Firstly, thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of Annabel Monaghan’s newest book. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her prior books, but wow this one is my favorite of all.

The story follows Ali, a recently separated 38 year mom of 3, who is also grieving the death of her mother. It’s set in Beechwood, a water town near New York. The scenery was described beautifully and made me feel like I was really there.

This book handles multiple sensitive topics so beautifully. Grief, divorce, infertility (briefly), strained parental relationships, single motherhood, and it does it SO well. The love story between Ali and Ethan was a huge part of the story, but most definitely not the only part, and seeing the characters grow and develop throughout the story was so endearing. I loved the relationship between Ali and Ethan so much and how they met each other where they were at, and showed unconditional love and support to one another.

There are so many beautiful quotes from this book about grief, about loving and losing, about the weight of motherhood, and it left me in tears (good ones for the most part). This is probably my favorite read of the year, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

This book straight up stole my heart. I can't tell you how much I loved it! I devoured it easily in two days.

Similar to Birding With Benefits, I adored how the characters are a bit older. Ali is in the middle of a divorce with three kids. I adore how that opens up a whole subplot about finding your true self and happiness, and their summer romance has all the innocent feels of a teenage love story.

The minor characters are all gems, including such a sweetheart of an older lady who lives next door that Ali helps take care of each day.

Bottom line: Highly recommend, right along with another fav of her's, Nora Goes Off Script.

Overall a 3.5 for me. ⭐️ I enjoyed the book and it was good, just not the fluffy summer romance I thought it was going to be.

This is really about a woman in her late thirties that’s going through a divorce and grieving the passing of her mother. This book is truly about Ali finding herself again. It’s about family, friends, and a romance.

The thing that annoyed me- I understand that the author wanted to convey the inescapable way that someone’s hometown can define them, but it felt odd to emphasize this so much for a 36-year-old man. I do not think that much about highschool as a 27-year-old so it was a bit weird that it was concentrated on so much. Also I felt that the romance was really a sub-plot. It felt disconnected compared to a lot of other romance books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. This book publishes on June 4th, 2024.

📖 Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Release Date - Tomorrow! June 4th, 2024

This was my first read by Annabel Monaghan and it was a good one. It's a perfect summer romance to curl up in a hammock or lounge chair with.☀️

It pulled me in quickly and was a 5⭐️ at the start but it lost just a little bit of the connection for me as it went. Probably a me thing as I was reading - absolutely still an enjoyable read.

I think most readers would find something familiar to them that they could relate to with these two main characters. There were certainly some emotional moments to connect to as a mother. Ali is balancing motherhood and realizing how much she lost herself along the way. It's been forever since she even put on some "hard pants" (something with a zipper and not sweatpants).

Ethan is the guy who has been misunderstood most of his whole life, even by his family. It's heartbreaking and makes you realize how often this probably happens for many people, living under the assumptions of others instead of who you truly are.

Mature, late 30's main characters.
Small town.
Grief, divorce, parenting.
Closed door, implied spice.

Summer Romance is sweet but packed with emotional, relatable moments.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Book Putnam Group for and advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two years ago, Ali Morris’s life changed forever when her mother passed away. And while still grieving, her husband decided that he no longer wanted to be married to her. While feeling so lost, the last thing Ali expected was for her dog to help her bring a new man into her life. That’s right — her dog. But is Ali ready for a summer romance?

This was the PERFECT book to start my summer reading with. I laughed, I cried… I didn’t want this book to end. It truly captivated me from start to finish. And even now, days after finishing it, I’m still thinking about it and how heartwarming it was. And I loved the characters so so much.

Trust me when I say, you must add this to your summer reading list!!

I haven’t read Annabel Monaghan’s other books but I need to asap. I love her writing style and I need more of it.

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! Summer Romance follows the life of a newly single mother and professional organizer of 3. After recently losing her own mother and navigating a fresh divorce, Ali must come to terms with her past as she begins to enter into this next new phase of her life. This book is full of laughs, tears, and spontaneous dates that will keep you reading.

I found Ali to be very genuine and one who really owned her life, regardless of how messy it became at times for her. Ali's openness to taking chances is a good reminder for us all to step out of our comfort zones, no matter what stage of life we are in or what we are going through. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cute, fun summer beach read!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review!

What I love about Annabel Monaghan's books is that they are more relatable and have more real-life situations in them than most romances. In most of the romances I read, the characters have never been married, have no kids, and no mortgages, etc. The main character in Summer Romance, Ali, is a 38-year-old professional organizer with 3 kids. Although she helps other with their organizational needs, Ali herself is quite the mess. Then, Ethan enters Ali's life, and they have a summer romance, and she starts to experience real joy and happiness again. She has to navigate this new relationship while going through a divorce, running her household, working, and parenting. Even with this happening in the book, it manages to be so fun and entertaining! The characters are all top-notch and the relationships feel real and are very well written! I really enjoyed this one! 4,5 stars!!

Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley, for a copy in return for my honest review.

I am (finally ;) back from vacation, which means I have time to review all of the fabulous books I read over the past two weeks!!

First up - Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan, which is out TOMORROW! I fell in love with Annabel's writing with Nora Goes Off Script, and knew her latest would be the perfect companion when I was on the beach... and let me tell you I LOVED this one!

The last two years of our leading lady Ali's life have been hellacious: she lost her best friend, her mother, and then her husband left her. She's been focused on her kids and just trying to survive... even if that mean not wearing hard pants for two years which is HELLA relatable, imo.

After commemorating the two year anniversary of her mother being gone, she decides to take off her wedding ring, swap out the joggers for some overalls and take her dog for a walk. So when her dog pees on a VERY attractive stranger, well it has to be a sign, right?!

I fell for Ali and her story very quickly. It was raw and honest - trying to balance her grief with caring for her kids and trying to carve out some space for herself. She realizes that durng the course of her marriage she lost her voice, and slowly but surely, and with the help of this handsome stranger, Ethan, she reclaims it.

I could not put this one down and it got me in my feels. I got teary as Ali worked through the loss of her mother and her frustrations with her ex husband. I swooned at Ethan's flirtations. I cheered when Ali started reclaiming her power.

Y'all know that my fave romances have a bit of messiness, a lot of character development and incredible chemistry among the characters. And Annabel NAILED it with this one - one of my first 5 star reads of the summer! You MUST add it to your TBR list. Big thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC that was my perfect beach companion!!

Will post this review on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and retail sites

Loved loved loved this! Monaghan writes the BEST romances for women with kids, women over 35, women who struggle with midlife issues such as aging parents and angsty kids. I resonated with so much of Ali's story about finding yourself after giving your all to your kids. I adored every minute of this book! Perfect read for the summer!

This is my first book from this author and I want to read more! For me, it was a nice balance of romance and women’s fiction (a lot of focus on her personal growth, which I loved). The romance was sweet and Ethan is such a golden retriever than I maybe fawned a bit 😅 fun and lighthearted while also hitting a few serious things. Highly recommend as a great romcom.

*fade to black/closed door

I have loved everything I’ve read by Annabel Monaghan and I loved this one too! As a 38 year old stay at home mom the main character Ali, a 38 year old mom of three, felt so relatable. I also enjoy the small town coastal setting, the sweet next door neighbor Phyllis, the dogs and the male main character, Ethan. Add this one to your summer reading list! Pack it in your beach bag, bring it to the pool, take in on vacation or just enjoy it at home.

I would read just about anything Monaghan writes, but the title of this one says it all. Summer Romance? Yes, please!

Everything is going wrong in Ali’s life, as a single mom and divorcee whose mother had died, when her dog claims a man for her — by peeing on him.

Since summer romances are so light and non-committal, she takes a chance. As they each help each other through some "hard stuff," though, she starts falling hard.

This book balances the light and heavy sides of life just right. The heavy stuff makes the couple feel real, and the light stuff makes the book feel romantic. It's not spicy, and it's super breezy to read. It's a great choice for fans of Abby Jimenez.

Despite her work as a professional organizer, Ali Morris' own life is a mess - literally, with piles of mail and un-put-away groceries on her counter, and figuratively, with the lingering grief over her mother's death 2 years ago and lingering upheaval after her husband announced he wanted a divorce one year ago. Her best friend is encouraging her to finally put on some pants with a zipper though, and to her surprise, the first time she does, Ali encounters an attractive and funny guy at the dog park who actually seems interested in her. They develop a relationship in stolen pockets of time while her kids are at camp or with their dad, but quickly she realizes that the idea of a "summer romance" where everyone can go back to regular life after a fun fling is just not going to happen after she's fallen too hard - and in the process she has also become her whole, true self again and finally knows what she really wants out of life after some stagnant years and a marriage that made her small. I loved both the almost-4o-year-old and the mother aspects of Ali's character so much, and I loved how real the relationship development felt, as she and Ethan have so much fun together but also deal with plenty of real life things. That vibe comes through in the reading experience - fun and frothy, but not too fluffy. Annabel Monaghan's debut, Nora Goes Off Script, is one of my favorite rom-com reads ever, so perhaps it was unsurprising that I was a tad disappointed in her second (high bar!). Thrilled to say that a lot of what made me love Nora so much is back in this one though! Especially the part where the book is just as much a reflection on motherhood as it is a romance, and the absolute perfect level of swoon and implied steam, but not at all too much spice. I just had a little trouble getting past my own confusion as a reader of understanding how Ali wouldn't have ever met Ethan as an adult - she went to high school with him and didn't know him then, but she's been back in her hometown for years and is great friends with Ethan's older sister. It just seemed weird that the whole "mistaken identity" type trope was there at the beginning of their relationship, if she actually was so friendly with the family... that convolutedness took me out of the story a bit, but otherwise I loved pretty much everything about this book, from the perspective on motherhood and finding oneself after losing an identity to it (and marriage), to the kids who were funny and whose dialogue felt spot-on to their ages, to the lovely small-town setting, to the banter, to the nostalgia of summer being this expansive time open for new activities, to the very realistic take on developing a romantic relationship in middle age when one has a lifetime of baggage and hang-ups and kids and full schedules. Highly recommend this as delightful summer reading that manages to have a dreamy but also totally realistic feel, and a lot of heart too. I tore through it in one weekend. ★★★★.5

I really adored this story and these characters! Ali was such a resilient and strong fmc trying to find herself while going through a divorce and she was such a good mom. There is also an aspect where she is dealing with grief throughout the book and that part was so well done and really made me emotional at times! It all seemed realistic and raw and the way it came together was beautiful. I even loved the side characters and friendship!

From Ali and Ethan’s first moment together I loved them! It’s so nice to have characters who act mature and have real conversations. Ethan was so kind, funny, authentic, and wonderful. The way he truly cared about Ali and her kids had me swooning. And watching Ali realize what it looks like when someone truly cares for you was amazing. I loved the depth and growth throughout their journey!

This will be such a great romance read for the summer months. Mature adults, single parent, grief, best friend’s brother.

Thank you for the gifted copy!

5/5 stars. This book was incredibly lovely and was the best vacation beach read. It is a sweet and thoughtful story that feels relatable and also will give you butterflies! It’s closed door but I really enjoyed both of the main characters and the small town vibes. I read and enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script but I liked this one even more. I would recommend this one to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Grouo Putnam for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ali's life is...a bit of a mess. Her mom died, then her husband left, and she can't be bothered to wear clothing other than sweats. Then her dog makes friends with another dog at a dog park....and Ali suddenly finds herself out on a date for the first time in forever. Ethan is younger, a ton of fun, and maybe just what Ali needs to jump start her life again. A summer romance with an expiration date feels like something she can handle with the rest of her crazy life.

This book, like very book I've read by Monaghan, is just absolutely amazing. I love all of the characters (even if I do occasionally want to beat Ethan's family about the head because of how they treat him). She makes you feel as if you're a part of the story, remembering your summer romances of the past (or maybe dreaming of ones you may have, depending on your age or station in life). I love the setting--there are beaches (what every summer romance needs, right?) and secret spots, and good food spots. She also makes sure to tug at your heart strings, and I'll admit parts of this book had me in tears because the pain was just so real.
I'm also generally not a fan of age gap romances (though the gap here is fairly small and if the roles were reversed it probably wouldn't even be mentioned), but Mongahan masterfully shows us how well a younger guy/older girl can work if it's done right.

I think this might be my favorite of her books so far. Loved it.

This book was such a delight to read! Ali is a mother of three children, and she is almost divorced from her husband. Ali is a professional organizer for other people's homes, but her own home and her own life are chaotic at the moment. Her mother passed away two years ago, and then, her husband said he wanted a divorce. Her life has been changing so much over the past few years, and she feels like she has lost who she really is.

She meets a man named Ethan at the dog park, and sparks fly. He asks her on a date, and it's the first time in a long time that she feels like herself. She can be who she is, and Ethan wants to spend time with her. Their connection is so sweet and genuine.

I really connected with this story because I am a similar age to Ali, and I can appreciate how difficult it is to get back to the world after being a stay at home parent for many years. Struggling with being a person outside of being a wife and/or a mother can be difficult, and I loved reading about Ali's journey. Ali is 38, and Ethan is 36. Their ages showed that they have grown and matured. I appreciated that so much.

Overall, this was a very sweet and heartfelt love story that I had a lot of fun reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for this ARC.

Annabel Monaghan strikes again! She never fails to write one of my favorite books of the year, and this one just may be my favorite of her's yet! Ali and Ethan are one of the best couples-- their relationship was so sweet and supportive and heartwarming. I especially loved how they showed up for one another and were integral parts in each other's character arcs from the beginning to the end of the book (which were excellent, by the way). The theme that love is worth it, even when you know it could end in heartbreak, was so poignant and the ways Monaghan punctuated it throughout the story brought me to tears. Summer Romance is a triumph!

*Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How is it possible that book after book, it seems like Anabel Monaghan is writing exactly the book I want to read? This book is a reminder that life doesn't stop in your late 30s. Ali, facing down a divorce and floundering for a new career, is adamant that Ethan is just a summer romance, and it's the way he keeps reminding her that there are more remarkable moments to come in her life that hit me hard (that, and the ongoing thread of metaphor about dogs). A PERFECT summer read.

This book was delightful! It was such a heartfelt and relatable book. Ali's journey of self discovery and growth was beautiful and real. She was such a likable character, flaws and all. I loved Ethan and thought he was the perfect male lead who added to Ali's journey and provided depth to the story. Even though this is a lighthearted story, it still covered grief, depression, complicated family dynamics, divorce, and motherhood. I'm always amazed by how this author manages to cram so much plot and heart into so few pages. If you are looking for an easy, well written beach read then I highly recommend this one!