Member Reviews
Spending time in Avalon Bay always satisfies my reading heart. I love the charm of this little seaside town and the characters who reside there. This third installment works readers with the same magic and easily allows hearts to be captured by the two main characters. Tate and Cassie have great chemistry and banter that moves their story fluidly. I will say Elle Kennedy put a twist in there that I never saw coming that was intriguing and heart breaking. Kennedy's writing and story telling chops are always great.
I’ve been sucked into the Avalon Bay series ever since Good Girl Complex came out. I’m not going to lie, Bad Girl Reputation fell a bit short for me but this one really revived the series as a whole for me. This book is a total escape and it was so fun to read.
What I loved:
- I really enjoy Elle Kennedy’s writing style as a whole! I find it easy to follow, I love the spice and she keeps me entertained.
- This was my favorite couple and favorite book from the Avalon Bay series.
- Cassie. I just really loved Cassie! She’s relatable, sweet, but not naive like some FMC’s I’ve read lately in romance novels.
- The banter between Cassie and Tate is so good. It’s fun, flirty and everything I wanted!
- This is the perfect summer read and honestly I’ll probably reread this summer!
* Note: This is the 3rd Avalon Bay book, but can be read as a standalone (seriously though, if you like this one, read the others!)
If you’re looking for friends to lovers with some small town and summer vibes, definitely add this one to your list!
A massive thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Elle Kennedy is the true queen of romance! Spicy AND sweet, her novels follow fully fleshed and developed characters with true conflict and realistic day-to-day commentaries. Cassie and Tate's relationship is both one of powerful tension and sensual, playful energy that makes them not just likable, but lovable. They may be my favorite of the Avalon Bay couples! True romance readers will not want to miss out on any of Elle's books!
Ohhh I was so excited to see this available. I enjoyed the first two in the Avalon Bay series, but this one felt a little lackluster to me. Things I enjoyed, characters finding themselves and their success. I liked that these characters don’t have a problem with binge drinking as much as the first two books. Things I did not enjoy: flawed sailing jargon and the over done parent issues.
This book was so freaking good. Adorable, sexy, heart, all the feels and HEA. Such a feel good story. Hoping for an extended epilogue 🙏🫶🏼
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.
So I actually didn't realize that this was part of a series but it worked as a standalone which I appreciate. It was really easy to get immersed in the story and I devoured this book! I loved the spice, dialogue, and characters. The writing felt effortless and it made it easy to read this book quickly. I'm a fan and now I must go back and read the other books!
I devoured this book. Like sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner after not eating for 2 days. DEVOURED. IT.
Quick recap: Cassie is in Avalon Bay for the summer before her senior year of college. She decides it's time she finally gets a summer fling. All of her friends have had one the past and Cassie feels like this is her last chance to have that dreamy romantic summer with a stranger. Tate seems like the perfect guy for it. He's not into serious relationships and is known for random hookups. The two become friends, but worry that feelings will get involved if they decide to "fling it".
This is the 3rd book in the Avalon Bay series and so far my favorite. Each book seems to get better than the last. I loved both Cassie and Tate. They have great chemistry and banter. I also like how different their upbringings are and how that sways their view of relationships. Tate was raised by the seemingly perfect parents, while Cassie's had a bitter divorce when she was 10 and she was stuck living with her cruel, narcissistic mom.
I loved the ending. The conflict actually made sense, and wasn't some silly misunderstanding that usually drives couples apart in romance novels. I definitely recommend this one to any friends to lovers fans.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
As someone who has read all the Off Campus and Briar U books, I’m new to the world of Avalon Bay. And while it’s obvious this isn’t the first book in the series, I appreciate that you can easily read it as a stand alone. However my interest is piqued and I’ll probably be reading the first two books soon.
We have Cassie and Tate, who meet under awkward circumstances - Cassie witnesses Tate getting FWB-dumped. Cassie, who is visiting Avalon Bay and her grandma for the summer, wants a summer fling. And when they meet, the attraction is mutual. And immediate. Cassie finds out Tate is the resident hookup king, so she sets her sights on him.
**Spoiler** We find out around the 38% mark that Cassie is a virgin, which makes her “flinging” a little strange to me, but different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Some of the banter between Cassie and Tate is too cheesy for my taste, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the story. And the twist in the third-act was obvious to me, but what I loved is how Cassie and Tate supported each other through the mess.
Elle Kennedy is no stranger to spice, but in my opinion the hottest scene was the window one…the tension was *perfection*. I thought it was better than any of the other scenes later on.
Overall the book was a quick and easy read and I’m so grateful to have received this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of The Summer Girl in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good romance novel and this one did not disappoint! This is a book I can foresee reading over and over again. The story was written so well, and I could feel the emotions that were displayed by the characters. The Summer Girl has it all and more! Elle Kennedy does it again, she never fails to deliver!
📚 The Summer Girl
✍ Elle Kennedy
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4.25/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
💭Soon-to-be college senior Cassie Soul hasn't spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in over 10 years- not since her parents divorced and she and her mother moved to Boston. Now, she's back in the Bay visiting her father and spending time with her grandmother before she relocates up north as well. On her agenda for the summer? Laying by the pool, shopping with friends and finding the perfect no-strings-attached summer fling. On her first night back, she meets Tate Bartlett- a notorious hookup artist and town charmer. Quick to realize that he doesn't want to sacrifice a potential friendship with the gorgeous girl next door, Tate friend-zones Cassie but offers to become her wingman on the quest for her summer beau.
Soon though, Tate finds himself with a growing infatuation and wants another shot at a summer fling. As Tate and Cassie enjoy some summer heat, they'll have to tamper down their growing feelings and when their fling brings up long-buried Avalon Bay drama, their connection will be put to the test.
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of The Summer Girl in exchange for an honest review.
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🎯What I loved: This was my favorite Avalon Bay book to date- and it brought in a little bit of the Briar U/Off Campus universe! If you're a fan of Kennedy's hockey romances, you'll love Tate (think John Logan meets Hunter Davenport) and this steamy summer hookup to something more book. Cassie and Tate had a great back-and-forth relationship and both had their own storylines that were well developed. There was a perfect balance of steam, banter and external drama and I couldn't put The Summer Girl down.
🙅♀️What I didn't: I love that all of Elle Kennedy's book are written in dual POV. Tate was by far my favorite hero so far in the Avalon Bay series and my only wish was that we had gotten more Tate chapters. It felt really Cassie-heavy (not that I disliked her) but I wanted more of his perspective because I enjoyed his chapters so much.
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Read if you love:
*Dual POV
*hook-up to lovers
*small-town/summer love
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See also: Good Girl Complex & Bad Girl Reputation, Georgie, All Along, Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The third book in the Avalon Bay series is so fun! A new character, Cassie is in town for the summer when she meets the ever charming Tate. It is an instant connection from the opening chapters, even though they learn their backgrounds are so different. Cassie is a rich college girl from Boston with divorced parents and a narcissistic mother. At least she gets to hang out with her grandma for the summer! Tate’s a townie and worker of three jobs on most weeks with parents who are disgustingly in love.
I really enjoyed this read! Cassie’s story was emotional and took on a really moving character arc. Tate and her are adorable and this is perfect for NA romance fans! Just frothy romance fun!
Wow this was a breath of fresh air! I haven’t read any of the Avalon series, but this book was great as a stand alone! I love Tate and Cassie’s story. This book was a total beach read and can’t wait to recommend it to friends in the summer!
Welcome back to Avalon Bay! 🌊
The Summer Girl is the third installment of Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series and in this book we follow Cassie and Tate while catching up with past characters. While this was a fun and quick read - it felt younger and less substantial than the first two books. Still a fun read and will definitely be reading any additional books in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This is the first book of the Avalon Bay series that I have read, but it definitely can be a stand alone read.
In this book, Cassandra Soul is back for the summer in Avalon Bay, the small beach town that she grew up in, but left after her parents divorce. It's the summer before her senior year in college and she is ready to have a no strings attached fling. When she sees Tate, he definitely meets the criteria. He's gorgeous and has had more than his share of flings. However, after talking with his friend Makenzie, he decides being friends is probably what is best. It soon plays out, that while becoming friends is great, they both want more.
I liked that Elle Kennedy puts more into her story than just the romance between Cassie and Tate. The past of Cassie's family and the way her and Tate's family share a history kept it interesting. However, I really didn't like the first half of the book. The way Tate was portrayed, I just didn't like him. He was way too casual with girls and dropped the F bomb the first time he met Cassie's dad. This just isn't the guy that I would be oohing and ahhing over no matter what he looked like. After they got together, you started to see a softer, more romantic side to him, and I ended up liking him. I think he could have been eluded to as a player a little more subtly in the beginning, so people could actually like him.
Mark your calendars, you’ll want to RUN to the bookstore when this hits shelves. You have plenty of time to read the first two books in the series before then, but you don’t need to in order to read this one. I absolutely loved our MCs and could read three more books about what they tackle later in life. If you love a swoony romance, this is for you. This one does have some spice to it, fyi. I think my favorite part of this was, believe it or not, the conflict. It was believable. It made sense. I got it. I loved it and the resolutions. 100% just mark this one as to-read.
loved this romance between cassie and tate. enjoyed seeing the other members in the group. It was an interesting reveal with the mom at the hotel and that affair. Overall I enjoy these friends from the bay. I would love to read an alana or even a jordy book. I love these group of friends.
*ARC REVIEW*
3.5 stars
The Summer Girl is a dual POV friends to lovers. It takes place in a vacation town during the summer, so it is filled with activity and fun. Our FMC Cassie is back in town visiting her grandmother for the summer before the family sells their hotel. She quickly meets the MMC Tate who is quite the player. He gets frisky on the regular and is very charming. All Cassie wants this summer is a fling, but Tate friend zones her... until he regrets his choice.
We get to see Cassie and Tate's romantic journey, familial tension, and summer fun.
I personally found the story to be a little lackluster. Some of the details just felt choppy and Cassie to be a bit immature. I wanted to like her as she had some good character development but she continued to be off putting. I liked Tate as well but his character development towards the end confused me.
It is a quick and easy breezy read that was a nice escape. It didn't necessarily wow me but I recommend.
Tate and Cassie just wow. This book was so amazing and I think its my favorite in this entire series.
Cassie is such a sweetheart but she has had such a hard life. Her mom is truly awful and at the start of this book she estranged from her father, her step mom but I love how by the end of the book they are so there for her. And her grandma is so awesome.
Tate is well a bit of a fun guy but a not serious and player type of guy. He was why I read this book because I loved him in the other books. He has a great life but there are also things he doesn't see and know about and when those things come to light well it causes huge ripples in not just his life but Cassie and his parents. I just want to add that I LOVED his mother she was my absolutely favorite character in this book when I turned to the last page.
These two belong together but its also a road they travel that has many twists and turns and I loved that no matter what they always are friends and have each others backs. I loved this book so much. I would not call it light reading but it has drama, angst, love, friendship and so much more. Its definitely a very intense read with surprises along the way.
Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book! I truly enjoyed the read. I could not put this book down! I loved the Summer atmosphere! The character development is amazing especially for the main Character Cassie. Learning to let go of toxic relationships even and also how to mend other relationships in her life. Tate is amazing! I love the relationship he has with his parents. I definitely recommend this book if you want to read a sweet/spicy summer romance that will make you swoon, laugh, and even get you in your feelings!
Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of The Summer Girl in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.
First – I LOVE the Avalon Bay series so I was super excited to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Summer Girl!
Tate & Cassie are just too adorable. Cassie is looking for a summer fling & Tate is all about flings. However, they both discover that they might be able to be something more, but will Avalon Bay’s secrets let them live happily ever after?
This is a rom-com and I bet you can answer that question!!!! We know the formula!
Of the 3 Avalon Bay novels thus far, this was probably my favorite! I love the chemistry between Cassie & Tate.
Well written, cute & quirky. This is a definite Must Read, especially if you have been following this series!!!
I rated this 4 Stars