So this might be my favorite of Annabel Monaghan‘s romance novels! I received this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley, and was so excited!! I felt like every character in this book was so well done. I really liked the added dimension of Ali talking out loud to her mom (who has passed) during her struggles. Ethan = 😍

This is definitely more of a closed door romance but the emotions!! Ugh! I loved how open and vulnerable Ethan and Ali were with each other! And the banter! 😍

Highly recommend!

Annabel Monaghan has an incredible way of writing REAL characters with REAL problems! I love the perfectly imperfect people in Summer Romance (and honestly, all of her books!)

I giggled, smiled, and sighed (with happiness!) throughout this book. Can't wait to see this on everyone's summer "TBR" lists!

Thanks @netgalley @putnambooks and @annabelmonaghan for the chance to read Summer Romance. It releases on June 4, 2024.

Annabel Monaghan has done it again! If you loved Nora Goes Off Script or Same Time Next Summer you will love this one as well. This one might be the most nostalgic. It made me think a lot about the roles we play in each of our families and how hard it can be to change them--even when they don't fit you anymore. (I can't be the only person who regresses to my 13-year-old self after three days with my family, right??)

Ali Morris hasn't felt like herself in years. Not since she got unexpectedly pregnant and got married to Peter, eventually having two more children that did nothing to strengthen their tenuous bond. And then her mother passed the glue that kept her going. After finally moving forward with her divorce from Peter, she meets a handsome stranger named Ethan who makes her feel like the old version of herself. Turns out Ethan is "Scooter" the troublemaking younger brother of her best friend who had a reputation for screwing up during childhood. But that old label doesn't fit him anymore despite how the town seems to view him. When they spend time together, Ali and Ethan seem to be the best versions of themselves. Is it just a summer romance or something more?

Steam: 🔥🔥 (mostly off page)
Tropes: best friend’s brother, small town, divorce, he falls first

Monaghan does it again. Her writing, her voice, the angsty love story....just perfect. Summer Romance is all that. Big and emotional and powerful and unforgettable. I will be recommending wide.

Annabel Monaghan does it again! This is the perfect summer book for anytime of year. II couldn't get enough of Ali and Ethan. The romance between them was swoon-worthy and sweet. I also loved each unique relationship with her children. 5 easy stars as Monaghan is becoming an auto buy author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advance reader copy.

This is my favorite romance by Monaghan yet! The second-chance romance of it all and the slow, believable evolution stepping into her power after the divorce was really wonderful and beautifully done. The grief arc was heartbreaking, the family themes were heartwarming, and it was overall romantic, empowering, and healing. A new favorite.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be an early reader of Annabel Monaghan's newest book. I just LOVE Annabel and want nothing but the best for her!

I really enjoyed this book and would rate it a 3.5, rounded down. For some reason this novel lacked the instant spark that her other two books had for me. Perhaps because it is a bit of a somber start for our main character Ali? It's a depressing beginning, and while it clearly bounces back from that, I am worried that a lot of readers will set the book down about 10% of the way in. Not only is the topic on the sad side, but there is almost like a backstory information dump for the first 15% of the book and it didn't grab me and pull me in.

With that said, I did fall in love with Ali and Ethan. They are so cute together, and they both come across as great people. It is tricky to write kids in a story like this but Annabel did it well.

I wished for an epilogue five years in the future so we could know where they ended up.

All in all, this is a more subtle and understated offering than we're used to from Annabel. I don't think that's a bad thing, but I'm not sure it will have as much mass appeal as Nora and Summer did.

Best of luck to everyone working on this book!

This book was such a winner for me! My favorite she’s written, I found Ali and Ethan so endearing. I love a good cast of family and friends to round out a story, and the characters of beechwood were charmingly quirky. If you enjoy an in-depth romance, accurate representation of raising kids (it gets messy!), and a transformation that’s meant to be inspirational- and actually is!!- this one got it all right.

Ali Morris has been passively living her life, especially after her mother's death and her impending divorce. A professional organiser, her house is in disarray while she focuses on raising three kids. She won't even wear hard pants, much to the chagrin of best friend Frannie and elderly neighbour Phyllis. It takes the arrival of Ethan, Frannie's 'weird little brother' better known as Scooter, for her to wake up and start reclaiming her power and living her life on her terms. Ali knows it's just a summer romance, but what if she wants Ethan to stay, but he can't?

Annabel Monaghan really knows how to write wonderful character studies of women who are learning to break free from 'actively passively' living their lives. Ali remained married to a point having a third child even though she knew it was over. I loved the exploration of Ali's grief and her voicing her resentment towards her mother's pressure to live the life her mother didn't get to have.

Ethan was just divine and I loved how he's so supportive of Ali. Nursing a teenage crush on her, he just gets Ali and helps her reclaim the Ali he remembers. At thirty-six, he is fighting longtime misperceptions of his teenage self with his family and townsfolk. They don't see that he's a mature adult who is a much respected person where he lives. Both Ali and Ethan are clearly well suited along with a blistering chemistry. Ethan is just so in tune with Ali from day one, he knows when she's hiding from him by her SMS responses and gently calls her in to talk to him. Their honesty and maturity was so refreshing in comparison.

I couldn't put it down and I couldn't stop thinking about the characters long after it was over. This book will give you all the summer feels. It's swoony, sweet and will warm your heart like a summer's morning. Fun-tastic.

Annabel Monaghan just knows how to write the perfect summer romance. She is literally the only author that can write a third act breakup and I wouldn’t be disappointed. This was hands down my favorite book from her and I’m so glad I was able to get the ARC.

This book had me wrecked. I honestly loved every moment of it. I loved watching Alice come back to herself and grow back into the person Ethan knew she was. There were so many points throughout this book where I was just swooning over them. Everything Alice went through (her divorce, her falling in love, her interactions with her children and growth as a mother, her own mother’s death and how she was feeling) was so practical in the way she handled everything. The third act breakup in this book was realistic and didn’t make me want to throw the book down the drain.

Again this book just solidifies for me that Annabel Monaghan is an instant buy author. Her books somehow resonate with me (a 29 yr old w no children), even though I’m probably not her target audience, but it’s a true testament to how great of an author she is.

Thank you again NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book 🫶🏽

I enjoyed this summer romance book!
Ali finds herself facing divorce with 3 children a year after losing her mother. Just as she feels she is at her lowest point, she meets Ethan. This book gives hope there is love after a terrible marriage even when you are a busy mom.

There is a disconnect I had at the beginning of this story. The writing didn’t flow as well as the other books I have read by this author and it didn’t initially hook me. The pace felt off throughout the story and I had a hard time really connecting with Ali as the lead of this book because of it.

The writing was good and the emotions the author was able to project can be felt by the reader. I enjoyed how this was Ali’s second act and how she was able to truly find herself. The romance was sweet and heartwarming. There’s an organic way this author writes romance where the reader is left rooting for the HEA.

This was overall an OK read for me. I have loved this author's past works, but for me this wasn’t on the same level as her past work. There was a lack of magic and connection to the story and I wanted a bit more from this story. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC

Summer Romance is the kind of book that brings out all the emotions — laughter, tears, and everything in between. The story follows Ali, a separated and soon to be divorced mom of three who is still grieving the loss of her mother. The character development is so well done. All the supporting characters — from her friend Frannie to her neighbor Phyllis — play important roles in the story. By the title, it may appear to be a simple romcom, but there are some really deep moments in the book that will make you evaluate relationships in your life.

Overall, I loved the entire book! I instantly connected with Ali and was vested in what was going to happen with her. The pacing was just right for the story, going up and down enough so it wasn’t completely predictable. The descriptions of the scenes and scenery made me feel like I was right there in the action. It’s the kind of book that would easily be made into a movie.

This book comes out June 4, 2024, and I highly recommend reading it!

These opinions are my own; thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for the early read!

I was able to buddy read this story with a few ladies. We had a great discussion. This book is a fun pick for a book club and will be a hit. Great story. Realistic characters.

<b>Synopsis</b>
Ali is in her late-thirties, with three kids and an impending divorce. She's a professional organizer, yet seemingly struggles to manage her own life when she meets Ethan, an attorney that is visiting for the summer.

This is not your regular love story. It's a second chance, closed door romance filled with humor and inspiring moments. Ali's ex-husband, Pete, asked for a divorce on the one-year anniversary of Ali's mother's death, which tells us a lot about Pete. He's clueless and really does not seem to care about Ali or their three children- son, Cliffie and daughters, Iris and Greer.

Ethan re-enters Ali's life and they decide this summer romance will be just that- just for the summer.

Throughout Summer Romance, Ali learns a lot about herself. She learns she is worthy of self-care, she is capable to standing up for herself and that she deserves more than just a summer romance. It becomes clear that Ali does not struggle with managing her own life, but she chooses not to manage her own life- "It's a lot easier to work through other people's problems. I think I must be very attached to my own."

<b>My Opinion</b> First,
First, I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Annabel Monaghan for offering this e-ARC. This is my very first time completing an e-ARC review and I feel honored to be able to provide my feedback on this novel.

Summer Romance is charming, witty and inspiring. I found myself relating to Ali, co-parenting as a single parent and living life in my late-thirties with my deceased father. It's nice to read a love story with characters around my same age.

While this story was cute and inspiring, It was missing a bit of spice. I realize Annabel is not a spicy romance writer, but as a romance reader, I prefer a bit of spice in my romance reading. Overall, great book and I would recommend to anyone that enjoys closed-door, second-chance, romcom.

<b>Rating</b>
4.5 stars, 0 spice.

What a sweet love story! So many great scenes in this book! Ali and her summer romance after her divorce from ex husband, Pete. She meets Ethan, who plans to move at the end of the summer. Ali also has a great friendship with her neighbor, Phyllis.

Ali finds a man who is actually in love with her. She knows this, and there must be a way to make this work. It's too much to walk away. She feels sick from how much she wants to crawl into Ethan's arms and have him love her through this. Feeling your actual feelings isn't always so pleasant. She will remember this summer and the way it changed her heart.

Love, Heart-tugging and Romance! 4 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This awesome book will be released June 4th, 2024.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

Annabel Monaghan has done it again! It's been an honor and a pleasure to have been an advanced reader for all three of her books, and I can honestly say I will read anything she writes! This is another great read that draws you in from the beginning and keeps you hooked until the end. It's quick, fun, but also has depth which really makes it well rounded. It's also a clean, closed door romance for those who are wondering!

Make sure this is on your 2024 Summer Reads list, but it does not disappoint!!

Annabel Monaghan does it again with this absolutely charming story of motherhood, grief, and second chances. Underneath the love story lies an exploration of a woman's identity and a reckoning of choices made.

The story has really good energy. I stopped after chapter 2 (5%), but it feels like a solid three star, four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Annabel Monaghan is a must read author for me, so when I got approved for a net galley copy of her upcoming novel, Summer Romance, it jumped to the top of my TBR. A better decision I could not have made. Summer Romance is one of my favorite reads of the year.

I was moved to tears within the first chapter. Monaghan’s writing is so personal, her characters feel so lived in. She highlights the beauty in the simple small moments. This story in particular is both a love story in the traditional sense, as well as a love story between mothers and daughters.

I loved every second of this read, and already know I will be buying myself a physical copy once the book is officially published next summer just so I can move all my digital annotations over and reread certain lines again and again.