Loved this book! A wonderful story about finding yourself again after tough times and surrounding yourself with people that make you feel valued and most of all like your best self.

i have loved everything monaghan’s written and this was no exception. lovely pacing, adorable characters, and and easy breezy plot. i was completely swept away in the summer time descriptors and was charmed by the setting. i will return to whatever she writes in the future if she continues pumping out such sweet stories.

This is my favorite Annabelle Monaghan book yet- and I loved her other ones. Five stars for this beautiful story and suite of characters!

Ali is a soon to be divorced woman and mom to three kids, who had lost so much of herself during her marriage and through the loss of her mom. It was beautiful to see her come back to herself and to come to believe that she deserves real love.

Ethan’s character was nuanced and this reader fell in love with him along with Ali!

And the cast of supporting characters- including family, friends, kids and dogs- were delightful. Highly recommend!!!!

I love Annabel Monaghan. Nora Goes Off Script was easily one of my favorite reads of last year so I was beyond excited to read her latest and it did not disappoint! I love a story where a woman makes a comeback and Ali absolutely did. This book was such a sweet read I found myself grinning like a maniac thru most of the scenes with Ethan. The only thing I didn’t love, and I know this is the point, but reading about Pete gave me horrible anxiety, dude was such a scumbag. In the end though it was all worth it and I love every other character. It was a wholesome, fun read, perfect for summer!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Summer Romance!

I felt very connected to this character. Balancing how to take care of herself and being a mom was beautifully done. This will be a top summer read.

I swear Annabel Monaghan's books need to be made into movies!! So incredibly readable and enjoyable...where can I find my own Ethan/Scooter??

I was very fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy from NetGalley but all thoughts are unbiased and my own!

I really enjoyed Nora Goes off the Script by this same author, but I liked this book even better!! WOW. There were so many beautiful and well written truths about grief, motherhood, and being a “grown up” but still struggling with finding your identity. The author was able to capture all those feelings WHILE still having a fun romance intertwined in the pages. I mean what more could you want?!?

I’ve found that all Annabel Monaghan books for me too are quick reads, so take from that what you will. Totally picking up the rest of her books now!! This was great!

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

I loved this story!! I have a lot of commonalities with the heroine- 38 year old, tired mom of three, and I had many relatable moments (my kid also loves Captain Underpants and we also read it and giggle before bed).

Summer Romance is full of warmth and jokes. Ali and Ethan’s relationship is beautiful and the character development makes for a read full of warm fuzzies. Definitely recommending to mom friends looking for closed door romance and a lot of laughs.

I loved it! I think what I love most about her books are how relatable and realistic her characters are. In the midst of their messy lives, Ethan and Ali are able to find a beautiful love story. I admire how believable and well-written Monaghan’s closed-door romance books are. You don’t need a bunch of spice to have a good romance and she does this so well. All the passion and chemistry is there. Cheers to another great summer read!

I loved this book. Everyone should have and Ethan in their lives!!!!! There were so many aspects of this book that were meaningful. Some made me laugh, some cry and some swoon! Ali, a mother of 3 who is dealing with a variety of changes in her life - some good and some not so good - is so real and so honest. This story felt like a warm hug and I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to sit on a warm beach and read this emotional story that lands of the feel so perfectly. I have read all of Annabel Monaghan's books and like them all, but this one was different in a good way. There was an emotional connection I had to Ali and her struggles. She is familiar to me in a lot of ways and I could identify with her. I think many women will be able to identify with some aspect of what she is dealing with, and that thread will carry them through the book. I loved it. I was sad it ended,

I adored this book! I love reading Annabel Monaghan's stories. This one was so heartwarming. The story is about Ali, a mother of three, who has lost her mother and is currently going through a divorce. She is also a professional organizer, but her life is a little disorganized. In addition to juggling 3 kids, she takes care of her elderly neighbor, Phyllis. The two have the most beautiful friendship.
During a trip to the dog park, she has an unexpected meet-cute with Ethan that leads to a "summer romance".

I absolutely loved all of the characters in this book and I really enjoyed the story. I am so excited to recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Summer Romance!

While I have loved all of Annabel’s books, this is my favorite.

Ali is a former accountant, turned mom of three, with a husband who has left her after helping to slowly dismantle her joy and self respect. Dealing with the grief left after her mother’s passing two years earlier, and the lack of grief from her husband leaving, Ali trudges through day after day doing her best to find the joys she’s lost.

Then comes summer. There is nothing like summer. Sometimes I think I became a teacher because the idea of working summers was just so incomprehensible. Annabel captures the magic of summer, and in that magic Ali’s dog, Ferris, pees on a hot guy with great forearms while playing at the dog park.

This was the moment I knew this book had more wisdom than I was ready to receive. Ethan, dog pee guy, brushes it off (well not literally). And Annabel writes, “It’s possible that he’s a guy who knows when a problem can be solved with a run through the washing machine.” I could have used this advice as a new mom.

Ali grows over the summer. She realizes how her mother’s choices failed her but understanding why she made them. Then tries her best to go forward a different way with her own daughters. She finds her voice, her joy, and most notably as this is a romance, love.

Who we give ourselves to and how we are received are on full display in this book. Ali’s relationship with her neighbor, her still living father, her children, and Ethan, send a message that we cannot be our best selves on our own. Life is about connection and joy, but also loss. And it’s all worth it.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is “I kissed her, and now she’s no longer a frog.” Because truly love at its core is transformative.

And this part also rang true to me, “Bringing another person a cup of coffee says I’m thinking about how your day is going to go. Or at a minimum, I want you to also have this thing that I’m going to enjoy.”

As Ali is an accountant, there is a lot about the joy of spreadsheets. My husband is a CPA and I often send him book quotes, which are usually joking the profession and it’s professionals. This book is a love letter to accountants. And he appreciated every highlight I shared. His favorite would probably be, “There’s really nothing sexier than an accountant.” Maybe I’ll get him a signed copy of this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (Romance)
Releases: June 4, 2024

Synopsis: Ali Morris’ mom passed away and her husband left her a year later (literally, to the day). Early in the summer, Ali meets Ethan, at the dog park. Ethan is in town for the summer visiting his family, but as Ali helps Ethan clean out his parents’ house, will their connection grow??

My Thoughts: I love love loved this book so much. Ali was in such a dark place after her mom’s death and her divorce, and Ethan really opened her back up to love. There is a very tender scene with Ali and her daughter Greer towards the end of the book that Greer explains that she doesn’t want her mom to disappear again, and that was such a tender and real moment for me. I haven’t experienced the death of a parent or a divorce, but this felt like a very real portrayal of both of those. Anyway, I love Annabel Monaghan, and I think you should read all of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an early copy of the book to review. All opinions are my own.

If you loved Nora Goes off Script, you’ll love this.

Spending a wet, dreary day reading SUMMER ROMANCE by Annabel Monaghan was the perfect way to pretend it was 85 degrees outside!

Ali deserves a bit of fun after losing her mother to cancer, her husband to divorce, and herself to possibly too many boxes of cornstarch! Her daily routine includes taking care of her 3 kids, and her dog, Ferris, and checking in on her 92-year-old neighbor all while not putting on hard pants and re-entering the dating world. While on a walk, Ferris pees on a stranger's shoe. Is this Ali's cute-meet? Did Ferris pick out the one? Well, you will have to pick up the book to see how this summer ends!

This book is filled with all the right feelings! Annabel uses wit and humor to walk us through what most SAHM or mom's in general feel/say ohhhhh about 100 times a day! She is hilarious! A favorite passage: His ability to meet people where they are and just hold the space for them to step into their best selves without any expectation of what that might be.... {all the feels!}

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! The book is released June 4 - add it to your pre-order list today!

Absolutely LOVED this book. The entire thing resonated with me in a way that has not happened in a while. It made me laugh, smile, and tear up. Definitely a feel good romance for the summer!

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - Book Review

What it’s about:

“Summer Romance” is a story about love, loss and being the “architect of your own experience.” Ali is a soon to be divorced mother of three, a hot mess of a professional organizer and is wading through the grief of losing her mother two years ago. After connecting with Ethan, her best friend’s brother, via dog park meet-cute, she starts a journey of self-discovery through their summer romance.

What I liked:

I loved watching Ali and Ethan’s friendship unfold, reconnecting over old memories and discovering how one another has become who they are today. Annabel Monaghan did such a wonderful job of sharing the honesty of motherhood, life in your late-30’s, what it feels like to lose yourself and try to find yourself again, as well as how to break away from misconceptions and live a life that’s true to yourself.

Stars: 3.75/5

Read if you like:
Small town vibes
Best friend’s brother
Second chance romance
Closed-door


Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a beautiful story of starting over after life doesn’t go the way you expected it to. I loved Ethan from the moment we met him at the dog park. What a sweet, sunshiney man, my favorite! The way he LOOKS AT HER. Melting! The kids were sweet and perfect. And Ali! My sweet girl. So relatable. I love her so much. She feels like a piece of me. I loved their love story so much.

Here’s to a champagne summer!

Ali is an organizer who is far from having her life together. Her husband left. Her mother passed. Her best friend is encouraging her to get back out there. On the day that she puts on actual clothes (overalls - lol) and takes her dog to the dog park, she meets someone....Or rather her dog pees on him.

I loved this book. Annabel Monaghan's books always feel like a huge hug. She gets the romantic tension just right without being explicit. She is an auto-buy reader for me and I don't see that changing anytime soon! Highly recommend!

Summer Romance is my new favorite Annabel Monaghan novel! It made me feel all the feels. The characters were well developed, extremely relatable, and it was nice to see an older FMC with 3 kids finding love again. I loved this book and stayed up late to finish it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC!

Another winner from Annabel Monaghan! Her characters and plot are so relatable and realistic that I feel like they're all friends and I'm so invested in them. Dealing with tough times and loss is always hard, but the author really adds such warmth and love to her story that it's never uncomfortable to read and you can only cheer wholeheartedly when Ali starts to heal. And Ethan! His story is great as well; he figured out who he was although it wasn't the easiest journey and can now help Ali with hers. Their relationship felt real and emotional is such a satisfying way, and I smiled so much while reading. Also really loved Phyllis and her real wisdom, I'm so glad Ali had her support and love.

I highly recommend this one and have already done a reread. It's definitely going in my comfort reread pile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange of my honest review!