Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan is a delight to read! We get to spend time with Ali as she navigates her new world in which her mother has died and her husband has left her. While this is at times a typical “light” summer read, it also takes you through the process of dealing with grief in various forms.

The balance of fun and serious moments was great. The supporting characters were well written. I also appreciated that it was a closed door romance, proving that you don’t need graphic details to have a great romantic story.

This is the third book I’ve read from Monaghan and it has cemented her as one of my must read authors!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

The way that Ali is navigating through the grief of losing her mom, a divorce, and the feelings of waking up and feeling like you have lost yourself over time feels so authentic. I feel like I was able to connect with both Ali and Ethan even without having many shared experiences with them. They also have such a genuine connection and I loved to see this develop. I loved all the characters in this book and highly recommend for fans of Annabel Monaghan and those new to her writing!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the beginning of the story I felt like the writing was not flowing very well. It did not initially hook me. Eventually I got into it though and throughly enjoyed it

Summer Romance has everything of a classic love story. Annabel Monaghan has a way of capturing the authentic emotions of being a woman, a mother, grief and everything one must juggle while doing all three. The book was an easy, fast paced read with short chapters which is always a plus! I look forward to more from Monaghan.

If you are looking for a light, easy summer read, then this is the book for you. Can a summer romance turn into more? Read it and find out.

Ali has recently separated from her husband and feels like she has lost herself. She has a very undignified meet cute that leads to a summer romance. The tension in the story comes from dealing with an ex husband and kids, and Ali’s feelings of loss and grief.

It’s a story filled with fun and romantic moments, great side characters, and good character growth. I did get a little frustrated with Ali, but enjoyed the summer escape.

This book contains mild profanity and several nondescript love scenes.

Thank you NetGalley for a llowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I've read other books by Annabel Monaghan and for sure this one did not disappoint.

This book brought out all my emotions in a good way. I loved the story. It had a little of everything and I am looking foward to reading more books by Annabel Monaghan.

If you're looking for a five-star read I suggest giving this one a try.

I’m always a fan of this author and while I definitely still enjoyed this book, it was harder to read for me as I was reading it around the anniversary of my mother’s passing. I will say that the way the main character deals with grief felt very organic to me, and I always still refuse to wear pants with zippers. I would have enjoyed it more had I identified with it less, but isn’t that the mark of a well written book? I’d still recommend, maybe I’ll revisit in a few years when it feels less fresh.

There are so many things to love about this book, and all of Annabel Monaghan's books, that make this a five star read.

She has a way of writing characters that are multidimensional in a way that feels alive - like Mr. and Mrs. Hogan, ancillary characters that you can not only envision but also hear their voice and see their mannerisms in your mind's eye.

Ali has gotten lost over the years, almost becoming a supporting character in her own life. The journey she takes from going through the motions, phoning it in for a life that was not really chosen but she let happen to her, to becoming a person who laughs again, identifies what she wants, and goes after it is a breath of fresh air.

Ethan, is a mirror, in a sense. Growing up he wasn't taken seriously and always shrunk into himself when he returned to his hometown, but the journey he takes in this book is also refreshing, learning that he can be the man he is today regardless of setting.

The attention to detail gives the setting and feeling so much gravity - notes on specific flowers or the humidity on the coast when there's no breeze really help you feel the environment of the book.

The personal growth through grief, loss, messy parenting, and new directions is wonderful and meaningful and heartfelt.

This is a closed door romance with significant themes of grief associated with the death of a parent and an unhappy first marriage. Ali and Ethan are both in their mid to late 30s, so the life stage can resonate more with people beyond their 20s.

Summer Romance made me laugh, made me cry, and made me smile. What an amazingly told story. It weaves together grief, romance, sadness, hope, joy, and family. This is my second Annabel Monaghan book and it did NOT disappoint. I highly recommend this for book clubs and anyone out there needing some self reflection.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Summer Romance and it was so good that I couldn’t wait to review it. The main character is named Ali (or Alice). She’s going through a separation and divorce and has recently lost her mother, and then of course she meets someone special, and her life starts to change. Here are some of the best things about it:
Ali is super relatable. Her mom experiences are so familiar, even if you have a good partnership with your spouse or significant other, but particularly if you are a single or working mom. There are multiple Costco and reading glasses references that made me laugh out loud. And her relationship with her daughter really highlights how uncomfortable it is to be a parent who has no clue if they are doing anything right with their teen.
There are so many poignant life lessons. From how we both treat and react to our family members, to how we handle feeling overwhelmed and afraid, to dealing with loss… I laughed and cried and had a few “aha” moments. There are beautifully written sentences and passages that I want to print out and hang up as reminders.
And of course, the love story is just delightful. Like many female authors, Annabel Monaghan writes charming male lead characters that make us wish they were real and out there waiting for us to stumble upon at a dog park.
If I had to give more constructive feedback, I’d say that some of the tangential relationships and snippets of back stories that pop up throughout the story could have been developed further. It’s rare that I think a book should be longer, but in this case it maybe could have been in order for the reader to really feel invested in all of the emotion that Ali is experiencing. But overall, I just loved this book and can’t wait to recommend it to friends.

ummer Romance follows newly single mom Ali as she navigates divorce, dating again, and processing the loss of her mom, leading her to remember who she was before she lost herself in marriage and motherhood.

I enjoyed the romance between Ali and Ethan. Despite relating to elements of Ali's story, Ethan's character and backstory were easier for me to connect with. I identified with him navigating people not being able to reconcile the adult life he had created for himself with who he was in their eyes growing up. I'm picky about books with single parents/books with kids, and this was handled realistically and in a believable way.


I look forward to more from this author.

5 stars. A funny, sweet romance. I couldn’t put this book down. Such a fun read! Ethan was the perfect book boyfriend and being a single mom, I could definitely relate to Ali. Another winner from Annabel Monaghan!

I’m seriously starting to wonder if there’s any story Annabel Monaghan can’t flawlessly tell. Summer Romance was beautiful. I was captured the minute I picked it up and only put it down to sleep and so I could enjoy it a little longer.

The characters were so authentic and they paired well with the dialogue and banter. I palpably felt Ali’s grief and it was surprisingly healing as I’ve recently lost a parent, too. Ali’s growth and voice finding inspired me while normalizing the path we all take at different times.

I feel so lucky to have received an ARC. I truly loved everything about this book and I can’t wait for my friends to read it too.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book! 5 out of 5 stars! I read Same Time Next Summer by this author this past summer and it was amazing. I love Annabel Monaghans writing so much. She writes the perfect summer romance books!!!

3.5 stars (rounded to 4)!

I enjoy reading Annabel Monaghan's books because they remind me that love can happen to normal, non-flashy, realistic characters whose lives do not revolve completely around romance. The quality of the writing in this book was great, no different than her previous books Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer. I felt for Ali as a character and her uncertainties/qualms about getting into a relationship with Ethan and admired how committed Ethan was to making their relationship work given Ali's obligations to her children. I think the only tradeoff that comes with a more realistic/ordinary/somewhat mundane romance book is that it's kind of hard to stay interested and I did find myself getting a little bored towards the latter half of the book. Thank you to Annabel Monaghan, Putnam, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for a digital ARC of Summer Romance.

I went into this book not expecting much, because while I loved Same Time Next Summer, Nora Goes Off Script kind of missed the mark for me. But I was SO SO wrong. This is her best book yet! I'm not going through a divorce, but I related to the aspects of motherhood and mental load. The characterization was perfection and Ethan is one of my top favorite fictional male characters. So smitten and clever. I was never annoyed with the characters (well, except the one I was supposed to be and she sure did a good job on him, too). I devoured this, pure perfection, and would recommend to any romance reader!

I loved this book! The perfect balance for a Summer Romance and quickly becoming a favorite author. Favorite book I’ve read in a while! #netgalleyreview

Summer Romance follows newly single mom Ali as she navigates divorce, dating again, and processing the loss of her mom, leading her to remember who she was before she lost herself in marriage and motherhood.

I enjoyed the romance between Ali and Ethan. Despite relating to elements of Ali's story, Ethan's character and backstory were easier for me to connect with. I identified with him navigating people not being able to reconcile the adult life he had created for himself with who he was in their eyes growing up. I'm picky about books with single parents/books with kids, and this was handled realistically and in a believable way.

Writing-wise, certain quips felt repetitive at times, and it was a bit slow-paced.

If you loved Nora Goes Off Script, I would recommend this one as it's very similar, but Same Time Next Year is still my favorite by Annabel Monaghan.

This would be a perfect summer beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC! Ugh, Annabel Monaghan has done it again. Highly, highly recommend. Heartwarming and witty, this book had me from the very beginning. I will definitely re-read once summertime comes back around.

Annabel is an automatic author for me! Her books, while all so different, are just incredible.

To start: I adored the story, the characters, just everything about this book. I love how Annabel takes sad elements, but makes them into happy things in a realistic (and not cheesy at all) way.

Even more than that, I realized halfway through this book that I really just love her writing style and that regardless of the story, I will continue to come back for more. Great book, 10/10 would recommend!!