This book made me feel happy. There are lots of things I super enjoyed about this read...mostly I kept finding little tidbits of myself in it. Not the story as a whole, but little magical phrases of words that really pumped up the beat in my nostalgic heart. This story of second chance at love, moving home to your hometown that you vowed you'd never to comeback, mending those relationships that need extra care, and following the main character learn more about themselves is done very well and with a load of good humor. The romance was relatable and not over the top. I feel that's sometimes hard to find that right balance in this rapidly growing genre these days.

An excellent debut that would make for a great summer read!

While I did get a chance to read this prior to publishing date (big thanks publisher!!), this is a book I would add to my shelf from my local bookseller and re-read again.

OKAY YES

This book was SO good. It is wildly funny and unexpected in all the best ways.

SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE tells the story of comedian Delfina Silva-Miller, who returns to her hometown disgraced and inspiration-less after a breakup. While she prepares for her biggest career festival, she's back face-to-face with her deadbeat dad and former frenemy/crush Eddie, along with all the memories of a town in the Jersey Shore she wanted to leave behind.

I truly don't think I've read anything like this book -- the author's voice is so compelling and unique, and I was hooked from page one. A genuine laugh-out-loud story that manages to weave together comedy and vulnerability, complicated relationships and swoony love, and a rich setting you want never want to leave.

I am going to be screaming about this book to everyone because it's truly a TREASURE, and Betty Corrello is an author I'm going to be following closely from now on. An unmatched voice, and a book NOT to be missed.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE is out May 21, 2024.

Read If...
1. You are interested in a book that could be described as a modern Mrs. Maizel meets The Jersey Shore.
2. You love Rom Coms with enemies to lovers and second chance romance tropes.
3. You are searching for easy reading that doesn't shy away from emotionally heavy topics.
Happy Reading!

A romance for non-romance readers, Summertime Punchline combines contemporary fiction with romance into a novel that not only has a good love story, but other plot lines to make a well-rounded tale. Following an up-and-coming comedian as she experiences unexpected challenges in her career and personal life, causing her to go back to her hometown and reconnect with her past. I really enjoyed the slight grittiness of the main character and her friends and family, while still following the romance genre conventions, just in slightly unexpected ways.

A great spring/summer read!!

Loved this romance about 2nd chance at love with a comic and bartender. Loved seeing the past interaction with Eddie and del. Also loved seeing the family.

First thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t really read second chance romances but I will say the author did a great job with this on. I liked that we got a glimpse into their relationship back then and seeing how both of them have become more mature in their second chance.

My main issue with romance books is they tend to be very unrealistic and that’s where I think the author excelled in. She gave us character’s with issues that might be holding them back from reaching their full potential and we get to see how they overcome it.

The writing was good but I did find myself going back to reread a couple of passage. Either I wasn’t reading it well or the wording wasn’t the best.

Overall, I give this book a 3.40/5 stars.

3.75/5

I overall enjoyed the book, but at about 60% in it started feeling rushed. Del and Eddie are old high school frenemies that get a second chance at romance when Del finds herself back in her hometown, unemployed, and without a place to live after she catches her boyfriend and roommate together. Del had a rougher than average childhood, living with her grandmother as she is a child of addicts. The story not only follows her second chance romance with Eddie but her relationship with her father. I enjoyed the small town romance aspect and the beach town setting. I also enjoyed the humor! I’ve never read a book with a lead female who is a comedian and I found myself giggling at quite a few parts. I do wish we would have gotten more of Eddie’s back story, as I felt there were a few gaps. Overall very entertaining a enjoyable!

Squeezed in one last book for February and it just might be my favorite of the month?? I am a sucker for a specific niche of rom com- the Jersey kind. PLEASE send me all of your Jersey recs. I’ve already read and loved this one (@becowrites ily)and Welcome Home Caroline Kline (ily @cocogolightly).

This book was everything I never knew I needed in a romcom. It had a single, hot dad! A messy past! A female main character who is funny and charming and flawed! A childhood love! A best friend for the ages!!! Forehead kisses!! An amazing grandma! One (bunk) bed!!! I highlighted so so many passages in this book but a couple fave lines:

“‘You think I’m cute?’ I leaned forward. ‘And funny, unfortunately.’”

“Believe me, Del…I want you. I promise I want you…Do you want me too?”

“And then he did something magical…to me it was the loveliest sensation I’d ever experienced: he pressed his lips to my temple.”

Amazing, amazing book. I loved this book and these characters. I didn’t want it to end. I want more!! It’s the sign of a great book for me - that the characters feel like people I could know. They could be my friends.

Thank you, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review. I am obsessed with it.

Delfina Silva-Miller is living in New York and living out her dream of being a comedian. However, her world explodes when she finds out that her roommate is sleeping with her boyfriend, Del has quit her job to focus on the big comedy festival and she now has no place to stay in NYC. The one place that she promises that she will never go back to she ends up going to, which is Evergreen, NJ to stay with her grandma - who raised her, her deadbeat dad and memories from a lifetime ago that hurt her.

I loved the way the story was told and how the context went back to when Del was in Evergreen as a teen to present day. The reasons behind why she was reacting the way that she was.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book was fine. It was hilarious in parts, but I didn't feel very compelled by the characters. It was a light and easy read in anticipation of summertime, so it meets the brief! Del and Eddie were interesting at times, but their relationship was not my favorite. I would reccomend this to people looking for something perfectly summery and light.

What a fun read! I'm from the Jersey Shore so it was nice reading a book with that setting. I LOVE how much the main character grew from beginning to the end. She went through all of those life lessons in order to become what she did at the end. I'm happy she got her happy ending.
It was also really cool to have a puerto rican character in the story since my fam is from Puerto Rico.

A love letter to comedy, romance, summer, and the idea of finding belonging in the most unexpected of places, SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE introduces readers to Delfina Silva-Miller on one of the absolute worst days of her life. Left without her job, apartment, and boyfriend in just a few short hours, Del is forced to pack her bags and return to the last place she ever expected to go again: her New Jersey hometown. Back in Evergreen, she only has a month to accomplish her goals—craft the perfect comedy set, navigate complicated relationships with her family members, and of course, avoid her childhood frenemy-turned-crush, Eddie Rodriguez, at all costs. But along the way, Del might just discover that there's truly no place like home, that in Evergreen she'll find success, community...and maybe even love.

This was such a fun, summery read! I was rooting for Del from start to finish, and really enjoyed following her journey. I thought the Jersey Shore setting and the characters were so well-developed, but I did want a bit more from the romance between Del and Eddie. I felt like they had great chemistry and banter and that was well established, but I wanted a little more tension between them and clearer transitions between the flashbacks detailing their relationship, and their connection in the present. Still, I'd recommend SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE for anyone in search of a sweet summer romcom! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

After having the worst day of her life, 28-year old Delfina (Del) has to do the one thing she swore she would never do - return to her hometown of Evergreen, NJ. Immediately upon arriving, Del runs into her childhood sometimes crush/bully, Eddie. With only a month to write the comedy standup routine that is going to launch her career, Del must also work on navigating her feelings towards Eddie, reunite with her estranged father, and learn that one *can* go home again.

I absolutely loved this book. From the Jersey shore setting, witty banter, and undeniable chemistry between Del and Eddie, I think this could be one of the best summer reads of 2024. All of the characters in the book are extremely relatable and well-developed. And even with their flaws, you still find yourself rooting for everyone.

The one thing I would have liked more of is Eddie. I would love to have seen more moments of him and Del as teenagers (because I would really like an explanation for some of his behavior), but I would also love to see him more as an adult too. I think it would be interesting to see how the fallout from their teenage years made Eddie into the person he is today. Plus their romance is super sweet, so I just want to see more of them being happy together.

This was an excellent debut by Betty Corrello and I will definitely be picking up her future novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was so hilarious and filled me with love and a deep connection to the main character and her journey. It was one of those books that came to me at the perfect time and will always be in my heart!

This Jersey girl loved Summertime Punchline! I picked this book by an unknown, debut author because the premise sounded like something I’d love, and boy, did I! Summertime Punchline was soft and sweet and made me feel so nostalgic for young, summer romance and tenuous high school relationships. These characters had some serious issues. And BAGGAGE! But man, were they easy to root for. Del and Eddie were both insecure and broken, but it was such a joy watching them find their way back to each other in such a beautiful, tender way. Even all the secondary characters were great and there were a few redemption stories mixed in with the second-chance romance plot line. Absolutely loved this one and will recommend to all lovers of the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a complimentary advanced reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

ok I was very excited about this book after reading the blurb. I LOVE second chance romance and was sold. I didn't end up LOVING it as much as I thought but it was still cute at parts. The flashbacks and their relationship in the past was a bit confusing and not as tension filled as I was hoping for. I did end up liking the end more and thought it was sweet!

Laugh out loud through tears! This book pulls at your heart strings from start to finish!

Del is witty, complicated, deep - in short, she is human. She makes the perfect protagonist. With the help of a cast of interesting characters Del learns some hearty life lessons that can easily resonate with all readers.

Evoking the sights and sounds of the Jersey Shore, one cannot help but "gracefully descend" into love with the characters and their stories.

I absolutely loved this book. A two-day read and I am left wanting to attend Del's set at a comedy show.

Thanks to NetGalley and and Harper Voyager Publishing for the advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

I needed a light and easy read. This definitely filled that need. Eddie and Del’s relationship was very sweet. Childhood “crushes” that meet up 10 years later and the sparks are still there. There was a “mini twist” that was a surprise but it didn’t really seem necessary to the story. The end was a bit predictable but also the perfect way to wrap up the story.

Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello is a funny but sweet romance about returning home to face a childhood one was happy to leave behind. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book on #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but hopefully, you'll put this on your TBR list.
Summertime Punchline has some hilarious dialogs written into the story. It helps when the author, Betty Corrello, is a comedian herself, but through those laugh out loud moments is also a rollercoaster of emotions the main character Delfina goes through as she returns to her home town & realizes what will truly make her happy in life.
The story does some flipping back & forth from present to past to fill in some details, but a few times, the transition isn't the smoothest so a few of the details get a little jumbled as you're reading along. Overall, it's a great story & a debut novel for Betty Corrello. I'm looking forward to reading more from Betty soon.

“…suddenly I was a human fondue pot, a vessel for melted joy.”

Exploring the world of Evergreen through Del’s eyes was a gift - from her triumph to her trauma, I was happy to be in the passenger seat. I got butterflies when she did. I snort-laughed. I felt the warmth swelling in her chest as she grew, and stumbled, and learned. What a joy Summertime Punchline is. A perfect snowglobe of salty summer sweetness.