Having recently done my own DNA test, the subject of Jennifer Ryan's latest standalone novel drew me in, and it did not disappoint. 4 stars.

Summer, now age 25, has been told all her life that her father wanted nothing to do with her. Her narcisstic, much married mother only cares about herself, often leaving summer alone or with her grandfather, who is grooming Summer to someday take the reins of his multi-million dollar corporation. Although Summer has done spectacularly well is learning the ropes and adding more value to the company's holdings, she's felt alone and abandoned for most of her life. Her grandfather devises a plan to end the secrecy, by making sure that both Summer and a half-sister she never iknew she had find each other--and what a revelation it is to not only learn that she has 2 half-sisters, a stepmother, and a father who never knew she even existed, and who desperately wants to meet and get to know her. Summer decides to spend 6 weeks with her new-found family, and that's just for starters, because not everyone wants her there, her mother doesn't want her there either, and there's plenty of romance, angst and drama ahead.

As expected, Ms. Ryan draws you into this ready-made family and all its problems, love, joy, betrayals, and, eventually healing. Yes, it's a somewhat slow read, but one that definitely held my interest, and I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

SUMMER’S GIFT – Jennifer Ryan
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-063-09415-4
June 20, 2023
Contemporary Fiction

Carmel, California – Present Day

All of her life, Summer Sutherland wondered about the man who fathered her and chose not to be a part of her life. But a decision to take a DNA test for one of those ancestry sites leads her to the family she never knew—and a father who didn’t know she existed. One day, Cody, a lawyer who works with her father, shows up at her office and lets her know that her father wants her to come to Carmel to meet him and her half-sisters. After dealing with her hysterical mother one too many times, Summer decides to drop everything and go. She tells her beloved grandfather where she is headed but not her mother.

Once in Carmel, Summer meets her father, Nate, and his family—his wife Miranda and their daughters Natalie and Haley. Turns out that her father is a wealthy business owner in partnership with Cody and his sister, Brooke. Both families share a huge beachfront mansion. Summer soon settles in. She gets along great with Haley but Natalie dislikes her presence, mainly because Summer and Cody have hit it off. Natalie, who is about to graduate from high school, sees herself as Cody’s future wife. As Cody and Summer continue to fall in love, will Natalie put a damper on their relationship? Will Summer’s mother track her down and cause an ugly scene since she thinks Nate is trying to “steal” their daughter?

SUMMER’S GIFT is a pleasant summer read that will leave you feeling good. Things start out fine for Summer. Her new family welcomes her with open arms. She has been groomed by her grandfather to run the company in Dallas once he retires, so her plans are not to stay in Carmel. Cody is aware of this and wonders if there is any hope for them to have an ongoing relationship since his job is in California. But in the meantime, they enjoy each other’s company, though Natalie tries to drive a wedge between them. All Summer wants is a great relationship with her half-sisters and doesn’t want to cause trouble. In the background, she is also trying to ignore her mother’s calls and texts demanding that she come home. Summer is falling in love with Cody, but she has a lot going on which demands her attention.

Cody and Brooke ended up being raised by Nate Weston after their father died (their mother had abandoned them years earlier). Cody feels grateful for everything Nate has done for him and his sister. This is why he can’t just abandon Nate and follow Summer back to Texas. He has already been burned by one bad relationship that has left him wary of committing to a new one. For now, Cody plans to see where things go with Summer. But is there any chance of a future together?

The drama in SUMMER’S GIFT is mostly mild and predictable. There is the “can they figure out how to be together while their lives are in different states” and the “other woman,” though at the age of eighteen, Natalie’s feelings aren’t taken seriously. But readers will enjoy it as Summer learns about the family she has just discovered and wonder how her mother’s jealousy over the new family will play. There are obstacles that Summer and Cody will have to overcome and that makes for the question mark as to whether they can find a happily-ever-after. Don’t miss SUMMER’S GIFT.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Summer takes a DNA test and is reunited with her father and his family that she didn't know existed. But sparks fly when she meets Cody, her father's business partner.

This book had some promise but really fell short for me. I liked the premise and I do believe that others will enjoy it. For me, the plot was slow and predictable. I also disliked half of the characters. Yes they are flawed and flaws aren't a bad thing if they are resolved, but so many of the characters were petty and incredibly misguided.

While this book was no for me, I'm sure there are those that will embrace the family drama.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

What an amazing story this was! I loved all the characters, well most of them, two will have you a little irritated but that's what makes the story! 5 Summer stars for this one!
Summer has always lived her life never feeling like she was enough. Her mother was always off with a guy trying to find love, her grandfather though was special, but the one person she yearned for in her life, her dad Nate, didn't want her, or so she thought! When a DNA test reveals siblings, and she finds out more about her story, she heads to spend 6 weeks with her new family, leaving her mother behind.
It's not as easy as she hopes it will be, for the most part, some welcome her, some don't. It's an emotional story, but full of so much love that you can't help but fall in love with it! Don't miss out gran this one asap!

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed many of Jennifer Ryan's series romances, I was eager to read this stand alone novel. And once again, she did not disappoint me! At first glance it might seem that Summer has the ideal life, but she has always felt as though something was missing. Wanting his granddaughter to be happy and knowing full well that there was a big secret that she was unaware of, he arranges a DNA test to "reveal" her missing father's identity. Turns out the father that Summer thought wanted nothing to do with her, never even knew she existed. What follows is Summer connecting with her newfound family, and realizing what is most important in life. Overall, this was a definite page-turner, and I would definitely recommend it.

This book has all the feels! I have never cheered for a character like I did for Summer. So many hardships and disappointments in her life but she never let it turn her bitter or hard. Meeting her Dad and her new sisters along with Cody set in motion a series of events that would either make them or break them. A perfect summer read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley

Summer's Gift by Jennifer Ryan was just what I needed to read.

I was emotionally invested in this book.
This is a story filled with love, life, hope, sadness, and happiness.
Such a lovely read. I found Summers story to be very moving.
Ryan’s writing is compelling drawing you from at the beginning and will have you routing for Summer throughout the book. I appreciated the realistic look into the characters lives.
Overall, this is a story of forgiveness, family, memories and a romance I totally enjoyed.
An emotional but beautifully told story

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Loved this story. The reader is pulled into the story from page one. Summer's grandfather has always allowed is daughter to lead the life of luxury - at the cost of Summer's happiness. Summer is led to believe that she won a DNA test from a company drawing. Little knowing that she will find out she has two half-sisters,a stepmom and her father who know nothing about her.

Summer has always attempted to please her family - her grandfather has groomed her to take over the company one day, her mother flies from one relationship to another - searching for her happiness -while forgetting she has a daughter. Summer is shocked to find out her father would have wanted her if he had only known about her 25 years ago. Summer's mom has led her to believe that her father did not want her- the truth being he was ever rich enough for her to stay interested in. I could identity with how Summer felt.

The author really touched on some emotional baggage with all the characters. From the entitled mom, and r entitled half-sister, her stepmom, and her boyfriend - Summer is in an emotional rollercoaster of a ride of her life. The only stable characters are Summer, her grandfather, her dad, and half-sister Hailey.

A must read for readers of Jill Shalvis, or Marina Adair.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Summer's Gift" and all opinions expressed are my own. The story was slow moving and predictable, not very realistic. I did finish it but I didn't like the characters or the way the story was going. I didn't care for the explicit love scenes, it didn't fit in with the rest of the book flow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a copy of this e-arc.
This was a pleasant read. Perfect for by the beach or pool. I read in one sitting. This had family drama throughout the story. The characters were likable, and I enjoyed the message of the story.
3 stars

This book was enjoyable enough. The premise was interesting and exploring the dynamics among all the characters was interesting. But there were a few plot points that were a bit too unbelieveable. Some of the dialogue was canned/stilted. It could have been fun and interesting but it never quite got there.

This book should be subtitled Poor Little Rich Girl or How Not to Raise Children.

I could not find much to like about any of the characters except Hayley, Alex and Bianca. Everyone else was either insufferable or selfish. I didn't buy the instalust between Summer and Cody.

Who rewards a child with a brand new BMW when they have behaved so horribly? Oh, yeah rich, entitled people.

I'll be looking for Jennifer Ryan to get back to writing about real people.

Summer is an amazing young lady. She grew up with her mother telling her that her father didn't want her. Her father has a family, and his daughter took the DNA test at school and discovered she had a half sister. Her father sent his lawyer to see her, because he wanted to get to know his daughter he knew nothing about. Summer had taken a DNA test, but never got around to checking her email to get the results.
They do meet and Summer meets her two sisters and her stepmother.
Summer's life turned around after meeting her father and knowing he wanted her and if he had known about her, he would have been there for her.
Things don't just fall into place when Summer arrives. Her father's lawyer is her age, and they make a connection, which creates a situation. They all see this through, and I enjoyed going along on their journey, because I got an understanding of what happens when a situation like this arrives. It wasn't as I expected but after reading the book, I could see how this very well could happen.
I received an ARC from Avon through NetGalley.

Summer takes a DNA test and discovers her father and her half-sisters who she didn't know. I read in one sitting; it was hard to put down.

summer finds out with a DNA test that her father is not who she thinks it is. Finding her father and his family is filled with joy and a realization that it is not easy to change your life.

This book was wonderful Summer worked for her grandfather while her mother flitted from husband to husband. She was told her father didn't want anything to do with her. Her grandfather finally couldn't lie to her anymore and arranged her to take a DNA test and also the whole class where one of her 1/2 sisters went to school. She didn't look at the results, but Haley did; She was so excited to find out she had a sister. Her father was shocked that he had a daughter he didn't know about. His wife was upset at first but understood it was before they met. Her dad had his friend, Cody, go see her and see if she would be interested in meeting him. She really was interested but was furious with her mother and grandfather. Fireworks happened! She went with Cody and met her father and his family. Nate's older daughter Natallie was not happy about this at all. One, because she wanted Cody (even though he was 10 years older than she was) and two bedause she didn't want anyone taking away attention from her. There were some tense moments at times and of course, her mother had to make things worse, but Cody and Summer were a strong couple and worked it out. She eventually had a great relationship with her father and his family and was on her way to forgiving her mother and grandfather. A wonderful story. I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

This book read like a third grader was writing an essay in class. And honestly that feels like an insult to third graders everywhere. I couldn't make it past the first two painful chapters

I really like Jennifer Ryan's writing. I have read a few from her already and absolutely loved them.

This one missed the mark a little for me from her previous work. The writing was good but the story didn't draw me in like her other novels did.

I did like the idea of the DNA test she "won". It was a different way to tell the story of someone finding out about her biological family. It definitely set this one apart from similar stories involving this topic.

Thank you for allowing me to review this ARC.

What an enjoyable read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. Glad I had a chance to preview it and look forward to reading other books by this author

This was a sweet, story with a lot of family drama. What Summer has always longed for is a father who wants to be in her life. When a DNA test matches Summer and her father's family, things get complicated.
Overall this was an enjoyable beach read with a wide variety of characters. It did get a little drawn out at times in the middle.
I did enjoy it and of course the ending, while predictable, was perfect.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.