A fun, must read, book of the Summer! I loved this light, fun, sweet, rom-com. What made it even better was the little twist in the story that I didn’t expect, which doesn’t happen often in this kind of book.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan was just the perfect book to read by the lake, in the sun, while the kids are playing… honestly everywhere. The poignancy of Monaghan’s writing about motherhood and grief is amazing. I loved it. I hope you pick it up and cry about the loss of Ali’s marriage, the juxtaposition of wanting to be in love and being a mom, the beauty of her relationship with Ethan which gives way to her relationship with herself, and her relationship with her mom beyond the grave. It’s truly beautiful and I hope you love it as much as I did!!

Fun little summer read. This was perfect for a break in the heavy stuff. I enjoyed it a lot. I think I read it in 24 hours.

5 STARS!

Annabel Monaghan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I adored every single second of "Summer Romance." You're going to want to bring this book to the beach, and you will most certainly devour it within a day, it's *that* good. It's raw, visceral, swoon-worthy, vulnerable, and endlessly relatable. The characters here are fully fleshed-out and realistic. I feel like these were real people, in the real world, like I was reading something a close friend wrote. It's not just about love, but motherhood, not losing yourself when you have kids, feeling like you don't have control of your life, dealing with grief, reconciling who you wanted to be with who you have become, and adult friendship. "Summer Romance" will make you laugh, (hard pants!!), it will make you cry, it will make you wish you had stayed in touch with your best childhood friends, and it will give you faith that you can reinvent yourself, or rather, find yourself all over again. Just spectacular stuff here. Will make your cold heart feel again!

Thank you to NetGalley, Annabel Monaghan, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan.
Ali is a professional organizer and Ethan is Ali’s best friend’s younger brother whose parents own a diner and an inn in their little town, Beechwood.

Ali is an almost divorcee and a single mom of three and a dog, Ferris. Ethan and Ali had their “meet”-cute at the dog park when Ferris picked Ethan as a favorite person. I don’t understand how Ali did not recognize Ethan however, Ethan’s absence from the town is caused by how his family makes him feel a like a failure. Ethan was immediately accepting of Ali and her story because as it turns out, they have known each other nearly all their lives. Ethan has built his own life four hours from his hometown Beechwood so they decided on having a summer romance. The trouble is, they both fall hard and Ali has decided that she will be in control so she broke it off with Ethan.

Ali and Ethan relationship was not without its obstacles and questions of how it could possibly work out. Ethan helps Ali find herself again, Separate from being a wife, a mom. But can he move back home to the place everyone knows him as Scooter and unreliable?

I really enjoyed watching Ali and Ethan's relationship grow while also watching Ali's journey with self discovery and taking back her own life.

This is a great summer read and I highly recommend this novel.

Nora Goes Off Script, was my favorite read of 2022, to say I was excited about this book would be an understatement. Annabel Monaghan has the unique ability to create swoon worthy characters with a believable romance. Summer Romance is the perfect beach read. I loved watching Ali and Ethan fall for each other and Ali rediscovering herself. I highly recommend!

Love how authentic Monaghan's characters are. Hate a third act breakup but glad for the happy ending ultimately.

I loved this book! This book made me feel all the feelings & emotions! 5 ⭐️ read!

This book starts out with Ali recently losing her mom and also her marriage, we get to see her grief and sadness of losing her mom, her feelings of seeming stuck and lost after losing her marriage.
Then she meets Ethan after finally deciding to put on her “hard pants”🤣 and they have their not so meet cute! We get to see both characters develop in a very beautiful way!
This book definitely gives off all the summer vibes and it’s a perfect summer read!
Ethan and Ali’s love story is definitely swoon-worthy! I loved every minute of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Love Monaghan! This is a fun romance with a tiny twist of fate, always fun quick read by the pool. I love how the author brought the two main characters together. They were so cute, I was cheering for them the whole time. I loved this little beach town with small town feel, what a great escape I needed this summer. Thank you, Annabel, keep them coming.

Newly single mom, looking to find herself again, which get lost somewhere in the mix of kids and a one-sided marriage. Her friends think she needs to get back out there and have a summer fling. Just when she thinks that is impossible, she meets Ethan, well her dog pees on him at the dog bark. This opens what could be the summer fling, then back to her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for a copy of this book for my honest review.

(Thank you Penguin Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

I had a hard time with this book. The biggest hurdle for me was the dissolution of main character, Ali's, marriage. Her divorce was becoming final at the same time that she was falling for another man. Both were part of the plot at the same time. And the intertwining of the divorce, simultaneously happening while she falls in love with another man left me feeling very sad. I couldn't get one board with her new love relationship while her vows and promises from her marriage were being discarded. Clearly I could see that Ethan was the more attractive man between the two. But all the same my heart broke over another marriage that fell apart.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
5 stars!

I enjoyed this book! I will be reading more of Annabel Monaghan for sure!

This book was a delightful romance with beautifully written male and female leads. Who knew skateboarding was so sexy??? Also, I really related to Ali and her possibly too close relationship to her mother. Navigating those mother/daughter relationships are hard!

Monaghan's writing feels like coming home to me. I loved all the characters in this book and wish I could spend more time with them.

I highly recommend Summer Romance!

This book felt like a warm hug in so many ways. The romance was so tender and sweet, but also the grief aspect woven throughout from both our female main character’s divorce and the loss of her mom was just so well written. Annabel Monaghan writes about grief in a way that those who’ve experienced it feel so seen—I mean, crying over the amount of oatmeal in a cookie recipe is just the most relatable thing when it comes to grieving. I loved this book so much. It got me out of my reading slump, and it made me cry multiple times, which is hard to do with a book. The romance between our main characters was also just so real and relatable; it felt very refreshing to read about characters that were so believable. Their love felt authentic, steady, and safe. It was a really nice change of pace and I’m so grateful for this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

“life’s going to do what life’s going to do... you might as well have a dog”

—

first of all, thank you to putnam books & netgalley for the arc!

summer romance by annabel monaghan is a beautiful exploration of the risks of falling in love, and why it will always be worth it. while the title suggests that this is a lighthearted romance novel, it in fact tackles deeper issues (ex: death of loved ones, divorce, being a mother) in the wake of a bubbling romance. our protagonist, ali, begins the novel depressed and acquiescent to the needs of her husband in the wake of their divorce, and ends full of life (or carbonated, as she likes to say) and unyielding in getting what she deserves to assure her happiness.

this book made me smile, laugh, cry, and cheer on ali and ethan as they allowed themselves to explore their connection. both were such likable characters and it was a joy to see them find their happily ever after together. to anyone who enjoys a messy, raw rom-com, this one is for you!

🌊Three for three. That’s Monaghan’s book batting average as each July she hits another one out of the park.

🛶I flew through this in two days, periodically thinking about organizing my kitchen as Ali the professional organizer would, but the closest I came was looking at all the junk and hopping back on the couch to finish it.

❤️‍🔥Ali is 38, a single mom of 3 and going through a divorce. She’s been floating aimlessly since her mom passed two years ago, wearing sweat pants and just getting by in her close knit community with her good friend and neighbors. Until she meets a man visiting for the summer.

🤞🏼Sparks fly but she’s nervous. Can she handle a summer romance knowing it has an expiration date? This perfect summer read was a cute closed door romance and just what I needed on this rainy, humid weekend.

🍪What I also needed after deciding the piles could wait was to bake up a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies like Ali’s mom Fancy would have. The family agrees this recipe is a winner

This book was a quick read! I loved the romance in the book and was lost in the story so many times. Highly recommend!

Cute book about Ali going through a breakup and a friends brother Ethan helps her see her self-worth. Enjoyed these characters.

This book is for those of us who just need a sweet romance with characters who are genuinely kind to each other book to read. Ethan has had a crush on Ali for years and he finally has a chance to have a summer fling with her. Ali is a mom of three finally getting a divorce. I loved how the characters were in their mid to late 30s and have been through some hard.challenges but face them with maturity.

Annabel Monaghan doesn’t miss. This was again, the perfect summer read from her. Her writing style is so beautiful, engaging, and captivating. The character development is always perfection from her and I love the way she intertwines family in her romances. This was sweet, heartfelt, and just such a lovely read.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for this arc!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of Summer Romance. After reading this book, I already know it’s a summer favorite! Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan is one of my all time favorite books so I had to get my hands on this book.

I love the way Annabel Monaghan writes her characters. They have so much depth and are rooted in real life and relatable situations. These characters in particular have so much development and growth throughout the story that goes much deeper than just their romance. Of course I loved the setting and the vivid imagery of a warm summer by the water. This is the perfect read any time of year, but especially over the summer weekends or from the beach!

I don’t especially love summer (I’m not my best self when I’m hot & sweaty) & I’m not a huge romance reader, but I love Annabel Monaghan's book Summer Romance! I love everything about it & it is a great way to kick off beach reading season!⁣ I met the author at the Mississippi Book Festival and gave her a friendship bracelet so therefore, I am convinced that we are great friends! This book has received so much buzz & can be found on all of the beach reading lists, and I can confirm all of the hype is true! Summer Romance is the perfect read for summer! ALL OF THE STARS!