The Summer Girl is a perfect beach read!

Good Girl Complex was my first introduction to Elle Kennedy’s writing. After finishing it, I binge read the Briar U and Off Campus series. I’ve enjoyed the whole Avalon Bay series, but I think the Summer Girl is my favorite of the series!

Thank you @smpromance and @macmilianaudio for my gifted copies!

Cassie is back in Avalon Bay for one last summer before her grandmother sells their family home. She’s determined to have a summer fling before returning to school in the fall. She keeps running into Tate, who is house sitting the house next door. Despite their obvious connection, he tells her they can only be friends. Obviously this won’t last 😘

In true Elle Kennedy fashion, this was steamy, sweet, and had great banter! I loved seeing the rest of the gang from Avalon Bay and how Cassie developed friendships with them. It was a fun read!

I really enjoyed this one. I found it really easy to get into, I was hooked from the very first chapter. Loved Cassie and Tate!

*** Thank you to Elle Kennedy, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC audiobook ***
Release Date: 07.18.2023
Summary: Cassie is in Avalon Bay for her last full summer as her grandmother has sold the family hotel and is selling her beach house. Cassie decides she wants a summer fling and just needs to find the perfect guy for it. On the night she is supposed to meet her friend Joy, at a local’s bonfire, she gets ditched last minute and witnesses a local couple break up. Turns out, Tate, the dump-ee is the most attractive guy she’s ever seen. Tate, is a playboy, but everyone loves him. After a steamy kiss, he is strong armed into realizing this might not be the best idea but as the summer progresses lines are blurred and what should have never been becomes something real.
Review: Screaming. Crying. Throwing up. I have loved this series since I first read Good Girl Complex last year. Getting the ARC audiobook for this series made my entire summer.
I think this was my favorite book of the series. Cassie is just so relatable. I always feel bad for her when she is dealing with her parents – her narcissistic mother and absent father. Cassie’s parents divorced, dad remarried and favors his new family over his first daughter. She does not know how to handle the “hard things” or make anyone feel bad, which is something most can feel happens – she can’t tell a guy he’s a bad kisser, doesn’t know how to express herself to her parents. However, with the help of Tate she definitely grows into an adult that summer.
Tate is the perfect golden retriever boyfriend. He is close with his parents; every ex loves him and is hard working. He likes sailing, parties and his friends. He is trusting and gets to spend his summer house sitting a fancy house while the owners are away. What’s not to like?
The twist. Damn. I was not expecting that. Open mouthed gasp.
The two are cosmic. They are meant to be together. Their love story, while the tropes are common – friends to lovers, fmc virgin – the storyline is original and was just wow. I also love how the other characters from previous books are intertwined and that Cassie goes to Briar U. The spice was mild but definitely made the storyline better.
And the narrators? Perfection.

Elle Kennedy delivers a great third installment in the Avalon Bay series. The audiobook is a GREAT option because it features two extraordinary narrators: Caitlin Elizabeth and my all time favorite, Teddy Hamilton. His voice is just so dreamy.

Cassie Soul is back in Avalon Bay for the summer for the first time in years. Her grandmother has recently sold the family's hotel (to Mackenzie in book 2!), and she's planning on selling her house as well and moving to Boston to be closer to family. So this summer is special. It's the end of an era for Cassie--but it's also a beginning. She decides to make the most of her summer in the bay by finding someone to "fling" with. Tate Bartlett is the first guy she meets, and they have instant chemistry. Too bad she ends up friend-zoned. But she's determined to change that. (Spoiler: he doesn't take much convincing. He's just as in to her!)

There's also a bunch of family drama. Her father and his second wife and their twin girls live in the bay, in the house she used to call home before her parents divorced. And her mom is a piece of work. (Trigger warning for emotional/verbal abuse, gaslighting, and narcissistic behaviors).

But all's well that ends well. Tate and Cassie get their happy ending, even though it's rough-going there for awhile. Honestly, I liked this one just as much or more than book 2, which I absolutely loved.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley as well as Macmillan Audio for my advance review copy and listening copy.

Cassie really just wanted to have a summer fling…. Maybe she should shoot her shot super sweet playboy Tate! This was darling - slightly spicy with some great character development! It really was a perfect summer read!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. This was my first taste of Elle Kennedy and it did not disappoint. If you like romance, with lots of spicy scenes this definitely had plenty of that. My biggest annoyance with this book was the romance was very physical and I personally felt that he was only into her body and same with her really only talking about their attraction to each other. It was a very lustful book that didn’t gather a lot of relationship building conversations. Other than that it was a great book.

I didn’t expect to love this book since I gave 4⭐️ to book 1 and after pushing through I gave 3⭐️ to book 2, but this book was AMAZING!!! I loved Tate to pieces, he was the perfect mixture of fuckboi and golden retriever best friend, and I just loved how real he was in everything he did and said. The story was amazing, the chemistry was off the charts and the conflict was not what I expected and it didn’t make me dislike any of the main characters because of it.
I squealed, I laughed and I sobbed reading this book and I wish we could have more Tate.

This was a super cute romance. While it was very formulaic the twist of their hardship they needed to overcome did surprise me which was nice.

While this is the 3rd in a series I don’t think anything is taken away from the story by not having read the previous titles with the exception of background on side characters. That being said, I need to go read the first two now.

I’ve read most of Elle Kennedy’s books at this point, I’d consider myself a fan. That said the Avalon Bay series is probably my least favorite of her stuff. Just in general, I’ve found the characters not quite as likable and the plot lines a little less pressing.

I’m thrilled to get the chance to continue this series with an advanced copy and even more thrilled to say: I easily enjoyed this book more than the previous 2 in the series. The premise was definitely different from the others, a little less dark (until the twist towards the end…) and a fun, spicy, friends to lovers trope done well! I honestly also just felt like the main characters were a little easier to feel sympathetic towards, which helped!

Audio - 4/5 Highly recommended! While I can’t be positive that reading this as an audio as opposed to physical copy impacted my opinion of the story, I do privately think that it helped me continue through some of the moments that would have otherwise thrown me off. The narrators were both great and this flew by!

The Summer Girl' is the third book in the Avalon Bay series. This book could be read without having read the first two books because it does fill in some of the gaps. I would recommend reading all of the books in the series because they really set up the town of Avalon Bay, and they help to build up the world with these fun characters.

I listened to the audio book, and the narrators did an amazing job! I have listened to many books narrated by Teddy Hamilton, and he always adds so much to the story. This is the first book that I've listened to that was narrated by Caitlin Elizabeth, and I will look to listen to some of her other work too. I loved their dual POV narration.

In this book, Cassie comes back to Avalon Bay, after having moved away to Boston after her parents' divorce. She is the granddaughter of Lydia, who was the owner of the Beacon Hotel (until she sold it to Mac in book #1 of the series). Cassie returns to help her grandmother pack up for her move, and she also wants to see the renovations to the Beacon Hotel, which was in her family for decades. Cassie is about to turn 21, and she is looking for a summer fling. She finds Tate Bartlett, who has appeared in the previous two books. Tate is Cassie's neighbor for the summer, and sparks fly right away! However, Tate turns her down she has asks if he can be her fling because he's afraid that she will catch feelings for him.

There's a lot of steaminess in this book, and I think it would make a great beach read! Add this to your beach bag and relax on the beach or at the pool with all of the characters in Avalon Bay.

I would have rated the book 5 stars, but I really didn't like what lead to the 3rd act breakup.. It seemed out of place and it ruined the rest of the book for me. There was a lot of heavy family stuff already, and I think it was just another thing to add so late into the book. It really was off putting, and it took away from the relationship between Tate and Cassie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an ALC of 'The Summer Girl'. I would recommend it to anyone who loves friends to lovers stories, beach town romances, and the Avalon Bay characters. Add this to your summer TBR!

"This exceptional standalone romance takes readers on a captivating journey of self-discovery and passionate exploration. The sizzling chemistry between the main characters sparks both excitement and introspection. With unexpected twists and turns, the story keeps readers eagerly engaged.

The characters, despite their contrasting backgrounds, find themselves drawn together in a way that feels undeniably right. Their spontaneous nature and the challenges they face add depth to the narrative, creating an emotional rollercoaster that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

In this romance novel, the author masterfully crafts a tale of personal growth and fulfillment. Through the characters' experiences, readers are treated to a steamy and captivating exploration of their true selves.

Overall, this book delivers a memorable reading experience filled with passion, surprising plot twists, and a range of emotions. It is a testament to the skill of the author and the power of love. Published by St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, this romance novel is sure to leave a lasting impression."

I enjoyed this love story immensely. Cassie and Tate are so sweet together and the progression from friends to lovers to being in love followed such a natural timeline that I felt like I was falling in love too. There a few serious topics brought up in the book, but I thought they were handled in an appropriate and sensitive manner. This is the kind of novel that I love and Elle Kennedy excels at writing. The audiobook is fantastic and the narrators Teddy Hamilton and Caitlin Elizabeth make it all seem so real.

I think this has been my favorite Elle Kennedy book yet. All the emotions are in this book. Cassie and Tate have such strong chemistry and their personalities compliment each other so well. The Summer girl can be read as a standalone or with the other two in the Avalon Bay Series.

Cassie was born in Avalon Bay, but when her parents got divorced, she moved away with her mom to Boston. Her grandparents used to own the Beacon Hotel and she is selling it. Cassie decides to go spend the summer with her grandmother and help her pack up her stuff in preparation to move. Tate is house sitting for the people who live next door to Cassie's grandma and they instantly hit it off. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and Tate fits that description based on his reputation. He wants to be just friends, but neither of them can ignore the spark between them. The narration was great!

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and Elle Kennedy for this advanced copy.

I already love this romance but I enjoyed this book that much more with the narrators Caitlin Elizabeth; Teddy Hamilton. I love duel voices and this one didn't disappoint me. The voices added that extra spice this story needed.

I loved this installment of this series. I have always had a soft spot for Tate - we see him in the previous books and we love him regardless of being a player because he's a good guy at the end of the day. Tate loves his parents and has a few jobs along with helping his dad at the dealership.

Cassie is in town for the summer - her last summer with her grandmother moving - she has loved coming to this town in the summer but that stopped when her parent divorced.

This book was about two people who grow with each other and outside of each other - as per usual it was fun and sexy but full of drama and a shocking drama it was

another hit from Elle

If you're looking for a great beach read this summer, look no farther! I absolutely loved this book! It gives off such great summer vibes, campfires on the beach, a fun beach game competition and snuggling on the dock. The Summer Girl is my favorite book of the Avalon Bay series so far, but I also enjoyed the first two books as well. This works as a stand-alone book as well.
The Summer Girl starts off with such a funny and akward meet-cute, the chemistry between Cassie and Tate is evident, and the banter is so much fun. I loved seeing this relationship blossom from friends to fling, and boy it gets pretty steamy when they finally start to fling! I also loved seeing Cassie learn to express her feelings with others.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Edited to add, that I was lucky enough to get an advanced listener copy, and it made this wonderful story even better. Both Caitlyn Elixabeth and Teddy Hamilton are superb narrators, they are playful, and fun and are very emotional during the dramatic parts. I highly recommend this audiobook, it's a great beach listen.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This was so cute! I didn’t read the first two in the series yet but that’s okay because this one seems like a stand alone. I loved the double pov and the female and male narrator. The story was also super adorable!

By far my favorite of the Avalon Bay summer series!! I loved this friends to lovers neighbor romance between a curvy virgin and the townie playboy. The chemistry between these two was fire but it was their honest friendship that I really loved too! Steamy and heartfelt and full of complex family drama. I truly loved every second and thought the narration by Caitlin Elizabeth and Teddy Hamilton was excellent. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

CW: past parental infidelity, toxic parental relationships, body shaming