Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan is the perfect read to pick up this summer.

Ali is a professional organizer but her life is a hot mess. It’s the two year anniversary of her mother’s death, one year anniversary of her husband leaving her. She decides to finally put real pants on for the first time and head to the park where she is noticed by someone, and her dog immediately takes claim by peeing on him. Her life is pure chaos, but what harm can a summer romance do?

I adored how realistic the characters were. I loved the relationship between Ali and her oldest daughter. I loved how unglamorous and normal Ali and Ethan’s relationship was portrayed. Overall, I really enjoyed this title!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Annabel Monaghan for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Romance releases on June 4, 2024 and you’re going to want to add it to your beach bag!
5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet and enjoyable romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Second chance
Realistic romance
Great side characters
Funny meet cutes
Best friends bother
It’s always been you
Summer romance
Closed door
Themes of grief and self discovery

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Hard pants lol so relatable
The dogs
Annabel’s relationship with her kids
Fun-tastic summers
𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Scooter felt a little too obsessed at times

I really enjoyed this sweet summer book. It was so cute and I loved the characters. I really related to Ali. I think it could have been her kids and their ages, as they are similar to my own. I enjoyed reading about Ali navigating grief, motherhood, loss, life changes, and ultimately love. I loved Ethan. He was such a perfect mmc. He also had his own personal growth journey. He was sweet, witty, and wholly devoted to Ali. Phyllis was an unexpected character that I loved.

This book was a sweet and heartwarming read about love, loss, finding yourself, gaining confidence, and becoming who you are meant to be or maybe always were but got a little lost along the way.

Summer Romance had some heavier themes, but it also carried all the feelings and nostalgia of summer and that feeling of new possibilities that summertime brings.

-closed door
-divorce/loss
-best friend’s brother
-finding love and yourself again

Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook and to Putnam for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've enjoyed this author's books since I first read Nora Goes Off Script. The books are part women's fiction and part romance for women over the age of 30.

Ali Morris is a separated mother of three who is still mourning the loss of her own mother. On the one-year anniversary of her mother's death, her husband states he wants a divorce. They have been separated for a year, so she's not really surprised.

With the urging of her best friend to put on "hard pants" Ali gets rid of her sweatpants and takes her dog to the dog park. It's there that she meets Ethan in a very memorable way.

I love that Ethan brought out the best in Ali. He helped her stand up to her ex in the divorce proceedings, to no longer be a doormat. Ethan and Ali's romance, though she deemed it as a summer romance, seems so much more than that.

I really can't wait to see what this author writes next!

4.5⭐️s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself thinking of the characters when I wasn’t reading and wondering what was going to happen next!

Both a light, summer read and also something that tackles heavier topics (divorce, loss, grief) in such a way that feels so real.

Initially, I wasn’t here for the mid-to-late 30-year-old skateboarder but as you keep reading, it makes more sense.

I’m already eager to read Monaghan’s next book, as each has transported me to the destination and made me smile along the way. For now, take me to Beechwood and (if I wasn’t already married) find me an Ethan.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this general fiction with a romance story by Annabel Monaghan. I must have been in the right mood but I sat down and read the entire book in an afternoon. Ali, is 38 and single mom of three. She’s been separated over a year but still working out the details of a divorce. Her life is a mess so it is ironic that she finds satisfaction and in her side business of organizing other people’s home, closets etc. She is also still grieving the loss of her mom.

I think a lot of women can relate to a person who gets caught up surviving what life hands you. But I love how slowly she starts to make choices to get back to the self she once was. It helps that she has a meet cute with a handsome lawyer, Ethan. It is delightful that they go on a date before she makes the connection that he is her best friend’s younger brother. And his outfits at her divorce mediation add some whimsy.

Ethan doesn’t live in Beechwood but is spending time clearing out his parents house that they have given him. It gives her a reason to spend time with him. I love the discussion of a summer romance. Do you do something even if you know it can’t last? The comparing it to loving a pet even knowing it will eventually die is perfect. The kids act like kids. Ali and Ethan act like adults and use words to communicate. And this is a good example of showing fade to black romances are still sexy. The humor is gentle and sweet. I’m usually not a fan of people dating before they are divorced but both her and her ex agree it is fine, so I whom I to argue.

It is easy to recommend a well written story of a woman finding herself again and getting a closed door romance as a bonus. The characters, even side ones are well developed as is the setting.

Annabel Monaghan does it again! I absolutely loved this book. It is such a quick read, definitely a good beach read for the summer!! The separate evolutions of Ali and Ethan made the story just as much as the evolution of their relationship. I loved how Ethan empowered Ali throughout the book, but in a way that allowed her to come into her own on her own.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in return for my honest opinion.

Why didn’t I start this book earlier?! It’s adorable and sweet and delicious all in one. Love the “Best Friend’s Brother” trope, and Ethan is a delight 🥰
I love how strongly Ali cares for her kids.
I love how she learns to be strong and confident again after being pushed down for so long.
I love how Annabel handled grief without it weighing the story down, so wonderful!

This book is a difficult one to rate, because I really enjoy Monaghan's writing style, and the subject matter of the book was interesting, especially with Ali trying to rediscover herself amid her divorce and the loss of her mom. However, I found that I was extremely bored throughout the entire book, and picking it up felt like a chore sometimes. The romantic leads had no chemistry, and the romance itself had absolutely no stakes. He's her best friend's brother and she has to keep it hidden because of her kids, but her best friend immediately accepted him and he was always hanging out with her kids, so there were no stakes. I liked the idea of this one, and I liked certain moments, but I did not necessarily enjoy the experience of reading it, since I had to drag myself through it.

Monaghan has become one of my auto buy/read authors.

This book was very well written and targeted the older readers (not twenty something’s) in a realistic romantic HEA story.

This covers grief (loss of a parent and divorce), self awareness and improvement, second change romance

Five stars!

Ohhh I really loved this one! 😍 I always appreciate how Monaghan writes her main characters- there’s so much depth, love, and care for each of her leading ladies and SUMMER ROMANCE is no exception!

While this book is definitely a swoon-worthy romance, I feel like the story centers on Ali rediscovering and falling in love with herself, not just falling in love with a guy. I really appreciated that Ali had insecurities but wasn’t an overall insecure character; Ali’s ability to identify how she got to where she was in life, and which of those choices she made for others rather than herself, was really carefully and respectfully done. I loved how well-rounded this made Ali and it made her happiness even easier to root for!

There are also pieces of the story that focus on grief and all of the complicated feelings that you may feel when someone you love dies. I found these sections to be particularly emotionally resonant, and I definitely had tears in my eyes towards the end. ❤️

Overall, SUMMER ROMANCE felt like, well, a perfect summer romance! Emotional, funny, and hopeful, I finished feeling like I just had the best cry followed by a warm hug. I highly recommend you read this one when it comes out in a little more than a week!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

SUMMER ROMANCE by Annabel Monaghan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I just love Annabel Monaghan's writing so so much. If you want to laugh, feel hopeful, and also giddily kick your feet.... try her books!

Pub date June 4th

Ali is a professional organizer but her life is anything but. As 38 yr old mom of 3 who is going through a divorce and dealing with the recent death of her mother, she feels like she is barely staying afloat. When she meets a dreamy guy at the dog park, she decides to try out a light summer romance!

I found that the depictions of depression and the chaos of three children were so relatable. While the grief and ongoing healing from Ali losing her mother was dealt with beautifully, I'd still give a caution to those who have lost a parent.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🌶️ closed door romance
Mood: 🌮🍫

“i don’t think i want to get married,” i tell my mom, just a few days ago. i’m in the middle of tying my shoes before we head out for brunch. “or date,” i correct myself, “i like being alone. i don’t think i ever want to be in a relationship again. it’s so much… stress. thinking about another person, that whole thing. i think i was really meant to be alone all this time.” my mom smiles to herself, like she knows something i don’t. “you might change your mind,” she offers, before standing up to lock the door, “you never know.”
 
what is it about our mothers, and their ability to release utterances in the wild that we don’t think will mean too much, at least for the next few days? and then, later, their words come back to haunt you.
 
“kels, what does this have to do with summer romance?” –my inner voice, some of you, maybe. i promise, it’ll all make sense.
 
this book felt like a love letter; not the flowery kind you’re thinking about, but the kind you write to your past self. something that goes along the lines of, “everything will work out someday. don’t you fret.”
 
it’s not to say that annabel makes that deliberate—it’s more of the way this entire romance was written. at the forefront we have ali, who’s dealing with both divorce and grief over losing her mother. in a way, this entire book is centered around grief—over a marriage, a mother, and a past self. these three are intertwined throughout the novel, where ali recounts how much of her marriage made her feel small—encouraged, albeit unknowingly, by her mother, who just wanted her to have the perfect life. i don’t think you ought to have been in marriage to feel the former. i think, in some ways, anyone can relate to shrinking yourself down to make the puzzle pieces fit; whether it be in a job, a long-term relationship, friendship, or even within your own family.
 
ethan, the male lead, is also evidence of that. but, it’s a different kind of grief; the kind that’s eager to move on. in retrospect, there’s also evidence that he mourns—but of the aftermath.

it’s as if he grieves the kind of person people know him to be, and assume he still is. i think if you’ve ever had a sort of dramatic shift in personality from your teenage to early twenties years, then you’ll know what i’m talking about. it’s akin to finally feeling like you’ve known who you are and being relieved that you do, but also harboring this certain resentment for people who respond with a surprised reaction.
 
while ethan and ali couldn’t be any more different, the latter binds them together. ali struggles with going back to her old self; once she’d lost in her marriage, while ethan is tasked with moving forward to convince others that he isn’t the lost boy they all thought he was. i think, whether you relate more to ali to ethan, you’ll find yourself in both of them. that’s sort of the magic around this book—you find yourself so deeply unmoored by how you relate to the characters individually, and unknowingly so. when i say unmoored, however, i mean this in the best way possible.
 
annabel monaghan’s writing is the kind that lifts you up and makes you feel like hope isn’t a bad thing. it’s the kind that can turn nonbelievers into fledgling romantics—and i think a lot of that has to do with how simple yet powerful her prose is. it’s a quiet kind of romance that doesn’t rely on grand gestures or sweeping acts of love; it’s the kind of romance that calls you to cherish the moments in between. small actions, comfortable silences, and the ability to feel wholly yourself; how love, sometimes, is the act of understanding a person fully—and nothing else. ethan and ali’s relationship is mature, balanced, and one of the healthiest ones i’ve ever seen. there’s no dramatics in it—but rather a kind of profound simplicity that captures the complexity of a true relationship.
 
this is where the first bit trickles in—and where, hopefully, i can show you why i included it.

romance books are special in the way their meaning, and how you approach them, changes. i’ve had my fair share of luck this year, having books just come to me when i needed them the most, despite me reading them on a whim. summer romance was the healing kind for me; the one that made me want to renege the statement i sure-footedly declared to my mom. it was honest proof of how romance books are sometimes filled with more lessons on self-discovery than some other genres; because ultimately, how you process or react to them can be telling of where you are in life.
 
reading summer romance made me stop in my tracks—it made me think that maybe, down the line, i’d still be capable of opening myself up like that to someone, too. it was a reckoning of the kind of thoughts that have been echoing in my brain for some time—this sort of perpetual question on whether or not love was even worth the risk. why do we fall in love, anyway, when we have absolutely no certainty that it’s going to work out? phyllis, one of my favorite characters in the book, likens it to owning a dog—we adopt one, certain they’re going to die at some point, but we still invest our hearts and souls in them. “spring always comes,” she says, and that’s fact. my simple shift from bleak literary fiction to sunshine-and-rainbows-romance is proof of that—somehow, we all find healing in the end.

what does it mean, then, for me now? to be honest, i don’t know. but maybe my mom is right, as she always is—and even how fancy, ali’s mom, is. maybe we change our minds in the end. maybe i’ll find someone, maybe i won’t. maybe i’m not ready yet to fully render myself vulnerable to someone new, but who’s to say that i won’t be ready forever? no one can ever be certain.
 
but one thing i am certain about is that when it comes to it, i want to find a love like ethan and ali’s. the kind that’s both understanding and forgiving; not full of sweet missives and grandiosity, but rather one brimming with the profound simplicity of allowing yourself be known.

This one had so much potential but just didn’t hit. I’ve enjoyed the previous Annabel Monaghan books I’ve read so I had really high hopes for this one but it fell short.

Ali’s character wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. I needed her to have more backbone. And Ethan/Scooter was cute but also seemed much younger than the FMC which wasn’t the case. The relationship just never took off for me and it felt very instalove/instalust.

However, the last 30% of the book started to engage me more and I enjoyed the scenes when the side characters were involved the most. The best friend, the children, the meddling old neighbor. I actually even shed a tiny tear towards the end. So in the end, I ended up liking the book just not loving it for a summer read.

"Summer Romance" by Annabel Monaghan is a total gem of a summer read! Imagine this: Ali, fresh from a divorce and navigating life as a single mom, accidentally meets this hot guy Ethan—because her dog literally pees on him at the dog park. Talk about an unusual icebreaker, right? Turns out, he's her bestie's little brother, all grown up and totally swoon-worthy.

Their story's got everything—a slow burn romance that just feels so right, some deep personal growth, and of course, loads of beachy vibes that make you want to soak up the sun. It's like Monaghan knows exactly how to mix the perfect cocktail of feels and fun. Plus, the family dynamics and the kids add such a realistic touch. Absolutely adored it! Perfect for our next beach day read or when you just wanna chill and feel the summer breeze. So, when are we hitting the beach to gossip more about Ethan and Ali's cute summer fling turned oh-so-much-more? 🌊💕

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

SUMMER ROMANCE was a delight to read. It was not only relatable and sweet but also funny. I thought Allie was a great mother and also a great daughter. Her love for her mother is shown throughout the entire story and I really enjoyed that. Overall, this a sweet romance that will put a smile on your face and leave you feeling happy. I can confidently recommend getting yourself a copy.

Many thanks to G.P. Putnam and Sons and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to pub date.

I am so honored to have received Summer Romance to review a few months ago. . I was very excited since I loved Annabel’s other two books. I downloaded it not long after my mother died. I want to give an honest review but I cannot read this book right now. I know I will love it once I am ready but reading a book mentioning the death of a mother is just simply too hard for me.

Read if you like:
🤰🏼 Single Mom’s
👯‍♀️ Best Friend’s Brother
🔥 Slow Burn
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family
💍 Divorce

This book was so much better than I expected and I truly loved it so much!

I loved the depth of emotion and the way that the slow burn intensified this feeling of building the emotional & undeniable connection between our main characters as they each faced their hard things, and had the support of each other to grow.

Also, Omg, the he falls first and Scooter’s story about his falling first made my heart soar!

All in all, this is the perfect summer beachy romance with all the emotions and I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to Putnam for my ARC & to PRHA for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Annabel Monaghan does it again! Summer Romance is the perfect summer read!
Ali is freshly divorced with 3 kids. She has had a difficult 2 years with her mother dying and her divorce. She meets a handsome stranger at the dog park. He happens to be her best friend's little brother. Scooter is the town screw up and no one can see it he ways he has changed in the decades since he has left the town. They are a great pair that see the best in each other and help each other grow.
#netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview #netgalleyarc #netgalleyarcs #netgalleyarcreviewer #arcreview #annabelmonaghan

It isn't summer without a new Annabel Monaghan romance!

I adored Nora Goes Off Script in 2022, but I wasn't sure what to expect with her upcoming release, Summer Romance.

I loved it.

It was a quick read for me, and I thought it was so endearing and sweet. The story featured themes of grief and self-identity, but it still felt more lighthearted than heavy.