Melissa writers the most beautiful stories I ever had the pleasure of reading. She puts the strongest, most courageous Heroines face an equally brave and bighearted Hero. But out of all of them, Nicole and Declan are my favorite!
Nicole is on a journey to find herself and her writing muse and stumbled(and spilled coffee all over) the Dimple Dude(aka panty melting Declan).
These two are insane together! Their friendship, their chemistry, their connection, everything was flawless.
I always had a crush on Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and knowing that Melissa used him as her muse, it only made me love Declan more. And with those dimples and playful personality and dirty dirty mouth, I now have a Daddy Declan fetish 🤭🤭🤭
As for Nicole, I loved her journey and her weaknesses, and her strength, and her heart. She was so relatable that I felt connected with her from the first pages.
I more than recommend this book! I will reread it and talk the ear off of every book lover i meet and talk to. This book was perfect 💕 Melissa is a brilliant writer! Thank you for giving us Nicole and Declan 💕

Wow. Okay, I was really excited to get this review copy, and this book just.., wow. It was a great read for sure! It left me speechless which doesn’t happen often lol.

“Hot Mess Summer” is a beautiful lesson in self-discovery. The story starts out with Nicole and her two best friends traveling to Chatemup, Massachusetts where Nicole has purchased a cottage. The “girl gang” vibes are strong, and I found myself immediately pulled into the story.

Nicole discovers another found family with her neighbors at the cottage. She is there to write but finds herself drawn in by the community and an attractive fish peddler named Declan. Neither one is looking for a relationship, so they decide to be friends. They are at similar points in their lives after divorce with adult children and immediately feel drawn to each other. Their relationship is more of a slow burn while still managing to pack some heat. It makes sense for these characters, and I really enjoyed their dynamic.

This book is mainly about Nicole’s journey to find out what fills her cup at this stage in her life. This hot mess of a summer helps her realize that success looks much different than previously thought. I really enjoyed how complex these characters managed to be with very little angst. This book is a great place to start if you are new to Melissa Foster because it truly stands alone in her extensive backlist.

Hot Mess Summer takes you on an adventure of love, friendship, and family that ends with you packing up to move to fictional Chatemup, MA.

Nicole Ross and Declan Miller are convinced they aren’t looking for a relationship, but these adventure buddies don’t stand a chance fighting their attraction. This book beautifully portrays finding oneself and letting go of heavy burdens.

Hot Mess Summer is for friendships, family, community, adventure, and romance. With a curmudgeon neighbor who loves his lawn and has a penchant for bakery treats, a rambunctious group of friends, and a cookie heist, this book will not disappoint!

Dual POV (mostly Nicole)
Small town romance
Friends to lovers
Both divorced
Ex-Military
Single parents
Standalone romcom

I love Melissa Foster romances and I love that the hero and heroine are closer to my age! Nic bought a cottage on a whim as a summer getaway and falls in love with Chatemup. Declan is a hot mess and yet can’t help but make Nic his adventure buddy. They try to stay just friends, but end up failing miserably.

Great story and great romance! The only weird piece not explained to me was Jacob and his attitude toward Nic. Hopefully that gets explained in a future story maybe?

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Melissa Fosters for over a year and have read multiple of her books, and this one by far is one of my favorites. It’s a new world with new characters. I think she did an amazing job of planting seeds though out the book, and the way they sprouted and came together in the end I wasn’t fully expecting at all, and made it all make sense. This is a more mature couple which isn’t as common in the romance world and I loved it. It got to show the struggles of young adult children, brings about the divorced club, and the love a found family can give. The age gap is 38 and 47. If your looking for instant spice this isn't it it is closer to the middle end of the book. This book is a love story and it also beings about the struggles of alcoholism and gambling as well as the need to put yourself first sometimes. I loved the laughs and trials the characters endured, and how it brought them together in the end. I’d love to see more from these characters as I loved Daddy Dimples and Writer Girl soo much!

A beautiful messy, steamy romantic love story over one summer that changed two peoples lives!! Nicole who is divorced, wanted to run from life and write on the beach for the summer and Declan is a fisherman that can't help but try to save and help everyone even his ex wife!! When this couple meet sparks flew and only got stronger as the summer rolled on!! So many obstacles that needed to be crossed before this couple could enjoy their adventures together!! Sometimes people take many years to get their life in order but hopefully this will show to follow your heart and make yourself number one once in a while!! Life is to short but to go and enjoy while your here!! Hopefully you have your adventure buddy beside you for all your adventures!! Go grab this book and enjoy!!

4.5 stars

Nicole is 38, a single mom to a ‘in college’ daughter, a romance writer and was married twice already. Now it’s 3 years after her divorce from Tim and on a whim she bought a cottage in a small fishing town in New England to escape for the summer.

At the start of the summer, the annual girls trip with Rachel & Dani is to that cottage in Chatemup.
This is the start of Nic’s journey to finding her new place of peace, new friends and most importantly herself since she kinda lost herself in the relationship with Tim.

Upon her arrival at Chatemup, Nic smacks into a firm chest at the coffee shop, spilling most of her tray of coffees on Declan’s shirt. This was a really fun meet-cute moment between Nic and the witty & charming ‘dimple dude’.


From the start Bootsy and Dimple Dude gave sparkling chemistry, quick-witted banter and fun adventures. They played of each other so well as friends at the start, making me root for this duo from the very start.
I really enjoyed the adventure buddies link, and the cookie wars had me laughing so hard.

Melissa’s writing style makes this a very fluent reading experience. The relatable characters and cozy community vibe made for a story that felt very real and believable.
I also enjoyed that it was 1st person narrative with a double POV where relevant for this rom-com.


Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the chance to read a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. I have always liked Melissa's work and this one was no different. It was definitely funny and had some emotional turmoil in it. The characters were amazing, and I just loved them.

writer Girl and Dimple Dude! I loved Nicole and Declan. This was a lovely slow burn small town romance. Despite them both trying t resist each other Nic and Declan fell for each other, each being able to bring out the best in the other and to make them stop and take a hard look at their lives and be honest with themselves. Declan has so many people relying on him, so much on his shoulders, even if some if there because he chooses to have it there and chooses to carry his burden, but when he sees Nicole arrive with her friends he knows that she is different, and no matter how hard he tries to stay away, or tell her that he just doesn't have the time for a relationship, they both seem to spend a lot of time together, helping each other heal, grow and love again.

I loved seeing Nicole find herself again, finding her confidence and her new tribe of friends that listen to her, see her for herself and celebrate her for herself and not for what she does. Their get together beach barbeques and parties are lovely, and loved that they were a mixed group of friends from all ages.

All the adventures that Nic and Dec go on are amazing and I loved how they had so much fun together and laughed a lot, they had a strong friendship that oozed chemistry and when they did get together it was off the charts. I loved reading this and it left me with a huge smile on my face.

This story right here has it all and then some! Melissa wrote a beautiful story, with the most amazing main characters, and their story that will pull you in right from the start! 5 Hot Mess Stars, but it deserves so many more!
Nicole, on a whim, purchased a cottage in a New England fishing town, and has arrived with her two best friends to help her settle in for the week. Right off the bat she runs into Declan Miller, who catches her in the midst of being flirted with by the barista! And that's just the start of the sparks that fly between her and Miller! But after two failed marriages, she is just looking to spend her summer finishing her book, she doesn't have time for romance!
Miller is attracted to Nicole, or as he refers to her as writer girl! But he's got way to much going on in his life for anything, and he lets her know right off the bat. But the attraction these two share if off the charts hot!
Can she let her heart fall again, or can they keep this their own little hot summer mess? Grab this one and find out! I didn't want to put this one down! I loved every page of it!

I wanted to love this story. The premise was cute - Nicole is in a rut writing her romance book and she’s bought a remote cabin to hopefully cure her writers block. Her friends are wild and crazy - they encourage her to step out of her comfort zone. Declan is a sweet, layered MMC. I could have done without the many towns people awkwardly hitting on her constantly - just one too many encounter had me cringing.

Unapologetically herself - what every woman should aspire to be

I loved Nicole’s hot mess summer journey as she embraces and comes to love all the less than “ideal” parts of herself - all her wild curly hair, middle aged mom body, quirky dressing, joyful uniqueness. We are joyfully invited along on every weird, loving, fun, self-affirming and real part her path. I loved it all. Nicole’s story will give you all the big feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, fist raising, and cheering. Nicole is a twice divorced middle aged single mom and successful romance writer (though she currently is having a smidge of writers block). She buys a beach cottage, sight unseen, in a small New England town where she plans to spend the summer. The first week her besties will be with her but the rest will be just her. Having lost parts of her self during her last marriage, she is looking to reclaim those parts of herself and find a close-knit community that nurtures her. She is not interested in dating and is happy being single. As we follow Nicole through her summer, she meets many interesting secondary characters, some who are brief interactions and others who are recurring characters. All of them help define her for the readers as well as herself. The most prominent other main character is Declan, who also has several chapters from his point of view. He is a divorced single dad who also is not interested in dating as too many things are always clamoring for his attention. So they become friends and adventure buddies only despite their undeniable attraction to each other. But feelings rarely stay in the boxes we assign them to. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline as shown in sweet moments, steamy scenes, laughs, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, baggage unpacking, growth, healing, and heart squeezing love. Chatemup is a town I would not mind visiting.

This is an effervescent book about two people who are done with love, thank you very much. Both Nic and Declan have complicated family situations, and they both intend to remain happily single. But then they meet and just can't stay away from each other. I loved their chemistry and banter. Their adventures were fantastic. I liked that Nic developed such a great group of friends in her new town. Lots of fun!

Nicole and Declan, and their beach and real families, made this such a fun read - especially the Girl Scout cookie adventure! I need to live in a place like Chatemup!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really like Melissa Foster. I love how her characters overlap in her books and how she has built a world of people who feel authentic and honest and like you would know in real life. Hot Mess Summer is the story of a romance writer who is not looking for love. She is looking for a place to be still and happy and for a break from her real life responsibilities. What she doesn't expect or even want is a dimpled charmer who sweeps her off her feet. This friends to lovers romance is steamy and fun and easy to read. At time harvest brain and a little slower burn than I am used to slowed me down, but the pay off was worth it. I loved the growth that both of them have and I loved seeing them find their way together.

Hot Mess Summer is temptation with heart. Foster pushes the boundaries of emotion with a wickedly, ironic sense of humor and a charming addiction to romance. Declan and Nicole are my favorite kind of love story. Small town romance with personality. I couldn't help but fall in love.

3.5 Stars-
"One Hot Summer" by Melissa Foster is a captivating journey that invites readers to rediscover themselves, reclaim lost strength, and embrace love, including the often-overlooked concept of self-love. Melissa Foster's storytelling prowess shines through, making it impossible not to be drawn into the narrative. In fact, you'll find yourself yearning to be a part of it. I'll admit, if I had the chance, I'd pack my bags and move to Chatemup without a second thought!

The small town setting adds depth to the story, with its warm and supportive community. The people Nicole encounters become her found family, and it's as though she was always destined to be there, finding happiness and belonging in this charming place.

While the story isn't laden with angst, it is filled with valuable lessons about self-discovery and understanding others.

In the end, "One Hot Summer" proves that even amidst the chaos of a scorching summer filled with complex individuals, it only takes one season to transform everything. It shows that you are worth it, and you always have been. It is a slower burn but is on par with Melissa Foster's writing style. It is a great entry point to check out the author since this is a new series. It does read on the lighter side and leaning heavy on Nicole Journey. If you are looking for a lower stake in spice romance this is a title to check out.

Nicole and Declan meet in a town called Chatmeup (really?) and fall in love. She's been through too many men, especially for a romance novelist and Declan, well he has his own issues,. This is trope-y and snarky funny, making it a read that might be love it or hate it for some. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC,

4 1/2 STARS!

Melissa Foster continually delivers on a new set of best friends just when we need them! HOT MESS SUMMER is heartfelt, steamy and laugh out loud funny. I loved every minute of Nicole and Declan's story, but for this to be a standalone book, there was a ton of characters to try to keep straight. In all honesty with the world building and character development involved in this one book it could easily become a series out of her two best friends, her daughter, his sons, their parents, the various guys who flirted with her, etc., etc., etc. A tad confusing sometimes, but wholeheartedly enjoyable nonetheless!

Declan ... OMG ... I wish he would follow me home! Nobody tell my husband alright?!?! Seriously though, he's just the sweetest, sexy guy around. I adored him even with all of his drama.

Nic is so much fun. She learns to live again and it's gorgeous to see.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quirky town that is just as much a key part of the story as the main characters as drama, love and angst steal the show.