With three strong, but realistic, women characters the readers will connect with someone. Laurel and Paris are two strong friends since childhood, but they happily welcome Cassie to their group as a new girl in town. As they help each other navigate their individual life challenges, the women will prove to be supportive and insightful in their advice for each other. And with three swoon worthy men showing the women interest there is a bit of romance for everyone. Reader's will enjoy the journey each woman experiences as they grow and learn over the course of the summer.

I pick up any Susan mallery book so when I saw this one I had to read it. I really liked it. The main characters were very likable and relatable. Paris, who has dealt with her anger problems from the past still thinks she can’t trust herself. Laurel is dealing with the aftermath of her divorce and find out her older daughter hates all men. Cassie moves and meets Laurel and Paris when her brother and sister force her to go live her life and see what inheritance her uncle left her in California. There’s not a lot on the book club but enough to bring the 3 women together and even 2 of the men in the book join in. It’s a lot about learning to let go of our baggage and just live life. I really enjoyed this book Thank you netgalley for the arc.

Another wonderful women's fiction book from Susan Mallery. The three women main characters are likeable and you find yourself cheering them on to come to terms with their past and find a bright and wonderful future. This book examines friendships between women and relationships between men and women. Some are good and some are not so good. It is an engaging read that is extremely enjoyable.

Enjoyed this latest Susan Mallery release which had all of the hallmarks of a release from her. From the witty dialogue to the just-right pacing, I didn't want it to end. Will definitely be recommending this one to friends.

Okay I admit it, totally smitten with this author. And once starting THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB realize that Susan Mallery and I share a great love of older books. The two main characters Lauren and Paris are part of a town book club. But for the summer version of the club it seems as if they are the only two participating. Much more robust during the rest of the year. And the book they are reading is Mackenzie’s Mountain. I can’t help but smile. This is one of my favorites written by the amazing Linda Howard. The second book choice was by Jude Deveraux. Absolutely excellent choice again. And then LaVryle Spencer. I won’t share any more. Book lovers are just going to sigh over this journey.

Theme seems to be strong men and women who complement each other. Lauren, Paris, and newcomer Cassie could really use a dose of that. Their lives are quite different, but they all share a void in otherwise successful lives. Their stories, past, present, and hopefully happy future are told in THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB. The actual book club seems to be an escape from their everyday lives. A welcome time to spend with friends, talk about a book and then share stories about their own lives. So real, mainstream, and vital.

Three women with individual events that had left them with feeling of angst and worry about relationships. Some aspects had been of their own making, but in the end reasoning wasn’t really a factor. Love works with a different body part, the heart. And each held their hearts safely cocooned. Friendship was good. Anything more would certainly lead to heartbreak and none of the trio had the nerve to deal with that again.

So when three men are showing interest in the trio their efforts are clearly being blocked. Leads to funny but thoughtful discussions. And here is where Susan Mallery shines. Her characters are thoughtful and real. Consumed with their own past failures or doubts the idea of proceeding toward a relationship with any guy that shows interest questions their sanity. Self-doubt is a mighty challenge. It just might wind up a contest to see which if any of these men are up for it.

The book club winds up the hub of the group. Book discussions bring to light many true ideas. Just might make the feelings of each member clearer. The question is whether or not these feelings would be graciously accepted or challenged to the point that an about face is in the future.

THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB definitely belongs on the must-read list for fans of Susan Mallery, and I genuinely believe it will win her many new fans. Simple concept expands into something quite glorious. Vintage Susan Mallery.

I grabbed this book as soon as I saw it. Susan Mallery's books are always fun to read and I've enjoyed many of them. This book has three main characters: Paris, who owns her own farm stand; Laurel, who resells items she finds at thrift stores and estate sales and resells them for profit; and Cassie, who is new to town and working at a wine bar/bookstore. Each of these women have issues they need to overcome to find happiness in their lives and all are currently single or divorced.

Description:
The rules of summer book club are
• No sad books
• No pressure
• Yessssss, wine!

Besties Laurel and Paris are excited to welcome Cassie to the group. This year, the book club is all about fill-your-heart reads, an escape from the chaos of the everyday—running a business, raising a family, juggling a hundred to-dos. Even the dog is demanding (but the bestest boy).

Since Laurel’s divorce, she feels like the Worst Mom Ever. Her skepticism of men may have scarred her vulnerable daughters. Cassie has an unfortunate habit of falling for ridiculous man-boys who dump her once she fixes them. Paris knows good men exist. She’s still reeling after chasing off the only one brave enough—and foolish enough—to marry her.

Inspired by the heroines who risk everything for fulfillment, Laurel, Paris and Cassie begin to take chances—big chances—in life, in love. Facing an unwritten chapter can be terrifying. But it can be exhilarating, too, if only they can find the courage to change.

My Thoughts:
I loved the way the story developed and the characters were fully drawn so that I felt as if I knew them. I liked all these charactes, but enjoyed Cassie's story the most. Each woman faced an obstacle that she had to deal with to move on with her life, and the ways they dealt with their issues was interesting. Susan Mallery is a masterful storyteller and I recommend this to anyone who likes reading about relationships.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication date is February 13, 2024.

This was an enjoyable found-family, woman-friendship centered story. I liked the personal growth that all three characters went through. Some of the storylines felt a little bit repetitive at time, even with some of the dialogue or even thoughts being repeated. The romances were sweet and overall this was a pleasant, easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Susan Mallery does it again, with her trio of friends and their singular problems and issues. Enjoyed this book immensely and there is a link to another Mallery series. All three friends have to face and work together towards finding solutions and moving forward to reach resolutions. Well written and a great vacation/beach read. Do not miss this one.

Meet Laurel and Paris, two long-time friends, and members of their own Summer Book Club. Cassie is new in town. She is there only to check on an inheritance left to her by her uncle; then she's leaving. Laurel and Paris welcome Cassie, and she joins in the Summer Book Club. They each have past romance issues but now find themselves involved in new relationships. Does the Book Club center around books or their own stories? You will enjoy the friendships between the three and finding out how they each deal with their current love interests. Another great Susan Mallery read.

For the last couple of years Ms. Mallery have been writing her best work to date. Women fiction with a touch of romance this recent books have stories of three women and this title is no different. Laurel and Paris have been friends since they were seven. Along comes Cassie who has uproot her life and has moved to Los Lobos.
These three women are dealing with some heavy emotional baggage's. Laurel is a recent divorcee who is juggling two preteen daughters, Paris is still coping with the loss of her marriage ten years ago and what brought the divorce on and Cassie is adjusting to doing things just for herself and not just her family. I truly enjoy how Ms. Mallery interweaves these three ladies life together and apart. This book touches on very deep topics that happen so often in our world emotional and physical abuse, self hate, mistrust and feeling not worthy or loved.
I love the realism of how each character work to fight and overcome their challenges.

While there is a book club in this book, the main focus of the story is on friends Laurel and Paris, and then Cassie who moves to town for a six month trial-run. Each of the women have had relationship or family challenges and are juggling various opportunities to stretch themselves and try something new. Their book club does provide an outlet for discussions the romantic heroines of the stories and perhaps take some similar chances in their own lives.

The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery. Entertaining fast paced read. Enjoyed reflecting back on some of the romance titles and authors from the 1970s.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Perfect Summer Read!

I really liked Susan Mallery's book The Summer Book Club. It's well written and talks about three women who, through their book club, question their lives, talk about their dreams and daily problems. These women learn to help each other and fulfill themselves.
Their friendship and humor make this book a truly realistic story with its ups and downs and friendship dynamic. Paris, Laurel, and Cassie are fun to follow with all their ups and downs.
What an incredibly sweet and heartwarming novel to enjoy! Will keep readers interested until the last chapter.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Paris and Laurel have welcomed newcomer to town Cassie to their group. All 3 are at different places in their lives. This is a story of friendship and love. It is a book that would be perfect for a cold winters day or a day at the beach. I hope to see these characters in another book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Mallery does it agin with The Summer Book Club. Fans of hers will be very happy to spend an afternoon with these three ladies.

“The Summer Book Club” is by Susan Mallery. This is what I would call a good summer beach read book - it tackles some serious topics but in a thoughtful way with lots of relationships (family, friends, potential lovers) thrown in. I felt that Cassie in some ways got the short end of the story (maybe it was her love interest?), but the two main friends, Paris and Laurel, had enough good storyline to carry this book on their own. The book club is a minor plot point, so don’t go in expecting this to just be about a book club. Decent storyline, decent characters, and - as I said - a decent beach read.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the fact it talked about three different women, with different areas of their lives. It was fun to read and romantic. There was never a dull moment. I am grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: #thesummerbookclub by @Susan Mallery

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I loved this book so much it was a great summertime read I also loved that it had book club questions and recipes in the book as well.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I feel like I needed to be older to understand the characters. I don't quite agree with their life choices but I am also in my mid-20s. I liked that all 3 women grew and were willing to own up to their mistakes and change.