3.5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed following Olivia and Fred’s relationship in this wonderful retelling of Jane Austen’s <i> Persuasion. </i> It is a beautiful story about growing up and second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances.

<b>“Do you want me to go?”
“No.”
“Are you happy to see me?”
“Fred.”
“Just tell me. <i>Tell me you didn’t forget me</b>.”</i>

Fred is sweet, easily lovable, and his love for Olivia through the years made me swoon. We all want someone to love us that much ❤️

Will definitely recommend this summer read when it’s out next year!

Thank you to Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book. I loved it. The bond between Fred and Olivia was so pure and so many things they said about trying again and it not working were really relatable to me. Olivia and Fred had undeniable chemistry and I was always rooting for them. I could also feel the love between Olivia and Wes as brief as it may have been but I think this book ended perfectly. The turn at the end had me cheering so hard for Olivia. Lauren Bailey writes lovable characters while also sprinkling in a couple hateable ones (hateable for good reason). I loved this book and I connected with the romance on a very real and deep level. Thank yo Lauren Bailey for writing it.

This was the perfect end of summer read. I loved the Hamptons setting and the second chance at romance storyline. Loved Olivia and Fred and couldn’t put the book down because I had to know if they finally figured it all out.

I love a good Jane Austen adaptation, and Persuasion is one of my favorite Austen novels, so naturally, I knew I was going to enjoy Summer After Summer. And I was right! Olivia Taylor jumps at the chance to return to her family's estate in the Hamptons and help her father and sisters pack up the house. She may be running away from New York City and her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Wes, but someone has to take care of things, and that responsibility has always fallen to Olivia. Now that her father is being forced to sell the house, Olivia is confronted with memories from the past, including those of her first love, Fred. But when Fred unexpectedly walks back into Olivia's life, can she let him back in? Will the fifth time be the charm—or is their love story simply not meant to be?

I thought Summer After Summer was a really enjoyable modern-day Persuasion retelling, but even more than that, a sparkling debut that certainly stands on its own, too! The story covers multiple timelines, taking readers through summer 2023 with Olivia, and flashing back to other formative times in her life. It's very well-paced, and packed with plenty of drama and twists to keep readers guessing until the last page. The romance between Olivia and Fred was beautifully written! I especially enjoyed the family dynamics and Olivia's journey of pursuing her tennis career. Additionally, I loved the Hamptons setting—it felt so immersive and drew me into the story from the very start. Summer After Summer is the perfect beach read (or maybe a book to pick up when you're missing those summer days, too). Lauren Bailey is definitely an author to watch, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Thanks so much Alcove Press and NetGalley.

Olivia and Fred were a thing briefly, but things blew up. Now her father is being forced to sell their family Hamptons home. She is in the middle of a split with Wes, and now she's back home sorting through the house and getting it ready to sell. Fred is somehow back. What does that mean? How will Olivia resolve so many things in her life?

The story is told in the past and the present. You get a lot of Olivia's life. There are several mini plots that are going on. I thought kind of moved a little slow with some tension that kept the stories going. However, there's some twist that I did not see coming. I liked it overall! Olivia and her family were such great characters.

I have never read "Persuasion" and still was hooked and invested from the very start of SUMMER AFTER SUMMER. A love story spanning over twenty years, filled with lost love, angst and missed chances. I'm a sucker for second-chance (or fifth-chance in this case) and dual timelines, and this book certainly kept me on my toes, engaged, wondering how Olivia and Fred's story will end. A perfect beach read that takes place in the charming Hamptons that makes for a great escapism! I really enjoyed and believed Olivia and Fred's connection with each other and admired the author's style and depth of writing.

A remarkable debut and looking forward to reading whatever the author writes next. Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

At 16 Olivia had never been kissed so she set out to find a guy on the beach and get that kiss. The guy she introduces herself to is Fred. They have a whirlwind of summers until high school is over. As much as they were together and apart, their relationship never came to anything. Now Olivia is back at her family’s Hampton Beach house to go through things so the house may be sold. There are a lot of memories to work through. Her marriage to Wes is ending and it is time to spend the summer with her family. She is surprised to find out that Fred has bought the house. I really liked this book. The sisters struggle with selling the house and trying to get reacquainted. Olivia had a dream to play tennis at Wimbledon and I loved how her life was portrayed while she worked to perfect her game. For awhile tennis was her life and I believe this book gave a good look at what it takes to be a professional athlete. The time she spent with Fred off and on for decades was special. He embodied what a mate should look like. Great book with surprises along the way and wonderful characters.

I've heard it’s a modern twist on Persuasion, but I personally have not read that. I still enjoyed the story, but I’m sure I would have liked the connection had I been familiar with it.

The dual timelines of past and present kept me hooked and the story moving quickly. The past timeline jumped five years every so often, with the current timeline staying in 2023.

I highlighted a lot in this book, a lot of great quotes I wanted to remember. I loved Olivia and Fred’s story, especially the back and forth between the timelines and young love. The twist at the end is one I did not see coming and I absolutely loved it.

The only things I can think of that bothered me was the overuse of the phrase “pregnant with…” as it just kept popping up, and Olivia having the same middle name as Ann (even though it's spelled differently) who was not a great person.

I definitely recommend Summer After Summer, it was a great summer read set in the beautiful Hamptons. Happy I finished off my summer with it.

3 1/2⭐️
This book was definitely something else! I loved the story, and the plot, but throughout the story a few of the male characters really irked me, I almost couldn’t get past how much they did but I stuck it out and I’m glad I did! The ending was amazing! This definitely would have been a 4-5⭐️ read for me if it weren’t for the fact that I wanted to punch out half the male characters for over half the book

Also side note because this is being sent separately, at the beginning of chapter 18 there is a mistake, it should be “after a while I couldn’t tell…” not “after i while I couldn’t tell…”

When I felt frustrated with Olivia and Fred I thought- of course, because I felt the same way about Anne and Wentworth in Jane Austin’s, Persuasion. Olivia grew on me as she pursued her passion for tennis and worked through her heartbreak on her own terms. Overall, this adaptation worked for me and was an engaging read. I loved the summer after summer theme.

Thank you #AlcovePress and #NetGalley for the ARC e-book.

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
*******************************************************

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

Olivia Taylor’s marriage is in a death spiral when she agrees to come home to the Hamptons to help her father and sisters pack up the family estate. If it looks like she’s running away from her soon-to-be-ex Wes and New York City, well, she is. But someone has to take care of things and that’s always been Olivia’s role in the family. After years of financial trouble, someone’s finally bailing them out with a huge offer to buy their beachfront property, which is a good thing, although it means losing the home she grew up in, where her mother died, and where she first met Fred, the love of her life.

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.

This time, things will be different. Maybe, just maybe, the fifth time’s the charm.

School is not even back in Canada, and I already have a beach book for 2024???? WOWZA…I was decidedly in the mood for one as I go on vacation in 2 weeks but not to a beach: another return to my beloved Montreal.

You might scare some people off with the mention of it being a re-work of Jane Austen’s book as most people looking for beach books want frothy reads. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable romp in the sand – we all deserve a second (or fifth) chance at love and people will inhale this book as it was utterly enjoyable. I enjoyed it this summer, you can enjoy it next – just wear your sunscreen as you may lose track of time and get a burn. Skin cancer is no joke.

(Would I give the same person a fifth try? Probably not but Olivia and Fred have something special there .. a love we all dream of!)

#shortbutsweetreviews

Summer After Summer was the perfect summer read. I love a second-chance romance, and this delivered. I also loved the tie-in to Persuasion, which is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels. The setting was also great—the beach, the Hamptons, all of it. Olivia and Fred are that couple—ones who always get in their own way but eventually figure it out. I loved the family aspects too—it all felt very real. Highly recommend.

Loved this book! Five stars! The perfect story of love, family and coming home. You’ll be riveted until the very last word. Highly recommend this page-turner!

Summer after Summer was a refreshing read. The author's writing style really drew me into this family beach drama/romance. I don't usually read "feel good" books, but something about this one made me want to stick with it. It ended up being a novel that I really enjoyed. My only issue is that at some points, it read like a YA novel. I enjoyed the dual timelines and connected to the characters easily. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a good summer by the pool read or someone who just enjoys women's fiction/romance in general. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Summer After Summer is marketed as a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and it certainly hits the mark on that. This story tells the romance of Olivia and Fred, who meet as teenagers on a beach in the Hamptons and from that point, are set on a course of true (but ill fated) love on and off throughout their lives. It all culminates to a summer in the Hamptons years later, where Fred and Olivia’s stories cross again for a seemingly final will they or won’t they?

This book captured a great many details from Persuasion and in my opinion, I thought accomplished its goal in being a cute modern day twist on the classic story. The dual timelines kept the story moving and propelled it forward enough to retain my interest; there were points where it felt a bit slow and where I wished we could just move forward (this pace definitely worked better for Austen and customs of the 19th century). But, this was a great summer read! There were some points where the writing felt a little at odds with the contemporary flair/writing/references in the story but, it was easy enough to look past. The characters also clearly got in their own way and had me shaking my head a bit but, I get where the author was going with it and where she was drawing from!

Overall, I’d recommend this book for romance fans and for fans of Jane Austen retellings. It made me want to pick up Persuasion again so, that should say something!