Ivy's a northern CA soil scientist who's grieving the loss of her husband Will. To try to get away from the constant reminders of him, she takes a job as a gardener for Conrad, a Hollywood writer/producer in Malibu. Conrad has recently lost his wife Dawn and wants to fix the garden as a tribute to her before selling the house. I found the two jobs to be interesting-I especially was hoping for Ivy's research product Hydrahold to be a real product as it sounded like it would be very helpful for drought persistent climates! That being said, the romance between them didn't have any chemistry and the plot was disjointed. Some chapters ended in cliffhangers and then the next chapter would jump ahead in time and would basically say "oh and then THIS happened". There is only one sex scene and it ends with a preposterous climax that made me laugh out loud.
That being said, it was an entertaining read and I finished it just to see where it was going.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Libby Gill's "Malibu Summer" offers a heartwarming exploration of grief and unexpected connections. Set against the sunny California backdrop, the novel delves deeper than its lighthearted cover suggests. While the central romance falls flat, the story shines in its portrayal of loss and the beauty of finding solace in unlikely places.

The narrative centers on Ivy, a grieving widow who seeks refuge in Malibu by taking a gardening job for Conrad, a Hollywood producer grappling with his own wife's death. The true stars of "Malibu Summer" are the supporting characters. Mak, Ivy's witty confidante, injects humor, while Conrad's adorable stepson, Hudson, steals hearts with his charm. Their interactions form the heart of the story, emphasizing the power of shared experiences in navigating grief.

The novel excels in its nuanced portrayal of grief. Gill avoids clichés, showcasing the messy and individual ways characters grapple with their pain. This heartfelt exploration makes their journeys towards acceptance all the more relatable. "Malibu Summer" also tackles the sensitive topic of moving on after loss, offering a comforting message about finding joy and new connections while honoring the past.

However, the romance between Ivy and Conrad, a key element, feels underdeveloped. The emotional intimacy often found in novels is absent here, replaced by dialogue that feels more suited to a movie script, lacking the depth needed to build a strong emotional bond.

Despite this shortcoming, "Malibu Summer" offers a worthwhile read. Its focus on overcoming grief and the power of found family creates a heartwarming escape. The well-developed supporting characters and the realistic portrayal of grief make for a compelling story, particularly for those who enjoy character-driven narratives. If you're looking for a light summer read that tackles emotional themes, "Malibu Summer" might be a good choice, but keep in mind the romance takes a backseat to the exploration of grief and growth. While it might not be a perfect beach read, it has the potential for a great movie adaptation.

Ivy Bauer has just lost her husband in a bicycle accident. Conrad Reed has just lost his wife in a car crash.

The two likely would never have met because they live very different lives in different parts of California. Ivy is a doctoral student at UC Davis and has invented an organic product that helps soil get the most out of water use. Conrad is a Hollywood producer who lives in Malibu with his 4-year-old stepson.

But Ivy’s best friend just so happens to work with Conrad, and she convinces her to get a change of scenery and work on the grounds of Conrad’s estate for a few months. The opportunity includes living in a cute little house behind the mansion.

So Ivy takes some leave from her research and teaching duties and focuses on just working in the dirt, trying to make Conrad’s water-slurping landscaping more environmentally friendly.

Over time, Ivy and Conrad get to know each other. Ivy gets to know the bright little boy, Hudson. And despite their being pretty different, they all come to get along well.

But as she senses a growing attraction to her employer, Ivy is hesitant. How can she look forward to a future with a new man, without her beloved husband? Conrad, for his part, worries a bit about how he can be a good father to a little boy who is grieving the loss of the mother they both loved.

Malibu Summer, with its bright, tropical cover and carefree-sounding title, seems on its face more like a breezy summer romance, but it’s really not a light read. And while it’s billed as an opposites-attract romance, it’s more a story about two people who are trying to even consider a path forward without their late spouses. The story works fairly well overall, but there were a few spots I thought it went a bit off the rails with some melodramatic events. They seemed to stand out against the more grounded feel of the overall narrative. In large part because of those plot points that took away from the general tone, I found it just so-so.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I decided to request this book based on the cover as I’d also never heard of it. The premise was interesting enough (trigger warning :sudden death of spouse) as were the two main characters and the book is largely set in the always lovely Malibu. But i found the plot boring, then absurd and then predictable. On to the next!

A heartwarming, feel-good story about second chances, overcoming grief and found family that sees two widows falling love as they care for a young orphaned boy. Full of forced proximity goodness and set in Los Angeles, this was great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Ava Wilder. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Ivy and Conrad are navigating life after losing their spouses unexpectedly. Conrad has a step-child he has to figure out how to care for. Ivy needs an escape from her real life as she deals with her grief. I loved that they have a natural friendship right off the bat once she comes to stay on his property to work on his garden. It melted my heart when they spoke to their late spouses, especially Conrad’s step-son. It was beautiful to see them learn that just because they move forward in life doesn’t mean that their love for their late spouses is any less. This one really tugged at my heart strings and sprung tears in my eyes. It was beautifully written.

Review posted to goodreads. Instagram review will be posted TBD.

Fiction with a purpose? Great support with coping with grief if you’re a bit of a spell separated. New grief has so much need. All grief takes so long to sort and well-written fiction can a does help. Recommend this book.

This was a cute, but emotional read. I was drawn to the book by the cover and was expecting more of a fluffy, summer romance. This book deals a lot with grief, especially since our two main characters are widows and have just recently lost their spouses, suddenly and at a young age. I also didn't connect with the main characters, but really loved the side characters, especially Hudson and the dog Rory.

this was so much more than I was anticipating. I resonated with this book in so, so many ways and I loved the setting. I thought this would be a book that would help me escape and it did that but it also made me feel and I felt like it understood me. I can't wait to recommend this book to others. This is not just another dime a dozen to me. Keep going, Libby! We need more of you!

This story is about two people who have lost their significant other and meet in Malibu where sparks begin to fly. I enjoyed this story. I loved the healing of two people who lost their loves in horrible ways but found love again. I do have to say that the writing was different to what I usually read. It just felt more of an aesthetic readers type of writing (I know I know it doesn’t make sense). I liked the storyline and traveling Malibu through these characters’ eyes. I do have to say that keeping up with the povs was a bit hard and at one point we got someone new but never again.

Ivy is the FMC who is an environmental scientist. I enjoyed seeing how her work took place in this book but I do have to say that I couldn’t truly connect with her character. She did develop in this book which I enjoyed. Conrad is the Hollywood MMC who has to take care of his stepson after his wife’s death. I also couldn’t feel connected to his character but enjoyed reading his growth. There were side characters in this book and I liked Hudson who’s such a sweat kid. The romance is forced proximity and opposites attract and the romance wasn’t bad but I just couldn’t feel the connection.

The ending was well done and this story wasn’t so bad. It’s a summer read that deals with grief but the writing style and characters weren’t for me. If there was more interaction with the MCs and their developing love, I would have enjoyed it more but the story was more of each of their professions.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

This particular book I didn’t love nor hate. my feelings about this book are very conflicted. I feel like nothing was happening for half of the book, and while it does portray grief well and it does pull at your heart strings at some point, it doesn’t give you a 5-star vibe book.
I also feel like there was not a lot of chemistry between te two main love interests. if this stayed a pure fiction novel, about trying to conquer grief and lean on friends at hard times, this would’ve been way better, rather than a romance book.

2.75 rounded up. This book was very readable and I found the main character's work and journey to be very interesting. The grief aspects of the book were very beautiful and I liked that she shared that in common with the love interest. The parts that didn't quite for me were how quickly she developed feelings and discovered them. And the parts of the male main character's work fell a bit flat at times. There were major plot points that jumped around a bit. I finished the book quickly but it wasn't something I will be recommending to others at this time.

While the idea of this book really grabbed me, I just couldn’t get into it. I loved that Ivy and Conrad were both recent widows trying to figure out how to move forward in their lives, but I felt like their chemistry just wasn’t there (and when their romance did develop, it felt like it just sort of happened, rather than either an instant attraction or growing connection). A few of the plot points felt quickly thrown in and resolved (Sal, Alexandra, etc.) so the story felt a little clunky at times.

However, I absolutely adored Hudson and his growth throughout the book. I loved seeing him work through his feelings about losing his mom, and his connections with Fernanda, Ivy, and Conrad were so sweet and kept me coming back for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the eARC!

Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not a cute summer romance. This is more of a heavier read than I was expecting, but it was still good. Just wish the cover did the book better justice.

Adorable book.

Sweet book with characters learning to cope with grief, grow, and continue to live life. I liked the characters by itself, but didn’t quite grasp the chemistry between our two mains. It felt forced and out of place, not very organic with the backstory of their lives.

Aside from that, I absolutely loved Hudson and Rory. They brought both warmth and comfort to this story.

This was an odd read. The cover is very misleading considering the amount of death and grief contained in this book. There were also some interesting writing style choices.

Ivy is an upcoming scientist/inventor who is trying to get her soil hydration product off the ground when her husband is killed. When her grief makes it hard to work, her best friend gets her a job as a gardener for a director/writer in Hollywood. Conrad is also struggling. His wife died recently as well and he is struggling to parent his 4 year old stepson. Can they come together to make a new life?

This book just felt stilted. The pacing was off, and chapters ended on cliff hangers that weren't resolved. I didn't feel like the characters had chemistry together and they really weren't on the page together very often to develop any. The grief also felt too fresh to make their relationship feel real. Overall it just didn't hit emotionally for me like I hoped it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This was not a light hearted summer read like I expected. I pushed through because I wanted to find out what was happening in the story, but it was a lot heavier than the cover would lead you to believe.

❤️ ❤️❤️/5
🌶️/5

Tropes:
Opposites-Attract
Grief
Found family(?)

This book follows Ivy Bauer, a PhD candidate who terribly loses her husband in an accident. Needing a change of scenery, she is employed by Conrad Reed, a Hollywood producer who himself suddenly lost his own wife and is navigating new parenthood.

So I didn’t think was too bad, honestly. I loved Hudson very much, I think he was my favorite part of the entire book. His honesty and how he deals with grieving his mom while also welcoming Ivy was so sweet. I just wanted to hug the guy 😭 (and Rory ofc). That scene at the sushi restaurant hurt my heart.

I’m ngl, if you told me this was a romance book after I read it, I’d think you’re crazy. Because the main characters had negative chemistry. Like it vacated the premises. At one point, I thought Ivy would get with JP because I was just confused 😂

That brings me to another point! The transitions between the chapters/scenes were abrupt. I had no idea what was starting sometimes, and the change in POV was not terrible but even having Mak’s there was kind of weird, considering she was a side character.

But all in all, it was an okay book! It definitely made me miss being near the water often.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this ARC 🥰

This is Gill’s first foray into fiction and it shows. The story is disjointed and the characters come across a bit flat. I didn’t buy the romance between the characters. The grief journey is well-told, and showcases the various forms grief takes.
2.5 stars

I REALLY loved the idea of this. I don't think it really translated the best actually on the page. The dialogue felt awkward and a bit stunted, the pacing felt off, and the chapters would end abruptly pretty often. I also didn't really feel the chemistry between our two main characters. It was a quick read and the cover is stunning. This one just wasn't quite for me.