oh. my GOD. this was a gut punch that’ll leave you with an emotional bruise. as the title suggests, this takes place over multiple summers and BOY lemme tell you, it immediately captivates you and the writing makes for such an emotional experience. i hung onto every word and finished this book with a happy but sore heart

This is the first Paige Toon novel that I have read, but it will not be my last.

I am generally more of a fan of open-door romance, but I genuinely had a hard time pulling myself away from this book. No lie -- I started reading on a Tuesday night, fell asleep while reading (not from boredom, but from exhaustion), and then woke up at 0430 because I was dreaming of the main characters. 😍

Once I returned to the story, I was entranced. I love the way the author played with the timeframe and also didn't let the "typical" beats of a romance influence how she wanted to tell the story. A sign of a good book to me is how much I want the MCs to have a HEA or HFN.

We got those here in a remarkable fashion, and I will definitely be reading more from Paige Toon.

* In my head, Finn was Harry Styles. I'm just saying.🤷🏼‍♀️*

This book was quite the rollercoaster.

Our main characters find themselves in quite a situation. After meeting and sparking tragedy strikes, they know they have to separate. But a year will go by and if they’re still single they’ll pick up where they left off. This repeats. Both of them feeling the pain of their situation but neither knowing how to get off the ride.

I thought this book was very well written. It had all the feels and more. If you like your romance with a little bit of tears you’ll like this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Seven Summers by @paigetoonauthor

Unable. To. Form. Words. About. How. Much. I. Loved. This. Book. 🥹🥹🥹🥹

First of all, when I saw @paigetoonauthor literally bawling on video as she wrote these characters, I knew I was in trouble. The passion and care that is shown in this book is what gets me.

Finn and Liv meet while working in a Cornish beach bar. Liv is bartending and Finn is filling in for a local band as lead singer. There’s an undeniable spark between them and they spend the next weeks getting to know each other. After a great night together, a tragedy occurs and Liv’s life is turned upside down. Finn and Liv are forever bonded through this unimaginable event but Finn’s life is back in LA trying to make it big with his own band. The two agree to not communicate that year apart, but if they’re both single the next summer when he returns, they will pick up right where they left off and spend the summer as a couple. This continues to happen year after year and y’all I was obsessed with their epic love story. While unconventional, it was full of passion and pining and longing and tension and it was EVERYTHING 💕

Then, one summer, Liv meets Tom. And I’m getting choked up just writing this. But Liv sees for the first time that she may not have to live her life completely heartbroken every year.

Y’all, Toon outdid herself with this one. I didn’t think I could love one more than “Something I Used to Know” but this one takes the lead. It was so, so emotional and these characters will forever stick with me. I cried, I swooned, I fell in love with the setting, these characters, and their story. I will re-read this one forever!

Read if you love:
🐚 Toon’s classic writing style
🐚 a book that’ll make you cry
🐚 Cornwall setting
🐚 art & music
🐚 love stories you’ll want to remember forever

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ infinite stars

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader for one of my favorite author’s ever!! This one is out March 28! ☺️

I was drawn to this book after reading the synopsis because I love love triangles, especially when they're done well. This book includes two interconnected timelines which usually isn’t my favorite but Paige toon was able to smoothly transition them that I didn’t even care! If you love emotional reads that’s going to leave you sobbing on the bed read this book!

I only discovered the magic of Paige Toon's writing earlier this year and I am quickly devouring every book she has gifted to the world. There is something about her style that is just so uniquely Paige Toon. I like to think of it as bittersweet; one minute my heart is broken, just absolutely shattered and a few pages later, it is being mended back together piece by piece. In the end, I'm whole again and completely satisfied by the story.

This book is gorgeous. It tackles the hardest of subjects to capture - incredible trauma, grief, guilt, friendship, love...

Liv is a young artist living in England and we experience her go from being a carefree college student to a grown woman handling unspeakable loss(es) and unintended responsibilities. We see her fall in love and put her dreams on hold for everyone else. We get to watch her relationship with her brother who has an extra chromosome develop and change (he is one of my favorite characters). Over time, she finally puts herself first and gets (almost) everything she imagined. Of course, there is unfinished business so we go on a roller coaster of emotions (mind your heart, grab your tissues). The end, though? Chef's kiss. I highly recommend you pick this book up if you are even hesitating a little bit; it's worth it.

I accepted an eARC of this book via NetGalley in for my honest opinion.

I could not get into this book. I tried reading it two separate times and maybe it was just me but nothing grabbed me at all. I had no interest in the story or characters.

Wow! This book was truly spectacular! I could not put it down!

The story follows Liv and Finn, who are in their early 20's, over the course of seven summers. What starts as a carefree summer romance turns into so much more. While the story had heavy topics and raw emotion, Paige Toon's writing made me feel like I was there in a small beach town going through the ups and downs with the characters. I have a feeling I will have a huge book hangover after this one!

Extra special thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books/Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I feel like this book contains so many emotions and expresses them all so well.

Liv (Olivia) has loved Finn for many summers. Their relationship is filled with love, understanding, heat and promise. Except that Finn can't stay because of the loss of his mother when he was younger and the pain associated with it. So they have summers.

Finn is a musician and when he hits it big in L.A. and his songwriting career takes off it makes the distance between him and Liv that much bigger. He loves his life in L.A. but he also loves Liv. He finds someone in L.A. and chooses to pursue that relationship.

Liv then meets Tom. A stranger to her yet someone she connects with. Their relationship moves fast and before long they're in love and making a life together. When Finn comes back to town she's conflicted but she chooses Tom.

The story of Liv, Finn and Tom isn't so much a love triangle (although there's a brief shape in there) but it's more a story of love found and lost and found again. Finding yourself amongst the ruins of your life and choosing again and again.

I would recommend this book. It really made me ponder the choices we all get to make.

I was moved by how the story depicted grief and how someone processes losing loved ones. The love stories were nice but they didn't resonate as much as I was expecting.

I received an ARC from netgalley and the publisher.

Give me all the Paige Toon books. Gosh, she always hits all the feels! I live for an alternating timeline in my books! A love triangle that makes me love both interests! Thanks NetGalley for letting me read this book!

The beginning of this book definitely felt a little slow to me. It was hard to really get into, but once I hit the 75% mark it was hard to put it down!

I felt a little detached to the characters, and felt as though the way this book is written makes you feel farther away from the characters and events. It’s as if every chapter happens in the past and a narrator is telling the story for you, which leaves connecting and feeling for the characters harder.

After the 75% mark, the timelines started to match up a little better and I could see where the book was heading! The epilogue was heartbreaking and added such a new layer to the story, but in some ways it did also fall flat since it was very predictable. It sort of felt like One True Loves by TJR in the way she describes having two major loves in her live, and living them out.

Finn was a decent character for me, I liked seeing his growth and the way his live came together throughout the story. I also loved the way that Michael finally came around to him.

Tom just felt like a much better match to me and seeing that present life, the way they had grown and naturally fit together felt so much more realistic and less forced than with Finn.

Overall, this was a great book, but because of the first 75% feeling so drawn out and slow, I can’t rate it higher than a 3!

* an ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a nice read. Sometimes I am not a fan of these years long drawn out stories so there were some parts felt could've moved a little faster.

paige toon really knows how to pull at your heartstrings. in the other paige toon books i’ve read, she throws in a major plot twist 75% into the book. i was kind of bummed there was no plot twist but then i read the epilogue…

the dual timeline was confusing at times but i am such a sucker for dual timeline. i couldn’t wait to find out what happened in the previous summers and to see if finn would be coming back for the seventh summer.

when reading this book, i kept wishing that there was a way that liv could have both tom and finn. that did happen but not in the way i would have expected. overall, i really did enjoy this book. it reminded me a lot of 28 summers which i also loved.

thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books/Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read Seven Summers by Paige Toon!

A lovely novel that made me feel many emotions! The first bit of the book was a little rough to get through, but once the half way point was passed it was exponentially better. I enjoyed reading it and it was certainly entertaining. Will make a lovely summer read!

I would rate 3.5 stars.

I have so many thoughts on this book, but the first is that it tugged on my heartstrings from beginning to end! Paige Too is a master at crafting complex romance stories that keep you at the edge of your seat always waiting for more and rooting for her characters.

Finn and Olivia's love story was beautiful to witness. What I appreciated the most was how realistic their relationship and connection seemed. The author allowed it to develop organically while allowing both characters to develop independently as well. This was not only a story about their love but also about loss and grief which were well explored in the story.

I will however say that the pacing threw me off a bit and I did find that it did take a moment for the pace to pick up at times which made it a little bit challenging at times.

However, it is one of the best romance books I have read this year and I cannot wait to read more from Paige Toon.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

This story is a journey through six years of intertwined destinies, blending love, loss and the passage of time. The main characters are Liv and Finn, whose lives are altered by a night of passion that lead to tragedy. They promised one another that they would spend each summer together, even if they were separated by miles and different lives.

I felt like the characters were both very relatable and authentic. The annual reunions offer a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. Tom is introduced and that adds a twist of complexity. The descriptions of the coastline and wildflowers made me feel immersed in their world. Liv's internal struggle is beautifully portrayed and made me really feel for her and with Tom dropping a bombshell on her makes it even more complex. This was a beautiful read and it really showcases the complexity of love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Concept is great, plot is great but I found it had a little too much detail and made it hard to envision/let our imaginations wander a bit.

Paige Toon has once again outdone herself! My heart loves every moment of every page. Toon takes you along for the highs and lows of this marvelous world that she has created. Be ready for you heart to break, heal and love alongside the characters in this masterpiece.

I am absolutely captivated by this book! If you're a fan of Emily Henry, One Day, or Normal People, I strongly urge you to dive into this captivating read. While it falls within the romance genre, it delves into profound themes, exploring the struggles of characters grappling with genuine traumas and complex issues.

The characters are beautifully flawed and intricate, making them incredibly endearing. Witnessing the evolution of their relationship over the course of several summers was a highlight for me. The narrative seamlessly weaves between present-day and the previous six summers, creating an anticipation that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the revelation of pivotal events.

Liv, with her artistic soul and vulnerability, carries the weight of the world on her shoulders following a tragic incident that derails her life plan. Finn, characterized by his adorableness, guarded demeanor, and restlessness, adds a layer of depth to the slow-burning romance. The tension between them is palpable, and despite the obstacles, you can't help but root for their connection.

Initially easy to dismiss, Tom grows on you, and his relationship with Liv becomes increasingly intricate, leaving the reader as torn as Liv herself. The emotional roller coaster of this narrative is enthralling, and even with the anticipation of potential heartbreak, I found it impossible to put the book down.

I eagerly anticipate the official release of this book! It's a solid 5/5 for me – a truly enjoyable and emotionally charged experience.