Holy heck! Paige Toon sure does know how to write emotionally charged romance novels! I absolutely devoured her latest novel Seven Summers, and I truly did not want this book to end!

Seven Summers centers around Liv Arterton as she moves back to her hometown of St. Agnes, a Cornish beach town. Having just finished a sculpting course in Italy, Liv is looking forward to spending the summer with her family. What Liv doesn’t count on, is to meet and fall for Finn, a musician who is in town for just six weeks. It was at this point that I was “all in” and found this book unputdownable!

What a journey Paige Toon just took me on! This novel time hops between the past and present and spans 7 years which ultimately creates a full and complete storyline. There are so well-placed twists and turns that I definitely did not see coming—love that! There are so many emotions running through this book and I found myself tearing up (both sad and happy tears). Paige Toon is an author that’s an automatic 1-click for me, and I am so excited to see what she comes out with next!

I was so looking forward to this book. I’ve at the very least enjoyed her other books. This one just felt bleh to me. It dragged and fell flat.

One summer Liv and Finn meet and develop a deep connection which is only amplified by a tragedy. How can they make it work when Finn is musician in LA, and Liv has her life in Cornwall. They reconnect every summer for six summers, but on the seventh summer, Liv meets Tom. They start to develop a friendship, and Liv begins to wonder if it could become something more. However, is Liv really over Finn, and will he be back this summer?

I enjoyed reading this book, and it moved along quite quickly, especially since it retold every summer encounter for six years. There were surprises throughout the book which kept it engaging, but occasionally felt like an emotional roller coaster. My only critique would be that at times it felt a little rushed, so much happening in so few pages.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read that will have you believing in second chances.

A charming love story, heart-warming and engaging there is truly nothing I did not love about it. I loved the characters and the sexual tension between them, I loved the humour with which this author never fails to paint even the bluest of situations, I loved the depth of emotion driving this story forward, but I loved its positive outlook on life the most, never showing life as anything less than a glass half full.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
The story in whole was a very good read. I was so disappointed in the ending though. I really had hoped that Liv had moved on from Finn, just for me to be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this one! This is my second book by this author and I would give this one 6 stars if I could. I loved it so incredibly much. The book follows, Liv over the course of about a decade as she navigates her relationship with Finn and endures tragedy and love. It is beautiful and sweet and also incredibly sad at times. I was truly rooting for all of the characters and in a lot of ways it was a coming of age book. The timing of her relationships and how she chooses to navigate her life as a whole had me on the edge of my seat and if I could've I would have read it in one sitting. I cannot recommend it enough. Such a beautifully written book!

Paige Toon is officially an auto buy author for me. This story ripped my heart out then out it back together, this is a book to read over and over again every summer!!

Come May, this will be the PERFECT book for all the summer vibes. This was beautiful, heartbreaking, emotional, and hopeful. I fell in love with all the characters even though they were flawed.

This book made me bawl my eyes out!! It was a beautiful coming of age story about first and second loves, how life and love has layers and ups and downs, how tragedy and grief changes lives, and the lessons that come from starting over again. Easy 5⭐️ read!!!!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💕

Seven Summers is an emotional rollercoaster that will have kicking your feet and then sobbing into your pillow all within the same chapter!

Liv and Finn meet during a tumultuous summer six years ago, and their relationship has been on and off ever since. Each summer, when Finn visits St. Agnes, their coastal hometown, from LA, they connect again, but only if they're both single. However, this summer is different. Finn isn't coming back and she's also met Tom, who she begins to fall for during his month-long stay in her beach cottage rental. With Finn gone for good, Liv is finally ready to move on to a stable relationship that doesn't leave her heartbroken at the end of each summer when he leaves. But can she truly leave Finn in her past to start a possible future with Tom? And if she does, how will she get Tom to truly open up about the reasons he left his home to start anew in St. Agnes?

I won't lie. At about the 4th summer, I was over Finn. No one was willing to compromise and I knew their relationship may have been doomed from the start. That doesn't mean there wasn't a lot of love between Liv and Finn. When you go through the kind of things these two went through together, it's not easy to just sever all ties. I even believe Finn said something along those lines in the book. However, I do think they were so young and they both had a lot of growing up to do in order to make a relationship work.

When Tom entered the picture, he was like a breath of fresh air. One critique of this story is that I wish we got way more Tom content than we did! Liv finally learns to let go of the things in her past that have held her back and trust and love someone new. Watching their love story unfold while watching Liv and Finn's relationship deteriorate was excellent storytelling on the author's part because I think by the time Tom comes in, you're kind of angry with Finn.

Each of the characters experienced tremendous loss and heartbreak, Liv most of all. It was wonderful to see how they all cope and come out on the other side.

This was truly a lovely story. One I think I'll carry with me for a long time. If you enjoy second-chance romance, definitely add this one to your TBR!

Special thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Paige Toon for sharing an advance copy in exchange for my review!

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review.
Told in alternating now/then timelines over 7 summers, this story covers the romantic arc of Liv, an amateur sculptor, with her past first-love Finn and current potential Tom. This delves deep into grief, trauma, responsibility (through the eyes of a sibling with disabilities), missed-romance, fate, and choice.
I wish there were adequate words to describe how powerful the romance is in this story. Liv and Finn have palpable chemistry from moment one, but also this heavy and realistic burden of never quite being at the right place at the right time. Liv and Tom, on the other hand, sizzle on the page, but are always deeply rooted to Finn's story line and a looming twist. Very few books have ever made me love both triangle leads simultaneously, but this just delivers.
At the end, we jump forward into the next seven summers, and if this didn't gut you, twist you up, and leave you in an emotional wreck for the first 3/4 of the book, the epilogue surely will. It is so poignant, so deep, so nuanced...and yet if it hadn't been there I would have loved the story just the same? It is equally as phenomenal with it and without...which is just the strangest.
Final note: this is emotional and breathtaking with BARELY any PG-13 based romance to it: everything is (mostly) closed door. I've come to realize this is the kind of writing I want: I need to feel how much these characters want each other without it being spelled out letter for letter. That's genius, and this delivers.
Overall, maybe one of my favorite reads of 2023.

Two epic love stories. One impossible choice.

rating: 5/5
genre: romance
pages: 400
pub date: May 21st, 2024

This is the second book I've read by Paige Toon and she's quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I love the way her romances are so much more than just a love storv.

In Seven Summers, you will find yourself pulled into Liv’s story following her through the present summer, and the 6 summers before. We see Liv through love, grief, and navigating growth through the post-college years. I quickly fell in love with her relationship with Finn, so was truly shocked when I found myself rooting for her love interest Tom, too! This story was both tragic and hopeful and thought I finished the book a couple days ago l'm still thinking about the characters and the ending of Liv’s story.

I would highly recommend adding Seven Summers to your list of 2024 summer reads!Have some tissues ready, but I promise the ending is worth it

Thank you to netgalley, putnambooks and paigetoonauthor for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley for giving me the Arc to this book. I rated this book a 3.5 on my Goodreads account. I think that this book had a lot of potential. I am all for a "if we are single by next summer..." promise however, I felt as if I got whiplash. The back and forth between meeting men that could have had a significant relationship with Liv and her ditching them for Finn was exhausting. All in all, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more books written by Paige Toon.

What a roller coaster. On one hand I continued to root for Liv and Finn because they had so much history and were so young. But I was beginning to agree with her friends of not wanting her to put herself on hold. When Tom showed up I was skeptical. He was a new guy and some of his things were not adding up but I understand why he was guarded. Going through the pain of her parents and seeing the pain being caused and the confusion for her brother as to why she wouldn’t travel was heartbreaking. I was cheering her on as her and Tom did the things she had always said no to. I have experienced losing the one you love and it was heart warming to read about it and about finding love afterwards. It’s not an easy thing to do and to move on and have another shot at love is something that gives people hope. This story was a rollercoaster, but that is exactly what life is about.

This simply didn't work for me. The writing felt very slow and I struggled to dive into the story or care about the characters.

In addition, Tom's role in the story served a different purpose than I what I had gone into the book imagining. I also had issues with the epilogue.

Paige Toon did it again! I highly enjoyed Seven Summers and plan to read it again next summer as it is THE perfect beach read! A beautiful love story that will pull at your heartstrings. Paige Toon makes Cornwall come alive with her beautiful writing, and as we follow Liv through seven summers, watching as love shapes her story, it's a magical read that you will not want to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

This book is a heart-wrenching rollercoaster that shattered my expectations. I'm usually not one for love triangles, but from the moment I met the characters and learned about their struggles, I was hooked. Grab a box of tissues, because you're going to need them.

The core of the story revolves around Liv, Tom, and Finn. It's a tale of six summers that lead to falling in love and one summer that changes everything. Liv and Finn first cross paths while working at a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline. Their futures brim with promise, but a night of passion ends in a tragedy that binds them together inextricably. They make a promise - if they're both single, they'll spend the summer together every year. Finn's life is in LA with his band, while Liv's roots lie in Cornwall with her family. It's a promise that seems simple enough, but love is far from simple.

Liv, an artist carrying the weight of the world after a tragic accident disrupts her life plan, and Finn, the adorable yet guarded musician, forge a unique bond. Their romance is a slow burn, and the tension between them is electric. You can't help but root for them, even though there are countless reasons it might not work out.

Enter Tom, a mysterious newcomer in Liv's hometown. It's easy to dismiss him at first, but as the story unfolds, you find yourself drawn to him, much like Liv. The book skillfully shuttles between the present day and the events of the previous six summers, keeping you on edge as you wait for the other shoe to drop, trying to unravel the "how" of it all.

"Seven Summers" is a breathtaking emotional journey that takes your heart and breaks it into a million pieces, only to mend it back together, repeating the process multiple times. The portrayal of disabilities in the story is authentic and touching, and the writing is stunning. You'll feel like you're living each moment with the characters, experiencing their highs and lows. The raw, emotional depth of this story had me sobbing uncontrollably at times.

Liv's character development and her journey over the course of seven summers are nothing short of brilliant. This book isn't just about Liv and Finn's love story; it's about Liv's growth and how she copes with her grief. It's a journey of self-discovery, showing how we often hinder our own progress. The shifting timeline and the way the story unfolds are captivating.

Paige Toon has outdone herself with "Seven Summers." As a longtime fan of her work, I always look forward to her books, and this one is no exception. A big thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP PUTMAM/ G. P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this profoundly moving book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

WOW. Okay, so this was a FREAKING BEAUTIFUL story from beginning to end. I loved following Liv's journey, Michael's antics, and the descriptions of peace she manages to find in the end. If this isn't the most accurate tale of love, life, heartbreak, and what life truly is then I don't know what is. Read this, you will not regret it!!

I love books that span years, every year the start of summer is exciting and brand new, but bittersweet by the end of the summer
Honestly, I would it for both men in this book, for both relationships to work out
I very much enjoyed this book. It was my first read by this author, and will not be my last.

I've read books that go back and forth between years or months but the way the author does the years after is truly a first for me. I really enjoyed reading this book and the plot was quite different. This is my 2nd book by this author and I admire the way she writes and weaves the details together.

Over the course of 7 years of summers with the book touching on the present summer, we get to meet the two main characters meeting and going through life's up and downs together for that span of time. The distance is either bringing them together or tearing them apart and just when you think you know what you're about to read, you don't! I felt this book was well written and beautiful, and tragic, and hopeful, and earth shattering, and redeeming. I will definitely recommend this book.

This book gave me emotional whiplash. I adored both Finn and Tom. The past/present style of storytelling made this worse for me. One chapter, I'm Team Finn, then the next, all in with Tom. It was craziness. This book is a classic example of "right person, wrong time." Finn was it for Liv, but the timing was never right. Enter Tom. Oh, sweet, sweet, Tom.