Welcome back to Fire Island!

Seven Summer Weekends brings us back to the island for a new family saga and love story. We meet a slew of interesting characters who add charm to the story. Plus, characters from the authors previous Fire Island book make an appearance. This book is ideal for summer reads.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for these advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my god this freaking book!! I had no idea going in that it was connected to On Fire Island and it made it so much more special when I figured it out. The audio was perfection, I was there the whole time. Emily Norman did such a fantastic job bringing Addison to life.

I loved the nature of the story, the pacing. I loved how someone new came each weekend. There was a fantastic balance of light-hearted moments and themes of grief, friendship and family. There was such great Jewish rep, I loved being back on Fire Island and with the full cast of characters. I loved how Addison rediscovered herself and her art. Ben, sweet Ben, I was so happy to see him again and in a different phase of his life.

After Addison unexpectedly loses her ad executive job after an unfortunate ZOOM incident, she finds out her estranged aunt, who recently passed, has left her a beach house on Fire Island. Addison decides to spend the summer on Fire Island and finds more than just a house full of someone else's junk.

I loved this book. It was fast paced, with fun, engaging characters. I could absolutely relate to Addison's internal debate about whether to pursue a well-paying career full-stop or to pull away and try to create a life that she loves, which could me a less certain financial future. This was a sweet, if predictable, summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Summer Weekends by Jane Rosen exceeded my expectations. I ended up listening to an ALC via PRH Audio, and I really enjoyed the narration by Emily Norman. I hadn't read On Fire Island, the book that comes before this one, so I didn't have the heart-breaking history with Ben's character, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this follow-up, which focuses on Addison Irwin as Ben's new love interest, following the death of his wife Julia.

Addison comes to Fire Island after two things happen simultaneously--she's fired from her high-profile advertising job in the city and she inherits her estranged aunt's house. Little does she know that over the course of seven weeks, her neighbor Ben and his dog Sally, along with the guests who come to stay at her aunt's guest-house, will completely change the course of her life.

I loved the subtle way Jewish life and traditions were woven into the story. There wasn't a focus on Jewish trauma--just little sprinkles of Jewish life and joy, like the mention of Jewish summer camps and picking up babka from a favorite bakery.

4.5 stars. I would definitely recommend the audiobook for this one, if you're someone who enjoys listening to stories. The writing had a bit more telling as opposed to showing, which would have been a bigger deal to me if I'd been trying to read it with my eyes (adhd problems), but listening to it, it didn't bother me the same way. Also, there was a cheating side-plot I didn't love (usually cheating is a complete no-go for me), but because 1) it was a side character and 2) Rosen didn't go into detail or romanticize it, I kept reading. Ultimately, I'm glad I finished it. The ending was super poignant and perfect.

DNF at 39%. I tried, I really tried. I just don't like the writing style at all and I'm so bored. There's so much telling and summarizing instead of showing.

SEVEN SUMMER WEEKENDS is a nice summer treat. We follow Addison, a 32 y/o marketing executive recently laid off after a Zoom faux-pas, as she moves to Fire Island-- ostensibly to get the home she's inherited from her estranged aunt ready to sell, but she just might find herself along the way.

I'd call this a love story vs. a "romance" because so much of the plot also deals with Addison's growth, in addition to her love story.

With minimal spice but lots of passion, I really enjoyed this one. I did feel that I would've gotten even more out of it if I had read Rosen's ON FIRE ISLAND first, and would encourage others to do so!

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my god this freaking book!! I had no idea going in that it was connected to On Fire Island and it made it so much more special when I figured it out. The audio was perfection, I was there the whole time. Emily Norman did such a fantastic job bringing Addison to life.

I loved the nature of the story, the pacing. I loved how someone new came each weekend. There was a fantastic balance of light-hearted moments and themes of grief, friendship and family. There was such great Jewish rep, I loved being back on Fire Island and with the full cast of characters. I loved how Addison rediscovered herself and her art. Ben, sweet Ben, I was so happy to see him again and in a different phase of his life.

Thank you to Berkely publishing group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title.
While I was reading this book, I questioned all of my life decisions up to this point. The daily grind of working 8-5 and the daily stressors that suffocate our MFC, felt all too real. I am now looking for an estranged aunt to leave me a beach house where I can spend my summers in solitude. Wish me luck.

This book is all about new beginnings. Letting go of the fear of taking a leap towards our happiness. Whether that's leaving a long term relationship, quitting your job, or letting go of the past. The point is to fall forward, not backwards. All of the characters throughout the book choose this path. The author's navigation of each characters journey was thoughtful and rooted in the core value of living an honest and simple life. Sometimes we we just need to get away and take a breath to find what we are looking for.

Addison inherits her estranged aunt's beach house in the midst of a life crisis. She is recently jobless and completely detached. Her only roots lie within her friendships with her girlfriends, who are also gong through their own tumultuous life events. Ben
becomes Addison's next door neighbor to her new beach house. He is a widower, author, and is stuck living with the ghost of his wife.
Both main characters find healing, peace, and belonging. This book emphasizes the power of community, forgiveness, and moving on without letting go.

This book is enemies to lovers and told in the third person with dual narratives. While I prefer first person narration, I would highly recommend this to all who enjoy closed door and heartwarming romances.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I made it to 24% through and still didn’t feel invested in the plot or characters. The romance story seemed to take a back seat.

Did not resonate with me in the same way as the original Fire Island book by Rosen, for which this is a sequel. I wish the author had turned her considerable tatents to a new narrative rather than writing a continuation of the pretty much perfect original story.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for this ARC! I’m a big fan of Jane Rosen, having read Eliza Starts a Rumor and A Shoe Story previously. The characters are likable and the story was very engaging. This book is the perfect read to get you into the mood for summertime! 4/5 stars - recommend!

If you’ve read the authors previous release, On Fire Island you will recognize some of the characters here which was a pleasant surprise for me! Though connected you can still read this one on its own too though just fyi. I loved the setup with each section of this following Addison over seven summer weeks as a lively and colorful cast of characters rents out the guesthouse her aunt left her in her will. The estrangement added a level of depth and complexity to the otherwise fluffy beach read and opened up a bunch of emotional issues for Addison. The characters, both and main and secondary were all such a delight and charmed me almost as much as the setting did. This is ideal summertime reading, it has basically everything you would want in a seasonal read, there’s romance, drama, laughs and a dreamy setting.

A woman inherits a beach house, along with a series of weekend guests, while butting heads with the irritable (and irritatingly handsome) man next door. I loved Jane's last work On Fire Island, and this book picks up in the same community even with some of the same characters, etc. You don't have to read the last book to enjoy this one, but it definitely helps. I loved that we learned more about the aunt Addison never got to know, through her friends and lovers who came to stay at the guest houses throughout the summer. I stayed for the blossom enemies-to-lovers romance between Addison and her neighbor Ben. I enjoyed that Addison refound her love of art through her Aunt's in-home studio and found this closeness to her through her aunt's passion. The quirky small-town side characters were prime additions to the story keeping the gossip and charm of the town alive. Note this book does deal a lot with grief following death which was hard for me. Because of that, I felt the story started off a little slow, but soon after I found myself not being able to put this story down.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/4

Seven Summer Weekends was marketed as a romance novel, but in my opinion, it was more Women's Lit with a romance subplot.

I liked Addison and all of the interesting characters she encounters along the way, but the romance was secondary and the story overall struggled to keep my attention.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for my first ever ARC book!! I had first heard of Seven Summer Weekends through an author whose work I enjoy so I had a good feeling I’d enjoy this one and the book did not disappoint. The characters are likable, relatable, and even the side characters have a level of depth that makes them feel real.

I liked that the formatting was broken down by each week/weekend and paralleled visiting guests. My only complaint is at times the pacing seemed uneven, or that significant time had passed in just a few paragraphs but that did not negative impact my reading experience. Seven Summer Weekends is the perfect summertime read that drew me in right from the start.

Loved all of the characters. This is a great Summer read. I loved the lessons that were taught throughout the book. I’ve never read anything by this author, but I really enjoyed the style of writing.
Very easy to envision.

3.5 - I was immediately pulled into this story, which starts off quickly with Addison losing her job unexpectedly and inheriting a beach house from an estranged aunt. The scenery immediately transports you to the island. I love that while Addison is living at the house, and figuring out next steps, she has a variety of interesting visitors over the eight weekends. The secondary characters were so fun, and I loved that the author wrote a backstory for each of them so we got to know them a little before they arrived.

This book is dense and covers a lot of topics about grief, family trauma, self discovery, and how we handle transitional periods in our life.

I do feel like this book was far more contemporary fiction and less romance than was promised. The romance is a sub plot that really doesn’t take off until the last 40%. I was also most interested in Kizzy’s story than that of the FMC, and it felt a little slow in the middle for me.

Seven Summer Weekends really got me with that cute cover, the story sounded so cute. I did not know this was a follow up to a previous novel. It can read as a standalone but I would've liked to know that prior. It was a good novel but it just did not hold my attention as much as I wanted it to. I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it or being excited to read it.

Seven Summer Weekends, which follows Addison Irwin, on her way to being the youngest art director at her agency when a silly mistake instantly makes her jobless and questioning all her life choices. Which is when an inheritance from an estranged aunt finds her. Now Addie has seven weeks on Fire Island to figure out what to do with her inheritance while discovering her passions, both old and new.

I finished Seven Summer Weekends with a warm and fuzzy feeling. I found that the book sucked me in quickly, as I wanted to know more about Addie’s mysterious aunt and then about her, at first, equally mysterious crush. This is definitely a love story, but also a journey of self discovery for Addie. Addie’s soul searching after having her life upended is pretty relatable, in my opinion. And I loved that in Seven Summer Weekends, we are reminded it is never too late to start over, to not be afraid of taking chances and that love can find us at the most unexpected time. I also enjoyed how the story was told through multiple POVs, with Addie learning about her aunt through visits from her aunt’s closest friends and at the same time discovering things about herself thanks to the help of those same visitors. Finally, Jane Rosen's love of Fire Island shines through in her work and I finished Seven Summer Weekends with a desire to visit (my boyfriend will tell you that if a book makes me want to visit the location or try new food as a result than this is high praise from me 😂)

If you are looking for a heart warming summer romance then I definitely recommend Seven Summer Weekends.

Addison is expecting a very well deserved promotion announcement when she makes a mistake that leaves her on the unemployment line instead. A mistake that also lands her on page 6. While she waits for the drama to die down, she decides to head to Fire Island to the house she recently inherited from her Aunt whom she hasn’t seen since she was a child. Once there, she is met by the real estate agent that wants to sell the house to the highest bidder, the neighbor that wants to buy it from her, and her aunts friends she had booked to come stay in the guest house that summer. Addison doesn’t know what to do…will the Summer of Addison help her figure it out?

Ahh we are back on fire island and our crew is better than ever! When I picked this one up I didn’t realize it would be the same cast of characters, and I cant even tell you how excited I was to catch back up with everyone! That said, this book is more about Addison and how she handles inheriting her Aunts house, as well as trying to find herself after losing her job. I will say as soon as she started to chat IN ZOOM with a coworker about the meeting I cringed and said NO out loud. You never chat on zoom! You text each other on the side! Once Addison got to the island, I loved the guests that Glicky had planned to show up and teach Addison lessons not only about her aunt but also about herself. This book was the perfect follow up to On Fire Island and I highly recommend it!