“You are my greatest adventure.”

From their first messy meet-cute, I was smitten with Declan and Nicole. This age-gap, grumpy/sunshine, single parent romance was lovely. Declan is a single father, grumpy, small-town fisherman. When the big city, beguiling, writer divorcee tumbles into his life, he finds the fun in life again. A once-in-a-lifetime friendship changes both of their lives forever. I loved these adventure buddies! Hot Mess Summer explores real life issues in a swoony setting. Nicole impulse buys a coastal Massachusetts cottage. After years of suffering emotional and mental abuse by her ex, Nicole is free to find her self again and pave a new path. With lots of fun side characters to add humor and wisdom to the story, Hot Mess Summer has a little bit of everything. Writer Girl and Dimple Dude were complex, endearing characters. From workaholic to adventure-seeker, Nicole’s journey of self-discovery was a blast! As Declan lets Nicole in, she helps him work through lifelong grief and regrets. Through her friendship, he’s finally able to let go of self-imposed pressures and open his heart to a caring healthy relationship. A lot of this book reads more like a buddy romcom than a romance, and I was here for all of it. I want to drink sophisticates with the girls and chat by the bonfire all night! I can always count on Melissa Foster to deliver when I’m in the mood for a delightful story with complex, relatable characters, and lighthearted fun! If you’re looking for a sweet, low-angst, heartwarming slow-burn, add Hot Mess Summer to your TBR today!

Nicole's taking back her life - bought a house in a small East Coast village, and is determined to spend the summer there rejuvenating her writing muse, which has seemed to have deserted her lately. She isn't looking for a man, a relationship or anything in that realm. Her friends who have come with her to spend awhile, though, keep urging her to put herself out there. She seems to have attracted more than one attractive man, but it's a rough around the edges fish peddler named Declan who is sticking in her mind. He doesn't want an entanglement any more than she does, so the two will just have to agree to adventures with no strings. Until more is inevitable, until they can no longer resist. But can they truly maintain a no strings relationship? What will Nicole do when it's clear that Declan's ex-wife is far more a priority than she is?

Declan's always been the savior. He saves his dad from the consequences of his drinking. He saves his ex-wife from, well, everything, so when does he do for himself? When a gorgeous newcomer appears in town, just maybe he can do something for himself by letting himself have something with the most interesting adventure he's ever laid eyes on. But to do so, he'll need to make sure his priority list is in order or he'll lose her.

Hot Mess may be a romantic comedy, but it has more heart and emotional depth than the average humorous piece of fiction. Declan, oh Declan, that man is just such a sweet lug with so many issues and has his head buried in the sand until this equally sweet "hot mess" comes along and gently brings his head out of the fog. The fact that the both of them aren't in their 20s is actually something I really enjoyed - they act like mature adults rather than whiny, entitled brats that 20 somethings can many times come across as, and this speaks to my heart *ahem 40 something here*. Melissa never fails to bring the heat, the feels, and the love - it's why she's one of my absolute favorite writers!

A fantastic, slowburn romance where, for once, the hero and heroine weren’t in the first flush of youth. Nicole was a twice divorced author in her late thirties who had just bought a summer cottage in the slightly whimsical small fishing town of Chatemup. She was done with love except in her books and was happily finding her newly single feet while the hero divorced Declan was a forty something businessman, a definite dilf who felt exactly the same way as Nicole, so they began a friendship with adventures that soon graduated to included benefits before love snuck up on them.

I loved the development of Declan and Nicole’s relationship. Their friendship was believable. They were a pair who had fun with no expectations from each other which meant no major drama. With fabulous secondary characters albeit extremely nosy ones who gave off distinct swinger vibes and some hilarious escapades, namely the Girl Scout cookie raid that had me snorting back laughter and a fabulous epilogue that didn’t take the easy out and give this couple the conventional ending, Hot Mess Summer was a great read for a rainy afternoon.

This was not your normal Melissa Foster read in that it was an older in life couple with little angst and no suspense. This was just a fun and enjoyable read. Melissa Foster writes stories I love. Well written with characters to love and a romance story to warm your heart.

Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster is a fantastic read. This book is a little more subdued than previous Melissa Foster stories, but I found this one to have a more comprehensive story.

Nicole is has has a couple of bad marriages from one when she was very young, to one where her husband was a narcissist and could not support in her writing endeavours. She is having a writers block and is hoping by changing her environment, she can get going again. Nicole buys a small cottage in Chatemup and soon discovers, she loves it there. Her neighbours pull her into their ranks and provide all the support she was missing.

Declan has a lot on his plate as he tries to protect and help everyone. His time is pulled so many different directions, but mainly from the situations his father gets himself in, and from constant help requirements from his ex wife. While Nicole and Declan become friends and then closer, I was wondering which of them would snap first as none of the demands on Declan get lighter.

I always love Melissa Foster books, but this one felt like a warm hug as it seems this book focussed more on moving the story of Nicole and Declan along rather than the hot, spicy moments (of which there were spicy scenes as one might expect). I loved this one! Read it today!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

Even though Nicole writes about love and happy ever after her life hasn’t played out that way based on her two divorces. She needs a fresh start to recapture some creativity when it comes to her writing and her life so she purchases a cottage in a small New England town. One of the friendships she makes is with Declan but it isn’t long before he feels like so much more.

Declan is a single father who always puts the needs of those he cares about in front of his own. With Nicole he experiences a sense of fun and freedom that he has never felt before but he finds himself conflicted between the demands of the life he was living and the life he could have with Nicole.

Even though their reasons are different neither Nicole nor Declan were looking for a relationship but sometimes the best things happen when you least expect it. He appreciates her for the woman she is and she shows him that there is more to life than the way he is living it and together they find the happiness they both deserve.

This is a fun read, with a great mix of sweet, spice, fun, and some heartfelt conversations and revelations as the story progresses. I was pulled in to Nicole and Declan, that spark was intense from the start. One of my favorite things is that they become friends. True, down to the soul, friends. The story flows well, with the amazing characters, the fun that they have, and that pull that just gets stronger. It's a perfect read to get lost in! A definite must read.

What an incredible read by Melissa Foster. Nicole needed to find herself. She was living but really only existing. Especially living in the shadow of her ex. She wasn’t enjoying life in Virginia so she decides to purchase a cottage in Chatemup. A place in the woods far away from her current life and around no one she knows while trying to find herself. Her writing is also suffering. Maybe somewhere new would help with that. She wasn’t looking for love or a relationship. She needed to get know herself again.
When she bought the cottage for the summer season and she never thought she would not find herself but the most amazing neighbors. A community of people her own age, some older, but a community she soon became a part of.
One in particular, Declan, she wasn’t looking for anything with him. They started as friends, eventually became adventure buddies. She loved spending time with him. Little by little she started to find herself. Her writing started again, with the help of her friends and even Declan. But most of all she started to enjoy life. Gone were the says of sitting in her home office and writing for hours.
Hot Mess Summer is a story of rebirth. Finding out who you are, making friendships that will last a lifetime and enjoying life and living life and “learning what life and love should be.”

Nic is twice divorced with a young adult daughter and is ready to do something different so buys a cottage in New England with the plan to spend her summers there. She is three years from her most recent divorce and it has left her feeling burned out and uninspired. There she meets a whole cast of characters in this small town village and finds she has chemistry with Declan, a "fish peddler" who is also divorced with adult children of his own.

Many times while reading Hot Mess Summer I found myself with a huge grin on my face. This book had me laughing out loud a few times, and smiling a lot in between those laughs. It's different from some of the previous books I've read by this author. Hot Mess Summer is a slow burn, small town romance where the focus isn't just on the romance, but on her life in general and how no matter what age we are, or our situation, we can always start anew and find strength within ourselves to move forward.

‘Hot Mess Summer’ was very different than the last books I read by Melissa Foster. And it took me a little while to really get into this story. In the beginning the story seemed to surround the friendship between these three ladies. Not a bad thing, but I admit that I didn’t really care for them as much as I’d hoped. What was really fun and new for me.. These characters where a bit older, in their late thirties and early forties. Which was very fun to read after a lot of books about characters in their twenties and being in my thirties myself. LOL!

The chemistry between Nicole and Declan was very fun to read, which made up for my struggles in the beginning. I loved how they both had their own lives and troubles, but they seemed to make each other better right from the start. I loved their banters when they where working on Nicole’s writing to most. It really made me laugh.

The setting of the small fishing town in New England was really fun as well. I loved reading about all those different characters with their funny characteristics.

Overall I enjoyed ‘Hot Mess Summer’. It wasn’t my favorite by this author but I definitely enjoyed the new characters and the setting in a new town.

I absolutely loved reading this book.
Nicole has bought a cottage in Chatemup and only saw in by video. She's a romance writer and after her second divorce decided that she needed a new place to write. She's only going to be there over the summer and hopefully will get through her writers block.
On her first day there she bumps into a gorgeous man Declan) and literally dumps coffee on him.
It isn't long before she is making friends and enjoying her time at he coast and Declan always seems to be around.
They soon get close and become adventure buddies. But Declan also helps her get through her writers block.
Declan is always helping his friends and family and has no time for anything else but he can't seem to stay away from Nicole.
I loved how they were together and soon friendship turns to more and they are perfect together but she is only supposed to be there for the summer.
This is a must read full of friendship, love and so much more and the ending is perfect.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this summer romance. Foster always does a great job with characters and banter and this one was no exception. Nicole buys a summer house in small beach town and is instantly charmed by townspeople. Everyone is friendly and a bit noisy and welcomes her in. She meets Declan and they have major attraction to each other and resists the attraction and develops a friendship. I enjoyed seeing their friendship develop and the adventures they went together.

This book was a little different from Melissa's usual writing. I really enjoyed it. I loved Declan and his white knight persona. He is sweet but sexy, full of energy but down to earth. I loved Nicole. I loved that she found herself at her summer cottage. And she found some amazing friends and an amazing adventure buddy! This book has all the feels in it. Melissa brings you into her stories like you are right there with all her characters. I love it!

Hot Mess Summer was so good. I really enjoyed Nic and Declan's adventure filled story and loved their nicknames for each other. I hope there will be more stories set in the little town of Chatemup.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was steamy, sweet, fun and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Nicole, an author, and twice-divorced single mom decides to buy a New England cottage as a summer escape. At the local coffee shop she bumps into divorced single dad Declan, it’s definitely a meet-cute situation. Neither are looking for a relatidevelopand develop an adventurous friendship that leads to a spicy fling.

This fun read is loosely based on the summer the author moved to the Cape. While reading I could not help but picture her as Nicole. So, if there is a Declan walking around we need to find him. Declan is the picture-perfect book boyfriend, no wonder the town loves him.

I loved all the fun banter and the overall laidback fun. The writing was easy to get into. I loved the small-town vibes and the quirky and fun supporting characters. It's full of laugh-out-loud moments but there are some tough discussions.

Deep down this story is about letting go and finding yourself. It’s a character-driven coming-of-age story with mature main characters with a message. It was a wonderful reminder that happiness can be found at any age.

This is a fun, lighthearted read. The banter is playful, sassy, sarcastic, and perfect. The town and characters are some that I would love to see again.

Hot Mess Summer was a very different book by Melissa Foster than most of the books I've read by her. Nicole and Declan are both divorced. While Nicole is finally trying to get out of the rut caused by her second marriage and divorce, Declan has clearly been stuck with his struggles for a while. Both of them have children and struggles that they need to deal with in order to find happiness. While neither one of them are looking for a long term romantic relationship, what they build is a beautiful friendship that eventually becomes much more.

I really enjoyed watching their relationship progress and Nicole's move and finding "her people" gives me hope for the future.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’ve read close to 100 books by this author. I enjoy her large Love in Bloom series which incorporates many smaller series, they are fun and flirty while rarely having a third-act breakup. This story is a bit different from what I’m used to from her, but also the same.

The story’s first half concentrates more on Nic finding her joy and living for herself than on the romance. Make no mistake, plenty of heated moments and flirting are going on, but a relationship is not what Nic or Declan are looking for. Of course, since she’s not looking for any romantic entanglements all the men in town are flocking to her like bees to honey. Yet her new “adventure buddy” is the one she has undeniable chemistry with and compares every other man to.

The second half of this book dives into the romance. What does it mean to these people who have a lot of baggage and just want to keep the drama at bay? For me, the fact that they became such good friends before giving into their pull was great to read. They are truly great friends and neither wants to lose that connection, yet they cannot keep from acting on their chemistry forever.

The friends Nic meets as soon as she moves to this new town are phenomenal. They are fun, wise, and supportive. They quickly became Nic’s found family and took her in as one of their own.

While the pacing of this book isn’t as fast as I’m used to with this author’s other stories, it is still engaging and has amazing characters. Everyone could use a Declan in their life.

I ADORED Boots & Dimple Dude!!!!!!

Stayed up through the night to finish - I was at 79% and could not put my kindle down…
This read is possibly my fave book to date from Ms Foster!!

Nicole and Declan have my heart. This was a journey of growth, understanding and self love.
Nicole hasn’t had the easiest of time and she needs to think about herself for once.
Declan has everyone else on his radar, but his own life, that seems to be buried under regrets and worries about so many other things.
Our couple both learned a lot about what they needed and wanted and I loved that they finally stood up for themselves.

I loved the friends Nicole made over her summer and I’m hoping that there might be another story or two around some of the supporting characters.

Declan’s family were great, as was Nicole’s mum and her best friends but the gods, her daughter drove me to distraction!!

This book had heart, love, fabulous banter, laughs, connection, a great sense of family and belonging and SO much heat….

D’you think I might find a hot fish peddler on the East Coast of Scotland?! 🤔😉😙


A definite for my re-read list. 5 Hot Mess stars!!!



Thank you to the author & Montlake Romance for an advanced copy of the book.
All thoughts are my own and I also pre-ordered my own copy before release day.

First of I really enjoyed having an older hero & heroine. Nicole is a twice divorced single mom who on an impulse moved to a New England town. She does her best to avoid relationships except with her girlfriends even though she is in a town surrounded by guys. However she meets single Dad Declan & forms a bond with him. I loved their banter and seeing how their friendship grew.