I received an arc of this book and would definitely recommend it! The beginning was a bit slower for me but I loved how everything came together at the end

This was a beautiful story of loss, love, loss and love again. Ali lost her mother two years ago but discovers through her divorce that she lost herself long before that. As she finds her voice, she is reunited with Ethan, a friend’s younger brother. Ethan is in town temporarily but the connection between them is too strong to ignore even if there’s an end date. This book is truly about living for the sake of living and finding beauty in the path, no matter the ending.

A 10/10 book, no notes. This is a must read author for me now. She hits it out of the park always. Became soooo invested in this one. The author employs great pacing, tone, and awesome character development.

A summer romance starts between Ali & Ethan and little do they know, it’s just what they need to re-evaluate life. I loved all the characters and relationships in the story. The plot line is engaging, heartwarming and emotional. This book is so much more than just a summer romance with themes of love after loss, empowering yourself, a mother’s love, sharing your kindness with others and more!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.
Releases on June 4, 2024.
This is a must read for your summer TBR list!

If you liked Nora goes off script and Same time Next Summer, you will enjoy this. This was a little slower start for me as I felt like some of the characters were not introduced fully and I felt like I had to go back and look and be like wait who’s Linda? Ali is a professional organizer with three kids who recently lost her mother and is going through a divorce. This is a great love story between Ali and Ethan, her best friend’s brother. While falling for Ethan, Ali finds herself again, after losing who she really was in her previous marriage. Even though I felt like I knew what the issue was going to be that pulls them apart before they end up together, I really loved the happy ending for these two. Solid read for romance lovers.

It took me a minute to get into Annabel Monaghan's latest, but it is worth it! I loved Ali and Ethan and watching Ali take her life back. Very much recommend!

Thank you to Putnam for the advance copy of this book!

I love a friend's sibling storyline, and also a book where parents are involved because it's very relatable to me. However, I just could not stand the main character in this book. I like strong, empowered females, and I just felt like even though she was taking her life into her own hands after her divorce, she was just SO naive and unintelligent. It was hard to look past that to the better points of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan.

This book dealt with a lot of topics - loss, grief, divorce, losing yourself, family, moody teenagers, single mom, friendship and so much more. I will admit this was the first fiction book that felt kinda like a self-help book. Not in a non-fiction kind of self-help, but as in you are going through the main characters grief and how she picks herself up and starts taking care of her and her family again. Made me want to organize and clean up my house a bit.

It was a wonderful story about failing and learning how to find yourself again. About friendships and trying new things. About letting people in and loving them for who they are.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to read this book early. Definitely getting this one for our library once it is published.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the early reader of this book.

This book is a perfect summer romance! Ali and Ethan have great chemistry and I was rooting for them the whole time. Highly recommend if you like an easy feel-good romance.

Annabel Monaghan is the queen of summer romances. She understands the magic of summer at the beach.

Ali is struggling to find herself after the loss of her mother and divorce. She is busy raising 3 children and finalizing her divorce when someone from her past brings her back to life.

What a lovely story about finding yourself after life has knocked you down. I wouldn't call this a second romance but more of a second act romance. Very inspiring for someone going through life altering changes and wondering what's waiting on the other side.

TW: cancer, death of a parent, divorce

Thank you to the author and publisher for this Net Galley read

SUCH a cute Summer Romance. 4.5 stars 🩷

This is my second book by Annabel and she might be a new auto-buy author!

In this one you meet Ali. She’s a separated mom of 3 who organizes other people’s junk…just not her own. She “meets” Ethan at a dog park when her dog picks him out of a crowd and marks him as a keeper. They go on an amazing first date only to soon find out…he’s her best friend’s little brother that she didn’t recognize.

Their banter is great and I giggled the whole book! This books deals with divorce, motherhood, new love, grief of losing parents and friends. Ps: I wish there was more Phyllis…. 🩷

I found Ali so relatable as a woman. 4 boxes of cornstarch in her pantry because she doesn’t check before she goes to the store…been there! Not happy about wearing “hard pants”…everyday. 😂 Wants to love on her neighbor…make her eggs everyday.

All of the characters were so lovable! Except for Pete…nobody likes Pete. I feel like she writes the ex’s in her book so well. They’re not overally villainized, but you can see why they wanted to move on. You know men like this in real life. This is a closed door romance, but you won’t miss anything. It’s just so sweet. The chapter sizes are perfect! You make great progress in the book, but find easy places to stop.

The only thing I questioned was her friendship with Frannie. Frannie told her to stay away from her brother and Ali just ignored her and kept her in the dark. I feel like she should have kept her more in the loop so she would maybe understand. Felt like a selfish and wrong move on Ali’s part.

Random-In chapter 6-7 she makes a big deal about buying expensive hamburger meat for burgers that her child wants for that night…and then the next thing you know she’s grilling chicken.?!? Where did the burgers go girl?!

Favorite Quote “Because that’s what life is—joy peppered by loss.”

Thank You to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! 🩷

Thanks to Putnam for the eARC.
This was absolutely delightful. What a joy it was to be with Ali as she figured out single parenting, divorce, and added a summer romance. This was a beautiful exploration of how messy life can be and how others can help you through hard times. There is also an exploration of grief here as she figured out how to live without her mom. I really liked how this leant itself to some tender moments between her and her dad because even adults can have complications with their parents. I think this story showed Monaghan's ability to perfectly balance so many aspects of a story while also creating such rich, vivid characters that I had to root for. I had so much fun reading this, and it reminded me all over again on why I love her books so much. Highly recommend!

I am so thankful for an ARC of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan! Summer Romance is a meshing of Ali’s upturned life. A separation and impending divorce while trying to find her footing as a newly single mom of three, leave Ali stymied. She works to create order, calm and cleanliness for her clients through her organizing business while feeling the pain and stagnation of her own disorganized life This book was impossible to put down, especially as Scooter/Ethan arrives back to town and leads to the upheaval of Ali’s status quo. Put this on your must read list to kick off summer with a feel good story. Not a trite romance or rom com, but a deeper look at later life and its complexities as only Annabel Monaghan can masterly do!

Ali, a separated and soon to be divorced mom of three who is still grieving the loss of her mother feels like her life is a complete disaster. She is a professional organizer but her own home is anything but organized. Amid the chaos of her life she meets Ethan at the dog park and can't get him off her mind. But when she find out who Ethan is can she see through his past?

Summer Romance is the kind of book that brings out all the emotions. I found myself laughing one minute and in tears the next. It was beautifully written. The character development is so well done. You fall in love with Ali and Ethan as they heal from the past. All the supporting characters are great as well and play an important role in the story. By the title, it may appear to be a simple romcom, but there are some really deep moments in the book that will make you evaluate relationships in your life.

Overall, I loved the entire book! I instantly connected with Ali and all the emotions she was feeling. Her feelings of inadequacies are real and relatable, and I loved the conversations she had with her mom. Having lost a parent it was easy to connect with her grief as she tries to put her life back together. The descriptions of the scenes and scenery made me feel like I was right there in the action and added to the experience.

Grab a copy of this June 4th!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and #NetGalley for the advance read of #SummerRomance!

This book was such a joy to read. Ali, a mom of three whose own mother has recently passed away, is navigating a divorce, single-parenting, rediscovering herself, and finding her voice again in this beautiful contemporary romance about second chances.

I found Summer Romance to be especially relevant as a commentary on modern marriage and relationships, how easy it is to lose pieces of yourself willingly or unknowingly for the sake of "keeping the peace" in a relationship, and the long term consequences of allowing oneself to fade a little bit at a time.

The romance in this book was so realistic in terms of what challenges actual couples face, and the juxtaposition between Ali's past and potential future is a reminder to all women that they are worth being made to feel valued and seen.

Another 5 star from Annabel Monaghan! I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley. I read her other two books last summer and absolutely loved them. Summer Romance was no exception! She writes much more than just a fluffy romance and I relate so much to her main characters as a woman in my 30s. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

I am a sucker for a romance with a dog.

Anabel Monaghan does an excellent job featuring characters that are realistic and relatable. I love how quick and easy her books are, while still having depth and evoking emotion.

Things I Loved:
- Characters that are MY AGE! I feel like all the romcoms I read feature characters in their early 20s- it was so nice to read about characters struggling through life in their 30s (like myself)
- Best friend's brother trope
- The love Ali has for her kids!!
- The way the book stayed sweet and cute, while tackling deeper subjects like grief

Things I Didn't Love:
- The romance felt a little bit insta-love to me
- Some parts were a little repetitive, especially when Ethan and Ali weren't together

Overall, this was such a sweet and tender romance. It is my favorite book by Anabel Monaghan by far- I felt like it had so much depth to it and I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy when it comes out!

I’m a fan of Annabel Monaghan books and this one was no exception. It’s a quick, light romance read, and about finding yourself again after letting a relationship control you. I couldn’t put it down. Great read! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! Oh my gosh, it was so perfectly written. I had a smile on my face the entire story and didn't want it to end. The budding romance between Ali and Ethan felt so real. And all of the characters felt real, like you know them personally. (even Pete the jerk) The ending was everything you wanted. There were so many laugh out loud moments, too, especially Ethan and his wardrobe choices during mediation meetings. I laughed so hard, I had a to take a break from reading to catch my breath. There were poignant moments with Ali and the memory of her mom, her relationship with her dad, and with Phyllis next door. Everything about this book was spot on. This author has quickly become one of my favorites. Read this!!

Thank you NetGalley and Annabel Monaghan for this ARC! I flew through and loved this second chance summer romance with the sweetest HEA. It was poignant, easy and safe (in the best way). I’ve read all of Annabel Monaghan’s books and her writing is always the perfect balance of hopeful and real, making it ways to both fall in love with and identify with her characters. Ali, Ethan/Scooter and the whole gang were no exception. Can’t wait to read what she writes next.