I am always so excited when I find a new author that has a fantastic debut. Here's one! This book had a lot going on, but it worked. First off, Del is a comedian whose life just fell apart and she retreats back to her childhood home. She didn't have a great childhood because of her parents' absence and her love-hate relationship with Eddie, her high school "nemesis." So upon returning home miserable, she's confronted with both. And has to deal with things in order to move forward.

This is one of those books everyone is going to tell you is really funny and a great beachy romance, BUT it's about childhood trauma and emotional neglect, and if you're not a fan of adult language and a few pages of sexy time, this isn't the book for you.

I thought the author did a great job with dialogue that was believable and flowed well. The characters, especially Del and Eddie, were well-written and even when they were jerks to each other in high school, I still liked them. And most importantly, I was happy with the ending.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine, and freely expressed.

3.5 stars

A contemporary RomCom debut with a light dusting of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel vibes!

SUMMERTIME PUNCHLINE follows comedian Delfina Silva-Miller as she moves back to her Jersey Shore hometown following a bad breakup. While Del rewrites her comedy set for an upcoming festival, she’s thrown back into her old life, starring her estranged father, her zany-but-sweet grandmother, and her on-again-off-again crush, Eddie Rodriguez.

I really enjoyed the humor in the first part of the novel and I wish that voice had been carried all the way through. I think when you’re reading from the POV of a comedian, you really expect pretty consistent laughs.

Another element that I wanted to dig in to just a bit deeper was the angst between the two leads. I thought the romantic tension was released pretty early on in the present timeline, so I was really only feeling it in the brief flashbacks. (But the slow-burn, angsty romance is really just a personal preference, I guess!)

Overall this is an impressive debut and I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advance reader copy in exchange for my review!

First, I want to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

For a debut novel, I absolutely adored this. This is actually the second book I have read with the lead being a female comedian and I am seriously giggling and kicking my feet about it! I loved this one and it's such a cute summer read. I loved the second chance romance trope and the chemistry between the two main characters. The romance was so tender and sweet, I was swooning!

I did feel like the ending of the book was a little rushed and I would have LOVED more of Del and Eddie. Their story was just so cute and they made such a perfect couple. I adore them. Rating this 4 stars!!!

Read if you love:
- second chance romance
- friends to enemies to lovers
- dual timeline
- strong female lead
- good communication skills
- no third act breakup

A little enemies to lovers with some second chance rolled in. Enemies in high school, but now when Del a down on her luck comedian has to go back to her hometown she doesn’t know exactly what Eddie is to her.

I didn’t love this one. The characters weren’t my favorite but I still appreciated what the author tried to do.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

As a Millenial who grew up going to Seaside Heights every summer, currently working a dead-end admin job, I felt this book in my soul.
I know these people. I know these places. This spoke to me on levels in that deadpan sarcastic tone that is so common in NJ.

5 stars- published May 21st, 2024 and available everywhere. I strongly recommend grabbing a copy and reading it on the beach this July 4th holiday.

Sorry that this is so late, but I truly enjoyed this. The dialogue is snappy. The cover is gorgeous, and this was one of my favorite enemies to lovers of recent memory.

I was immediately drawn to this book because it had such a gorgeous cover. After reading the synopsis, I was happy to give it a go. The way the story went from past to present really laid the groundwork for the whole story.

I’m always a sucker for a nice enemies to lovers story. The character’s banter was top notch. I laughed out loud so many times the characters were hilarious, kind of makes sense since our main character is a comedian. Seeing this was also second chance made me love it even more.

This author will definitely be one I read when they publish new books. I wasn’t expecting that little twist (when you read it you’ll know immediately), I literally gasped.

This promising debut about a comedian returning home is as appealing as summer break at the beach. The author’s background in stand-up infuses the story with sardonic humor, a kooky grandma, and a memorable small town. The second-chance romance is grounded with realistic dynamics as the pair strive to be better than they were in high school. For fans of Happy Place by Emily Henry.

Summertime Punchline
I received this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

This book blew my expectations out of the water. I thought I don’t have anything in common with the main character, I probably won’t like her. But her messy life and her stubbornness really resonated with me. With her actual life crumbling around her Del finds herself back in her hometown, and spots a man that takes her breath away. He turns out to be her high school love who broke her heart. But you don’t find that out until almost the end of the book. For being a book about a comedian it wasn’t very funny, it actually was pretty sad at parts. But their dynamic was magnetic and I didn’t want to stop reading! I finished the book in 1 day, it was the perfect summer read. Highly recommend.

There is almost NOTHING I love more than a book with summer romance, a beach setting, and returning to the small town that you were determined to leave behind the minute you turned 18. This book checks all the boxes.

Del(fina) Silva-Miller left Evergreen when she finished high school and swore that there was nothing left in this town worth coming back for. Except...maybe there's everything, if you just give it a chance. Supportive best friends, childhood nemesis-turned-love interest, deadbeat dad, loving grandmother, and the summertime beach setting. What's not to love? This book was fantastic.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet romance that touched on some deeper topics. I loved the exploration of raunch comedy and how women use it defensively and to empower themselves. I didn't love the past timeline and would have preferred this to be a single timeline, because I didn't feel like the glimpses of the past really added much to the story that couldn't have been done in the current timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

This was SUCH a great debut! I adored it. Del was such a good main character—relatable, funny, and overall providing a really fun perspective to read from. Watching her self-discovery was truly wonderful! I also enjoyed the dual timeline, seeing the progression of Del and Eddie's relationship both in the past and the present. The side characters were all well-written and stood out individually! I loved Sam and Del's friendship, and Del's relationship with her Nan. The small beach town setting added so much charm!

The romance in this was absolutely adorable, tender, and perfect. The chemistry between Del and Eddie was so well done, I honestly couldn't believe this was a debut novel! It was well-paced, the writing flowed smoothly and was easy to read, and it had so many hilarious moments. The book also touches on some heavier topics, which the author handles very well. I think this is going to be one of my top books of 2024. Overall, I would completely recommend this book!

This is a very well written debut between the romance and laughter there's deep rooted family dynamics that both the female and male main characters must deal with. I'm excited for her next book.

4.5 stars. The cover is absolutely beautiful. This book was so well written, especially being the author’s debut novel. The author has a great sense of humor and had me laughing out loud numerous times. Absolutely loved this book and the summer vibes. It kept me engaged and I really enjoyed the characters in this book. My only complaint: I wish the book would have talked more about why Eddie acted the way he did when he was younger, what was going on in his life at the time etc., The book talks a lot about Del’s life when she was younger, but it makes sense since the book is written in first person. I am sure there is a reason why the author did not touch on Eddie’s younger years. Overall, a fantastic read and I’m really looking forward to reading more by this author when she releases more books. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

This book was a fun summer read. Unfortunately, it was just okay for me. It just didn't grab me like other books. The storyline was good enough. I just didn't feel a solid connection with the characters--like maybe more character development was necessary. I love the second chance lovers/enemies to lovers mix. Those are my favorite tropes. The story was told in present day with flash backs to when Del and Eddie were in high school That part was fun. I loved seeing their past. I appreciated Del's character arc. Huge thanks to Avon and Harper Voyage and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Nothing like your boyfriend cheating on you with your roommate to really mess up your summer. Delfina Silva-Miller is a small time comedian in New York City who can’t wait for her big break at the upcoming Brainwave Comedy Festival. Her boyfriend’s betrayal sends her home to New Jersey with her tail between her legs - she has nowhere to live, nowhere to perform, and no comedy set, since all her material was about him. She moves in with the grandmother who raised her and steels herself to write a new set for Brainwave when she bumps into Eddie, a high school friend who brings up extremely complicated and confusing feelings.
This book was so so so well written, funny, and sweet. I am a sucker for a second chance romance, and loved seeing Del work through returning to her hometown, mending fences with family, and finally taking a chance on her feelings.

2/5 stars
A just fine story with a series of bad jokes. I was quite underwhelmed. I feel like sometimes second chance romances can be very good, this one wasn’t.

Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello was a fantastic debut romance. Del and Eddie were a great couple and I loved exploring their reconnection—with the few flashbacks from high school sprinkled in as well. Wonderful chemistry and banter.

My husband is from Jersey so to travel to the Jersey shore and read about the sites and have that connection back with him was fun. I however didn’t live the Cattiness/snark of some of the characters it was a turn off. Which overall brought down my overall like of this book.

First of all, I loved the cover of this book. Try as I might, I think I will always judge a book by its cover. This was a pretty enjoyable read and a good book to start off the summer.

This was such a good time! If it weren't for my stupid reading slump, I would have read this far sooner! I really loved that this story was about a comedian because I think the author nailed it with the comedy and it was never too much. I found our leading character, Del, very relatable, but took her own life with a grain of salt and found the humor among the mess. There were some instances in the book where I wished she was a bit more dramatic, but then we would have been far too similar. I also loved the romanic interest very charming. I loved how much he cared for his family, and I think the author really nailed the hispanic family dynamics in the novel. Overall, I think was very funny and heartwarming and I think this is a solid summer beach read.

I want to thank Avon, Harper Voyager and Netgally for the advance copy for a honest review!