Lots of Persuasion vibes which I loved! An interesting modern take on a beloved classic. I think this would make a good summer read, especially for those who love Austin reimaginings.

Thank you Net Galley and Alcove Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I loved. this book. There are so many sub stories and backstories about this somewhat complicated family but they all come together in a tale that spans a few decades. It’s about sibling rivalry, first loves, lost loves, deceit and deception, friendships and mostly about family. Olivia has come home to Southhampton after she needs time away from her cheating husband Wes. She feels charged with the task to clean out the family home, which was being sold to pay off debts. When she gets there, she finds out that the house was being sold to her first love, Fred, who she first met 20 years ago as her first kiss. Olivia and Fred flit in and out of each other’s lives seemingly every five years, never quite figuring out how to make things work. The work of cleaning out the house brings back memories to Olivia and her sisters about the loss of their mother and the messages she left them. The story encompasses two decades of Olivia and Fred – – who really are two star crossed lovers. You will find yourself rooting for them to work things out and with the twists and turns in the story, you wonder if it will ever happen. A great first effort.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me up late because I really wanted to see what happened. I was surprised by some parts. I was well written and enjoyable.

Devoured this book in a day and had a hard time making myself put it down to go to work. At times I couldn’t decide if I was routing for Fred and Olivia to stay together or stay apart, but every page left me wanting to know more of their story. The slide between the past and the present was a great way to learn about their past meetings while still wanting to know about their present. Not a single character I didn’t love or love to hate!

Olivia Taylor is running away from her soon-to-be-ex, and the fact that her father and sisters need her help packing up their family beach home before it sells is a good excuse to get away. Olivia has a lot of memories wrapped up in her childhood home. It's where she grew up, where her mom died, and where she first met Fred, the real love of her life.

She and Fred have tried so many times in the past and it's always blown up between them. But when she sees him again on this trip, things feel different. Second-chance tropes are generally not my favorite, but this was a fun beach read. I enjoyed the beachfront atmosphere. It was fun to watch the relationship between Olivia and Fred change through the story. If you enjoy second-chance romances, give this one a chance! Fun read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Olivia's fiancé cheated, so she decides to go home to the Hamptons to help pack up her father's house, which was recently sold. When she arrives, she discovers that Fred, her childhood boyfriend, has bought the house. But apparently, there is still a lot going on between Olivia and Fred and between Olivia and her childhood best friend Ash, which you will all find out from the now and then POV.

I am obsessed with these then-and-now POVs where there is a mystery going on. Throughout this book, I constantly needed to discover what happened all those years ago. Oh, and the plot twist at the end, yes, I loved that. What I loved even more was that I did not expect it. Also, the romance in the book was great, the characters were lovely (except for Lucy, I hated her), and the writing style was so nice to read. Honestly, I hardly have anything that I did mind in this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Summer after Summer by Lauren Bailey, published by Alcove Press

I loved this novel, Lauren Bailey please write another book. I fell in love with the characters and the plot! So well written.
Written in the past and the present we follow Olivia through her personal life and her tennis career, she makes decisions along the way that help her to stay focused on the court and also allow her find love.
This novel kept me reading, I was on the edge of my seat. I thought I knew how it would end and then it didn't! I loved the ending!
Great novel and I will be watching for more books by Lauren Bailey

I love this book! My first read for this author. Very well written. I love the characters, storyline, interactions. This book has it all romance, friendship, loves gone wrong, devious people, heartwarming people, righting of wrongs. All around great book. I recommend this book highly. I was given an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Summer After Summer is the debut novel of Lauren Bailey, and it is a modern day retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I am always intrigued by retelling of Jane Austen’s works, and I was excited to pick this one up.

At first, I was sure this would be a 4 star read. The beginning was compelling and I liked the shifts back and forward in time. However, I think the story got a little bogged down in the tennis elements and the second half of the book dragged a bit.

The writing was excellent. I would definitely keep an eye out for another book by this author based on the quality of the writing alone. The book also captured the wistfulness of the original work. The setting was very vibrant and really came to life (and made me wish it was still summer!). Overall it was a solid debut.

Summer After Summer is a lovely atmospheric second-chance (or maybe more?) romance. It gave me a taste of Beach Read by Emily Henry, with some Every Summer After by Carly Fortune thrown in. Fun, heartfelt, and lovely.

Olivia Taylor is heading back home to help pack up her dad's home which is being sold, and comes at a time when Olivia and her husband are having issues.. While being back at home she runs into Fred, and this where the story takes off, you get a full picture of Olivia and Fred from their first kiss on the beach when they were teenagers to now when they are adults and even in the in between. The timeline goes from past to present and how they seem to run into each other every 5 years. It's a cute romance story with family dynamics that seems to fit.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this ARC

Thank you Alcove and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book because it was beautifully written with the dual timeline and because second chance is one of my favourite romance tropes. Even though I've never been to the Hamptons, I could imagine the setting vividly and I enjoyed all the tennis content. I also liked that it was inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion with little references here and there and that it gave a modern twist to it.
The only reason I won't rate it 5 stars is that there was too little insight into the main characters' relationship. They weren't together long enough for me to truly root for them, so I guess there's some suspension of disbelief needed to be happy with the story. However, I liked that the ending wasn't predictable but that there was a surprising turn.
Overall, I think it'll be a great summer book and I can recommend it to everyone who's looking for a "right person-wrong time" story.

I enjoyed this book. Some of the characters irritated me but that’s what the author was trying to do. The characters were all well rounded and I found myself wanting to read more of the characters story.

Wow- I loved this book. I read it in one day, ignoring almost everything I needed to get done 🙃. It reminds me of Every Summer After! Aside from the similar names, they’re both perfect second chance love stories, with really strong characters. I could not put it down, and I didn’t want it to end.

With her marriage on the rocks, Olivia returns to the Hamptons to pack up her childhood home. After years of a dwindling fortune, her dad finally made the difficult to decision to sell the family home. Her distant and tense relationship with her family is made even worse when she discovers it’s her first love, Fred, who is purchasing their home. They haven’t spoken in years, didn’t end on good terms, and he arrives with a beautiful mutual acquaintance on his arm.

As if that isn’t difficult enough, Olivia is also tasked with packing up her dead mother’s belongings, unpacking her uncomfortable feelings for her ex within their new forced proximity, and the reemergence of her cheating husband.

Lending context to all the drama, the story flashes back to the summer Olivia turned 16 when she fell in love with Fred, then five years later to summer of her first major tennis injury, and over the ups and downs of her subsequent professional tennis career. I honestly thought the story was perfect. It wasn’t predictable. It wasn’t dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. My only complaint is that you have to wait until May 7, 2024 to read it.

I couldn't stop turning the pages of this story! I was captivated by the premise from the beginning and loved seeing where the plot went. I was rooting for the main character throughout and was dying to know how the love story would end. I highly recommend!

Summer After Summer
Lauren Bailey
May 7, 2024
Alcove Press
*romance
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book had a great cover, coastal beach house, past love returning and intriguing family.
While it had all this, it just didn’t work for me. The first part of the book was like a Hallmark movie, nice.
However, there were several plot misses. How are her father and older sister doing so well when they ran out of mi way “years ago,”.? The amount of pettiness in Olivia is astounding. Just be adults.
I would recommend this book to a romance reader who just wants a light read.
2 star

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Negalley in exchange for an honest review!

REVIEW TO COME

I really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Lauren Bailey. First thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for chance to read e edition before publication.
The story of the main character from teenage girl to adult woman was intriguing and entertaining. The twist and turns through the novel kept me wondering how things would work out for her, her friends and family.
I look forward to another book by this author !

Olivia Taylor is having a crisis or two in her life right now. She is getting ready to go through a divorce with her husband Wes in New York City, but has also been called home to the Hamptons. A place she doesn’t want to return to at all but must, as she is considered to be the “head” of the family and her father is finally selling the pithole, oops I mean family estate. Something so now they must go through everything. Someone has offered them a substantial amount for the beachfront property which can save everyone in the family. What Olivia wasn’t expecting was that the buyer was her one time love, Fred. Now the question will be can they pick up where they have left off years ago or will this romance be gone forever?

This is a book you are either going to love or you will hate, there is almost no in between. Some will find it great and love it as it resembles Jane Austen’s Persuasion. While others will have a hard time with it as it keeps going from present to the past to the present. Plus in some ways it is hard to understand why a 35 year old woman is acting like she is 16 again. I am one of the those, I just couldn’t get into it. I tried numerous times but it didn’t grab my attention the way I hoped it would at all. I mean who doesn’t love to read a book about a woman, a beachhouse, a guy, family and love? But it all depends on how you take it. Like I said, some will love it.

I thank NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an advanced copy of this book.

My patrons will absolutely love this book, I can see it being very popular! I really did enjoy reading it and I wish I could read it again for the first time because wow, it was a great read!