I really enjoyed Malibu Summer, especially the lush, gorgeous cover. I found the premise of two grief stricken people, both suffering the loss of their spouses in violent accidents. compelling. It was a fast read, and a mostly satisfying one.

Unfortunately, there were some issues that made me pause. I found the format of the abrupt chapter endings a bit jarring. Some wrapped up fully, but others just cut off bluntly, and I found myself searching for resolution or wondering if I received an incomplete ARC. I'd say this was the biggest problem I had--the flow and pacing felt a little off because of it.

As for the characters, I liked them all for the most part, though Conrad and Ivy reacted disproportionately angry to each other at times (though I could chalk that up to their grief talking and introducing the trope of "miscommunication."). But I'm not sure about adding Mak's and Fernanda's POV for a couple random chapters. And though I adored the idea of Hudson (his reason for not wanting Ivy to join their family is heartbreaking), he reads like a much older character when he's only a preschooler.

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House for the invite to read and review this book through NetGalley.

It's a true shame when a book with fantastic characters has such disappointing writing. Because these characters are stand-outs.

Ivy, our left-brain soil scientist developing a product to help with water retention, is a powerful FMC. Though this woman in STEM is grieving the loss of her husband, she finds her place as a gardener for a TV producer in Malibu, getting to experiment with her products in a very hands-on way. Conrad, our right-brain TV producer, is also grieving the death of his wife, but he settles for selling out so he can continue to provide the best quality of life for his step-son Hudson. And Hudson truly ties everything together, the first step in the bond between Ivy and Conrad as they develop into a partnership. I found myself rooting for all of these characters and very invested in their journey.

But...most of the chapters were incomplete. They cut off randomly, taking away much of the action. It felt like a TV show cutting for commercial, but then never going back to that plotline. I could excuse a couple chapters of this, but I genuinely started wondering if half of my eARC was missing. A couple of chapters randomly followed side characters (like Mak or Fernanada) and featured their POVs. If this was a slice of life with more intentional looks at different perspectives, it would be fine. But in this story, it was super distracting. I liked each dramatic moment in the third act individually (the storm, the business, the fears of falling in love), but it was too much all together, especially with the cut-off chapters.

There were also random outbursts that didn't fit the narrative at all, like when Ivy didn't know that her supposed best friend's mom died when she was a kid. It felt like lazy character writing. We are also supposed to believe that Will and Ivy were this perfectly moral couple, but Ivy references a Woody Allen quote that Will supposedly loved. It just felt out of place.

Last note: this book takes place over a whole year. Not just a summer. I wish the title fit this book.

I'm giving this three stars because it is hard to write really strong characters and realistic depictions of grief, but the writing left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’m in between. This one was a bit sad, but not so much- if that makes sense.

It asks the question of when the right time is to move on after a partner’s death- which is is a big question. It does show that there are things that need to be worked on whether it’s kids or career before you’re able to fully move on.

This was a great, quick, read! The "soil" subject was one that I have never read about (much less know about at all). Characters were easy to attach to and root for. It did seem a little rushed at times. But aside from that it was an enjoyable read.

This book has its roots in death. It is a very intense novel, but it is a book that pulls you in and holds you there until you find out how it ends!

As you can see from the synopsis, Ivy Bauer and Conrad Reed have recently lost their respective spouses and are grieving—each in their own way. To add complications, Ivy is almost ready to test her invention, and Conrad has his very young stepson to take care of and to create a new TV series.

This time together, as Ivy restores an important garden for Conrad and Conrad learns what it is like to take care of Hudson AND write his show, pulls Ivy and Conrad together, begging the question -when is it appropriate for the remaining partner to begin a new relationship?

The author throws several monkey wrenches and then tosses some surprises into this book, keeping you on your toes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone,

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Penguin Books, the author, and NetGalley. My thanks.

This book follows Conner and Ivy, a widower and a widow trying to move on from their grief. I loved how they helped each other heal throughout the story and that their shared experiences was the base for their relationship.

I had a hard time with this one from the beginning, mostly due to the writing. I think a first person POV really would have helped this story.

I really wanted to love this book because a sad MMC with a kid is right up my alley but I couldn't get past the dialogue when the adults were talking to him like he was 10 instead of 4.

Thanks to Penguin House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the writing style and premise of this book; however, I think first person POV would given the characters so much more depth and personality. I had a hard time relating to or even liking the characters very much--they felt stiff and formal.

Malibu Summer is more than your typical romance as it covers grief and moving on after the death of a loved one. Both the main characters, Ivy and Conrad, are on their own grief journeys, but they come together to fall in love. This book was a good palate cleanser and I thoroughly enjoyed Hudson’s character and his interactions with both Ivy and Conrad. I would recommend this to all, as it’s the perfect summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC.

unfortunately this is a dnf for me.

i couldn't connect with the characters at all. i also couldn't get past the writing which felt very amateurish for my taste.

Really enjoyed this book, but did not enjoy some of the things said about how people may look.
Acne scars are described as "craters" are very difficult to read. I enjoyed the characters in the book but some of the ways things were phrased was unnecessary.

I wanted to love this book it has all of my favorite tropes. Single guardian, forced proximity has the making of a great books. But this fell short for me, seemed rushed. I don’t remember them interacting more than 5 times before they had their first kiss.

I enjoyed this book it was definitely a page turner. I felt like it was well thought out and organized. Also the short chapters were nice.

Good book with a very well done story that makes the reader want more. I really liked all the characters in this one. They were well done and easy to read.

in Malibu Summer we follow Ivy and Conrad through the grief process of both their spouses passing. Ivy’s husband and Conrad’s wife both pass around the same time. Mak, a mutual friend, suggests that Ivy goes to Malibu and stays with Conrad for a few weeks to reset. Conrad needs his garden fixed up and Ivy is a “soil doctor”, aka some environmental scientist. Conrad has a stepson named Hudson and he grows closer with Ivy throughout her stay.

I enjoyed the fact that Ivy and Conrad are both older. late 30’s to early 40’s. i liked their maturity and their version of communication as they’re both attracted to each other while also trying to not replace their spouse. it started as “enemies” to lovers and moved towards friends to lovers as they became more accustomed to each other.

the parts i didn’t enjoy as much was the amount of detail in Ivy’s environmental science project and Conrad’s tv show production. it didn’t feel suuuuper necessary for the plot to have chapters dedicated to their professions.

overall this was an easy cute read with more mature characters.

3.75⭐️

Oof. This was not the book I was expecting it to be at all. I was going into with the thought of reading a cute little summery rom com. Nope. Two grieving people coming together after they both have lost their spouses tragically.
The drama was great and the quick wit of some of the characters was done perfectly.
I felt like I was missing the romance of this story but overall it was a great read if you’re in the mood to work through some big emotions

This was a unique premise that kept me reading for hours! This is packaged as a romance, but I'd shelve it closer to its literary fiction brethren.

Ivy is meandering through the early stages of grief when she's placed as a gardener in a Malibu estate owned by a similarly-grieving widower. I wouldn't say sparks fly, but the two form a kinship almost immediately as they each struggle through a dark season. Conrad is likeable, though somewhat of a mystery at the beginning. I enjoyed watching ther relationship evolve but would have loved seeing more build up and sweetness between them.

Overall, a fun vacation read, would recommend.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC of this book. All opinions on this review are my own.

Ivy is a soil scientist who lives in Northern California and is working with UC Davis to develop and agricultural product. Her husband unexpectedly passes away and she is widowed at 31.
Conrad is a television producer who unexpectedly lost his actress wife in a car accident leaving him with a huge house and garden to manage as well as a young stepson.
Their mutual friend, Make,thinks it would be helpful for Ivy to get away from her everyday life and suggests that she comes to live in Malibu on Conrad's estate to help rehabilitate the garden.
The two strike a friendship and a relationship and find connection through their shared grief.

Overall I thought the book was really good. I was rooting for the characters and I thought it was well written over all. A few aspects of the storyline felt like an afterthought and didn't get enough attention in my opinion but the book was a good read and I would definitely read others by this author. Thanks for the opportunity to review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I absolutely love the premise — two recently-bereaved people coming together as they’re both in their healing processes and figuring out how to navigate their new normal — but it just didn’t pack the punch I was hoping it would.

I feel like the secondary characters got a lot more exposition than usual books of this genre provide (which isn’t a bad thing!), but those storylines didn’t add enough relevance to the storyline to merit the page time they got (I would’ve been totally fine without the Sal storyline & without the JP storyline…). JP’s presence, I feel, was supposed to create a love triangle? But their triangle was an acute one and JP was the short side of it.

Ivy and Connor’s romance didn’t feel like it built at a normal pace, yet at every other turn there was some little conflict that spurred disproportionately large issues between them. The drastic shift between his uber-eagerness for romance and their whatever-miscommunicated-conflict-of-the-day felt a little jarring to me.

That being said, I did enjoy the book - I just don’t think it’ll be a story the lives in my brain very prominently.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin books for the eARC of Malibu Summer

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I picked up this book after reading its summary and was intrigued. Both main characters deal with grief after losing their spouses and I was hoping to see a new take on this common experience.

I liked how each character experienced grief differently. I think there could have been more done with it, more exploration with managing and living with grief.

I have to admit, I was confused most of the time by the dialogue and characters’ behavior. The way Hudson talks doesn’t reflect his age. I think the author is trying to show how trauma and sudden loss of a parent can affect a young brain but Hudson’s behavior and speech is unrealistic.

The same is true about other characters. I caught myself multiple times thinking “people don’t talk like this in real life”.

The high stakes also didn’t seem too high and the plot was anticlimactic. It reminded me of Disney Channel movie plots.

The romance is not really there. We don’t see how the main character falls in love. One day she just says she does and that’s that. Where’s the tension? Where’s the hesitation from both grieving souls? The dilemma of “I want to but I shouldn’t” is briefly there but it feels flat.

The cool thing from this book is the invention the main character is working on. Clearly, this is where the author shines. I liked the message of prioritizing gardening/farming and how it related to global warming. I think, just like with the concept of grief, more could be done in this area of the story.

(3-3.5 stars) If you look at the cover and think, you are about to read a light hearted rom-com with Malibu Summer, you are not. This is a story about two people who are grieving the tragic loss of their spouses, in their own ways.... who somehow (I will get to the somehow), develop a romance. Ivy, a Soil Scientist, needs to get away after losing her husband, and ends up in Malibu with a gig as a Gardener for the estate of a hit TV writer/director/producer, Conrad. Conrad, coincidentally, recently had lost his wife, and is now raising his step-son, while battling his own grief and trying to make a new TV hit in order to provide for their new normal.

There was a lot I really enjoyed about this-
Mak (Ivy's best friend) and Hudson (Conrad's Step Son) honestly caried the story for me. Mak's quick wit never failed to make me laugh and Hudson... that sweet baby boy, I just couldn't get enough of him. I especially love how quickly he warmed up to Ivy and how I ultimately believe they greatly impacted how the other one helped them heal.
I love the way this book told a story about grief in such a unique way that highlighted a lot of big things for me- everyone grieves differently, and it is OKAY to move on with your life (not just romantically, but feeling joy is okay too).
Okay and the DRAMA- I did not see the 3rd act of this book coming!!!! I could honestly not put the book down from 75% on, I had to know what happened. My jaw was on the floooooor. Truly was in tears by the end.

Unfortunately what I felt like this book was lacking the most was the romance. I understand Conrad and Ivy were grieving, so the pacing needed to happen a bit slower than just getting right into it, but the romance didn't feel organic whatsoever. Once it "picked up", it felt random. I wanted there to be some form of tension, slow-burn, or even some kind of "I want them but I shouldn't", but that didn't even come until AFTER the first kiss.
I honestly felt like this was written more like a TV show or Movie Script DIALOUGE, without the ques from the characters on how to act... completely missing the build up, stolen glances, etc.

All & all, I did really enjoy this book and probably would have rated it a 5/5 if the romance was developed better. I do think this would make a GREAT movie. It would be so fun to watch.