I loved this book so much! I’ve also read Same Time Next Summer by the author and that was a 5 star read for me. This book was also a 5 star read - and my first 5 star romance read of the year. The story is about a woman named Ali who is separated and going through a divorce. She has 3 kids and feels she has lost herself along with way in her life and marriage. She meets Ethan, a “new” man in town. This book shows her struggles and insecurities and realizations along the way. And what I love about Ethan is how he helps her and supports her but also appreciates her for who she is as she begins to “final herself again. Such a sweet and beautiful book. I LOVED it. And hope the author continues to write. She has a gift for writing great characters I love to cheer for. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book!!!!

Read this one in sitting!! It was so cute but also sad🥹🫶🏼

Full review will come nearer to the release date (June 4, 2024)

Summer Romance" by Annabel Monaghan is a delightful young adult novel that follows the story of Charlie, a teenager who spends her summer working as a lifeguard at the local pool. When a charming newcomer named Devon joins the lifeguard team, Charlie finds herself drawn to him despite her initial resistance. As they navigate the ups and downs of summer romance, Charlie learns valuable lessons about love, friendship, and the importance of staying true to herself. With its engaging characters, humorous dialogue, and heartwarming moments, "Summer Romance" is a perfect beach read for fans of YA fiction

Ali Morris has been in a daze since the passing of her mother and the separation from her husband. But on the day she finally decides to take off her wedding ring and put on an outfit that doesn’t involve sweatpants, she meets Ethan at the dog park (in a hilarious meet cute!).

Ethan helps Ali find her way back to her true self during the most swoon-worthy summer romance. But, don’t summer romances always have to end? Let’s just say I was cheering Ali and Ethan on the whole way 💕

This has got to be my favorite book by the author yet! Annabel is the queen on realistic, relatable characters. Be sure to check this one out if you love these tropes:
✨ summer romance
✨ main characters in their late 30s
✨ single parent
✨ best friend’s brother
✨ small town, beach town romance
✨ meet cute

Projected release date is June 4.

This book was so great. I really enjoyed getting to know Ali and all of her loved ones. This novel had heart, fun, and also made one think about how we all deal with grief and moving on from major life events.

Really fun quick summer read! I didn't totally relate to the main female character but the entire story was believable and really sucked you in!! Really liked the setting, the characters and the pacing of the plot.

Rating: 3.75 stars

This is my second book from Annabel Monaghan and I LOVE her writing! When I found out our main female character, Ali, would be falling in love with her best friend’s bother, Ethan, I was very excited to see how things would play out. However, at times I felt the book to be a little bit slow and I think it’s because we are also following Ali’s journey on dealing with grief and trying to find herself again. While I couldn’t related to a lot of what these characters were going through I still appreciated it nonetheless.


Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the digital ARC of Summer Romance.

This book has been sitting in my ARC pile for an embarrassing 2 months. I started it 3 times before I was finally able to pick it up and complete it. It starts in such a raw way that (while I don’t completely relate to Ali) is so completely relatable for a nearly middle aged woman with young kids and a marriage that leaves you feeling unseen for years. That’s just hard to read—because frankly it’s so universal. But it’s not impossible and sometimes it’s exactly what I need. It took until I was ready to delve into someone else’s heartbreak and healing to get past the first chapter, and I’m so glad I did. From the idillic meet-cute at the dog park to the very end, I wasn’t able to put the book down.

Summer Romance is a solid 4/5 for me. I loved the “hard pants and lip gloss” threshold of healing, I loved Ethan/Scooter and his 2 decade pining for a woman he’s always seen even when she couldn’t see herself. I loved the family and friends who were supportive and the narrative with the kids which hits home especially hard. It’s a bit bittersweet for the better part of the book but delivers the HEA that leaves you with the hopeful and optimistic feeling you want when you finish a romance. Only thing I’d add? Maybe a little bit of an open door for the romance itself—not full on, but not so fade-to-black either.

I loved everything about this book. It’s been a long time since I found a book I couldn’t stop reading. A lovely story about grief and friendship and motherhood and finding love again.

This is my third Annabel Monaghan book, and I have loved each so deeply. Ethan and Ali were so special to me. Ethan is literally impossible to not love or swoon over the dreamy skateboarder (a rare hobby in rom coms I believe!) who is such a solid support for those he loves. And Ali's growth just made me so proud, I felt like I watched my own friend gain her life back. As a lesbian in her 20s with no children who has never been married, I have not been able to relate to a single Annabel Monaghan book; and they're so good I couldn't care less. I can't wait to see what next summer holds!

Readers who enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer with thoroughly enjoy this book. Anyone who can relate with feeling “stuck” and held underwater by all the things that happen to us in our lives, particularly the things that happen in quick succession, will instantly connect with the main character, Ali. You’ll find yourself rooting for Ali at every turn!

Well-written and executed. Another Annabel Monaghan masterpiece!

I love this cover! I love this title! And I love Annabel Monaghan’s writing — but sadly, this story wasn’t for me. I thought I was diving into a fun summer romance, when this novel is much more focused on grief. It’s well-written, but a heavier read than I was expecting and honestly not a story I was in the right headspace for.

Thank you to Putnam Books for the arc! I think a lot of people will really enjoy this one, but it wasn’t the right book for me right now.

Annabel Monaghan does it again with this heartwarming story! Get ready for relatable characters that will steal your heart.

Ali Morris is an about to be divorced mom who is grieving the death of her mother. Little does she know, her dog peeing on a stranger at the dog park will lead to a whirlwind summer romance. A must read for the beach!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This is a perfect beach read! I loved the characters and the development of the plot. Readers will truly enjoy this delightful romance. I will definitely be purchasing this for my library.

Delightful read! This will be the beach read of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed following along Ali’s story, as she works through grief and finds love. I don’t often find romance books that touch on grief and healing. It was refreshing. I loved the writing — it kept me engaged and there wasn’t any extra fluff to the story. Overall I really enjoyed it and will be recommending it!

Easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The cover absolutely deceived me though! This was NOT just about a summer romance. There was so much depth to this book! The FMC deals with divorce, mom struggles, loss of a parent, and more along with a budding romance that just makes you KICK YOUR FEET AND GIGGLE. I felt as a mom in my 30’s, this romance was such a relatable read! I literally laughed out loud on the first page!

I think I felt every feeling with this book, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to others!

I loved this book so much!!!!!!! The characters, the setting, the will they or won’t they, the messy families, the sweet relationships that almost feel like family, the character development of all the characters, even Ali’s kids! All of it was so good and had me hooked from the very beginning. I was rooting for Ali the whole time. Her dialogue with her mom who passed away was different and hard for me to follow at first, but it made more sense as the story went on and I felt added to the story. And it became significantly more meaningful after reading the author’s note at the end speaking to her relationship with her own mother after she passed.

I’ve loved all of the most recent books by Annabel Monaghan! They are fun stories that are mostly light and have a sweet ending 🤓

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley for the arc! I cannot wait to read-read this again someday soon!

a no spice romance that is super entertaining, love the character development, and the struggles they go through are so real and felt very relatable.

Absolutely hands-down one of the best romances I’ve read in a long time. This is Monaghan’s best book yet!

I thought I'd like this just as much as I liked the other ones but I ended up loving this book, much more. I didn't realize how much emotion was going to be packed into this book. Ali lost her mom two years prior and is also getting divorced. You are along for the ride when it comes to her grief from her mothers passing, her divorce ending and how confusing that is at times, parenting her 3 children, meeting Ethan at the dog park where she starts her summer romance and so much more. The friendship Ali has with her older next door neighbor is so special.
"Her parenting and gardening mottos are the same: Pull the weeds and let God do the rest."

Ali decides her and her children are going to have a "champagne summer" and you see her start to find herself again.
"I'm going to need a map and a compass to find my way back to my comfort zone."
"My smile goes up through my eyes into the top of my head. I am carbonated."

There were so many great life lessons in there too. I added some of my favorite quotes.
"You can't just keep doing what you're doing and wait for it to turn into something happy. You kind of have to look for the happy things along the way."

"You get a dog and you know two things- you're going to fall in love with it and it's going to die one day. You knowingly walk headfirst into a heartbreak. That's the basic madness of dog ownership."

"Feeling your actual feelings isn't always so pleasant."

"How complicated it is to be a daughter and a person."

"Because that's what life is-joy peppered by loss. It's why you get a dog. And then you get another dog. Madness repeating itself just to get another taste of joy."
I put my review on Goodreads.