Thank you so much to Putnam for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be out on June 4th.

Annabel is one of my queen of summer romances! Three years in a row we have been gifted with easy, breezy romances. This one is no exception and now I think it is my new fave. I will say I feel like this one is the heaviest in terms of theme compared to her other books.

This book had all the things you could want in a book: heartwarming moments, a woman coming into her own, great friendships and of course love.

"You've known me for one week Scooter. You don't know what I'm made for."
"I've known you a long time."

Ariel is my new favorite female protagonist! She is a mother of 3 kids and is a year into separation with her husband and while dealing with that she is still reeling with grief after her mother's death. So much had happen at once that Ariel just kind of lost herself in the process. Then a chance encounter at the dog park has her face to face with the handsome Ethan. She is the pillar in her family's life and I feel like she is a great friend to Frannie as well.

Ethan Ethan Ethan. Ethan had me swooooooning. He always has had a crush on Ali and the timing of them meeting was by chance as he doesn't normally visit his hometown. He just was so understanding of the chaos that was going on in Ali's life. He knew she had children and a not so nice ex. He treated her so tenderly. He joked that once they kissed she was no longer a frog. And it really is true. He brought so much life back into her life. Everyone around her even her teenage daughter could tell the difference since Ethan came into their life. And who knew skateboarding would help bring the two together!

The relationship between Ali and Phyllis just melted my heart. Grief played a role throughout the book. Ali really looked to Phyllis as that mom figure that she needed in her life. One of my favorite quotes that i definitely will take with me outside of the reading came from Phyllis, "Spring is always coming. It never doesn't come." There was a moment that made my eyes a little wet and my heart just felt a lot of things.

One thing I can always appreciate with Monaghan's book is that even though they are short. You get a complete story. She does not over do it or makes you feel underwhelmed. It is just the perfect amount.

I didn't want this story to end! I just thoroughly enjoyed it from start to end. If you were a fan of her prior work, I feel like you will definitely enjoy this one! And if you have not read any of Monaghan's prior works, I highly recommend checking them out. They are super bingeable and the perfect poolside read!

This book reminded me so much of the Sweet Magnolia’s TV show. We have single mom Ali, whose mom has passed and her husband left on the anniversary of her death. She has gone through so much in so little time and has given up on everything but her kids. She has a meet cute at the dog park with a handsome stranger that ignites her life again. They find themselves in the same small town over the summer and enjoy each other’s company. This book had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. I hadn’t cried at a book in a long time.

Review to be posted to Instagram, date TBD. Review has been posted to Goodreads as of 31May2024.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

My rating:
4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Ali, a mom of three kids is going through a divorce when she meets a handsome man at a dog park. When she goes to a friends back yard bbq, she realizes that this man is her friends brother, who she hadn’t seen since he was younger and completely didn’t recognize.

Loved this one! I absolutely lovedddd Ethan. This was so cute and had lots of mentions of grief, family relationships and emotional parts that stuck with me.

I would absolutely recommend this one! It’s a closed door romance and I really wanted a little more romance elements in this one so that’s why I can’t give it a 5 but truly loved it and made me feel all the things!

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I was really looking forward to this book, but it wasn't quite the beach read I was expecting. This was riddled with grief over losing a parent, while losing yourself in parenting and a marriage that was never quite right. There was a lot of beautifully relatable moments but it didn't meet my expectations as a fun summer read.

Ethan was so great. I enjoyed the characters a lot and Annabel's writing is well done. The plot was just not my favorite.

Pick this up if you enjoy:
He falls first, cinnamon roll mmc
Single mom trope
Friend's younger brother
Small town, beach town
Realistic characters
Dog park meet cute
He's a lawyer
She's a professional organizer
No spice

Triggers: death of a parent/grandparent, divorce

LOVED! I have loved Annabel's books and this one is no different! Such a sweet romance novel. I especially enjoyed the fact that the romance was not just a romantic kind of love but also revolved around self love. I loved Ali & Ethan and their story made me giddy, More than that, I loved Ali's love story with herself. Rediscovering who she is, who she wants to be, and what will make her happy post divorce was so incredibly beautiful to read. The full circle moment at the end also made my heart burst. All the stars!!!

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of Summer Romance!
4.5 stars

This is my new favorite Annabel Monaghan, dethroning Nora. I loved the evolution of all of the relationships in this book: Ali and Ethan, Ali and her ex, Ali and her kids, Ali and her deceased mother…but most importantly Ali and herself. Summer Romance is obviously a romance novel, but it’s much more than that too. Definitely pick this one up, especially if you’ve enjoyed this author’s other titles!

Thank you to @putnambooks and @netgalley for the complimentary book! I absolutely adored this sweet and tender contemporary romance book. Annabel Monaghan does it again!

Tropes/story elements I loved:
- It's always been you trope
- Best friend's little brother trope
- Charming small town and tight-knit community
- Explores grief and starting a new chapter
- "Second act" of a divorced and single mom's life

Perfect for summer! I would have personally liked a little more spice, but I appreciate how sweet and romantic this closed-door romance was! Check the blog for book club discussion questions, my favorite book quotes, and more!

Thank you, Putnam, for the eARC!

4.25⭐

This was a refreshing romance, and i loved it! The story was relatable, a little too relatable at times, so I had to put the book down for a bit.

The romance, the characters, and the setting were delightful. Highly recommend!

4.5⭐️

Thank you to Katherine Center, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this book!

I absolutely adored this book. This is only my 3rd Katherine Center book and I think I need to dive into her backlist. This book follows Emma, an aspiring and talented screenwriter, who has put her career on hold to care for her father after an injury left him needed around the clock care. Emma gets a phone call from her high school friend about an opportunity to rewrite a terrible rom-com with Emma's favorite screenwriter of all time, Charlie Yates. It's an opportunity she can't turn down. But when Emma shows up, she finds out that Charlie doesn't want the help and doesn't think he needs it.

Emma is an optimist and believes in love and happily ever afters and rom-coms. Charlie is a cynic who doesn't believe in any of that. He is only writing this screenplay in order to get a movie he really wants made. Can Emma convince him to accept help, take this seriously and to eventually believe in love??

I loved Emma's character so much, I just wanted to be friends with her. I loved her sunny disposition and even though she was a fan of Charlie, she also told him the truth and stood up to him when needed.

Charlie was the perfect grump to Emma's sunshine. I love when the grumpy mmc is secretly a cinnamon roll and that is Charlie! The friendship these two developed was so good, and I loved how they slowly started to reveal themselves to each other.

I will say that I was not sure how Katherine was going to get to the HEA in this one, It was close to the end and I was certain she would not be able to pull it off, not only did she but she pulled together all of story in just a few pages and somehow it didn't feel rushed and it was perfect.

This book is definitely one to add to your summer TBR!

Summer Romance is my first read by Annabel Monaghan. It follows Ali Morris who is dealing with a lot of obstacles in life. Not only is she dealing with grief from her mom’s death two years ago, but her husband has also left her. After wallowing around the house in sweatpants, she finally decides to take the dog, Ferris, to the dog park to get out of the house. Here she meets the lawyer, Ethan, and the two end up connecting. The story is on the lighter side in terms of plot as it follows the two characters getting to know each other and going through their own journeys.

I loved Ali’s journey as her life is a mess despite her being a professional organizer. It’s a nice contrasting element to start the story and I enjoyed how slowly things become a little more organized as she starts to put different pieces together. With the two characters as adults established in their own lives yet they met when they were younger, there is a nice exploration into how life has changed for them. The setting of the small town of Long Island Sound between Connecticut and New York was amazing. Summer romances are stereotypically for younger characters in school, so I liked the idea of translating the idea for adults. I think there is a little more that could have been explored with the characters as I expected some elements to dive deeper, but I still enjoyed the writing. Overall, I think Monaghan is a talented writer and I’ll read more from her in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Nora Goes Off Script was one of my very favorite romances (and a debut!), but Same Time Next Summer fell very flat for me so I was nervous for this one. Thankfully, it made me swoon just as much as Monaghan's first. The characters, the setting, the trials and tribulations -- it all worked so well and had me unable to put it down. So much so that I switched back and forth from the ebook to the audio so I could read it at every moment possible. If you've enjoyed any of her books, you'll like this one (especially if you prefer closed door romances -- there is zero steam in this one).

Ali is a mess, but a realistic mess. After getting thrown multiple life hurdles, she finally convinces herself to get out of the sweats and take control. When she finds herself at the dog park, and "re-meeting" her best friend's little brother, she eventually realizes this is the sign she's been looking for all along. Now, she just needs to figure it all out for the rest of the summer.
Monaghan leaves us with yet again another feel good romance, that is almost too real. A must read for those upcoming summer days!

3-1/2 stars
romance

Ali’s mom died two years ago and her husband left her one year ago. Her life has become a struggle but she’s decided the time has come for her to start crawling out of her shell. That’s just when she meets Ethan in the dog park and commences a summer romance.

I don’t normally read two romances in a row, but I loved Nora Goes Off Script (NGOS) so much that I jumped at the chance to read Annabel Monaghan’s next novel, Summer Romance, in advance of its publication. And there wasn’t much time before that publication date so I had to dive in immediately. Probably because I had just finished the first novel, the similarities between the two novels were the first things I noticed. The story focuses on a small-town woman whose marriage recently ended, the woman has children including a non-athletic son, plants/wildlife/animals are significant to her, there is a sunrise tradition, her romantic interest is attractive and never before married, and someone intrudes on her crossword puzzles. This book even had a reference to Leo (although it was the astrological sign in this novel as opposed to the lead character’s name).

Forcing myself to quit noticing all the similarities, I was able to enjoy this romance. In fact, this one seemed more plausible than NGOS since the guy is a normal guy as opposed to a famous movie star. Again, the characters were charming and realistic. The situation again felt (mostly) authentic. And while NGOS is still the better novel, the relationship between Ali and Ethan seemed more balanced in Summer Romance.

While I enjoyed the way the novel wrapped up, I was not a huge fan of the “conflict” leading up to the ending. It was sad and a bit pathetic. I’m not saying it was out of character for Ali who was still working on regaining her sense of control but it was just sort of boring to this reader and, obviously, not handled well on Ali’s part. In the end, it lowered my opinion of the novel overall. But if you like novels that don’t bring the reader too much anxiety and have a solid happy ending, you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the advanced galley! This book will be released on June 4, 2024.

A summer romance with maturely behaved characters making pretty wise decisions?… I’m here for it, apparently!! Very much enjoyed this.

For the sake of an honest review, I thought I would struggle with Ali at the beginning of the story. She’s going through a divorce with 3 young children, and knowing a romance would be a main focus here, I began to assume this would be another story where the effects of divorce were downplayed, particularly where children are involved. Just not my favorite to read.

Not at all! Annabel Monaghan treated the situation with respect and care. Situations that are often secretive, making them overly complicated, were brought to light quickly and handled like grown-ups 👏

Another major piece of our main character’s story is the grieving of her mother whom she was very close to. Reading along as Ali sorted through frustrating emotions regarding her mother felt honest rather than the temptation to romanticize a relationship after it’s gone. She allowed herself to feel her hurt and frustration, and then moved to forgiveness.

Summer Romance is available June 4 and huge thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Group for this advanced copy. I have loved Annabel Monaghan’s others books, Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer just as much!

😭😭😭

I love everything Annabel Monaghan writes. I stayed up way too late finishing this book and the ending was the sweetest thing ever that left me staying up even later thinking about how good it was. Would 100% pick this up and read again, plus Monaghan writes so real and descriptively but doesn't prolong anything. Her books are the perfect length. 10/10 on the cover, too. 😍

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan is a sweet summer romance that is really about a woman rediscovering herself after grief and heartbreak.

This story starts on the two-year anniversary of Ali’s mother’s death. Her mother was her best friend and she feels lost without her. It also marks one year since her husband, Pete, announced that he no longer wanted to be married. 

Ali finds herself finally taking off her wedding ring and then taking her dog, Ferris, to the dog park. Little did she know that decision would change everything. Ferris pees on a handsome stranger at the dog park. The handsome stranger is named Ethan and he takes the whole thing very well and laughs it off. Ali is flirting with a stranger for the first time in years, and it reignites the version of herself she has lost. 

The characters in this story feel so realistic and authentic. You find yourself rooting for Ali from page one. Her house is disorganized, along with her emotions. I loved watching her reorganize her life both emotionally and physically. 

If you are in the mood for an easy summer read with a descriptive setting and authentic characters this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my complimentary copy.

I loved this book! Ali is separated from her husband and she is just dragging her feet through life. Hubby has moved out and seems to enjoy his “away from the kids” life, where she is still grieving the loss of her mother and the marriage that she knows is over.
One morning, while the kids are at summer camp, she takes the dog to a dog park. There the dog pees on a stranger that sets in motion a great summer romance.
This story is about Ali finding her footing, and getting a new life.
I really enjoyed this book. The author just knows how to write great stories with likable characters that you can’t help but root for.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC

Annabel Monaghan can do no wrong. This was my 3rd book of hers and to say she is an automatic read would be an understatement.

I fell in love with both Ali and Scooter/Ethan from the beginning and was very impressed by both of their character development over the course of the book.

This is def a must read. Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC of Summer Romance.

FMC 38
MMC 36
First person single POV- FMC
Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley*

There are themes of grief and loss on multiple fronts, one being the loss of a very close parent. This book also deals with divorce and raising children as a single parent and the many facets that all of that entails.

There was alot going on in this book, but I actually really liked it and found alot of it to be very realistic. I don't have any personal experience with parental loss like Ali in this book, and at first it was a bit confusing and borderline annoying the way she talked to her deceased mother, while also answering for her, and then later some of the blame she placed on her for decisions she (Ali) made and things she let happen to her as an adult. But as the story went on I actually came to appreciate the depth of how it was portrayed, and the way that Ali worked through her grief and learned alot from it.

I really liked the relationship between Ali and Ethan, especially the way they met and the bit of drama that played out in who he was. I thought both of them were interesting characters that had depth and made for a good story.

I'm a sucker for cute kids and think there was a total missed opportunity to round Cliffy out more, and to have the kids interact more with Ethan- but totally understand why that couldn't be the focal point of the story and why Ali kept those two parts of her life separate for a while.

I feel like this could be a potential spoiler so bewarned and stop here if you want.....

Also, I absolutely loved that Ethan fell for Ali when she was sort of a hot mess. I wish they had excluded some mentions he made about having a crush on her from when he knew her in high school, because I feel like how he saw her would have packed an even bigger punch without a small vibe (at first) that he was living out his teenage fantasy, but I still ate it up 💕 His past is a big part of the story, so I get why it was included..just saying.

Overall this is a very enjoyable summer beach read with some deeper themes and real life experiences that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I was provided this book as an ARC by NetGalley (which I'm appreciative of for sure) and you can find my boring disclaimer below, if you'd like 😂. However, my reviews are always honest, and I really only requested it because I read Nora Goes Off Script by this same author, liked it, and wanted earlier access to this new book of hers. I actually liked this one a bit more and read it faster (started last night, and finished today).

**Ratings and ARC disclaimer. If I review an ARC it will be listed at the top of my review. However, I'm not a professional reviewer, my reviews are always 100% my honest thoughts-  I just really like to read and mostly request ARCs for one reason: earlier access. I've got about 142 books on my physical TBR pile, another 100 or so in my Kindle Unlimited reading list, a humongous used bookstore that buys books back, and 3 different library cards. I do not rely on ARCs to obtain books, so I have no fear of angering any publisher with a review lol. Also, I prefer the Good Reads platform for my book lists and reviews, but do find them biased sometimes. There have been quite a few highly recommended books here and "booktok" that have just seemed wildly overhyped or nothing to substantiate the rating. I find Amazon reviews to be more fair- maybe because they actually pay for the books- so my hope is to help provide honest reviews here with a bit more details as to why.

I've really enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's writing. She has characters that are flawed and real. Her FMCs are fully developed and complex. She writes stories for adults about adults. The couple grows independently and together through grief, finding themselves, and finding their place. There is romance, but the naughty times are behind closed doors.