Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan is a fantastic story. Ali Morris’ life is not what she had planned. Her mom died two years ago, her husband left a year ago, and she is feels like things are very messy. Ethan is just visiting Beechwood for the summer. He thinks Ali is wonderful. What can be wrong with a summer romance?

Visiting Beechwood and making new friends was a highlight for me. I enjoyed the characters and town. Ali was such a relatable character that I enjoyed watching transform in the story. Ethan was a great guy. I loved his backstory and the life he had made for himself. The story shares about the risks we take in life and why they are so important. The themes of walking through grief, becoming who you were meant to be, and the value of loving someone resonated with me.

For me Summer Romance had all the things including a honest and transforming heroine, a hero who really listens, and romance that grows through the story. I am a huge fan of author Annabel Monaghan and this may be my new favorite of her books.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a review.

Drawn into the life of Ali from page one! My first Annabel Monaghan novel was Nora Goes Off Script, which I adored. Her characters are so relatable and her writing makes them easy to binge in a couple days! Summer Romance will capture your heart and leave you with all the happy, sweet, dreamy feelings.

I am a more action-oriented reader. I don't especially like books where we are subjected to a characters every thought or recollection. Lengthy trips down memory lane bore me. I'm much more interested in the here and now. But all that introspection and navel-gazing does make knowing the characters and being invested unavoidable for the reader. The first-person narrative isn't my favorite either. I liked Ali. Her struggles with the death of first her beloved mother and then her marriage while raising three children make it tough not to. Add to that her struggles with finding herself again and starting a new relationship make it a sweet, heartwarming tale.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Ali is going through a divorce and taking care of her two children while grieving the loss of her mother. She's a professional organizer, but with her personal struggles, is unable to organize her own home or life. All in all, things are not going great. That is, until her dog pees on an extremely hot guy at the dog park and he is completely charmed. He's only in town for the summer, which gives Ali the perfect opportunity to start moving on with a low-pressure summer fling. But like, what if they fall in love?

This is extremely sweet. The relationship development between Ali and Ethan is really well done. He's really supportive of her during her grief, and his relationship with her kids is really precious.

I think if you've read and enjoyed Nora Goes off Script by this author, this one will be right up your alley. Annabel Monaghan does a really good job a writing protagonists who are more mature, divorced with children, but making sure that they are full, complete characters separate from all of that, with their own lives and desires independent of their family situation.

Wonderful novel about a newly divorced mother of three. This book has a great love story but also tackles themes of grief and resilience. The setting of the small coastal town is charming, making this a perfect summer read!

I loved this one! Annabel Monaghan writes such compelling characters and stories. I was nervous to read this because I loved Nora Goes Off Script so much I didn't think I could love another book as much but this one was a close second that I binge read in one evening. Perfect summer read!

Review will be posted on 5/30/24

Ali Morris is not in the best place. Her mother died two years ago and she is still grieving. Raising her three kids is difficult, especially when she is going through a divorce from her husband, Pete, who seems to care more about his biking schedule than his kids. She has been in a rut, wearing mostly sweatpants, and hanging out with her geriatric neighbor, until she takes her dog to the dog park and her dog pees on gorgeous Ethan. Ethan and Ali hit it off and this reminds Ali of who she used to be and starts to get her out of her rut. That is until she realizes Ethan is none other than Scooter, her friend's little brother, who was a real pain in the ass in high school. She couldn't possibly date him, right? Scooter seems entirely different than the man before her eyes and he has had a crush on Ali since high school. Ethan is determined to make her take him seriously. Could their romance be something that lasts more than just a summer? Annabel Monaghan's Summer Romance is beach read gold. I loved every second of this relatable story filled with characters that I actually liked and was rooting for.


Ali is one of my favorite characters of the year. I adored her, along with many of the secondary characters in Summer Romance, which rarely happens in books lately. Most of the characters, other than her ex-husband, were extremely likable. I enjoyed being in Ali's world and as a mom in my 40s, I could relate to her. Monaghan gets women in their late 30s/early 40s better than any writer out there today. How could I not root for Ali and the return to her former self in Summer Romance? I was so happy to watch her relationship unfold with Ethan and for her to gain some confidence back.

The dialogue was, as usual, done so well and there were some laugh-out-loud moments in Summer Romance. Monaghan's realistic (and hilarious!) dialogue is right up there with Emily Henry and Carley Fortune. Also, Monaghan has created such a happy beach read. I didn't want it to end. Summer Romance is one of my favorite beach reads of the summer, if not one of my favorite books of the year. I adored Nora Goes Off Script as well as Same Time Next Summer , so it's safe to say Monaghan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. If you love a beach read that is happy, sweet, relatable, and is believable, look no further than Summer Romance. I am convinced Monaghan can do no wrong.

So, do you plan on reading Summer Romance? Are you a fan of Monaghan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I felt the title is a little misleading in that one of the reasons I chose to read this book was that it would entail a summer romance, only to find that was a small aspect of the story. The story really centers around Ali's divorce and mother's recent death, with a slight dusting of Ali falling for her best friend's little brother Scooter. Part of the dialogue is Ali talking to her deceased mother while in the car and the other part is her cruising on autopilot, waking up one day to her husband Pete saying he wants a divorce and her responding by continuing in her autopilot manner while raising three kids on her own. Enough was going on for me to finish reading the book, but it kinda fell flat.

Matching its' title, Summer Romance is the light, fun, and short beach read to add to your summer TBR.

Ali is a separated mom of two who has recently lost her mother and fees like her life is absolutely at a low-point. Despite being a professional organizer, her own life feels disjointed, chaotic, and the last thing she needs is a messy summer romance. Fate, and her dog, have other plans for her when she collides with a younger handsome skateboarder names Ethan. Ethan is Ali's childhood best friend's younger brother who is only home for the summer to help sell his parents' home. He is a lawyer who agrees to help Ali in her divorce case in exchange for her help clearing out the home to sell. Sparks fly and the two agree to a low-stakes summer fling. What happens when the both catch feelings?? You'll have to read this one to find out!

Monaghan writes the most relatable middle-aged heroines in the romance world while also crafting CAPABLE swoony men who anticipate and support the needs of their partner. Is anything sexier than that?? This romance is fun, sexy, and allows room for growth in both main character's arcs. The 4.43 Goodreads average rating is well-earned and this will absolutely be another bestseller for the author!

Synopsis: Ali is grappling with some major life changes - a divorce, the loss of her mother, and a minor identity crisis. As a professional organizer, she is struggling to organize her life to get it back on track. After a delightful meet cute with Ethan, Ali starts to feel a way out of her slump. With the help of a summer, her children, her friends, and Ethan, Ali might just rediscover that she can create a life she loves again.

My Thoughts: This romance hit hard on many life changing events: grief of a parent and divorce. With that being said, this was more contemporary than the usual romances I pick up. I enjoyed the rediscovery aspect of this Ali’s journey as well as the playfulness of the portrayal of summer. However, I thought there could have been more depth to the romance. Ethan was swoon-worthy but did not seem to have a full arc like Ali. If you are looking for a summer beach read, this is an awesome choice.

I really loved this and I'm giving it 5-stars based on the five tissues I went through. Annabel Monaghan has quickly become one of my new favorite authors. I have loved all three of her books. Her books are centered around characters who have put their lives on hold for family, so they are definitely in the "coming of age" realm.

This book is about a soon-to-be divorced mother of three, Ali. During the divorce process she meets Ethan who is in town for the summer, and she is instantly attracted. Ethan is a few years younger, and is all in with her, which I loved. Ali is also grieving the death of her mother. So, not only is she dealing with her grief, this book is about her being a newly single mom, dealing with an awful ex, and raising kids on her own. She is going through a lot, so the last thing she needs is to get into anything serious with someone who is leaving at the end of the summer.

This book features a summer setting, small town vibes, clean romance, motherhood, grief, and a bit of a cinnamon roll mmc. This was so sweet, and there weren't any crazy conflicts/problems to overcome other than real life issues. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced Ebook copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC!

3.5 ⭐️
After loving Same Time Next Summer, I was really excited to jump into this hoping for the same vibes, but the characters felt a lot weaker to me. The first half of the book was a bit boring, but did pick up into the romance that I wanted more towards the second half. I enjoyed that these characters had real, big issues in life that they were dealing with and grieving over, but it definitely did not make for a light summer read. Some of the writing came off as a bit choppy and YA, but that got better as it went on.
This wasn't a bad read by any means, but if I were to recommend an Annabel Monaghan book to anyone, it would be Same Time Next Summer and not this one.

“I can never unknow the truest thing - the intensity of the love you feel will match the intensity of its loss.”

Summer reading has officially begun! Though it doesn’t really feel like summer here yet….I’m definitely ready for summer reading. ☀️

After reading and loving Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan two summers ago, I couldn’t wait to read her latest, Summer Romance. Nora is still my favorite, but Summer Romance is a close second.

What Monaghan does really well in these two books is write about women who are moms, dealing with loss, and with the ups and downs of motherhood while also making their own lives a priority. The kids are integral parts of the stories and it’s not something you see a lot in romance novels, and I think that’s why these stand out to me.

In Summer Romance, Ali is dealing with the loss of her mother two years ago, and the recent separation from her husband. She is a professional organizer, who loves helping other people get their homes in order, while hers remains a mess. Throughout her marriage her needs always came last, and she’s trying to change that now. There’s a sweet meet-cute at a dog park, where she runs into someone she knows from childhood but doesn’t really remember….but he remembers her….❤️

It takes place in a fictional town on Long Island, and it made me so ready for summer and the beach. I cried happy tears through the last 10% of the novel, which if you know me at all means I loved it.
There were so many good quotes about motherhood that I highlighted. I loved this one:
“I can feel the fury of a million mothers inside of me, and I want to roar my fiery mother breath on anyone who might steal a moment of my daughter’s happiness.“
And this one: “The best thing about my mom was that she saw me for exactly who I was.” I thought, if my kids grow up and say that about me, it would make me the happiest mom on the planet.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher @penguinrandomhouse @putnambooks for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Summer Romance publishes on June 4th, just in time for summer reading.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, it was on my TBR because it was a summer book. I loved it so much, a book about finding yourself in a season of change. It’s never too late to find love and it may be where you least expect it. I laughed and teared up a bit. This book was good and I definitely recommend.

The amount of love and care Annabel put into this book is so evident. The love of a mother and daughter was palpable and made for a heart wrenching story. And the journey of a woman navigating life and rediscovering herself is so relatable. Ethan is the man of my dreams honestly, seeing the best of Ali no matter what. My heart is so full!

This was such a refreshing romance to read.

Ali was a fantastic MC; she was relatable, she was flawed, she was fierce and fun, and she felt like a friend. I loved that she got to shine as a mom, a woman, and in her job - her character wasn’t tied down to just one role, and I felt like all the roles were realistically played. The romance plot was equally as great. The little twist revealed at the beginning was fun and unexpected, and I loved where it took the story. Ali and Ethan’s story was sweet, real, and felt more mature given all the things going on in their lives. The rest of the cast of characters added a lot to the story, and I especially loved how much Ali’s kids were in the book.

I honestly could’ve kept reading this story for another 100 pages, and I think this is my new favorite by Annabel Monaghan!

This was a beautiful book. Ali’s character growth through this book was a wonderful thing to read. I love reading books with characters who just deeply feel things and Ali was this type of character. Ethan was lovely as well and maybe a little too perfect but that is why books are so amazing. This is one I will reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars, I loved this book! The author really knows how to write stories about women and for women. She really poignantly discuses the experience of grief, parenthood, the weight of others expectations, and losing yourself to a bad marriage. I love how she doesn’t focus on the ex and instead focuses on how the main character gets her voice back. I also loved the development of Ethan and how you can become more than the roles people place on you. Such a fun and sweet summer romance!!

A quintessential beach read about overcoming grief and adversity and being open to the unexpected that life hands your way. ☀️

This hit me at just the perfect time to scratch that long holiday weekend beach read itch. The parts where our FMC, Ali, struggled with her mom’s death really resonated with me and those scenes felt emotional and realistic. The romance element was sweet, which I don’t usually enjoy, but it worked here since our MMC Ethan was so easy to root for. My biggest gripe is that I wish Ali would have gained her confidence back more through self-discovery than through Ethan’s prodding, but my favorite from this author regardless.

Other elements I liked: the summer vibes, it was a fast-paced read, dog side characters, older MCs and everything that comes with that.

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 6/4/2024.

A perfect summer read! This was a perfectly sweet and cute summer romance story. A great, quick read for summertime with a main character that’s navigating divorce, children, finding herself, and finding love. Really sweet story! Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.