Paige Toon’s latest novel takes us back seven years to a seaside village in Cornwall where we meet Olivia recently returning home for the summer following college graduation. Liv, an artist, has plans to leave Cornwall at the end of the summer to pursue her career in London. On her first night home she reunites with her lifelong friends and is reintroduced to an old schoolmate, Finn. Liv and Finn grow closer throughout the summer and when tragedy strikes Liv’s family, he helps her move past her grief.

The timeline moves forward to the present summer, Liv is still in Cornwall and living a life she didn’t expect, but she feels happy enough. She unexpectedly meets Tom and with his friendship and support, makes some needed changes in her life.

I enjoyed the shifting timeline and loved the way the story unfolded. Paige Toon has knocked this one out of the park and I as a longtime fan, I always look forward to reading her work.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Life is full of choices and this book explores what one might have to do with the choices that are made and what is best for her. Meaning… the main character Liv! It was a lot of romance, heartbreak, loss, grief, coming of age, all those things that make a story juicy! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As expected by the title, the book goes back and forth between the past and present years of summers. It’s a sweet, charming romance located in England.

Liv is an aspiring artist who’s just returned from sculpture coursework in Italy to her coastal hometown.

Finn is in town from LA to visit his UK family. He’s a singer, songwriter and is filling a spot in his school friends band for a few weeks.

Their story makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time with the prim and proper ways between them and the good old time gentleman ways with the male characters.

It’s a heart breaking story about loss changing the direction and even location of your life.
We can have dreams of where we want to be or go with a career or passion to only be squashed by devastating loss or situations that put us on another path we didn’t imagine.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin publishing.
#family #grief #secondchances #slowburn

5 stars 5 stars 5 stars!!

Wow, this is one of my favorite books I have read so far this year. This book was captivating from the very beginning and really drew me into the story. There was a lot of ups and downs as we go through the book, it was very emotional and heartbreaking at times. The characters were brilliantly written and complex. I was sad when the book ended but I was overall really happy with how it ended.

Liv and Finn went to school together but really meet in a bar on the Cornish coast. By the end of that summer they have really hit it off, but Liv's life is here while Finns is in LA. They make a promise that when Finn returns each summer, if they are single, they will be together. Liv and Finn find it harder and harder each summer since they both love each other. They end up stopping their summer flings and focus on their own lives. Finn meets someone else in his life while Liv falls for a man named Tom. I don't want to give anything else away, but the end of the book goes through Liv and Toms relationship and ends with a real twist.

Overall, this book was really special to me and will be a book that sticks with me. It wasn't your average love story, it was so much more. I am looking forward to reading more from Paige Toon after reading this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed Seven Summers! It was a lovely, yet heartbreaking story of Liv.
I felt some events happened suddenly without much story or little explanation, wondering if I had missed a paragraph or page. I loved Michael’s character and that everything sat well for Liv in the end.

This was my first read by Paige Toon but I look forward to reading more by her! I appreciate NetGalley and this ARC!

This is a well written story but I just couldn't get into the story overall or the characters. It's kind of a romance, kind of a coming of age, kind of a dealing with grief story--I guess in that way it is a lot like life. But I didn't find the characters very interesting or compelling.

Paige Toon has done it again! An emotional and captivating story about two people whose love for each other never fades spanning over years and years. With Finn's past, it hurts to be in Cornwall where Olivia resides, but the thought of leaving her only family behind to go to LA where Finn is hurts just as much. Will fate ever allow them to be together how they both yearn for? Then Tom comes into the story, changing everything.

I always appreciate the emotional depth the author has in her work and the character complexity. You know it's never going to be an easy read, but it's always worth it in the end. All I can say is I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful ending... both Tom and Finn get their happy endings.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the digital advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group for a DRC book for Seven Summers by Paige Toon. The book takes place in Cornwall and by the description I feel like I am there. It’s about Olivia and Finn who meet at a place called Seaglass. Finn is from Cornwall but has since moved to LA after a tragedy happened in Cornwall.
He comes back every year in the summer to visit his grandparents and they see each other for a week to a month for 7 years. If they are in a committed relationship then they would tell the other. They are so In love that they don’t let that happen.
The question is would you give up on a happier relationship to see each other for a short period of time?
Well get the tissues ready and

This is not your average love story. It felt like a life story navigating through love and loss on repeat. Early on you might feel all of the love, shed a few tears, feel jolts of sympathy, but about 3/4 in, a box of tissue is a must. The way the last 10% or so unfolds felt spot on. By the end I felt like I had read something truly special. This is about love and loss, but also it’s about healing and hope. Can’t wait to pre-order my copy.

Thank you #PenguinBooks and #NetGalley for the arc e-book.

Five stars! Six stars! Seven amazing stars for Seven devastating and beautiful Summers!

Paige Toon is at her best when she throws in multiple love interests, grief and traumas, and secrets solved in little snippets, so when I read the blurb of Seven Summers, excitement settled in my chest.

I've been a Paige Toon fan for years but found her latest book, Only Love Can Hurt Like This, repetitive and average. To not really love an author's new novel whose books were always my comfort reads (even when they hurt like h*ll) felt like I lost a piece of myself. And now I'm so happy I hit that five-star button so easily! This story is fighting over the number one spot with The One We Fell in Love With and Someone I Used to Know, two of my most favorite Paige Toon romances.

Beautiful. Lyrical. Heartwarming. Devastating. All words to describe my feelings for Seven Summers. From the first sentence, I swallowed up the words at a feverish pace and let the story flood me. D*mn, how I love these kinds of books. Multiple timelines, not knowing where the story will end, love alternated with darkness, likable, flawed characters, sooo many feelings, and, of course, Cornwall. I've never been to Cornwall, but Paige made me crave (again!) to visit that part of England somewhere in the future.

When I read about a quarter of the book, I fell in love with Finn, and I couldn't imagine feeling the same way about Tom. Ever. And then I fell head over heels for him, too, and I started rooting for Liv and Tom. But then I wanted Live to be with Finn again, and then with Tom and … So if I wasn't able to choose between those two men, how could Liv?

Seven Summers was a punch to my gut. It wrecked me in every possible way, and when I finally felt hope, it got knocked out of me again. Tears clouded my eyes during those last few chapters, and I had to put my e-reader away several times. When I finally had the courage to pick it up, those effing tears immediately started running again. For those who fear that there won’t be a HEA, don’t panic! There will be one, I promise.

Paige Toon is back, everyone! This story is definitely not average or repetitive. It's one of the best books I read this year, and I'm proudly presenting it on my most memorable 2023 shelf!

I’ve come to realize that Paige Toon isn’t going to let you walk away from one of her novels unscathed. This book broke my heart multiple times, but ultimately pieced it back together.

Liv and Finn spend seven summers dating on and off, as they navigate their creative careers on different continents. This book explores complicated family dynamics and tragedy, strong friendships, and the importance of following your passions.

As the years go by, Liv questions whether these brief interactions with Finn can ever be enough, as external forces prevent them from living in the same place at the same time.

In the current summer, Liv meets and is drawn to Tom, a stranger with his own messy personal life and a secret that could drastically change their future. I wasn’t sure what choice Liv would make, or even which way I wanted her to choose, but at the end, I was left satisfied by the story’s conclusion. No spoilers!

After all the details and slow timeline of the original seven summers, I do feel like the ending (epilogue) was a bit rushed. Overall, I loved it and give it 4.5 stars, rounded up.
After reading her last book, Paige Toon had become a must-buy author for me and Seven Summers has reinforced this!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reader copy of Paige Toon’s latest unforgettable offering, “Seven Summers”. Ms. Toon has never failed to lure me in with a great premise and even better writing and her latest book is no exception. I couldn’t put it down!

“Seven Summers” is the contemporary romance story of Liv and Finn. It is set primarily in Cornwall and I felt like I was transported there through her writing. The book begins with Liv returning from abroad where she was studying a special sculpture class. She is full of life, excited for her future, has great friends and a supportive family. She meets Finn when he is playing a gig at the local pub. Both characters are well fleshed out, each having a backstory that provides a lot of tension. Finn’s visits are every summer and so their romance is always contained to this period. They both sustain losses of great magnitude that impact their relationship. Along the way there are others that they meet. How can you expect someone to wait for the summer, not have contact for nine months out of the year? Should they wait? How will they resolve the issues that make Liv need to stay and Finn need to go? As the authors says, “Sometimes love is not enough.”

I was very excited to read this book and I was thoroughly lost in this story. My emotions went up and down with the characters and I cried. This is an author that deserves all of her books to be read - she is amazing.

It was very exposition heavy, which just isn't for me. I stopped at the end of chapter 1 (4%), but it should be three stars "liked it" from the target, and four for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Paige Toon seems to be the queen of weaving together angst, romance, some humor, and sweet characters. Our protagonist is Liv, an artist who manages vacation rentals, as well as a popular restaurant in her coastal tourist town. The timelines alternate between this summer, and the past 6 summers. Seven summers ago she is back home after graduating college and she meets Finn, who is only in town for the summer. They have a sweet summer romance, and every summer they connect. But, like every second chance love story, something BAD happened at some point, tearing them apart.

In the present, Liv strikes up a friendship with her maybe not-so grouchy renter for the summer. Will her heart be open to someone new after being destroyed by love in the past?

I enjoyed my second book from this author. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Paige Toon has done it again! Seven Summers is a heartwarming and emotional novel. This author definitely knows how to write a story that tugs at your heart strings and this book is no different.

The story covers seven summers between Liv and Finn. Liv and Finn are bound together by their undeniable chemistry. When tragedy strikes, it draws them even closer together. But then life brings them apart. Finn moved to LA to follow his dreams with his band. Liv stayed in Cornwall for her family. Every summer Finn comes home for a short visit and every summer Liv ends up with a broken heart. On the seventh summer Liv meets Tom. Tom has the potential to help Liv move on from Finn and live a life she deserves with someone who will always be there for her. Who will Liv choose?

I loved every single character. They were all relatable and at one point I could have sworn the book was about my life. It really resonated with me. I was cheering for Liv the entire time and was hoping that she would find her happy ever after.

Paige Toon has easily become one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to read future books by her! She knows how to break my heart into pieces and then put it back together.

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a beautiful read! My heart broke for Liv. It was truly like how much more can she take, she is just trying. I love the authors choice of making Liv pick Tom. I was really hoping that Liv would pick Tom because Finn was not willing to be flexible with her, it felt like it was his way or no way. My heart broke when Tom died and I wanted to slap Finn for saying that Liv goes after broken men (even though it’s true he said it to be spiteful).

I thought the book was well written. My only suggestion would be to put the playlist in the beginning of the book! I absolutely love that a playlist was included as I do enjoy listening to music as I read. I was a little sad to realize the playlist was in the end of the book.