I thought this was a YA book when I requested it from NetGalley. It's not and it's pretty porn-y, which is fine but the cover really misled me on the content. <i>The Summer Girl</i> is fine for a quick beach read, but it mostly requires a willing suspension of disbelief unless you know a bunch of 23 year olds that own luxury hotel. That's my review: mostly harmless, definitely porny and more than a little ridiculous.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book was interesting. But I felt as if the characters were more like high schoolers instead of young adults. The twist with the mom was eye opening indeed. But I felt as if the story line was not enough love story for me.


Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

The Summer Girl is, in my opinion, the strongest in the Avalon Bay series, and creates some narrative tension I was not expecting.

If you enjoy a slow burn that turns red hot, you will definitely enjoy this novel. It feels like the kind of book you would take to the beach, because reading it feels like taking a summer vacation. Without writing any spoilers, I’ll just say that the third act has some surprises that I did not see coming.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and steamy read with lots of romantic tension. Which is always a good thing in my book. (Pun intended.)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I had a hard time connecting with this story. Sometimes the spice for me takes away from the story and that’s what happened with this one. But that’s just my opinion.

This was a great book about a summer spent in Avalon! This is the perfect lounging by the beach summer read.

Cassie and Tate have great chemistry and I was cheering for them the whole time.

Although this is a longer book it really flew by and I was done in no time. I couldn't put it down once I started.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC. 🤍

This was my first book by Elle Kennedy and I hope to read more! The hype is valid yall. 🙌🏻 I didn’t realize this was part of a series, it can most definitely be read as a stand alone. I think this book is perfect for a beach read with a frosty drink in hand.

Cassie is in Avalon Bay bidding farewell to her family legacy and on the hunt for a summer fling. She meets Tate and their chemistry is sizzling. The window scene will live rent free in my head forever. 🥵 They both agree to a simple summer fling, no strings attached. The plot twist was very surprising to me! I didn’t see it coming at all. This book touches on generational healing which I love. I really enjoyed this book; 5 stars for me. Pub date is 07/18/2023 🎉

I dedicated a post on my bookstagram to this book, check it out here:
www.instagram.com/akersofpages

Cassie is a soon to be 21-year-old college student looking for a summer fling in Avalon Bay while she spends the summer with her grandmother. Tate is a townie and the first guy she asks to be her summer fling. As much as he’d like to say yes, he declines, unwilling to eventually hurt Cassie.

I’m a big fan of Elle Kennedy’s books but haven’t read any of this series. The Summer Girl could easily be a standalone, though. Cassie and Tate are both likeable characters and you can’t help rooting for them to get together and stay together. The family dynamics are interesting for both parties and Cassie’s mom is the ultimate villain. I would love to read more about these two and now I’ll add the previous Avalon Bay books to my TBR. Great sweet and sexy beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Elle Kennedy for allowing me to read this!

I am absolutely obsessed with Elle Kennedy books ever since my friend suggested I read the off campus and briar u series and this book didn’t disappoint! This is the 3rd book in the Avalon Bay series, following Cassie and Tate.

Cassie is returning to Avalon Bay for the summer after years where she meets Tate, the golden boy sailing instructor and hookup king. Cassie a gem of a human likes Tate, who is also a gem and likes her, doesn’t want to break her heart, friendzones her. Tate realizing he made a huge mistake after he can’t ignore his attraction.
Both characters make you fall in love with them and Cassie’s mom is a witch of a human lol


This book is so cute and sweet, I highly recommend reading this book!!

The first book in this series I put down pretty quickly but this was fantastic. The generational healing was *chef's kiss* I think my only gripe would be the secondary characters reaction and request to the 3rd act conflict (I'm trying to be so vague to avoid spoilers) I just felt that the character's motivation was a little out of character. I didn't hate it this issue, but I sure was confused for a while that what happened...actually happened. But all in all it was such a quick read and while it has some heavier moments I had a great time and totally recommend picking this up. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this with an unbiased opinion.

This is the third book in the Avalon Bay series, but with that being said you can easily read this as a stand alone and not be missing out. Overall great character development between Cassie and Tate. Definitely a great read for summer, as it does have a very beachy read feel. Quick read that is engaging and has a little spice! Would recommend.

4/5 stars
3/5 spice

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A long-time Elle Kennedy fan, I've enjoyed this series. We meet Cassie Soul, the granddaughter of Lydia Tanner, who sold The Beacon Hotel to MacKenzie from the 1st book. She's hiding on the beach while an unidentified girl dumps a guy. Turns out to be Alana dumping Tate from their FWB arrangement.

Cassie is in Avalon Bay for the summer before her senior year at Briar University (sounds familiar?) Staying with her granddaughter Lydia. I enjoyed their relationship. She has a somewhat strained relationship with her dad after her parents divorced, and he remarried, having twin daughters. Cassie's mom is a toxic mess. It was difficult to read about her relationship with her mother. Cassie is looking for a summer fling, and Tate seems like the perfect candidate. Tate is a part-time sailing instructor at the club and helps his parents boat dealership. He's best friends with the Hartley twins. We don't see as much of the gang, although I loved the Beach Games.

The romance was a little frustrating and slow in the beginning because of the "let's be friends" facade. The obstacles in the relationship came from a surprising secret with their parents. It kind of threw me into left field, to be honest. I enjoyed the exploration into family dynamics related to divorce and step families. The ending was sweet as well.
TW for dealing w divorced parents, cheating, manipulative sociopathic parents.

4.25/5☆ release date 7/18/23

This is everything you want a beach read to be… Easy read, fun and entertaining so it keeps you hooked and characters you are rooting for. Cassie is in Avalon Bay looking for a summer fling and Tate is a local with lots of experience in this space. Elle Kennedy is one of my fav authors because she nails the dialogue/banter EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. She is the queen in this space and I always find myself laughing out loud at the back and forth she puts her characters in. This book is no exception and Cassie and Tate are so entertaining as they shift from “friend zone” to “friends with benefits.” The book did a great job of balancing some “real life” in with the summer romance which kept it from getting too monotonous. I’ve read the other two books and definitely agree this can be read stand alone, just is more fun when you know the background of the other characters. Plenty of time to catch up on the other two before this one is out!

This was my least favorite Avalon Bay book. 😭

I felt like it was too long, too drawn out in what was told, and there were too many added characters that didn’t play a main role.

I loved Good Girl Complex and had high hopes for this one.

I’m sure other people will love it though!!

This book is about Cassie as she goes to live with her grandmother in Avalon Bay before her grandmother sells her house. Cassie was born there and lived there until her parent's divorce when she was ten. Then, she lived with her narcissistic mother in Boston. Her father still lives in Avalon Bay with his new wife and twin six-year-old girls. Cassie feels like she doesn't belong anywhere and pushes all of her feelings down in order to avoid confrontation.
She goes to a party her friend invited her to to find that her friend isn't there and she is accidentally hearing a couple break-up. When she tries to sneak away, the guy hears her, and they begin to talk. Tate is the most handsome guy she has ever seen. She is determined to lose her virginity and have a fling this summer. Is Tate her guy?
What ensues is a wonderful story of finding your voice and doing what is healthy for you, even if society tells you you're wrong. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
I should start this review by noting that I have not read the other books in this series. Overall I did enjoy this book and it was a quick read for me, but it wasn’t my absolute favorite. Even though the characters were adults, it felt like a much younger book. It read almost as if these characters were in high school, and that’s not usually something I would pick out to read.

I enjoyed watching Cassie’s character develop throughout the book, and I enjoyed most of the side characters, but I’m still debating whether I enjoyed it enough to read the other books from the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Elle Kennedy for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm surprised to see that this is the first book I've read by Elle Kennedy, as she's written quite a few. I enjoyed this one, so I hope I get a chance to read more by her. The romance was fun and the characters in Avalon Bay came to life.

The Description:
College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday… and maybe find herself a 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 he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone… only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time.

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.

My Thoughts:
This would make a great beach read. Cassie is a great character. She's smart, considerate of others, and has been faced with some difficult issues. Tate, Cassie's romantic interest, is also a great character: good-looking, responsible, fun-loving and has good character. Cassie's mom, Victoria, is an evil person who is easy to dislike. Cassie's Dad is much easier to like. The setting, Avalon Bay, seems like a picturesque beach town and I liked all the sailing adventures. The Beach Games were just pure fun. This book dealt with relationships and secrets and their effects on others.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on July 18, 2023.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Once again Elle Kennedy delivers with the Avalon Bay series. I've really enjoyed this series and this set of characters. The spice in The Summer Girl is on point! Probably the best in the series for me. I also really liked that this book was low angst. Parts of the first two books that made me anxious so I appreciated not having that this time! I really loved Tate and Cassie's chemistry.

Sometimes I feel like the college romance genre is oversaturated with sports romance (which I love, when it's done right!) so it is kind of refreshing to have a non-sports college romance series.

If you liked the first 2 books in this series I think you'll really enjoy this one!

the perfect beach read! enjoyed the characters and the story line. the ending was so cute also. i love elle kennedys books. so glad i got the opportunity to read this early. thank you to netgalley as always !

I don't know why I do this to myself. I keep going back to her books to give them another chance. But each time, I'm disappointed. The synopsis sounded so good. I did Cassie as a character, I liked how she grew into her self. But, for the most part she was very cliche. There were way too many side friend characters and relationships to try to keep up with.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy was a good book! I loved Cassie and Tate with their amazing chemistry. This is the third book in the Avalon Bay series, so I recommended reading them all in order. They have characters from previous books sprinkled throughout. This was a super fun and spicy read perfect for summertime!