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.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

Absolutely the best read

I found this cover to not be at all what the story is. The story is so sad and the main characters have NO chemistry. It was written so weirdly that I ended up def-ing at about 75%. But what I read, 2 stars.

First off what drew me to read this book was the stunning cover. It definitely gives the perfect summer reading vibes and I was so happy to pick it up from NetGalley! What I soon learned from reading Malibu Summer was that this went beyond a cheeky summer romance, but delves into second chance love after loss and grief.
Malibu Summer is told from the two main characters’ POV. Ivy Baur, a bright innovator and PhD candidate in soil science and Conrad Reed, a handsome, yet aging producer and struggling TV writer in Hollywood. They are complete opposites, but what ties Ivy and Conrad together is the recent loss of their spouses and trying to grapple with life’s daily demands as they figure out how to manage day to day with the gaping hole they loved one left behind. Also Mak a mutual friend fits into their relationship venn diagram as well and I truly hope we hear more about her story next time!
Overall I enjoyed learning about Ivy’s studies and how she was so invested in her work. I loved the interaction she had with her grief support group, you don’t see that very often in books. It was also a unique experience to sit alongside Ivy as she navigated these uncharted territories of grief. I did struggle with the chemistry that Ivy and Conrard shared on paper. It seemed rushed and I had a hard time with the pacing of their story. I still don’t understand the photogate part of the story and had to keep rereading it to put the pieces together.
I would overall rate this story 3 stars! ⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the eARC in return for my honest review.

This book started out engaging, however certain sections of the book dragged out or were unrelated to the storyline. Many parts of the book were realistic while other parts completely fantastical.

This is a book about second chances, overcoming grief, and chosen family that I ultimately found to be a bit slow for my liking.

3/5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Grief. Moderate: Car accident.

I went into this book thinking it would be a light summery read because the cover shows it is but that is not the case. This book had grief from the first chapter which you'd read from the synopsis. It is filled with growth between two adult characters and great side characters.

The more I read, the more I grew to like the characters, the setting and was very curious as to how it would end.

If you're looking for a book with heartwarming characters, a very fun and elaborate setting, second chances, overcoming grief and found family, this book is for you. I loved the forced proximity and this book was especially great on audio.

I loved Mak (Ivy's best friend) and Hudson (Conrad's step son) the best and I loved the scenes they were in. The last third was filled with so much drama and overall, I'm glad I read this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions my own.

DNF @ 20%. Unfortunately this one missed the mark. While the short chapters keep the story moving, I felt the main characters either very boring (Ivy) or completely unlikeable in every way (Conrad). While I'm sure the book plans to evolve them further, I found Conrad's dislike (view spoiler) and his complete obsession with his work exasperating. The weak writing did not help matters.

The cover is quite misleading for the tone of this book.

Well, I don't usually read romance. At least not contemporary romance novels. But the snyopsis seemed a litttle dramatic and the Malibu seeting appealed to me.
And I did enjoy the setting and the ambience, and the drama part of the character's stories (I do love characters mourning). The romance, though, didn't captivate me. Porbably my own fault, since I don't put myself into the target audience for this novel.
If you are a romance reader, consider picking this one up.

This is a heartfelt emotional read. Ivy lost her husband in a tragic accident She meets Conrad who recently lost his wife in a car accident. They bond instantly over their shared loss and trying to figure out how to move forward. These two couldn't be more opposite and Conrad is Hollywood flashy and she is nerdy academic. They felt like good friends but didn't get the romance between them as it felt forced.

I liked the found family, second chances and happily ever after.

My favorite were Hudson and Rory as they added humor and warmth to this heave book.

I was so excited to read this book based on the cover and title! I really love summery beach reads and this one did not disappoint. The characters were well fleshed out and I really enjoyed the romance plot too. Thank you for the chance to read this book!

The story centers around Ivy Baur, a PhD candidate in soil science and inventor, and Conrad Reed, a producer and writer for Hollywood. Ivy and Conrad have both recently lost their spouses and are struggling through their grief surrounding the losses of their great loves. When a mutual friend recognizes how much Ivy is struggling, the suggestion comes that Ivy move to Malibu and help Conrad tend to the garden on his property.

I was expecting this story to be filled with the darkness that grief has, as well as the guilt for moving on; however, I was also expecting this story to have banter and the progression of our MCs falling in love. Libby GIll does a fantastic job of showing our characters learning how to cope with their grief and guilt as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Overall the story felt slightly disjointed, and it was very much told and not shown that these characters were falling for each other. So much so that I had to go back and re-read pages to make sure I didn't miss something. This book is not a "light" summer read, but I would still recommend it for anyone who is wanting a different take on the second chance romance.

Overall, an emotional read perfect for those who enjoy a “finding love again” romance story and more mature characters. That being said, The pacing was a little off and the chemistry was lacking a bit, but the emotion was still there. The setting was good and worked well for the plot, but I also felt the side characters could have been more developed. Ultimately, I settled on 3 stars but would still recommend this book to the appropriate audience.

Such a good read!! The setting was absolutely perfect. I'll be recommending this one to anyone going on vacation who wants a juicy, sun-soaked read :)

This was such a heartwarming story. Both characters came with baggage in their past and together began to heal and work through it, making their relationship stronger. I loved the setting and tropes (forced proximity, former celebrity). Sweet summer romance.