Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I had the priviledge of reading Annabel's previous two books before they were published (both were five big stars for me!) so getting an advance copy of this book certainly made my day! I also took a trip to my local bookstore last summer and was able to meet her! What a wonderful experience!

Monaghan has a way with her words. She writes with details that make the reader feel as though they are in the story with the characters. The emotions her characters feel are ones that you can empathsize with as you turn the pages. I also love that her protagonists are always a bit older and demonstrate what it is like to move on in relationships after children and lives have been created.

In this story, we meet Ali, who is feeling all the feels as it is the second anniversary of her mother's passing and the one day anniversary of her husband leaving her. However, a walk in the dog park changes everything for her. Her dog, Ferris, pees on a stranger's leg. That stranger isn't just anyone though, he is a handsome man named Ethan and he is not upset about the incident at all.

Soon, Ethan and Ali get together and she realizes that Ethan is the younger brother of a close friend of hers that she once called "Scooter." There is chemistry between Ethan and Ali though. What will become of this Summer Romance?

I loved that this story encourages us to take chances, to not be afraid, and to do the things we love. It reminded me of the Garth Brooks song, "The Dance." "I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance." I loved the dog references in the story and the humor.

Annabel Monaghan is a delightful person and incredible writer. I will read everything she writes! How lucky are we, as readers, that she keeps writing amazing books every year?

4.75 This is not quite a five star read but I LOVED the characters so much!! Main character Ali is in the midst of a divorce soon after her beloved mother passes away. She is struggling to take care of her 3 kids and feeling lost in her career as a professional organizer. She meets Ethan at a dog park and that ends up changing her whole life!
I cannot state in enough words how much I love Annabel Monaghans books. She writes very likeable, relatable characters. The story has great pacing and so easy to read. The setting was perfect and has a great summer vibe! I love that this is a closed door romance but there's definitely that romance aspect! The only con and why it wasn't a full five star for me is that Ali's inner dialogue kept repeating over and over. I think that might be a trait of women's fiction but its not my cup of tea.
I always recommend Annabel's books to my friends and am looking forward to her next book!
Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons publishing and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ali was grieving over the loss of her mother when only a year later (to the date), her husband told her he wanted a divorce. Ali, the organization QUEEN to many, saw her life in shambles. What more could go wrong? …Her dog peeing on the hottest guy at the dog park aka her best friend’s brother.

Meanwhile, Ali’s best friend’s parents were moving to Florida. They were leaving their house with Scooter, Frannie’s brother. He planned to clean it out and sell it. Meanwhile Ali needed a lawyer to help with her divorce. So what did they do? They swapped services. Ali would organize and clean the house for Scooter and Scooter would be her lawyer.

I loved how Scooter showed up for Ali at her meetings and stood up for whatever choices would best benefit her and her children. It was so endearing to watch that play out. They showed their relationship to one another in ways that were unusual for most romance books. I mean how often do you see the “lawyer” falling for the soon-to-be divorcee….not often.

My only gripe with this book was that I wish we had a better perspective on how the kids felt about Ali’s relationship with Scooter. It seemed like things moved quickly and the reality of that (with 3 kids) is nearly impossible. Did the kids like him or warm up to him and the idea of a step-dad figure well? I felt like there could have been more on that. A lot of the book focused on the kids getting picked up and then that’s when the relationship would take place when the kids weren’t around and that’s just not the reality for parents. A majority of the time, the kids are around.

All in all, this was an adorable summer read and I would definitely recommend it!

Annabel Monaghan is queen of the slow burn. I binged this book in one day and completely fell in love with the characters. Summer Romance is the perfect feel-good beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a warm hug. While romance is in the title and most of the book is about a summer romance it is a much deeper book on an emotional journey about finding yourself again. It tackles the hard stuff in life and not just putting on the “hard pants” but standing up for yourself and asking for what you want. I think a lot of us live life with the flow and just going with what is easiest but sometimes we need to learn to fight for what we want. This book is probably one of the slowest slow burns I have read. Once it finally kicks in it is downhill from there. I did almost give up on this one but so glad I finished it because it was all worth it and such a beautiful story all together. I went into this thinking it would be a whirlwind summer romance and it’s a lot more than that. There are tough, deep , hard topics like death and grieving a loss of a loved one that need to be dealt with. Ethan was always so supportive of Ali and she just needed the encouragement to find herself again. Seeing her character change over the course of the summer was wonderful. There is a wide range of emotions I felt while reading this book. A good summer beach read. Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you #netgalleyfor the ARC, I loved Nora goes offscript so much and had high hopes for this one but it fell a bit flat. I had no sense of urgency to keep reading to see what happened, I just meandered along, kind of like the story. The 'secret' was very predictable and not suprprising at all. Hopefully I will enjoy the next book by this author more.

This was truly bingeable, lovely, heartwarming, realistic, authentic and absolutely charming!!! I devoured this one in the same way I devoured Nora Goes Off Script. Monaghan has a way of writing characters that you feel you've known forever, you want to see them happy, you feel their pain and you absolutely MUST know how the book ends.

I loved this. I loved it all. The summertime romance aspect, with someone from her past, who's totally grown up in all the right ways. Pete SUCKED, but Ethan made up for it and oh the sweet mother/daughter dynamic with both Ali's mom and her sweet Greer. I loved this element of the story.

Monaghan could write a shopping list and I'd find it amazing, but this story really, truly, captured my heart.

This is a story about finding yourself after huge life changes. Annabel Monaghan in Summer Romance tells the story of Ali coming back to life after her husband announces he wants a divorce on the second anniversary of her mother’s death. Ali is learning how to navigate being a single mother of three (2 tween daughters which is its own journey) and slowly dipping a toe back into the dating scene. She befriends a man at the dog park and a summer romance unfolds.
While on the outset it would not seem that I have much in common with Ali-my mother is very much alive and I am in a very happy marriage I so deeply related to the feeling of finding myself having lost enormous pieces of my individual identity as I’ve becoming a wife and mother over these last 16 years. Ali’s finding of herself, her voice, her purpose outside of just being a cook/driver/caretaker for her family really resonated with me. Annabel wrote her character like an artichoke, as she peeled off every layer you got a little more meat. Her relationships with her children deepened, with her friends, with her summer romance. It was so satisfying. Even with her dead mother. She was able to see flaws and make amends. It was much deeper than i expected.

Thanks you to Putman Publishing and Annabel Monaghan for the opportunity to read this early copy. It was a delight.

Monaghan does a great job writing women falling in love while also being a mother. That’s something that I loved about this one and also her first adult novel. Parts of this book reminded me of Finlay Donovan, but I found Ali to be a lot more likable.

I thought her relationship with Ethan was really sweet, but felt it did progress rather quickly. I liked the other characters included as well and to be honest, wish there had been more mediation scenes. I also wish we had seen Peter develop any amount of respect for Ali, but I guess that’s pretty on par for his character. I loved Ali’s kids and that they were present a lot. Ali clearly prioritized her kids even over her own happiness at times.

Overall, I really loved this book. I feel like I have motivation to clean and organize my house and become my very own “super me”.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Single mom Ali is still grieving the loss of her mom and in the middle of divorce when her dog pees on an attractive man at the dog park. She takes this as a sign to get back out there and engage in a fun and brief summer romance.

I love Monaghan’s writing and realistic characters. The story is full of heart as Ali gets to know Ethan and finds her confidence after years of making herself smaller. Ethan is so charming and supportive and I loved watching their connection grow deeper. I also loved the small town community and seeing Ali find a way to be her own person while still caring for her kids.

It’s a heartwarming summer read about finding yourself and love again and I highly recommend picking it up!

Ali Morris' life isn't what she expected it would be at 38. She's overwhelmed by grief from the loss of her mother. She's unsurprised that she feels so little about the dissolution of her marriage. She's disappointed in herself for allowing that marriage to have changed her so completely. Now, two years after the loss of her mother and a year after her husband asked her for a divorce, she's ready to reengage with the world. To put on hard pants and to take off her wedding ring.

The very first day she does both she meets a sexy stranger at the dog park. Ethan is seemingly perfect and is enamored with her from the start, sweeping her off her feet on their first date. But when that date ends without a kiss, she's confused. That confusion turns into shock when Ethan turns up at her best friend's house the next day. It turns out that Ethan is her best friend's ne'er do well little brother she knew as Scooter. Ethan is in town for the summer, getting his parent's old place ready to sell, before he returns to his new home, a place where he's built a life separate from the low expectations and disappointment of his family.

It turns out Ethan's been in love with Ali since he was in high school. And, for Ali, Ethan is a safe, soft place to land. He's everything her ex-husband isn't, but he's not sticking around at the end of the summer. Is it worth it to try and chase happiness for the final months of the season? Or will Ethan and Ali's summer romance leave them both heartbroken?

I love a book that makes my heart ache for most of it and Summer Romance is firmly in that camp and it joins a host of books released over the past few months that will break your heart before piecing it back together (check out Tarah Dewitt's Savor It and Yulin Kuang's How to End a Love Story if you want a cathartic cry). Monaghan's skill is in writing about grown women who are going through it and this is, by far, the best of her last three.

My one disappointment is the ending. The final pages rush to a conclusion in a way that doesn't match the tone or pacing of the rest of the book. I'll pass on describing my exact complaints since it is absolutely a spoiler, but, broadly speaking, I felt that the book ends in a HEA that isn't actually what's best for one of the characters.

* Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

“He smiles when he sees me, like I’m the thing he’s been looking everywhere for.”

Ali is absolutely relatable. She is still moving on from her mother’s death, finalizing her divorce, navigating the never-ending mess of single motherhood, and finding the energy to change out of sweatpants. In come’s Ethan, who can’t seem to shake his childhood reputation as a burnout, despite being successful, dependable, and adorable.

After a chance run in, the two embark on a summer romance. The beauty of a summer romance is it’s always fun and always ends before someone’s heart gets broken - right?!

This book is emotional, romantic, and gives comedic relief at all the right times. Definitely add this as a must-read on your summer TBR!

A huge thank you to Annabel Monaghan, Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a delightful read!!! I love Annabel Monaghan books and think this may be her best one to date.

This book had me laughing and laughing out loud at her hilarious one-liners. It also had me ugly crying in parts. This story is full of so much heart and I loved every minute of reading it.

We need more Ali and Ethan!!! 5 huge stars!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Publishing for the honor to read and review this book!!!

4.25 - absolutely adored! The main character, Ali, is really going through it. She recently lost her mother and is in the middle of a divorce with someone who never put her first. From the beginning, you get a sense of how these relationships have shaped Ali and influence her decisions. Just when everything is seemingly falling apart, enters Ethan. With each page, you see how this new relationship fulfills her in ways that her other relationships didn’t.

I can’t get over how much I loved the way Ali’s strength was portrayed by the way she learned to process her grief, regain her confidence, and fall in love again. The emotions I felt while reading this book hit so close to home and made for the perfect summer read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Love love LOVED this book!!! I could quite literally feel the love emitting from the pages. Also, I'm pretty obsessed with organizing and being organized that I could feel a real kinship with Ali. The goodness of the characters and their love for each other was so beautifully written. A total feel good, easy breezy read - absolutely PERFECT for summer.

In Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan, readers are introduced to Ali Morris, a woman whose life has been upended by loss and upheaval. Despite her struggles, Ali finds herself unexpectedly drawn into a whirlwind of romance when a chance encounter with Ethan ignites sparks of hope and renewal. Monaghan skillfully navigates the complexities of love, identity, and self-discovery, weaving a tale that is as heartwarming as it is relatable.

As a reader, I couldn't help but empathize with Ali's journey of rediscovery and empowerment. Monaghan's light-hearted approach to storytelling infuses the narrative with warmth and humor, offering a delightful escape into a world where summer romances hold the promise of healing and transformation. Summer Romance is a charming reminder that sometimes, amidst life's chaos, all it takes is a little love to reignite the spark within.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summer Romance is a book that will warm your heart, and have you feeling all the swirling emotions within its pages. A summer romance might be exactly what Ali needs as she tries to navigate a life without her mother, as she adjusts to the changes brought about by divorce, and to make sure her three kids are loved and happy. When she meets Ethan, she thinks he might be the perfect summer fling—-but, oh, what possibilities could there be if it’s for more than just the summer. I loved Ali and Ethan. I loved what they brought out in each other, how they were genuine and supportive. I loved that Ali was able to explore her options in her life, that she didn’t have to give up her own dreams that were separate from Ethan, that she grew and evolved into someone that she and those who loved her could be proud of. I loved that Ethan, too, could be his authentic self, that they made each other MORE. My own heart was involved, too, as close as I got to these characters, and in the end it was kinda perfect.

I absolutely can’t wait to reread this when it releases later this year! 5/5 read! So good and so heartwarming. A great summer read!!

I devoured this in, like, 2 sittings. It is a beautiful story about grief, motherhood, and finding yourself again after you’ve become a little lost. Annabel is so good at writing about life in a very simple way that somehow still makes your heart ache.

Ali is about to be divorced, with 3 kids she adores, grieving for her mother who she lost 2 years ago. She’s kind of a mess when we find her. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband is the literal worst. When she finally gets up the courage to put on hard pants, she runs into her best friend’s baby brother (he’s actually 36, and she doesn’t actually remember him). He’s a little bit of a kid at heart, but has his life together despite his family and everyone else thinking he’s just a screw-up. When he sticks around for the summer to clean out his parents house, Ali pursues a romance with him “just for the sunmer.” Yeah, right.

I really love the way Annabel writes and I loved this story. It feels immersive without being overly prosaic or flowery. It’s a realistic and somewhat heartbreaking account of what it’s like to be a mother and trying to find something that’s just for you. It’s definitely reminiscent of Nora Goes Off Script, a personal favorite of mine from this author.

"You're the architect of your own experience."

First book by Annabel Monaghan I have read. She is now a must read author for me.
Ali Morris a professional organizer, yet her own life is currently a mess. She is still working through the grief of her mothers passing, as well as figuring out how to move through a coming divorce.
It's hard not to fall for Ethan or as he is also known as Scooter. He is charming, realistic, flawed and vulnerable as are other characters in this story.
I cried with Ali and found humor as she tries to navigate dating and second chance love as a mother of three children.
I loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this book.