Nicole is a twice divorced, stressed out, romance writer, who is a single mom looking for a fresh start I life, while Declan is a divorced single dad, who gives her a new perspective on life.
This is a well written story which is east to read, with humor, witty banter, challenges, family, drama, action packed, romance, and love, which leads to an entertaining and steamy addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

Nicole needed a legit new start in life. It was not a midlife crisis quite yet but many of her recent choices would lead some to believe differently

So what is the best way to start anew and recapture your happiness after you shed 180lbs of ex?
The answer is easy
Buying an unseen beach house in a small town on the coast
Inaugurating the above-mentioned new cottage home with your besties by your side
And obviously not picking up another permanent 180lb weight
But life isn't always about what we want - Sometimes it is about what we need

This had me laughing, blushing, and even shedding a dry tear or two
I enjoyed their friendship turned to romance
They fit. Flaws and all

A well balanced later in life romance

4.5 out of 5 stars!

I have read many books by this author even though they are told in third person POV. Third person is t my favorite POV but I’ll read the books if they are tried and true authors. So when I heard this was in first person POV, I was excited!

Nicole has two failed marriages and a college aged daughter. She’s a little lost, needing to find her way and find her muse since books don’t get written on their own. Did I mention she’s an author? What she didn’t expect to find when she inhabited her summer cottage was a community of individuals who embraced her into their fold. Not to mention Declan, the hot and cold member of the group. He’s not looking for a relationship either. He’s too busy rescuing his ex from every little thing and trying to keep his dad on this side of the law. They both don’t need or want any entanglements. But the pull of attraction is much stronger than resistance. Plus everyone in their friend group sees how well they fit together. Their HEA was definitely unlike any other romance. But they got the ending they wanted and that’s all that matters.

The author announced on social media that this story is loosely based on her summer of 2021. Whether this was a fictionalized true story or pure fiction, it was exciting to read and feel part of the story. I hope the author writes more first person POV!

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

“You are my greatest Adventure” I loved this book! I loved that the Main characters were older! Everyone deserves to find love! Nicole and Declan’s story is filled with so many adventures! Their chemistry and connection is instant! I loved all of their interactions! The slow burn was great! The spice was *Chef’s kiss* super hot! Melissa Foster has easily become one of my favorite authors! Her writing is simply amazing! She makes you feel like you are in the story!! I highly recommend this great book!

Nicole and her friends are heading out for a girl’s trip in a bug packed full! So that set me in the mood for this fun and hilarious story. Nicole had been married twice before and when she meets DeClan he is hot. Declan wants to help everybody out and sometimes that just don’t always work. But you will fall hard for him! Watching the two come together and work through all of the mess is so much fun.

Melissa Foster just keeps hitting each new book out of the park! She just keeps getting better and better!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the perfect balance of fun, adventure, friendshp and sizzle. Nicole is starting over, she bought a cottage in a town she'd never been to, intending to spend summers there. There, she found the type of community she'd been craving, neighbors who became family, a community that lived a laid back lifestyle, and her very own Dimple Dude, Declan. Although they start as friends, adventure buddies, the explosive chemistry between the two is hard to avoid - and honestly, who would want to? I loved watching their summer story unfold and crossed my fingers that it would lead to more than a summer. At the core though, is this amazing romance writer who is finally living her life for herself.

Thank you to Melissa Foster, Montlake and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

'Rounding off the summer with a read full of charm, character and plenty of heart. Melissa Foster delights us with the treat that is Hot Mess Summer - The British Bibliophile'


Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster is her latest standalone novel based in the summer season itself, set by the sea. If there was a book that was perfect to round off the summer season with, it was this one.

After reading books--be they standalone within in a series, or ones you have to read in order that aren't standalones--bound within a series, being treated to a standalone not contained to a series by one of my favourite authors is a refreshing change. I was looking forward to immersing myself in this solo standalone, getting to know its characters and a feel for something a little different. In a good way, of course.

Before we even get to the bulk of the blurb, we've already been promised a sexy, romantic comedy which will feature a twice-divorced & stressed-out romance writer. Automatically, I'm hooked. I'm keen to know why this woman is twice-divorced, what has her stressed out and what will be in store for her while she discovers just how and why true love can sometimes be a big ol' hot mess. There's so much that could happen, so it's time to dive in.

As this is a standalone read, its tropes are its own. So, what will you be getting within the pages this time? This is what you'll be treated to:

✔ Single Mother
✔ Single Father
✔ Strangers to Lovers
✔ Romantic Comedy
✔ Opposites Attract
✔ Beta Hero
✔ New Girl in Town (kind of!)
✔ Shared Pasts

Nicole is a twice-divorced, stressed-out single mother who's looking to get those all-important words out out of her head and onto the page. Buying a cottage for the summer seems to be the ideal thing to get away from everything, and get something done. Right? Riiiight. Nicole may be going there to write, but her nearest and dearest think otherwise. Despite what they think, she isn't there to meet a man and break her dry spell that has lasted the last three years. She doesn't want the drama or even all the good in-between-the-sheets action she could be having. Writer's block is enough for her to contend with without having to add a whole heap to the other side of the already teetered scales. Community is what she needs. A community and female friends to cheer her on. The universe, however, seems to be delivering the opposite once she arrives in the seaside town, and she is the new, shiny magnet for all the single men.

Declan Miller. Even the name alone is attractive and at the point of reading the blurb, we haven't truly met the man yet. Not properly. Nicole is about to, though. Declan and his humorous self comes across Nicole in the classic meet-cute (and rather comedic) fashion. He spots a twin flame in Nicole and soon makes fast friends with her, and the adventure begins from there. Literally. He takes Nicole on a series of adventures which is bound to get her creative juices flowing, among other things. Dubbed 'dimple dude', he takes his writer girl on adventures literally and only usually bound within the pages of a romance novel. Only, he can give her 'all the feels' for real. His granite-chested, deep-voiced, ex-military raw brawness is hard to resist, and Nicole soon stokes a long-smouldering fire back into life within him.

The two bond over their divorces, their children, and their disinterest in playing any kind of relationship games. They're too mature for that. They claim they're not interested in one another the way we all know as readers they are, which if that is indeed the case, why does Nicole find herself thinking about her rugged fish peddler, her 'Dimple Dude' in 'that' way and he with his 'Writer Girl'? Preferably together and sans clothes? Because as the title of this book entails, they are both their own special kind of one Hot Mess.

At least he's helping her write. Those words are flowing but unlike those words, Declan and Nicole's story is still being told and the final chapter--and how things will end--are still as unknown as it was when they first met.

Based on the cover alone when we first saw it--sans blurb--, I had assumed that this would be a summer romance between two young, carefree lovers. Not quite tipping into a summer-fling Greece style, but something akin to it. It didn't occur to me that it would be a romance starring two main characters heading towards middle-age. By no means is this a bad thing, as I quite enjoyed the change in pace and insight into the mindset of two characters outside of my own age range. It allowed me to see into a whole other perspective. I like it when authors surprise their readers when changing up the age bracket of books to outside of what is typically used, so props to Melissa for this decision.

For a while I will admit, hand on heart, that this was sitting at a steady four-star read. That was, until I actually finished the story and read Melissa's author note at the end. Much like the dedication, this note hit home and is what tipped me over into giving this book a five-star read. An author always injects some of themselves into each story they do, even in the smallest of ways, but reading that this story was more personal to her than just merely getting a story out there made me appreciate her and empathise with her even more. You'll see what I mean when you read the note for yourselves.

Eagerly awaiting a copy of this to land on my doorstep so I can give it some love in person, as I'm doing here for its review.

Five stars.

Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster

This appears to be a stand-alone, but you never know if a series will develop.

Nicole is trying to start fresh, new town, new home, clean slate. She's leaving behind the lies and bad memories from her marriage. And she's trying to find herself. It starts as a girls' week to get her settled into the new cottage and turns into instant friendships with the neighbors and more. Some of the random guys coming onto her is a bit odd, but maybe there isn't that much fresh single ladies in the small town. Of course, one stands out, and he's not in the market for more than friends.
Declan is the town white knight. He's there to help anyone from his ex-wife, his former military buddies, to his dad. This sadly leaves little time for him to focus on his own social life. Don't get me wrong, he's really well known around town because he's just that guy. Yet when he's fighting the attraction to the adventurous writer, it proves too much to resist. There are some things that are stronger than all the past mistakes. Taking a chance and making the hard choices can be the best adventure yet.

I will begin my review with the dedication Melissa wrote in her book because this has a BIG INFLUENCE on the book itself. "For anyone coming out of a relationship and wondering if you're enough. Don't wonder. Believe. Take time to heal, rediscover yourself, and create your happiness. Your vibe really will attract your tribe." You see, Nicole, the FMC in this story, is twice divorced and, at the spur of the moment, decides to buy a cottage in Chatemup, MA, where the story takes place. She heads there with her two best friends, searching for her muse because a writer can't write if her muse isn't talking to her...right? During their time there, Nic finds her tribe and a special man even though she has sworn men off. It just goes to show that maybe, just maybe, the third time is the charm. 😉

This book was a breath of fresh air; it was light-hearted even though there were some tough discussions, and there were so many laugh-out-loud moments and I didn’t cry once…okay, I did tear up but they didn’t fall so I count that as a win since I’m always balling my eyes out with one of Melissa Foster’s books.

I absolutely loved the friendship Declan and Nicole began after their "Meet-Cute," and the nicknames they had for one another were endearing:
Adventure Buddy
Writer Girl
Dimple Dude
and a couple of others.

This was a slow burn, but believe me, it was worth the wait. Declan's dirty talking was some excellent foreplay for what was to come.

I recommend this book to Adult readers who enjoy STEAMY Contemporary Romances, Romantic Comedies, Small Town Romances, or Friends to Lovers Romances.

Happy Reading!!!

3.5 stars
This book felt pretty different than other Melissa Foster titles I've read. Perhaps because it was somewhat inspired by her own experiences? The book started out fairly slow for me, with a good chunk of the beginning dedicated to Nicole and her two best friends arriving in Chatemup and meeting a bunch of the neighbors. Once Declan became a bigger part, the book got more interesting as he came up with adventures for the two of them to go on and then they acted on their mutual attraction.
I had a really hard time with every single man she encountered trying to ask Nicole out or make a move on her. I just didn't buy it, and more than one of them were inappropriate. I also felt like the big issue Nicole had with Declan got resolved too easily - it was like, poof, all gone, everything is good.
Overall, I liked Nicole and Declan and the beach cottage setting, but this wasn't my favorite from this author.

Hot Mess Summer is a fun, fun, fun read. True to the title, Nicole and Declan’s story is full of hot mess shenanigans and so many very relatable situations. Leave it to Melissa Foster to write a hilarious story full of messy real-life scenarios on life after divorce.

A slight departure from her usual stories, Hot Mess Summer is written in first person present POV and the main characters are in their 30s/40s (thought they felt a little older than that).
I enjoyed watching how Nicole recreated her life after divorce and her struggles felt very real to me (as a woman who has been divorced).

There is a certain joy in reading romance novels - you know the ending and the fun is watching how the hero and heroine find their way. This couldn’t be truer for how I felt reading Nicole and Declan’s HEA. Fun, adventurous, hilarious and steamy. Everything you’d expect from a Melissa Foster Novel.

WANTED! A Dimple Dude looking for an Adventure Buddy with messy hair in cut offs and boots, who he calls Bootsy and teases her with "Good Girl"

Melissa Foster has restored my faith in finding love after heartache in your forties. Thank you for that.

I simply loved this book! I loved the realness of this, the other side of romance novels that we don't always see. I obstacles, the curve balls that life throws at us. This books showed us the vulnerability of two divorcees that have given up on love because of past failures at love.

Declan at first seemed too good to be true, but as the book progresses you see the real, vulnerable side of him that he refuses to show everyone. Nicole was real through and through. Her story was honest and spoke so much to me.

Lots of crazy fun adventures and banter and eventually that moment when they just can't keep their hands off each other. I liked that this was a romance without too much steam and lots of easy reading and wanting to live in Chatemup with them.

If you like found family, finding love later in life, vulnerability and heart then this is a good book to read.

I gave Nicole "Bootsy/Writer Girl" and Declan "Dimple Dude" 4,5 stars.

Hot Mess Summer is a witty, entertaining stand-alone. You could almost call it a romantic comedy because of all the laughter, funny scenes and conversations that made me smile. But underneath the humour there's a strong feeling of sadness and past hurts to overcome for both Nicole and Declan. Their attraction is instantaneous, their friendship a wonderful thing to see develop. But their slow slide into love just sweet and wonderful to read about. A heart-warming romance with 'mature' characters in their late 30s and 40s. Highly enjoyable and I would love to see all the single side characters find their HEA!

Hot Mess Summer is a fun romantic comedy by Melissa foster featuring two divorced single parents that are not looking for love at all. Nicole is a romance author with writer’s block who buys a summer cottage in Chatemup, MA, in order to recharge and hopefully get a book done. She gets more than she bargained for with a hilarious cast of characters who know how to have fun and always have some advice. The town seems to be full of single men, but the one who catches her eye is Declan. They seem to understand each other on a deep level, but they vow to stay in the friend zone, despite the obvious sparks between them! Nicole and Declan really seem to find themselves and each other, but the hot messes in their lives keep popping in to interfere. Do they have the potential for more?

I really enjoyed reading a love story with MCs that were more my age, and they were both very relatable. This story shows the struggle of starting over after a divorce. The banter between “Dimple Dude” and “Writer Girl” was a blast to read, and that girl scout cookie scene was the best! I could picture that like a movie in my mind, and I was laughing the whole time!😂 The small town and found family vibes were strong in this story. There were so many people in and out that I had trouble keeping track of who was who at first, but they were funny, inviting, and caring. Plenty of drama came in from outside the relationship with Kenzie (Nic’s daughter), Lindsay (the ex-wife), and Rick (Declan’s dad). Declan, especially, shared a great deal of emotion, stemming from grief and military service. All of that was handled beautifully. As far as the romance aspect, it was a bit of a slow burn with some angst and tension as they tried to remain friends. Then, when they succumbed to their chemistry, it was like a bomb went off! So hot!!🔥🔥 Don’t miss this book! It’s funny, emotional, spicy, and it will leave you hoping for more books about these characters.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶🌶🌶

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I liked this but the beginning was rough. There were way too many characters being introduced way too fast. After you got past that and just got Declan and Nic building a friendship it was a lot better. I liked seeing my little hags together. I loved that they were attracted to each other but still built that friendship foundation before they got together.

I received an arc through grey's promotion.

Hot Mess Summer is a fun and flirty book!!! This is one is not a part of one of her series. I loved every word, every chapter, all the characters and the story! I was captivated from page one. I laughed, cried, and cheered for Writer Girl and Dimple Dude throughout the whole book! This is one of your best stories Melissa Foster!

Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster was an engaging and addictive read!
This was my first Melissa Foster book, and it definitely won't be my last. I absolutely loved it! I feel in love instantly with both Nichole and Declan and their story was so much fun!
Her writing was so emotional and heartwarming. I enjoyed this sweet little adventure and I’m looking forward to reading more from Foster!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

So, I normally make it a point to read to escape reality. Because of this, I tend not to read characters that are super relatable to me. Others like to and that's fine, but for me why do I want to read about me? 🤣🤷‍♀️ so, when I opened Hot Mess Summer and discovered the main character was Nicole 😬, that she was my age 😬 and that her life journey had some similarities 😬, I was very nervous. That being said.. I very quickly fell in love with this book🥰.

Melissa Foster consistently produces books that steal my heart😍, make me laugh🤣 and get me all riled up🥵.

Nicole is a wonderful example of a fmc who has dealt with some things in life, been hurt and healed and hurt again. She has put in the work to find herself and continues to do so. We are the same age and I want to be like her when I grow up 😉.

Declan🥵. I loved Declan immediately. I love that he is very real. Very upfront. And he is trying. He is trying to be everything for everyone, even though it sometimes causes him more trouble than it may be worth. He is honest to a fault and the world needs more men like that. He's not a perfect book boyfriend because of these qualities, but he is damn near close. And did I mention everytime he opens his mouth?? 🥵🥵

I loved this story for multiple reasons. I loved the connection between the main characters, but I also loved their individual stories as well. This book made my heart happy and I will most definitely be reading it again. 🥰

Hot Mess Summer was an enjoyable romantic comedy with quirky characters that you want to root for from the very minute you meet them!

Nicole is a twice-divorced, single mother who is a romance writer who needs a fresh start. In order to get that, she buys a cottage in a small New England fishing village. Her sole goal is to focus on her writing and to avoid romance for herself all together. Of course best laid plans don't always work the way you hope. She meets Declan, a fish peddler, that she has an immediate connection with. They have a lot in common and they become fast friends and adventure buddies. Of course, she hopes to keep him Declan in the friend zone, but just like in her own novels, things don't go as planned. The question is, can these two that have so much baggage between the two of them make something work?

The chemistry between Nicole and Declan leapt off the page and the friendship that they developed definitely created the foundation for a longer lasting relationship. Foster used her typical brand of humor to infuse the story with great dialogue and laugh out loud moments. She

I appreciated that this was a romance about a more seasoned couple looking for a second or third chance at love. It goes to show that sometimes when you're not looking, that's when you find exactly what you don't think you're looking for!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Three years after her second divorce, Nicole is miserable with the lies her narcissist ex has been spreading among their friends and suffering from writer's block. She's a successful romance writer under a deadline and devoting seven days a week to her computer no longer seems to work. On a whim, she buys a cottage on the New England shoreline in Chatemup to spend summers in. But even the change of scenery doesn't trigger new inspiration until a chance meet-cute with a dimpled stranger causes the stories to start flowing again. Neither one of them is ready for a relationship as both of their lives are admittedly a hot mess. What follows is a friendship filled with adventure that eventually leads to benefits. But what happens when the summer ends?
I didn't realize this was part of the Love in Bloom series, just that there were a lot of characters to get to know right away. It read as a standalone in a charming small town with a lot of friendly people. From the beginning, I liked the banter between Nicole and Declan. I like the "adventures" he set up for her trying to make her summer fun and exciting. I especially liked that this was a later in life romance between adults with grown children showing it's never to late to find "the one".
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.