Looking at this cover I was fully expecting a light hearted ROM.vom, but on no, theirs grief (which yes, is mentioned in the book synopsis). It's pretty intense in that aspect. As for the romance, I didn't feel the chemistry. I guess it's hopefully, and maybe healing, but it wasn't for me.

I love the idea of this book with two grieving people who learn to move on, but that’s about all the positives for me with this book. The plot and chapters seemed all over the place and seemed like the story wasn’t fully fleshed out. Connor and Ivy had a very weak romance and what felt like having no chemistry. They just seemed to like each other based only on the fact that they lost their spouses. This sadly was not the book. Thanks to Penguin House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher Penguin Group and Netgalley for a E-arc in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating:
1 Star
My Opinion:
I thought the concept of the book was interesting. Both of the main characters learning how to deal with their grieve together. But I felt the characters had no chemistry. Both seemed more workplace driven. our FMC was more worried about getting back to her office. I think this would be a good cleaner after a difficult read or two. I think I just read this at the wrong time, I would like to give it another trip at a later time. The writing was simple, but a little too simple. I did like the short chapters to help keep the book moving.

Unfortunately, this just wasn't the romance for me. I found the relationship development between Ivy and Conrad to be underdeveloped, and the main characters to be one-dimensional. The characters' jobs and their individual grief over being widowed are the central focus of this book, whereas the romance was somewhat in the background. Conrad is a tv show writer who wants to create shows with more impact, while Ivy is a soil scientist who is trying to create a novel irrigation system but is having problems with an investor. They both have issues at their jobs that take up the majority of this book; the resolutions are much too abrupt and convenient. There are other mini-conflicts in the book, mainly an issue with a weird photographer guy. This character is cartoonishly evil, and the resolution to this conflict is just bizarre.

I just don't think I really understood the point of this novel, nor was it really the summer romance I was expecting. I'm sure there is an audience for this book, but that audience is unfortunately not me.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This book had such a cute vibe! It didn’t have that much summer mentioned in the book but it was such a great story. It locked me in at the beginning and had a few tear jerker moments. If you don’t like stories od death then this book might not be for you.

I liked this one! This was a not quite a beach read (as though the cover and title suggests) but an emotional read with a heavy subject matter and navigating through loss. I am not sure this was quite a romance book and would be best categorized as womens fiction. Thank you so much for the ARC!

A grieving soil scientist takes a job working as a gardener for a recently widowed TV exec and falls for him. Really loved all of the gardening talk in here! I mean, with a cover like that, was expecting this book to DELIVER on the flower/gardening descriptions, and it 100% did! I don't always like kids in books, but I thought Hudson was adorable, and I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with Ivy progress. Two things in particular held me back from fully loving this one. The characters felt a little half-baked and one-dimensional and the writing style felt awkward and stilted.

This book surprised me in the best way..it's not just a romance; it dives deep into themes of loss, grief, and self-discovery. The story is filled with depth and personal growth, especially in the way Ivy and Conrad's relationship develops - it's truly touching.

If you've ever experienced the loss of a loved one; this book will resonate with you. The author captures the emotional highs and lows of grief with such realism, making the story feel authentic.

While it's not a light read Conrad's stepson Hudson adds some much needed humor to balance the heavier moments. Overall, it's a beautifully written story about finding love after loss.

Plus, the author 's vivid depiction of Malibu adds the perfect summer beach vibe to the book.

This should be categorized as literary fiction over romance. While there is the opposites attract romantic story line, it is really about two people rediscovering themselves after loosing their spouses. I think it is a great novel. It has deep subject matter, the characters and plot are clearly developed. I enjoyed it.

"Malibu Summer" is a story of finding purpose (and love) after loss. The two main characters are each reeling from the loss of their spouses. A mutual friend, Mak, connects them with the idea that Ivy needs time outside the lab and working in the garden, while Conrad has a mansion with a neglected garden. So, taking up the challenge of restoring the garden gives Ivy a change of scenery as she processes her husband's death, and will help Conrad should he decide to sell the home his wife loved so much.

Little did anyone expect that their mutual understanding and compassion would lead to sparks and a sense of belonging, and the guilt that goes along with that as they ponder "moving on" with their lives.

If you've ever lost a loved one, you'll find this hits close to home. Yet the author did a fine job of handling the roller coaster of emotions that grief produces and realistically reflecting them in the story.

It's definitely not a light-hearted book, although Hudson, Conrad's stepson, provides some humorous relief. But it is a well-written and thoughtfully produced story of love after loss.

Thank you to Libby Gill, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

An intelligent, super fun beach read. The characters and situations are quite unique making this a book that is hard to put down. The only thing the main characters seem to have in common is the fact their spouses are recently deceased. A real “opposites attract” type of romance that is well written and very good. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This book was way too slow, and I ended up not finishing it. The characters were living separate lives either their grief, and I needed them to come together sooner for the romance. Nothing of importance happened in the first half. I think people who enjoy sad romances might like this one, but it didn’t hold my attention.

2.5⭐️
Thank you Penguin Books for the ARC & happy release day!
I went into this book loving the premise, that two recently widowed people are intertwined by fate and are able to heal together. I loved Ivy and her world as a scientist. While this book is about two people’s individual stories, I think I needed them to connect more because I didn’t thoroughly enjoy that the only thing that connected them was death. I hoped for a little more. Or even better, if this was a story about friendship I think it would’ve been more believable and natural if they weren’t romantically linked at all.

3.5 stars rounded up! I thought going into this that it was going to be a fun romcom summer read, and there was a little bit of romance, but it definitely wasn’t the main idea. I don’t think I would have picked this up if I knew just how far it delved into grief and the many, many ways it can affect not only you, but everyone around you. Also how each person handles grief in their own ways. That being said, I’m glad I read it, and it definitely made me feel my feels about my own grief, so for that I would recommend this. I did have some issues with some of the side characters seemingly having their own storylines and chapters, and then not again for the entire book. It felt like it was put in as a convenient way to lead into the next issue for the main characters, but I was waiting for more storyline for those characters that never happened. There were also some chapters that just seemed to end abruptly, and the teeny bit of spice seemed forced. The ending saved it for me though, and ended up being really sweet and heartwarming, and I liked how everything was tied up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The cover of this book is so pretty. So so pretty. And very deceptive, because the writing is awful. I got to about 33% in and calling it. I’m so bored. The characters all have forced small talk, zero chemistry…I don’t mean for this to come out so mean. I commend anyone who writes a book and has it published. This just wasn’t it for me.

**I received a copy of Malibu Summer from Netgalley. I am writing this review volunatarily.**

This was a cute summer read that explored coping with grief between two characters who have both had great losses. This was much more a contemporary fiction than romance. Hudson was my favorite character and I cared more for his story than anything.

This was a wonderfully written book, but a hard read due to depicted grief. The characters have wonderful depth and it truly is a lovely read.

This is a debut fiction/romance book for Libby. Conrad and Ivy are unlikely partners who meet one another as they process what life can and will be as they both deal with the unexpected grief of losing a spouse at a young girl age. They are also both dealing with the possibility of losing their livelihoods for completely different circumstances. Overall there is good chemistry between the characters, and I found the most endearing character to be Hudson. Who as a young boy who has dealt with more than most. This could be a good therapeutic read for someone dealing and processing grief. Not a read for everyone but still an enjoyable ride that I would recommend. Thank you Netgallery, Penguin Books and Libby Gill for choosing me to be an arc reader for this book.

Bauer is this incredibly smart PhD boss, who is killing it at her job and saving the world. Then her husband tragically dies, and she can’t deal, so she steps away from her life and takes a job as a gardener. Her new boss is a Hollywood has been, whose wife recently died. Of course the two fall for each other.

I just was not feeling this book. The characters were both extremely successful in their careers, which was great, but they just didn’t seem to have any chemistry with each other. Their deceased spouses didn’t seem all that great, so it was hard to feel bad for them.