This was a nice read. Summer after summer is a cozy retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I loved the summery vibes. Definitely recommend it to everyone.

I really enjoyed this book, I was super curious to read it and I really liked it.
I always love a second chance romance and this was pretty good. It’s been five years since the last time things blew up between Olivia and Fred, but much longer since the first time. At this point, Olivia fears it was never meant to be, so there’s no reason to feel butterflies in her stomach at the idea of seeing him again. They’ve already tried, and tried again…and again…but she’s newly single, and she isn’t the same person she was the last time–and Fred has changed, too and maybe that's the whole point, now that they both changed so much its the right time to try again because they're two different people and maybe now it's finally the right time.

I loved the flashbacks and how they showed the two of them falling in love and Fred is such a sweetheart. Maybe I would have liked to see more of the current timeline but overall it was good and I would recommend it.


Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

I didn’t realize this was a Jane Austen retelling going in, but I enjoyed certain aspects—especially the flashbacks and the charming Hamptons setting. However, I struggled with the main character, Olivia, who often felt immature. While it had its moments, this was an overall okay read for me.

Summer After Summer is a sweet and nostalgic read that perfectly captures the magic of long summers. The writing feels warm and easy, like chatting with an old friend, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the emotional journey. If you’re into stories about second chances and the beauty of life’s messy moments, this one’s worth picking up!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Loved the time jumps! It was the perfect beach read, the writing style kept me hanging on every word… desperate for more!

*Summer After Summer* by Lauren Bailey is a poignant and beautifully written second-chance romance that tugs at the heartstrings. In this modern retelling of *Persuasion*, Olivia Taylor returns to her family’s Hamptons beach house for one last summer. As she helps pack up her childhood home, she’s not only saying goodbye to the past but also confronting the ghosts of the love she’s lost.

Fred, the man who’s held her heart through years of almosts and not-quites, is back in her orbit after five years apart. Olivia isn’t the same person she was during their last heartbreak, and Fred has changed too. But even with her failed marriage and the family estate slipping away, she begins to wonder if they can finally get it right this time.

Bailey captures the bittersweet pull of nostalgia and the hope of renewal, weaving a tale full of longing, resilience, and the enduring power of love. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Rebecca Serle, *Summer After Summer* is a tender exploration of timing, growth, and the courage it takes to try again.

LOVED the premise, loved the beachy feels, loved the dynamics between some of the characters (they weren't typical... quirky would be a good word to describe them). I loved the idea of an old flame reappearing. I loved the ideas! But, it just didn't mesh well. There was just too much back and forth to be able to keep the storyline straight (where are we again? How did we get here?). I know that it was meant to shadow the book by Jane Austen called Persuasion, but man... it was difficult for me! The pettiness between the characters sometimes just went too far (specifically on Olivia's side) and it was just not a light, beachy read as I had hoped for. However, the writing style was unique and something I enjoyed overall, just was difficult to follow along as well as all the other added bits! Thanks for the opportunity to read!

A very late read, as from experience, Lauren Bailey's books are quite long and I wanted to be able to continuously read it to finish it so I kept putting it back until I could sit down with it properly.

I am glad I finally got to it. Recently there seems to be a trend of romance novels with meeting the love of your life at the wrong timing and you somehow just keep missing each other in life. This is one of them but I love the way they somehow just cross paths every 5 years and somehow seem to have a chance to be together but some twist happens and it never happens for them.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC (read late unfortunately) and I get to find out what happens to them. I love the ending!

Olivia Taylor returns to her family estate in the Hamptons to help her father and sisters pack up and sell their beachfront home, a bittersweet farewell to her childhood and the memories of her late mother. As she navigates the upheaval of her impending divorce, she crosses paths with Fred, her long-lost love, reopening old wounds and unresolved feelings. While grappling with her family's financial struggles and her own changing identity, Olivia faces the possibility of a fresh start with Fred, questioning whether their love can survive after so many failed attempts. This book was unfortunately very forgettable! I feel like I've already read a lot of romance books with the same or similar storyline so it all blended together.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

The beachy vibes of the cover definitely pulled me in when I requested a copy to read, and was so excited for the perfect beach read.

A coastal beach house, complex family dynamics, and a romance. However, it wasn’t the beach read I’d hoped for unfortunately, and had a hard time connecting to the story.

I did enjoy the narration of the audiobook format and would recommend!

*many thanks to Alcove Press, Netgalley for the gifted copy

It was really good to read, it was easy but I don’t feel tamhat connection That I thought I would have, anyway an excellent book that I think many readers will like, the review came out late because I lost my account password🥺

If you are a Colleen Hoover fan or Elin Hilderbrand fan, you'll love this book! It was cute and an easy read but I didn't feel any connection or beautiful detail. I was just good.

A woman returns to her family’s Hamptons beach house for one last time—and a final chance at lost love—in this contemporary Persuasion retelling, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Rebecca Serle.

Olivia Taylor’s marriage is ending, and she heads back home to help pack up the family estate. Along with saying goodbye to her childhood home, she must face Fred, the love of her life, after five years apart. They’ve tried and failed before, but maybe this time, things will be different.

The alternating timelines, with five-year jumps, kept me both in awe of and frustrated with the characters! I wasn’t sure if I’d be team Fred, but the story hooked me until the end. It was a unique read, and I loved that Olivia was a pro tennis player. 🎾

Summer After Summer by Lauren Bailey is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, set against the backdrop of the Hamptons. The story follows Olivia Taylor as she returns to her family's beachfront estate to help pack up their home, which has been sold after years of financial struggle. Complicating matters is the unexpected buyer—her first love, Fred, with whom she shares a tumultuous history.

While the book has a lot of elements I enjoy in a summer read—like the charming coastal setting, the possibility of a second chance romance, and a likable male lead—it ultimately fell short in a few key areas. The love story between Olivia and Fred was frustrating, with their separation feeling more like a result of poor communication rather than any substantial obstacle. Additionally, the portrayal of Olivia's wealthy but inactive family felt out of place in a modern context, making them less sympathetic and relatable.

Olivia herself came across as immature and at times, petty—traits I found surprising and disappointing for a 36-year-old protagonist. The constant back-and-forth in the timeline added to my confusion, and the story often felt more like a young adult novel than the adult romance I was expecting.

In the end, Summer After Summer has all the ingredients for a compelling summer romance—second chances, family drama, and nostalgic summer love—but it didn't quite come together for me. It was an okay read, but it lacked the spark to make it truly memorable.

Not my cup of tea but I recommended this title to my friends who are fans of Colleen Hoover and Elon Hilderbrand.

When Olivia’s marriage falls apart, she runs to her family’s Hamptons beach house to help pack it up for sale after her father mishandles the family finances. She learns that the person who bought the house is her on-and-off-again love, Fred. The story flashes between past and present as we witness Olivia and Fred’s relationship drama summer after summer.

This was a quick and easy beach read, but the characters were hard to like. Olivia was fine, but I found Fred insufferable and he had few redeeming qualities. Their relationship was toxic, so I had a hard time rooting for them. I learned after reading that it is actually a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which I love, and I wish I had known that ahead of time because I might have liked it more knowing that. If you like Gossip Girl, Magnolia Parks, or are just fascinated by rich people problems, this could be a fun book for you. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It was an easy and enjoyable read but I just couldn’t connect with their relationship.

Just my type of book, A brilliant holiday read. Olivia and Fred, will the timing ever be right, will she return to new York away from her family. I was able to lose myself in this book, with a twist I didn’t see coming. Worth a read, looking forward to explore more books by Lauren Bailey

I'm not much into classics, but I am very interested in the retellings. So, I haven't read Persuasion but I've read a modern retelling by an Indian writer (set in India), which I liked. That was the reason I requested this book, but I couldn't finish this one, as I didn't connect with the characters and writing style. Maybe, this book wasn't for me.

Thank you for the ARC.