This is my favorite Annabel Monaghan book so far. Honestly.

Ali Morris has recently lost her mother and has taken it very hard. On the one-year anniversary of her death, Ali's husband, Pete, tells her he wants a divorce. On the second anniversary, he tells her that it's time to file for the divorce. He's a real gem; always thinking about what's best for him. Meanwhile, Ali is at home with their three kids trying to keep thing afloat. She is a professional organizer but at the start of the story, she is anything but organized in her own life. She then meets a handsome guy at the dog park when her dog pees on his foot. He is familiar to her but she doesn't really know why until she meets him again at her best friend Frannie's parent's house. Turns out the handsome dog park guy named Ethan is Frannie's younger brother Scooter, who happens to be a successful lawyer and lives about 4 hours from their hometown of Beechwood. Ethan agrees to represent Ali in her divorce in exchange for her services in helping him organize his parent's house after they leave it to him to move to Florida. As they spend more time together, their friendship starts to turn into something more. But he has his life in Devon and she has her life with her kids in Beechwood. How can they make this relationship work?

I really enjoyed reading this. The writing flows and is so natural. Having lost my mother eight years ago, I could totally relate to the feelings Ali was going through. So many memories and things you want to hang on to at the time of death, but are afraid to let go of because that makes death so final. But life goes on, right? We can get rid of the stuff, but hopefully the memories live on. I loved Ali and her story with Ethan. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author for letting me read an advanced copy. The story had a lot of humor, romance, and emotion. What more could you want in a Summer Romance?

I’m not crying! You’re crying! Annabel Monaghan got to me again!! I love that she writes about women in their late 30s who have messy lives and buy their underwear at Costco. Her female characters are relatable and real.

As the story unfolds, Ali begins to take chances and rediscover herself. As her relationship with Ethan grows, she understands that she let her husband, Pete, demean and belittle her, slowly grinding down the capable, independent woman she used to be. She realizes that her mother, with whom she had an incredibly close relationship, enabled Ali to ignore Pete’s selfish behavior while she was busy raising her kids and running a household.

Ethan, on the other hand, supports and cares for Ali in a way that she has never experienced before. Initially, Ali thinks that their relationship is only meant to last for the summer. But soon, she realizes that her heart is in danger of breaking and she must decide whether she wants to risk a future with Ethan.

"Summer Romance" is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. The characters are relatable and genuine, and the themes of family, humor, and romance are beautifully interwoven. If you enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's previous work, "Nora Goes Off Script," you will not be disappointed by this gem of a novel.

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

A fantastic summer romance read!! I love how, through their relationship, Ali found her way back to herself and Ethan found a way to be at ease with his own growth in his hometown. Would definitely recommend!

Such a great author and an enjoyable beach read. By far one of my favorite books that I highly recommend to my friends of this genre. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.

📚 Summer Romance
✍ Annabel Monaghan
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ closed door

➡ She may help other people declutter for a living, but Ali Morris's life is in dire need of her own services. Two years after her mother's death and a year into a separation from her husband, she's barely holding it together for her three kids and isn't quite sure when she lost herself.

When a chance encounter at the local dog park leads to dinner with a handsome stranger, Ali gives in to feelings she hasn't felt in years...or maybe ever and tells herself a summer romance may be just what she needs. As the summer progresses and she begins getting her own life in order, she'll realize that what she thought of as a summer fling may actually the love she's deserved all along.
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for an advanced copy of Summer Romance. All opinions are my own.

🎯 What I loved: I fell in love with Annabel Monaghan's writing after reading her debut Nora Goes Off Script and have loved all her books since. Monaghan has a great way of making her characters completely relatable and while her stories still harbor the magic of romance, she never shies away from flawed, raw emotional characters that feel like they could be your best friends. In Summer Romance, the main characters Ali and Ethan bring out the best in each other and seem genuinely compatible. Summer Romance had me laughing, sighing and cheering for Ali's comeback every step of the way and I'll be recommending it to everyone as the perfect book to kick off a feel-good summer.

🙅‍♀️What I didn't: I appreciated the depiction of Ali's grief but was a little thrown off by her 'conversations' with her deceased mother. A lot of this is explained in the author's note at the end though.
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Read if you love:
* mistaken identify romances
*best friend's brother
*love after divorce
*single mom
*relatable portraits of grief
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See also: This Could Be Us, Nora Goes Off Script, Yours Truly

This book is so wholesome. I laughed, I cried, and I wished it wasn't over. It was so easy to slip right Into this story. These characters felt like old friends, this town felt familiar. It made me feel nostalgic for a place I had never been.

Ali Morris is a professional organizer, but the irony is, her own life is a mess. Her mother passed away two years ago and she has been drowning in grief when her husband asks for a divorce. She is now a single mother of 3 figuring out life after divorce. The day she takes off her wedding ring and puts on real clothes, the ultimate meet-cute happens: her dog pees on a very handsome man at the dog park. Ethan smiles and Ali is captivated. The last thing she needs is to add dating Into her life, but a little summer romance can't hurt, right?

I was eagerly anticipating diving into "Summer Romance" by Annabel Morgan, and I'm thrilled to say that it lived up to my expectations! The story and characters were wonderfully crafted, showcasing Morgan's skillful writing. My only desire was for more humor, as I couldn't help but envision this as a fantastic rom-com. Nevertheless, the overall experience was delightful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the well-written narrative.

I think Annabel Monaghan is my favorite romance writer. She has this great feel for characters and dialogue that’s so real. She’s one of the few writers that also makes you feel like you could simultaneously be friends with her as well as her main lead character. This book in particular is about a divorced mom who ends up hooking up with a kid (now grown man) from her home town. There are sweet, funny and touching laments and it was for me another knockout..

This is the PERFECT summer beach read. Summer Romance left me feeling all the warm fuzzies and is laugh out loud funny. It is perfect for fans of Nora Goes off Script and Evie Drake Starts Over. Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for the ARC!

This book was well written and I thought the characters were developed well. It was a perfect summer read and very real. The characters were relatable.

I received an ARC of this highly anticipated book (thank you, NetGalley and Putnam Books!). "Nora Goes Off Script" was my favorite book of 2022, and I loved Annabel Monaghan's follow up, "Same Time Next Summer".

I'll be honest, I was skeptical -- ANOTHER summer love story? But the freshly divorced single mother protagonist drew me in immediately. Ali is the single most relatable character I have ever read -- and her arc is absolutely incredible. The way she grows through this book is both realistic and inspiring, and her love interest is an absolute precious gem of a man. I highlighted so much in this book, but my favorite theme was relating the risk of falling in love with dog ownership. You know it's gonna hurt when it ends, but man is the joy ever worth it.

A completely random aside -- all I could think about when reading Pete's character was that absolutely abhorrent husband in "Me Before You" (played in the film by Matthew Lewis). His scenes were sad but so well written and bitingly funny.

Monaghan has done it again. Top notch banter, fluid prose, handling big sad scary topics with grace and growth and the perfect amount of humor. Her understanding of parenting and parent/child relationships always brings me to tears. Pre-order this book immediately. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a perfect summer beach read! I’ve loved all of Monaghan’s books and this one is definitely no exception. All the characters are well thought out in a way that doesn’t make you feel like something is missing. The main characters are in their late thirties and there are main themes of grief, loss, family, and love.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for my advance reader copy!

Another hug of a book from one of my favorite authors!! I loved this single mom, reverse age gap, best friend's little brother, 'summer' romance that sees Ali slowly awakening from the grief over losing her mother and the fog of an unhappy marriage when she bumps into Ethan (aka 'Scooter') at the dog park.

Unbeknownst to Ali, Ethan has harbored a crush on her since they were kids, never thinking he'd have a chance. Unfortunately he's only in town for the summer to help deal with the house he inherited from his parents who moved to Florida. Willing to take anything Ali will give, Ethan agrees to a no strings attached summer relationship and also barters his legal services with her divorce in exchange for her organizational expertise cleaning out his parents' house.

Oh so swoony and sweet while also tackling touch subjects, from rediscovering your 'self', single parenthood, divorce, grief, new love, loss and all sorts of complicated interpersonal relationships (romantic, friendship, co-parenting, etc). I really related with Ali and sped through this book. Another homerun and must read summer read sure to deliver on ALL the feels!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I will be buying a copy as soon as it comes out and recommending to all my friends, especially those who enjoy authors like Ali Brady or Sarah Morgan.

I adore Annabel Monaghan's writing so much. I think this book captures the ups and downs of grief so well, and not just grief in the sense of death. Ali is not only grieving the death of her mother, but the death of her marriage, and I think this book portrays how it feels to start completely fresh. And talk about a meet cute... I really loved this book and the characters so much.

Amazing, fun summer beach read romance you never want to end. This book had so many real elements of day to day life. Old age, dying, divorce, clutter, losing yourself in a bad relationship and people expecting you to be someone your never going to be. All of these things combined to make a great summer romance turned into a book about a couple who help each other make realizations about themselves and rescue each other, and others in their path. Annabel Monaghan did a great job making the reader want to place themselves in the story and wanting to fall in love again.

This book gave me so much more than I was expecting. The themes of grief, toxic relationships, boundaries, self worth, and finding self were so relatable. I have never related to a FMC before like I have Ali. It was beautiful and I can’t wait to buy it and read it again.

summer romance | annabel monaghan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🔥/4
📚: contemporary romance

While learning to navigate life after the death of her mother and a divorce, Ali finds solace as a professional organizer. She's great at bringing order to other people's spaces... but her own life is a bit of a mess. Enter Ethan - her best friend's little brother - who is in town for the summer. Is a summer fling what she needs to restart her life?

Just like Annabel's other novels, this has a slow, easy pace and realistic characters. I always find it refreshing to read about MCs in their late 30's, and I loved watching Ali learn to stick up for herself!

The quirky and loveable side characters really stole the show for me, but my favorite part was her organizing business... it really spoke to my neat-and-tidy heart. 😆

It's a sweet and easy read. If you enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script or This Time Next Summer, you'll like this one too!

Some things to love:
+ dog park meet cute
+ single mom
+ friend's little brother
+ professional organizer
+ skateboarding lessons
+ he's always loved her
+ hard pants
+ costume parties

Excellent option for a summer read or an anytime read when you need a little romance in your life. I always enjoy Monaghan's voices and writing. Her characters are lovable and never eye-rolling...

I loved Nora Goes Off Script and was a little iffy about Same Time Next Summer, so I was skeptical about book 3 but I loved this. It was similar to her other books in that it's a romance but it involves deeper storylines about grief, family, etc instead of totally being focused on the romance. Annabel Monaghan is such a great writer and this book really sucked me in.

This was a beautiful story of a woman, finding herself after the loss of her mother and her divorce. When we meet Alli, she is trying to figure out who she is, and how to reclaim her life. As a professional organizer, she brings organization and clarity to her clients, but can’t seem to find it herself.

I really enjoyed the book and Ali’s growth throughout the novel. Plus, the leading man, Ethan, was a lovely character. I was rooting for him from the very first pages.

And the book contains one of the cut meet cutes I’ve read in a while - a dog park. :)