4 stars

This was such a perfect rom-com to prepare for summer! The romance was adorable, and I loved Ali’s character development. The ending was satisfying, and this was such a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

I stumbled upon Nora Goes Off Script and loved it, so I jumped when I saw a chance for an ARC of a new Annabel Monaghan book.

I love this type of romance. Characters who have lived their lives, made mistakes, gained baggage, and yet still find romance. It feels fresh to read, especially after a long binge of 20=something romances, complaining about being alone forever at 22.

Ali is separated from her husband, has lost her mother to cancer, and is trying to raise her three children and elderly dog through the haze of grief. Divorce looming, she meets an attractive man at the dog park and suddenly feels rejuvenated. It turns out that he is the younger brother of her best friend and has no intentions of sticking around long-term. Throughout the story, we see how Ali made herself smaller to accommodate her horrible (soon to be ex) husband, how close of a relationship she had with her mother, and how that might not have been a good thing. Plus, we get to see her wonderful friendship with her super elderly next-door neighbor.

This book made me laugh and cry, and I read the whole damn thing in about a 12-hour period. I highly recommend this one, folks!

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

This is now my favorite Annabel Monaghan book. After I finished the book I wanted to read it again for the first time. I read it in 1 day at the pool. Ali and Ethan were relatable, mature, and honest. Through grief, divorce, single parenting, and a new romance, I liked seeing Ali find her voice as well as learn to love without fear of loss.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

What an awesome book! Honestly, I loved that this was a rom-com that I could identify with. Although my current life situation is completely different - happily married, family support, great husband, kids, etc - I loved that the main character was similar in age (late 30s) and previously married with children. She is going through a divorce and trying to find herself (and love!) again. I find that many rom-coms the characters are younger, first marriages, no children - and although fun to read... a lifetime ago for me! I loved that she touched on how after many years of marriage and children, it can be hard to feel sexy again. Difficult to feel good in yourself, what you wear, etc. and even harder to remember to put yourself first. I love that this was about a summer romance and two people supporting one another during a difficult time. We all know how this will end... but it does not change how wonderful the book is. I loved the characters. I loved their openness about their struggles, their issues and the changes that they make throughout the book. A must read - especially for those ladies who have been married for over a decade with children!!
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

SUMMER ROMANCE is the third book I’ve read from Annabel Monaghan and it won’t be the last. This is the perfect beach read for people who actually like to read — it has heart, dimensionality, warmth, and wit. You’ll fall for Ali and Ethan and root for their happily ever after.

I loved “Norah Goes off Script”, but “Summer Romance” might rival that or at least be a close second! I love that Annabel Monaghan writes romance stories involving older women who are trying to rediscover themselves, but yet know they need to be responsible! Ali is the main character, a woman going through divorce who is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after just having recently lost her mother 2 years ago. She might be “losing it” more than most being that she regularly talks to her mom as if she’s still right there. Who is she outside if daughter, mother, and wife? In the process of trying to discover this she meets up with Ethan. Ethan is a man established in his thirties who still finds happiness enjoying his skateboarding hobby, but a successful lawyer who has made a mark for himself. He’s also a surrogate father to a bunch of teenage skateboarders. The dialogue in the book is snappy and fresh. The way Ali and Ethan interact after knowing one another since childhood to a mature stage of life is so relatable. Summer Romance is a closed door romance for those who don’t love a ton of steam factor and so sweet. It was a fast read that just had me wanting more! I didn’t want to put it down! I can’t wait for Annabel Monaghan’s next book, she’s become an autobuy for me!!

Thank you NetGalley for this early release! It was a 5 star read!!

Ali may be paid to organize other people's lives, but her own had been in disarray since her mother's death. The loss of her mother, her best friend, the buffer and the balancer of her life, hit Ali like a ton of bricks. She was doing the bare minimum of living, and then her husband left her. With her divorce looming, Ali was encouraged to put on some "hard pants" and start a new chapter, and so she did with help from a very unlikely source.

Gosh! I adored this book so much! It was funny and heartfelt and touching. There were so many things I loved, so let's hit the high points.

It's about starting over. Ali had been in a marriage that she knew wasn't working but she was stuck. With her husband exiting, it gave her the opportunity to recover the pieces of herself she lost or kept buried for the sake of this union. She no longer needed to compromise herself for her husband, and it was simply beautiful watching this woman find herself again.

It's about reconnecting with people from the past. Who would have suspected that the person who would give Ali the encouragement and support she needed would be named Scooter. Well, that's what his family called him, but now he was a grown man who was NOTHING like the kid she remembered. He was actually pretty phenomenal, kind and giving, too. He was everything her husband wasn't, and I couldn't help but hope and pray for this relationship to catch fire.

This is my fifth book from Monaghan, and I know there will be many more in my future as my adoration of her stories continues to grow. I love the messy characters, the humor, the warmth, and everything else Monaghan never fails to deliver in her tales. Like her other books, Summer Romance left me with walking on sunshine and smiling my face off.

Picture this: me, sitting in a grocery store parking lot, smiling and crying, much to the confusion of the person parked next to me (who probably thought I was having a breakdown). But no, it was just me, utterly engrossed in this book. 😅

"Summer Romance" by Annabel Monaghan is like lemonade on a summer day – it hits all the right spots!

Now, I'll admit, I was a tad skeptical when I picked up Monaghan's first book, "Nora Goes Off Script" last summer. I mean... a single, childfree crazy dog mom relating to the character of a divorced single mom? But oh boy, did Annabel Monaghan prove me wrong and I'm so glad I took a chance on that book. I've been hooked ever since!

Her characters are so relatable. While reading this book, I felt like I was the one divorcing a jackass, navigating how to communicate with my teenage daughter, and learning to date again.

"Summer Romance" has everything you could ask for: small-town charm, a meet-cute that's dog-friendly (because, let's face it, our dogs are the ultimate wingmen), and a male lead, Ethan, who's the epitome of swoon-worthy. Ladies, if your love language is Acts of Service, prepare to fall head over heels for Ethan – he's thoughtful, respectful, and funny! 😍🥰

So, if you're in need of a pick-me-up that'll leave you grinning like a fool and craving your own summer romance, grab a copy of this book ASAP.

Just be warned: you might find yourself reading it in unexpected places, like grocery store parking lots. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Thank you to @annabelmonaghan @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I still cant wait for the physical copy that I pre-ordered to get here!

#summerbook #summerromance #summerreadinglist #beachyreads #smalltownromance #actsofservice #feelgoodbook #annabelmonaghan

Ugh I loved this so much. I loved seeing Ali learn how to stand up for herself and learn to accept that loss and grief are part of life and you have to embrace them to live fully. I loved Ethan so much. What a man. I will keep coming back for more of these characters and more of Anabel Monaghan!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Annabel Monaghan is now an instant read for me. This is the third book I've read by her and I have loved each of them. There is so much that I loved about this book.

One of the things is Ali's transformation through the book. Since the death of her mother she has been in a major funk and seeing her slowly become herself again was fantastic. Especially since you can fully tell that while Ethan helps push her a little she does it on her own. Also, I just loved Ethan. He is such a great character.

The title is accurate-this is a fun book about ...you guessed it: a summer romance. Ethan and his outfits made me laugh several times, and I loved how much he empowered Ali to reclaim her life. This book has similar tones to Monaghan's first book (Nora Goes Off Script): single mom realizing what she wants in life and finding love along the way. Pub Date: June 4. Thank you Putnam Books (@putnambooks) and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I fell in love with, “Summer Romance,” almost immediately. The style of writing was immersive and I felt like I bonded with every character.

Ali and Ethan were both relatable on multiple levels, and their interactions gave me butterflies. While both had so much depth and complexity, I absolutely adored Ethan.

The book touches on heavy emotional topics such as grief, separation, parenting, and self-concept which the author does an excellent job exploring.

“Summer Romance,” is the perfect beach read and should be on everyone’s summer reading list this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Cheers to a champagne summer! 🥂🍾

… also cheers to the fact that I may have already found my top book of the year! Summer Romance had my heart overflowing with its lovable main characters, lovable (and not so lovable) side characters (ahem Pete), and the journey of finding yourself while also grieving the life you had and the people in your life that you’ve lost. This book had me laughing, it had me tearing up, it had me angry (yep, Pete again), and I finished the book just wanting to give everyone in my life a big hug

Annabel Monaghan has a way of creating a romance that is about much more than just the romance. She uses more mature main characters to open up bigger themes about life that still gives everyone the ability to relate no matter your age or circumstance.

I couldn’t recommend this book enough so please please please give Annabel Monaghan and Summer Romance all of the love because they both deserve it all 💖

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with a book before it even releases 🤍

☀️Mature MC’s (late 30’s)
☀️Slow burn
☀️Best friends brother
☀️Meet Cute
☀️Small town
☀️Single parent / divorce
☀️”I’ve always loved you”
☀️Closed door / fade to black

I loved this book! Ali is stuck in the biggest of ruts. Her mom died, her husband left, she doesn't want to wear things other than sweats, and she's going through the motions for her kids. She has a long list of questions she'll ask organization clients, and she can balance other people's books, but she doesn't do any of that organization for herself.
Watching her find this summer romance and use it as the catalyst to care for herself and find who she should really be and reclaim her happiness was awesome. There are laughs and groans and swoons all in one in this book. My favorite quote was that she knew Ethan loved her for her true self, which is all anyone can ask for.
Despite Ali having serious circumstances she's working through, this book was overall upbeat and a perfect summer or vacation read. Another winner from this author!

I love Annabel Monaghan books and even though I already bought a physical copy I couldn’t resist getting the audio too. I’ll save the physical one for when I hopefully meet her one day ❤️

Here are a few quotes I liked…

“It’s not time for dating until you wear hard pants.”

“She said SEXY!!!” “You did!!!?” #swoon

“Maybe I’m totally reliable when it comes to you.”

Ever have a book that makes you smirk while reading!? Ok well now is your chance…𝙂𝙊 𝙋𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙐𝙋.

Alice “Ali” Morris is in a loveless marriage with Pete, a selfish, clueless man, a man who treats her like an afterthought…IF she’s lucky. The silver lining? Their beautiful children that she adores 𝙖𝙣𝙙 she’s finally getting out of her blah marriage. This is a story of tremendous growth for someone who has lost sight of who they are.

Until….her dog pees on someone…that someone is Ethan/Scooter. Ethan’s unassuming charm oozed off the pages! Faith in men restored.

Ali gets a bit stalkery, don’t worry it’s juvenile and awkwardly cute. Ali has no idea how to date. 1st things 1st shes gotta learn that dating does not involve hard pants.

This is a feel good, heartwarming story of an almost 40 year old woman who is ready to start living her life the way she wants, all while falling in love with someone worthy of it.

Note to 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹…I talk to my Mommom everyday even though she’s been gone for years I still feel that closeness to her. ❤️

I have reviewed early copies of every Monaghan book and this one was easily my favorite. I love how she has older main characters who have gone through real issues like difficult marriages, divorce, and tough children situations. It’s so nice reading these characters who feel so real find love again. This one in particular has so many winning features I love: small town setting, best friend’s brother, finding yourself, and lovable side characters. As a fan of short books, I love how Monaghan’s are not only short but so, so satisfying.

If you enjoyed her previous books or like contemporary romances with characters in their 30s, I can’t recommend this enough!

This was such a great summer read! Nora Goes Off Script remains my favorite but this one was a close second. I loved reading the growth of Ali and even her daughters and son. As someone who is also obsessed with organizing, I enjoyed that part of the book. I didn’t really care for the skateboarding aspect, but was easily able to overlook it and love the book. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

“ You’re the architect of your own experience.” The best line in this entire book! I loved everything about this book. It was funny, sad, sarcastic, and full of love. This was my first book by Annabel Monaghan and I’m now a big fan. She is going on my must-read author list. I can’t wait to read all her other books. I started reading this book as a fun early summer read but it hit home more than I could have ever imagined. I lost my dear grandmother while halfway through. Although that life altering event made me struggle to finish this book, I am so glad I did. There were so many moments in this book about love and grief that gave me the perspective I didn’t know I needed. And if this book reiterated anything to me, it’s that I will always have a dog.

3.75

Finally, a romance about a grown woman with children! I often say I don’t love the romance genre, but if I could relate more to the characters and think I would. Well I can relate to to the characters in Summer Romance. I really enjoyed myself. There is cute banter but no spice. If you are looking for a sweet love story that is also about finding yourself again after having children, this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ali is a newly single mom and a professional organizer whose life could not be messier. When her mom died, she couldn't get over it and her already failing marriage could not recover. Now her soon-to-be ex-husband comes and goes as he pleases and Ali is having a hard time picking up the pieces of her life.

When she meets Ethan, she decides that a summer romance would be the perfect thing for her to start the next chapter in her life. She does not realize that Ethan might turn into so much more. She also does not realize that Ethan is her best friend's brother whom everyone calls Scooter. She has not seen him in years.

Why I Love This Book: Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script were both books I loved, so I could not wait to read this book. It's a slow-burn romance that deals with the loss of a parent, the loss of self, and how to move forward one step at a time. Throughout the book, Ali moves through the stages of grief, mourning the loss of her mother. It was poignant and moving with the HEA you expect. #gifted