I listened to the audiobook and read the e-book of The Summer Girl and I LOVED both! It’s my new favorite in the Avalon Bay series, and is a wonderful summer read! It was full of great banter, drama, and a wonderful love story.

4.5 Stars. Cassie Soul plans to have a causal, no-strings-attached, passionate summer fling. Plans quickly go out the window, *hint, hint*, when she is friend-zoned by candidate #1 Tate Bartlett. This was was delightfully funny, lighthearted, and adorable. The perfect beachy summer read. I have not read the previous books in the Avalon Bay series and I still thoroughly enjoyed this.

A few things I didn’t like: (spoilers ahead)

-I do not like to read sex scenes from the male POV, **especially** the first one.
-Not a fan of the “third act breakup”, even though this one was written very well.
-I was not a huge fan of the female narrator. I went back and forth between print and audio for that reason.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Happy Pub Week to Elle Kennedy and The Summer Girl! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy was published on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. 📅

There is something to be said about summer love, lust, and crushes. There’s magic in the air, sunshine in the sky, and serotonin in abundance. Walks on the beach, windows down with music blasting, snuggling under the stars, holding hands, and hot passionate kisses. Summer nights seem like they never end.

For Cassie and Tate, love is unavoidable…no matter how hard they try.

Cassie Soul spends the summer visiting her grandmother 👵🏼 in Avalon Bay, where she was born. Her grandmother, long-standing heiress of a fancy hotel in town, has decided it’s time to sell. Cassie is there to say goodbye to the hotel’s past and hello to the hotel’s future. A young woman has purchased the hotel and is planning to make updates while preserving its integrity and past. She befriends Cassie and invites her to a party.

Local playboy, Tate Bartlett, is at the party and is always down to have a good time. When Tate and Cassie first meet, he knows that she is not the hookup type. She gives off the vibe of wanting to settle down and have a commitment. Tate is shocked to learn that Cassie is looking to have a summer fling before going back to College. Tate finds Cassie to be down to earth, funny, and sweet but automatically friend zones her because he would not be able to live with himself if he broke her heart. 💔

They flirt the line between friendship and lovers throughout the summer recognizing that they can both learn a lot from one another. Together they uncover secrets, stand up to the negative people in their lives, and learn how to be their most vulnerable and genuine self.

A perfect summer read that will make you want to fall in love (even if all over again)!

This is book 3 of The Avalon Bay series but can be read as a standalone. Other books in the series include: 1) Good Girl Complex and 2) Bad Girl Reputation.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy is such a fun summer read. College Senior Cassie has a complicated past with Avalon Bay after her parent's messy divorce and her grandmother selling her family's legacy. Nonetheless, Cassie is excited to spend the summer with her grandmother and hopefully have an exciting summer fling.
Tate moved to Avalon Bay at 12 and quickly fell in love with the seaside village, his family's life with his dad's boat shop, his parent's endless love, and a massive group of friends. With summer just around the corner, Tate looks forward to the new group of summer girls who take on Avalon Bay, working and sailing.
When Tate and Cassie meet, they have apparent chemistry, highlighted by the teasing and fun conversations that follow their interactions. The two have a fun summer as they become a summer fling, but what happens when family drama comes out and there may be deeper feelings than just an innocent summer fling?
This book has such a great cast of characters and locations that this is the perfect summer or beach read. While this book deals with changing family dynamics and the importance of family, it does not take away from the overall fun vibe that comes from this book. I loved getting to read both Cassie's and Tate's points of view.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light summery read with a little bit of spice and a whole lot of attraction.

Honestly, I just couldn’t love this one. There wasn’t enough in the actual story to really capture me in.

The twins are supposed to be 6, but the author has them act as if they’re 3ish.

There’s a whole lot of divorced parents “poor me” type of inner dialogue that honestly just drove me nuts,

Then the family secret came out and the way that whole thing was handled was so…. Unrealistic, I guess? Idk this one just didn’t do it for me.

3 stars, because I think the younger crowd might like it, it just wasn’t for me.

I have really been enjoying the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. This is a new adult series that follows a group of friends who live in a sea side town popular for tourists to visit in the summer.

This is a fun small town romance with the city girl coming to visit the town for the summer only to fall for the “townie”. There are some really complex family dynamics tackled here that makes it not you everyday summer romance. But this would still make a great beach read!

Thank you @Macmillian.Audio and @Netgalley for my opportunity to listen to this one early!

I loved this book! I was really sad to not have another Hartley twin to read about.. but that went away very quickly for me. Tate and Cassie have chemistry, but he becomes her wingman to help her find her summer fling.

I love how awkward Cassie is and how Tate teases her. I love their nicknames for each other. I love that they tried to put off the inevitable.. and clearly lost lol. I really enjoyed this whole book!

The audio was done well too! At first, I didn’t love Tate’s voice.. but it grew on me and having both narrators really made it a fun listen!

I love Elle Kennedy and her Off-Campus and Briar U series. If you loved it those, I think you will enjoy this one!!

I love Avalon Bay. This was a great welcome back with the Beacon's re-opening.
Cassie having family struggles, made it very relatable.
I loved the Gilmore reference in it.
The audio narrators were great! I enjoyed listening to this one.
There were some hardships for Cassie and Tate to overcome, but the ending was chef's kiss.

3.5 stars

- my first in the Avalon Bay series and I enjoyed it!
- total summer vibes, perfect romance to read by the beach/pool🏖️
- fun banter and easy chemistry in a friends with benefits situation
- got a lil 🥴 with the way the MMC was lusting over FMC in the beginning but sure enough real feelings took over
- didn’t feel lost at all plopping into the Avalon Bay world but definitely will read the first two soon!

Cassie is staying with her grandmother for the summer in Avalon Bay. She’s sweet and kind of dorky and completely adorable. Tate is staying in the house next door. He’s the “hookup” guy – the guy who gets around the town but still maintains a positive reputation.  Cassie’s goal for the summer is to find a fling for her entire stay. So, what happens when she approaches Tate with a deal he can’t forget?
 
The writing:
I’m a reader of mainly dark romance and horror; however, I saw the ARC for an Elle Kennedy story and I jumped at the chance to try and get it. I have not read the other two books in the series, but after listening to the wonderful writing of Elle Kennedy again (it’s been a while since I’ve finished both the Off-Campus series and Briar U series), I’m ready to work backwards and start the other two books. Since this this is a lighter read for me, I want to tell you…. I’m not in any way disappointed.
 
This story was just lovely. I laughed, I teared up, I fell in love. l very much enjoyed the pacing of the story and I absolutely felt the love between Cassie and Tate. Their romance didn’t feel forced or coerced in any way and felt natural with zero moments of cheesy dialogue. 
 
Elle has a way with transporting you directly into the setting and making you an unnamed character, seeing all of the events unfold for yourself. You don’t ever feel like an outsider. Aside from the sweet story came some very real issues these characters have to deal with that almost give the storyline a darker feel without being too dark. Cassie and Tate both have to face up to some pretty harsh things. Can they survive it all?
 
The audio:
The audio was pretty great. I love Caitlin Elizabeth’s sweet voice as Cassie, and I actually liked her voicing Tate as well. She did a fantastic job giving life to the characters as they played out their scenes. I did not care for Teddy Hamilton’s voice though. I just didn’t feel like that voice fit MY Tate, if that makes sense. Definitely worth the listen though!
 
Epilogue:
I freakin’ LOVED this book. I wish I could get all of the thoughts out of my head that I want to write here, but that’s where I’ll end my review. This has been one of my favorite books of this year, and I guarantee it will be a strong contender for years to come.

This is the third book in the Avalon Bay series; let me tell you, it's the best one yet! Cassie, a college student, heads back to Avalon Bay for the summer, hoping to find a fling. Enter Tate, the charming sailing instructor, and notorious player, who initially puts her in the friend zone, but that doesn't last long. Their friendship feels incredibly genuine, and their chemistry is irresistible. The story has profound moments, but overall, it's a light and perfect beach read. The characters are endearing, and I especially loved the heartwarming bond between Cassie and her grandma. If audiobooks are your thing, the version narrated by Caitlin Elizabeth and Teddy Hamilton is worth checking out. Caitlin's voice suits Cassie's character beautifully, exuding charm and sweetness. Teddy Hamilton's narration is excellent, though some wished for a better female voice portrayal. Nonetheless, both narrators skillfully capture the emotions and banter, making the audiobook a fun and dreamy summer escape!

Thanks NetGalley for approving me for the audiobook, otherwise it was a 10 week wait on Libby!

Cassie Soul hasn’t been in Avalon Bay in years. Now that her grandmother is selling the hotel that has been in their family for years, she’s back for the summer, and in search of a summer fling. Enter: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay's golden retriever playboy. But he knows that Cassie is too good for a fling and friend-zones himself in the process, to quickly regret that decision. Cassie and Tate enter a kind-of-relationship, that ends up being the least complicated situation in their lives. Will their relationship last through the drama?

I didn’t think I could love this series more, but I was wrong. Tate is perfect. Truly. How much I relate to Cassie is honestly terrifying. Summer fling, next door neighbors, friends to lovers. I loved every second of it!

Reviewed on Goodreads and Instagram stories, posting on Instagram feed on Friday 7/21.

In a perfect summer romance we have old friendships, cute neighbors, sailboats, family secrets and lots of lust. Both Tate and Cassie are easy to love, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. The balance of sweet to spice is very enjoyable in this book, and I didn’t find myself wanting more of one or the other. This is the book to read on the beach this summer!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for allowing me to read this through NetGalley.

This entire series is sooo cute. All very summer romance books. Its all about her tryng to find a summer fling but she never found that fling. We catch up with the previous books characters and we can also see how each story is special in its own way. Its precious and funny. Its frustrating and perfect. another amazing story

Before her last year of college, Cassie gets to spend an entire summer in the town she grew up in. That is, until her parents’ divorce at 10yrs old. Through the book, the author develops the characters beautifully.

As a small aside: I appreciate how she gives some glimpses into what it’s like to live with a narcissist, and what narcissism is.

The narration of the audiobook was really well done. I really like that there are two voices, to represent both Cassie and Tate’s point of view. Makes it easy to follow along.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was not able to jump into this audio book the way I hoped. I was excited from the title, but was so sad once I started listening. The MMC first thoughts about FMC were about her chest. As someone who’s been objectified over this it just didn’t sit well with me. The book wasn’t for me and that’s okay. I’m just not a fan of objectifying someone :/

The narrators voice made this very difficult to listen to. It was very piercing. I got bored listening to the story, but I honestly couldn’t get past the voice.

Blonde fuck boy with dimples and a good reputation? How do those things all come together? I don’t know but Elle Kennedy pulls it off with Tate. He is known for hooking up a lot in his small beach town but everyone loves him and women don’t have a bad thing to say about him. Without learning more, you KNOW that is a man who treats women right. So when cute and rambling Cassie returns to Avalon Bay and wants a summer fling, Tate seems like the perfect option. But pump the brakes, Mackenzie, ever the level headed one, gives Tate some advice and he friend zones poor Cassie, instead deciding to be her wingman. Side eye. As you would guess, that doesn’t stick.

The Summer Girl is a dual POV, friends to lovers summer read. Third in a series of stand-alones; it is not necessary to read the first two books, but I recommend as the main characters of those stories make many appearances. My love for Avalon Bay, as a setting, grows with each book. I genuinely wish I could visit for my own summer vacation. It provides the perfect back drop for a beach read, and this book leaned heavy on that, with the yacht club, pool days, bonfires, beach games, and sailing. I loved it all. Plus the banter, cute rambling, friends with benefits and trying not to fall for each other vibes. Plus there’s spice? The window scene…

What was great about this book was not only did it have all the feel good things I mentioned, but there was outside conflict that gave the story depth and meaning. Not to mention I loved seeing a man help a woman find her voice and empowerment.

I hope the Avalon Bay series continues. I am eating it up and there are more characters whose stories I want to see. I am looking at you Alana.

~Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc~

This was a care free story about summer vacations. A girl who is at a family home on an island for the summer is determined to have a summer fling. Enter Tate. She just happens to witness an awkward break up and gets caught. Which then puts into motion a flirty friendship that then leads to more. It was a fun story that is easy to get lost in, especially when we are in the middle of summer! It was fun!

Audiobook was great! It was dual narrators, which is my favorite!

I loved the audio!!
It was such a fun listen, I definitely enjoyed listening to the “the summer girl” then I would have reading it. It’s such a good beach read too, if you plan on taking some books/audiobooks with you.
Elle Kennedy never misses