When I started reading The Summer Girl, I didn't realize it was part of the Avalon Bay series. I had previously read Good Girl Complex and didn't love it because it felt too similar to another book, so I didn't read the second when it came out. However, despite being a part of a series which common characters, you can read the books stand alone and I enjoyed this one more than I did the first.

Cassie spent her young childhood in Avalon Bay, but moved after the divorce of her parents. Now in college, she is back to spend the summer with her grandmother and to find a fling. Tate seems like the perfect boy to fling her. He is handsome, charming and likeable, plus he has a reputation for no strings attached hook-ups. However, Tate only wants to be friends, worried he will break Cassie's heart. She agrees, but it is clear being just friends isn't really in the cards for them. The two spend the summer with building tension while juggling friends and family secrets that won't stay in the past.

Perfect for beach reading this summer, Cassie and Tate's story is flirty and fun. It's an easy read with a dose of spice that doesn't overpower the story. The supporting characters, both the ones from prior books and some new introductions, add insight and humor to the plot. The drama at the end is unexpected and I felt like the resolution was a little silly and rushed, but overall a good summer love story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the e-arc

I was pleasantly surprised with The Summer Girl! Avalon Bay is not my favorite of Elle's series but this is definitely my favorite book in the series. There were bits of both Cassie and Tate that I was totally able to relate to and that always makes for a good book imo. Their relationship is so cute. I love a good "let's just be friends" when we all know they both want more than friendship. The storylines between them and their respective parents were really good too. This is def a check the trigger warnings if family stuff gets to you, but I thought those storylines were so well done. Overall, it was a solid 4 star read for me.

I love Elle Kennedy….plain and simple. Every single book of hers is fantastic, and I’m so glad I was able to read this one. If you haven’t read this series yet, I would check the first two (and this one) out for sure!!!

Okay, this was a a slow burn to start, and it took me awhile to get into it....but when it started going, I absolutely loved it! And now, I think it's a great addition to the Avalon Bay series.

I usually am not a fan of friends to lovers, but I enjoyed this strangers to friends to friends with benefits to lovers - mostly because the heat and tension was always there. Once it got going...WOAH. Can we talk about the window scene, please? It was everything I needed and more.

DNF. I don’t usually need to be the same age as the characters in a book but I am so clearly not the target audience for this one that it was annoying. Are 20-somethings really this immature? It almost feels insulting to portray them like this.

I just love this series. Every time I pick up a book about Avalon Bay and all of the characters, it's like coming home to great friends. The Summer Girl is the perfect summer read.

I have loved Tate since I met him and I couldn't wait to get this hottie's story. Yes, he may be a player but underneath it all, I just knew he was a good guy with a heart of gold just waiting for that perfect someone to come into town.

Enter Cass who is looking for her summer fling, someone to find passion and romance with. Only what she finds in Tate is so much more than she ever expected. What starts as pure chemistry becomes an attempt at friendship to finding one's worth and strength, the ability to express feelings, and true love and most importantly family.

I found myself laughing at Joel and Keanu Reeves (you will have to read the book to understand this reference), to swiping tears from my eyes at Tate's heart and care for Cass.

I loved seeing characters from previous books and just watching how close they all are and their true happiness just filled my heart with joy.

I love this little beach town and want to be a part of it! I hope there is more to this series... just a feel-good, all-around fun book to experience. <3

I have previously enjoyed the Avalon Bay series and was excited to read this new installment by Elle Kennedy. This would also be a great standalone as I do not feel that you would miss any key information needed to follow the storyline. I would have loved reading this on a beach during the summer with a nice drink in hand. Great read!

📖Review
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Rounded to 5🌟s
📖Book 54/100
📚The Summer Girl
💫Genre: Contemporary YA Romance
✍️ Elle Kennedy
🐚🛥🐚🛥🐚🛥
First of all this is the 3rd book from The Avalon Bay Series, but it can be read as a standalone which is what I did (I own the other two but just haven’t gotten around to reading them). I really loved that this book is based in the summer because it’s my favorite season of them all, and I feel so cheery because as a teacher that’s my mental vacation time and this is the perfect summer read!
🐚Anyways, Cassie is traveling from Boston to Avalon Bay for the summer on during her college break and looking to have some fun and a fling. She befriends the neighbor, Tate, who is also the towns playboy. They both agree to a summer fling with no strings attached, but as we predict they both fall for each other….but hold on…so much gets in the way. The friends she makes and the way Tate inspires her to stand up to others like her narcissistic mother and not so involved father is well written. And after a huge secret is revealed, they hit a huge bump. I always love a happy ending and this was that and so much more💙🌊💙🌊💙🌊💙
Things I loved:
The banter 💖
The communication 🗣
The growth of both 👫
The twins 👯‍♂️
The turtle 🐢
The spice 🔥
The relationships built🫶🏻
The outcome 🙌🏻
✨Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📌Publication Date:
July 18, 2023
✨✨✨✨✨
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Elle Kennedy is a hit or miss author for me but this one HIT. I loved it. It is such a fun read and I’d suggest it to any of my friends.

This is a book that would be perfect to read on the beach with the waves crashing in the background and a drink in your hand.

It’s a lighthearted read about navigating friendships & complicated feelings & summertime love.

Every time I start a new Avalon bay book I’m so pleasantly surprised how good it is.
Not sure how, but this series is just getting better.
I fell in LOVE with Tate and Cassie. Like the chemistry was off the charts. Also, I literally cried. I literally laughed out loud. I literally can’t believe how much I loved this book.
The characters, as usual, did not disappoint. I loved seeing the old friend group. Can’t wait for the other stories.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

• ARC 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 •

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The Summer Girl
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Elle Kennedy
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5
Spice :🌶️ 🌶️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you’re looking for the perfect summer romcom this is it. I love everything written by Elle Kennedy. I still can’t believe I got the pleasure to read this eARC. I’ve previously read the other books in this Avalon Bay series and this one is my favorite and blew me away. I

Cassie and Tate’s story was really amazing. I laughed so much and the spice was the perfect amount. Cassie comes to town and fits right in with the friend group. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. Cassie’s character growth was done so good and It made me proud to see her stick up for herself and set boundaries where they are needed. The ending was perfect. I can’t recommend this series enough.

I’ll always be a fan of anything Elle Kennedy writes.

The book is out July 18th 2023.



BOOK 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.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cassie & Tate
Avalon Bay
Interconnected standalone

Temporary neighbors
Family drama
Strangers to friends to lovers
Small town
Witty Banter
Great Summer read
Plot Twist!!

The Summer Girl is a perfect summer read with all the great romcom ingredients. Bonfires, summer nights, windows across from each other, a summer fling and a twist!
I loved the tidbits we see from the past couples in this one. While it is great to read as a series it's a wonderful standalone as well.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Summer Girl made me feel like I could really be a summer girl despite my tendency to burn and hate the heat and pretty much everything summer related (I'm a winter girl through and through). I wanted to be right along with Cassie and Tate as they had the summer of their life and fell into the cutesy young love that happens in college. Cassie is struggling with a mother who criticizes everything she does and a distant father while Tate seems to have the perfect family. When a bombshell is dropped by Cassie's mother, the summer seems to shatter apart and Cassie and Tate have to navigate something they didn't see coming. They have to decide if they were truly a fling or is it something more? In typical Elle Kennedy fashion there's some good spice along the way, so if that's not your thing, you may not appreciate it as much.

I liked the summer romance and friends to lovers trope. I thought the plot moved a little too quickly sometimes and left some holes, but then again I feel like summertime when you're young and in love do that too, you tend to skip a few steps in normal relationships. All in all it was a quick solid read and would be a great beach read for the summer.

I really am enjoying this small town and this set of characters. I especially liked the main characters of this book. The perfect summer reads!

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review.
First, the cover. LOVE! I know these covers are all the rage right now and this cover really is top notch. It's what drew me to the book. It's what made me want to read it.
Then the blurb.I've been really into rom com lately. I love a good love story. And one that involves books, even better. The premise of this book intrigued me. Nerdy book guy versus girl who doesn't read. Plus it touches on a disability subject. Since I knew very little about dyslexia and neurodivergence, I felt a need to dive in and find out.
I also asked around about the author as I'd never read her before and heard all good things.
Despite the draw and really wanting to love this book, I just couldn't. I had a very hard time connecting with the main female character, Sam. I appreciate the delve into dyslexia, but I also felt like this defined her throughout the whole story. She was so focused on what she could not do she barely saw into what she could actually do. And the love story fell flat for me. It was dull.
I also had a hard time sex scenes. To me, there was no build up. The scenes had no build up throughout the story, so when they happened it just didn't fit for me.
I know there are those who will love this one but it just was not for me.

Probably my fav book from the Avalon Bay series! Cassie and Tate’s fun loving relationship gets off to a hilarious start when Cassie accidentally witnessed Tate getting dumped by his friend with benefits. But since Cassie is on the hunt for a summer fling, she immediately decided that Tate is her guy!
I feel like Cassie and Tate’s friendship is exactly what Cassie needs. Throughout the book, we learn lots of details of Cassie’s family and it becomes very obvious that she just wants a place in someone’s life to belong.

4.5** My absolute favourite book of the Avalon Bay series. Cassie is such a great addition to the friend group and this book is so fun with just enough serious parts to keep you hooked! It was also amazing to see characters from books 1&2 because it’s nice to see them from other peoples point of view and still learn more about them and what they’re like. Overall a great summer read! Can’t wait for you all to get your hands on this

After spending all winter reading The Deal series I was so excited to receive and advanced copy of Elle Kennedy's newest romance The Summer Girl! Set in the idilic southern beach town of Avalon Bay Cassie is back after years away spending one last summer with her Grandma as they say goodbye to the town and family hotel! Cassie is set on finding someone to have a summer fling with from the moment she enters Avalon Bay. Enter Tate, who is a delicious local who yearns of sailing the ocean and doing what he loves while also trying to help the family business. Cassie and Tate Start as friends but walk the line between more throughout the story. While The Deal is still my favorite Elle Kennedy book still, this was the perfect read for when you're longing for summer and the beach. It gives everything a romance novel needs and it hit all those marks for me! I felt like the story moved a little slow for me and I was wishing for more spice but overall I enjoyed this and would recommend reading on the beach in the warm sunshine when it comes out on 7/18!

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy!

Perfect beach read! Fun, light and sexy! Put me in the mood for summer. Cute dialogue and great escapism. Would recommend to anyone looking for a fun summer read. Toss this one in your beach bag!