Beach Games. There's so much family drama in this installment, to the point where we have more of it than actual romance. And honestly? I didn't mind that in the least!

I feel like this series could continue for awhile, be it if Joy, Wyatt, or Alana finally find love. Maybe even the super stoic Heidi? Who knows?? Either way, I'm here for it.

*Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

“You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Show me.”

I loved this book with my whole heart! The banter, the friendship, the chemistry! It was all absolutely perfect!! Back in her hometown of Avalon Bay for the summer, Cassie was looking for a summer fling, to finally experience that summer romance full of passion and fun that she had always envied her friends for. She met Tate, golden boy of Avalon Bay, and they quickly became friends in a very amusing meet cute. Tate was the king of hookups and gorgeous too so he seemed like the perfect guy for a fling.

Where were guys like Tate during my own college summer breaks?! Tate was just book boyfriend perfect! Everyone who met him loved him. He may have slept with a lot of different girls, avoiding relationships and commitment, but he never acted like a player. He was caring and sweet with a heart of gold and I couldn't help but swoon!

I could completely identify with Cassie, her insecurities and vulnerability, her need to belong. She was so unsure of herself, so awkwardly adorable, and I found her so endearing. I loved how far her character came in this story, learning how to vocalize her feelings and needs. Her friendship with Tate was so easy and natural, bringing a smile to my face every time they were together.

The steamy scenes were so much fun, my favorite being the window time they shared as neighbors. And I loved the wingman practice sessions. The connection between Cassie and Tate was so compelling I couldn't imagine them not getting together. The virgin heroine trope is difficult to portray convincingly but here it worked so incredibly well. The shift in the friendship from friends to being unable to deny their attraction was perfectly paced and kept me engaged the entire time.

There were so many great threads throughout this story. Forming genuine connections and finding your place amongst friends, family dynamics and relationships all intertwined through the plot, each character contributing something special to the story. Cassie and Tate's friends were all well written and developed and now I want to go back and read the first two books in the series. Breaking free of toxic relationships and nurturing those who feed your soul were integral to the plot and there were so many heartfelt moments. I especially loved Cassie's grandmother, Lydia. She was the type of woman any girl would love to have in her life.

“And as I think about all the ways she and I just fit, that question once again surfaces to the forefront of my mind. Why does it have to end?”

What happens when a summer fling leads to more, when you unexpectedly catch feelings and hope for a future? Can that possibly work? Everything in me wanted to say yes.

This is the first book I've read by Elle Kennedy and I already know I'll read anything she writes. I had so much fun with this book and I was happy to become lost in its world. This is the perfect book for a summer beach read and it completely surpassed my expectations!

** Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available July 18, 2023. **

I really enjoy Elle Kennedy’s writing. Reading the Summer Girl was like visiting friends. I loved Tate & Cassie’s story. Watching their friendship unfold was probably my favorite part of the book. I felt like there was a lot going on in the middle of the book that made it drag. I love how it ended. I can’t wait to return to the bay next summer.

I think this series is so cute. I love reading about beach romances! I also liked how the characters weren't wanting to be in a relationship right away. Because friends w/ benefits that leads to more is such a good trope. I can't wait for the next one!

I read this so fast and loved it. It is a lovely beach read with fun characters, and I loved spending some time in Avalon Bay. Will read more by this author. Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.