A beach read escape to Provincetown is such a perfect idea, but it was a bit disappointing. While multiple POVs can help to provide a more cohesive story, the abrupt perspective changes in this novel had little structure and often times felt rushed – making it difficult to get to know (and relate to) the characters. The story offers charm and an overall cute plot line, just definitely not at the top of this summer's beach reads.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the opportunity to read an E-ARC of A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner.

This a cute summer read. Three friends go astray when one moves to follow her dream of being an author. After Shelby accomplishes her dream, she finds herself back to her old hometown. Past friendships and an ex wait for her. Charming story of friendships rebuilt and second chances to fall back in love, all while saving a beloved family owned bookstore.

When I think of fun summer beach reads this is the type of book I’d grab.
I loved the friendships and relationships explored throughout the book. The ups and downs of long term friendships and navigating those times to come back together better than ever with all new perspective.

This was the first novel I’ve read by Jamie Brenner and I will be exploring more of her writing. I really enjoyed the book and it was a fast read overall.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A breezy light summer beach read! The book follows three friends dealing with some issues and how they over come. I would recommend this book is was a quick read and I always love a good book where it’s quick and not too much to think about!

Ahhhh! ⁣
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I needed a little reprieve my normal edge of the seat thriller reads! I’ve been diving into my NetGalley books knocking a few of those off my list before they get published! I’ve enjoyed getting to read books before they are out to the public. Thank you NetGalley and Park row books for the advanced copy. ⁣
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This one was a light hearted read, perfect for sweet summertime! ⁣
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Friendships, a beach town, a local bookstore…Jamie does a great job at painting a picture with her words! This was an easy to follow read with compelling characters! I felt like I was in a small little ocean town right among with the characters! Loved this one! ⁣
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I suggest if you’re looking for a light hearted summer read, you grab this one as soon as it’s out! ⁣
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I def was team Shelby the whole way through!

#books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #anovelsummer #netgalley

If you had to choose between building the career of your dreams or staying with who could be the “one” which would you choose?

Shelby leaves both her friends and boyfriend behind to establish roots of her own. She becomes a successful NYT Bestseller right out of the gate. When Shelby returns to help a friend in need, she is forced to reflect on some of her past choices including those she’s hurt in the process of finding success. As she makes amends with her past, Shelby finds herself questioning everything she was once so sure of.

I enjoyed reading A Novel Summer. It was good but could be great. I found the transitions between characters weren’t the smoothest and some of the character development to be lacking. A lot of tropes but the romance weren’t swoon worthy. There was just a lot being crammed into the novel that took away from the story at times, as if the author had a checklist of what must be included. This novel has so much potential to be the perfect beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of three college friends as close as can be who move on with their lives, grow apart, find different paths and ideas of success. That’s not unique or uncommon. When one writes a book inspired on another’s life, on another’s community…now that’s something different entirely. How do we reconcile with the people we love, what are we willing to give up making space for a relationship to heal?

Come with me to Provincetown, a small town on Cape Cod. Here a local bookstore held the hopes and dreams of three friends each summer throughout college. Shelby, Hunter, and Colleen’s shared love of books had been their binding force, and now their undoing. When they graduate Shelby is determined she won’t return until she’s met her goals of becoming a writer. Three years later, she’s got a bestselling book and is stuck trying to write her second when Colleen asks her to come back and help run the bookstore. Reluctantly Shelby agrees but knows she’s not going to be welcomed with open arms, especially by Hunter.

I’m an unapologetic Jamie Brenner fan. I have (and have gifted) her books in print, eBook, and audio. We are immersed in Provincetown, the bookstore, the cultural, and surrounding community. It’s a hallmark of her writing that I look forward to! The literary theme throughout is so lovely. I felt that Hunter’s relationship with Shelby (and resentment towards her) was affected by Hunter’s own struggles, making it slightly messy.

I highly recommend for those that love immersive summer romance with a strong sense of place. Readers that love books about women’s friendships will especially love this. Perfect for your beach bag and poolside reading! For those of us who are landlocked, it is a much-needed escape to a breezy, costal location!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Brenner & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A summer in Cape Cod, competing bookstores, old friends and a second chance romance? This had all the potential to be a great summer beach read. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I found Shelby’s character unlikeable throughout. None of the characters had much depth. The story being told from different points of view was confusing, particularly when it would happen within the same chapter. The romance was non-existent.

Overall, it felt like there were too many characters without enough development in any of the story lines and as a result, it fell flat for me.

As a side note, I did not see any disclosures on the ARC that it was an unedited copy, which concerns me as the amount of spelling and grammatical errors in this book was off-putting.

A Novel Summer is basically about the life I wish I lead! The setting is in a little bookstore in a coastal town in the North East. The main character, Sydney, is an author who just published a New York Times best seller, but was asked back to Land’s End to run her friend’s bookstore while she was on bedrest. I loved that the story was focused on the friendship of these three ladies. As we grow up and move on with our own lives after college, it’s easy to lose track of our friends. I liked that this story focused on these ladies finding their friendship again. There was a dash of romance thrown in as well which I enjoyed. This was a quick read and makes you want to jump on the first plane to Land’s End!

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Paperback for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story sounded like a great beach read. Three friends who drift apart after college, meet up 3 years later. Shelby has published her first book. It is fiction- but the characters are loosely based on her friends from college- Hunter and Colleen. Colleen owns a bookstore in Providence, so that is where Shelby kicks off her book tour.

This sounded like it would be the perfect read. However, I could not connect with any of the main characters. The interaction and dialogue was not very deep. By the end of the book I felt that I didn’t know them any better than I had at the beginning.

There were a lot of characters introduced. I also felt like every trope was used and it was too much. The romance is very abrupt with very little build up.

The other issue was how disjointed the book was- there are no transitions in this book. Between the story being told by multiple POV’s with no distinction between them, and even jumping around to what is happening at the moment- it all just felt forced and jarring. There is a glaring lack of communication between any of the characters! This could have been a much deeper, relatable story if they communicated! (And also shorter!)

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The synopsis and location of this book convinced me to request the arc but sadly it fell flat for me. There are 3 Points of view from the 3 main characters throughout this book. The povs jump around so much just in 1 chapter that I had to go back and reread quite a bit to see whose pov it was. It’s so strange to have a sentence as one persons pov and then the next sentence is someone else’s. That was super frustrating and slowed down any chance of this being an easy fun summer beach read. I really really wanted to enjoy it because it had so much potential, but that wasn’t the case. I seriously thought about not finishing this but because it’s an arc I always finish those.

If you like books with multiple pics all in one chapter and tons of small stories to keep track of, you might very well like this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book!

A Novel Summer is a nice summer read that explores three young women's relationships as they grow into adults. The story also shows a bit of how a small town that receives a lot of summer tourists struggles to survive while not losing their history. I like the overall theme of someone ending up in life not where they have planned but where they are most needed. The relationships in the story felt real and warm. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC to review.

“A Novel Summer” by Jamie Brenner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 7/16
Genre: Literary Fiction

Brenner is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This book lived up to my expectations! I can’t wait for her next book to come out!

Shelby Archer just published her first book and it quickly becomes a success. The inspiration for the book was her summers spent on the Cape with her two friends while she worked for her friends family owned bookstore. What she wasn’t expecting is her friend Hunter being so upset about what she wrote. She decides she is going to try to make amends to her friend while starting her second book. She is going to do that while she spends her summer on the cape.
Her friend Colleen is pregnant with twins and has to go in bed rest. She asks Shelby to run her bookstore while she is in town. Shelby reunites with her ex boyfriend and his family. She keeps thinking he was the one that got away, but it’s her own fault since she moved to NY to conquer her dreams of being a writer.
Will Shelby be able to write her second book, run her friends store, and find true love?

Light summer beach read about three friends involved in the book industry who reunite one summer to try to rekindle their relationship.

Thank you @htp_hive @htpbooks and @parkrowbooks for the #gifted book and ebook.

Who doesn't love a book about female friendships, books, and bookstores set in a beautiful coastal small town.

A Novel Summer is the perfect beach read set in Provincetown. I loved the descriptions of the town and it is on my bucket list to visit.

Shelby, Hunter, and Colleen have been friends since college and would spend their Summers in Provincetown. All three women are at a turning point in their lives. Now 25, Shelby returns to promote her debut book and finds conflict with Hunter. Hunter has lost her job as an editor and thinks one of the characters in Shelby's book is based on her. Colleen finds herself pregnant with twins and is ordered on bed rest. She asks Shelby to stay for the Summer to run her family's bookstore Lands End. When a rival bookstore opens in town, all three fight to keep Lands End from closing.

There is a second chance romance in this story but it is more about the female friendships. I enjoyed all the characters and watching their growth through the summer. I love how the friends reconnected and how Shelby realized that Provincetown was home. I read this book in a day and it is the perfect book for the beach or lounging by the pool.

My Review of "A Novel Summer" by Jamie Brenner
I was excited to dive into "A Novel Summer" by Jamie Brenner, hoping for a perfect beach read. However, my experience with the book was mixed.

Initial Confusion:
From the start, I struggled to understand the characters. The narrative often jumped abruptly, leaving me feeling disoriented and wondering if I had missed something. I was often asking myself, "Did I miss something? Where is this coming from?" This disjointed storytelling made it difficult to grasp the characters and their motivations.

Character Development:
As the book progressed, I started to get a better sense of the characters, but I never felt like I knew them well enough to engage with their stories fully. The connections between the characters and their individual arcs felt underdeveloped, which hindered my overall investment in the plot.

Final Thoughts:
While the setting and the premise held promise, the execution left much to be desired. The book had moments that were enjoyable, but overall, it failed to captivate me. For these reasons, I would rate it as okay at best.

If you're looking for a light summer read and don't mind some narrative confusion, "A Novel Summer" might still be worth a try. However, if you're seeking a story with well-developed characters and a cohesive plot, this book might not fully meet your expectations.

I liked the premise of this novel, but it fell short for me. There was a lot of jumping around, especially between POVs, that was confusing. I also found that, at times, there were too many unnecessary details that pulled away from the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Novel Summer. Like Shelby’s book, A Novel Summer is a great beach read. I felt as if I was in P Town. Fabulous descriptions of the community from a locals perspective.

Get ready to pack this book in your beach bag, head to the beach and put your toes in the sand! This is THE perfect beach read.

An author returning to a quintessential seaside town to promote her bestselling debut novel and reunite with her closest friends will have you wanting to visit yourself. Friendships and relationships get complicated as these characters move through their lives.

When you think of a classic easy beach or lake read - this is it! The fact that it’s also a bookish read is the cherry on top.

This isn’t a classic romance novel that you may be expecting. There is no spice - it’s not needed. This concentrates more on growing into one’s self, friendship drama, and making the tough decisions. You get introduced to a lot of characters in this book that help tell the full story along the way. Who will you pull for to get there happily ever after? It will keep you guessing and engaged until the very last page.

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and truthful review.

**Goodreads review and Tik Tok preview are already posted. Full review will be posted on Tik Tok on publishing day along with in a monthly recap end of July.