Reading challenge category - 2023 Booklist Queen: Holiday romance (summer holiday)

Thanks to #NetGalley for the arc ebook of this work.

Paige Toon's book is an exploration of love, loss, and time. Set in Cornwall, England, the novel spans several years (summers) following the lives of Liv and Finn. These two have annual summer reunions filled with passion, heartbreak, and love... at least for 5 of the 7 summers.

The novel follows a bit of a predictable path, but that doesn't mean it wasn't an enjoyable beach read. I appreciated the inclusion of Michael, with a fairly accurate portrayal of a high-functioning adult with Down syndrome. 3/5 stars.

Paige Toon’s latest novel, Seven Summers was a first for me by the author and boy, was I pleasantly surprised!

Set on the rugged Cornish Coastline, Liv and Finn meet in a bar six summers ago. With Finn’s life taking him to LA as a musician and Liv firmly planted in Cornwall, the two make a pact to return to one another each summer if they are single.

Six summers go by and Liv meets Tom, a mysterious new arrival. For the first time in years, Liv can see a future where her heart is not tugged in every direction. If you love a gritty romance, you’ll want to add this latest novel to your summer reading list!

Liv and Finn met seven summers ago. They agree to meet every summer from then on if they are both single. They each have their own valid reasons for why they can't be together now.

As each year passes, we learn about their relationship in that year as well as other relationships in each of their lives.

Heartbreak, love, adventure, friendship and second chances are the highlights of the story. At times I was frustrated with the characters for the choices they made, but also felt their pain in doing so.

I enjoyed the timeline of the story as well as the epilogue portions. I was fully invested in how this would all turn out.

Thanks to netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Get ready for an emotional roller coaster!

Six Summers ago, Liv and Finn are working together at a bar on the Cornish coastline. A tragic and bring some together, but this summer ends, Finn has to return back to LA with his band. As long as they are single, Finn promises to return back every summer to spend time with Liv. Then Liv meets Tom and starts to fall for him.

Told over a period of six years ago, and now, this book will have your emotions all over the place. In the best way possible! You will fall in love with every single character, and you won’t know who you’re rooting for. There is even a twist at the end that I totally didn’t see coming!

I flew through this book, not wanting it to end. Paige Toon has a way with words that will make you just absolutely fall in love with this book!

📘: Seven Summers by Paige Toon
🗓️: May 21, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Paige Toon, and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

This is the first story I have read by Paige Toon and I was absolutely blown away by her writing! This story was so well woven between past and present. I was so engaged throughout the whole story and it was a tear jerker by the end. Paige really knows how to set the stage for a emotional ending. I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review will be posted on 6/6/24

Olivia "Liv" Arterton lives on the gorgeous Cornish coast dreaming of becoming an artist. One summer she meets Finn, a musician from Los Angeles and they hit it off. What should have been a dreamy summer romance, turns south when Liv is faced with a major tragedy that changes her life forever. After their whirlwind romance, Liv and Finn decide to reunite every summer as long as they are single. After years of this, no one can deny the attraction between the two, but Liv is tired of the instability and is still grieving for the loss in her life. Many years later, she meets Tom, a summer tenant, and she falls in love with him. Can Liv choose the possibility of a happy future with Tom and forget about summers with Finn? Can she choose her future over her past? Seven Summers by Paige Toon is a heartwrenching summer tale that made me swoon and also grab a box of tissues.

If you like your beach reads to only venture into the fluffy territory, Seven Summers isn't for you. This novel, while a wonderful book, deals with a lot of sadness: there's grief and heartache in spades. Seven Summers packs an emotional punch, reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks. Nonetheless, I did enjoy Finn and Liv's love story even when Tom entered and it became a love triangle of sorts. The Cornish coast was a beautiful setting for such a heartfelt story with a lot of angst. I couldn't help but imagine Poldark on the windswept cliffs brooding right along with them (If you know you know!) Also, Toon tells the story wonderfully in that it's told through flashbacks and jumps around chronologically which only adds to the heartbreak. I'd recommend Seven Summers, especially to readers who want all the feels.

Wow.
Woah.
What?!

Paige Toon has written another heartbreakingly beautiful story.

I experienced just about every emotion throughout reading this. The last 25% of the book was unpredictable and really wasn't what I expected!

This is one of those books I'll be thinking about for a while.

I have to say, PT is a new must read author for me. She knows how to throw words together on a page, for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy this book.

Similar storyline to author’s previous book “Five Years from Now” however this story made me fall in love for both love stories. Perfect ending to such an emotional rollercoaster. Paige Toon is the Queen of Heart Angst.

"Seven Summers" by Paige Toon is a heartwarming and captivating novel. The story beautifully explores themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery, set against charming and vivid backdrops. With relatable characters and an engaging plot, this book is a delightful and easy read. Perfect for fans of contemporary romance and emotional journeys.

4.5/5 ⭐
ARC REVIEW!!! paige toon really knows how to break your heart and put it back together 😭 this book was DEVASTATING, but in the best way possible hahaha! i'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but this was done SO well and had me invested the entire time. i seriously couldn't stop reading once i got started!

we have liv and finn, who meet six summers ago, and promise each other that they will return every summer to spend it together. of course, liv meets tom this summer, which is where the love triangle comes in. who will end up with who? the ultimate question.

please go read this if you haven't already! i'm begging you! i will definitely be picking up more books by Paige when i'm ready for my heart to be ripped out again :)

read if you like:
☀second chance
☀dual timeline
☀love triangle
☀right person, wrong time
☀disability rep
☀will cry your eyes out

thank you paige toon, putnam, and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Seven Summers was a heartwrenching, soul searching, cheer on true love, good time. There were moments of grief, struggle, pain, yet enduring love through it all. I enjoyed this book.

✨ 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨

𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐧
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
🐚 small beach town romance
🧡 summer love
🩷 emotional love story
🐚 alternating timelines
🧡 heart-wrenching
🩷 Down Syndrome representation
🐚 dealing with grief
🧡 fade to black closed door romance
🩷 one POV (FMC’s)

Liv has just moved home to Cornwall where she meets Finn one summer. Finn is a lead singer in a band with some of their mutual friends. Finn is here for the summer visiting his grandmother & brothers. Finn is an aspiring songwriter & musician who lives in LA. Liv & Finn make a pact that they will get together every summer if they are both single. This stays true for seven summers till Liv & Finn’s worlds change drastically. Finn has met someone while in LA and Liv has met a newcomer named Tom. There are things that Tom doesn’t disclose to Liv right away & when these things come to light, Liv has to learn to trust her heart that what is meant to be, will be.

Paige Toon is becoming one of my go-to authors!! Her stories always take me for a wild ride. This was a heart-wrenching & beautiful love story that begins with Liv & Finn, but then intermingles with Tom. This book makes you really reflect on what life is all about, how strong love really is, & how love is always worth fighting for. I loved Liv’s character development & that the story was told through her point of view. The turmoil that Liv had to go through with losing her parents, caring for her brother, & then figuring out her relationship with both Finn & Tom was so beautifully written. Liv’s relationship with her brother who has Down Syndrome melted my heart. If you love thought provoking & rollercoasters full of emotions in your love stories, this one is for you!

This book was a tear jerker. It was so good, it starts off in the seventh summer. And it goes through each summer down to the first.

I really enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for same time next year books. Probably because I want that to happen to me lolol. It was a nice refreshing twist on the trope though because there were two love interests. I truly had no idea how this book was going to end! This was the perfect read for a beach vacation. I would definitely recommend.

Talk about feeling alllll the feels with this one. What an absolutely beautifully written book by Paige Toon.

I laughed, I cried, my heart broken & was put back together all inside the pages of this book.

A powerful novel about grief, falling in love, heartbreak, learning to love yourself, and allowing yourself to be loved in return.

I immediately went to Paige’s backlist of novels and started reading them because this book elicited so many powerful emotions inside of me. THAT is what books are supposed to do, and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future.

A beautiful story about love, grief, summer, and friendships.

Liv is back from studying in Italy. She spots Finn, a boy who moved to the States in high school at the local bar her first night back. They begin their summer romance before Finn goes back to the states. Finn comes back every summer, where Liv and Finn will meet back up if they're both single. No communication during the rest of the year.

The story jumps back to summers ago and to present day summer where Liv meets Tom, who is staying at her property for the month of June. We wait to see what happens with Finn and Liv while we hear more about Tom, the mysterious artist living below her.

The story covers multiple topics that happen throughout ones life and the challenges we face. It was beautiful. It took me a while to get into, but I did enjoy this story! I didn't know who to "root for" as both Finn and Tom were interesting and unique.

"I have had two loves in my life, and I am lucky."

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Seven Summers is NOT a rom-com. This is a heart wrenching story of love and loss and complications and choices. It's about finding connections and losing them. It's about family and the responsibility that comes along with it. It's about what makes a home and a community. It's about following your passion, even when it's hard. Even when it's easier to give up. It's about knowing what you can compromise on in life and what you can't. It's about community and chosen family and pivoting your life plans over and over and over.

The epilogue was my favorite part, but it felt too rushed for me. I wish it was a fleshed out "Part 2" instead of an epilogue. I guess when my only criticism of a book is that I wanted more...that's not a bad thing!

Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this thought-provoking novel.

This was a great book to read with a summer feel. Liv has great character development, and the love interests were easy to fall for. Dual timelines made it easy to stay hooked. This was pretty heartbreaking at some parts, but the ending was very good to counter balance the sad parts.
A great summer read!

Seven Summers is the newest, evocative summer romance from Paige Toon. This emotional story covers seven summers in retrospect, as well as seven summers in the future, in briefer form. We follow Olivia (Liv) and Finn who met while working in a bar on the Cornish coast, her bartending and he singing lead vocals in the cover band. They make a strong connection, strengthened through heartbreak, but their lives lead in different directions, irrevocably separating the two.

We get to follow these two characters as their lives progress through the years, through the ups and downs, the growth and significant life events, as well as their reunification each summer. Seven Summers is an incredibly heart-wrenching story that allows you to fully buy into their reconcilable differences, and therefore feel the full impact of their heartbreak. Eventually, Liv meets Tom, a temporary renter in her home, and an artist of sorts in his own right, just like Liv, who is a sculptor. We get a little of their story, which is also poignant and gut-wrenching.

The character growth with all three of the main characters is well-developed, the friendships are meaningful, and the setting truly adds to the story. I do think this story was longer than necessary and would have been more impactful if it had been a bit more condensed. There are also elements that are predictable. Regardless, this novel is gravitational and potent in the way that it deals with grief, trauma, hardship, and realistic relationship dynamics. If you like romances and reflective life stories that have depth and a realistic feel to them, and you aren’t afraid of heavy-hitting fiction, then this is a story you won’t want to miss!

A beautiful love story! Beautifully written, really enjoyed! Smiled, cried and couldn't put it down.