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!