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.

July Release Alert & ARC Book Review! 🌻👒☀️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Novel Summer
By: Jamie Brenner
Genre: Romance / Beach Read
Format: ebook via @netgalley
Publication Date: July 16, 2024

☀️ This is a good summer beach read that explores community, friendships, relationships and love.

🏖️ I enjoyed this read and found it easy to get through. I read it pretty quickly and I liked that it was a beach read about more than only romance.

📚This had a lot of the things I like in summer beach reads and particularly liked that a lot of the storyline was about running a small town, coastal bookstore.

🌊I appreciated the portrayal of the Cape Cod community and setting.

Across the board, the main characters were relatable, albeit a little annoying - they did all the things I don’t love lol - ignoring feelings, lots of miscommunication, some overreactions and such. Which has a bit of realness to it in the end.

🔚 The ending was nice but maybe too neat of a bow? I suppose that is what I look forward to in a beach read.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner!

Pub Date July 16th 🐚☀️🌊

Key Words:

- heart warming
- cozy
- beach read
- friendship
- romance
- Cape Cod
- beach town life
- fast/easy read
- bookstore/books/authors


🐚 I loved that there was a lot of book stuff and a little bit of behind the scenes in publishing and editing.

🐚 Although there is romance here, I wouldn’t consider this a romance novel. It’s mostly about friendship and how it evolves as we evolve and go our separate ways as we become adults, or after college, and navigate challenges associated with change.

🐚 The small beach town feel makes this book super cozy and the perfect beach read.

🐚 It’s written the way you’d want a beach read to be written; simple with short chapters.

Thank you @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for my ARC 🤍

This was a great beach read that focuses on friendship and saving a bookstore! Fans of light beach reads and romance alike will love this novel! I found myself wanting to be in the pages of this novel.

I was provided the opportunity to read an ARC courtesy of the publisher, NetGalley and the author.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner was the quintessential summer read. Shelby always had a dream to write a novel and she was willing to leave behind whatever she needed to reach it. Fast forward a few years later when her debut novel hits all the bestselling lists, Shelby finds herself back on the Cape for a book event at the beloved bookstore that was her home for so many summers. But misunderstandings and misgivings, broken romances and stressed friendships have Shelby wondering what’s next for her and her writing. If you want a fun summer read, this book is for you. If you want a book about books, this is a book for you. If you want a bit of romance, then this is the book for you and if you want all the feels around adult friendship, then this is a book for you too. I adored the town, the people, the plot, all of it.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

This is my first Jamie Brenner book and it will not be my last!! What an awesome beach read this book is. The main characters are likable and you find yourself cheering for them to find their ways through their troubles to happiness. The setting is lovely and it is the perfect book to read over the summer.

such a great summer beach read!
I've never been to Provincetown - but I felt like I was there. PTown jumped off the pages. And I want to visit.

The most perfect beach read! It’s breezy and light, a beautiful summer setting and had characters that are dealing with some personal dramas that will keep me intrigued.

It follows three women who are best friends and they’re all dealing with some sort of issue. Shelby is an author and I always really enjoy reading books about writing and Colleen’s family owns a local bookstore so that aspect was fun as well.

Besides the friendship dynamics between the ladies there are some small romance subplots so a little something for everyone here. If you’re looking for a fast paced and enjoyable read to devour by the pool or on the beach this one would be a great choice.

I devoured this book! It had me at Cape Cod. It is a setting that has always seemed magical to me in stories and movies, but it was not until this book that I looked it up to see exactly where it is located. This is my first read by the author and she has drawn me quickly into the story with her interesting characters, beautiful setting, and resort community. I love small town settings and the summer resort town vibe reminds me of a similar place within an hour's drive of home that I have visited many times over the years. It feels like I am getting a behind the scenes peek at a very special community.

I enjoyed ALL the characters; I particularly enjoyed the growth and change in Shelby and her friend Hunter. Watching them rediscover their friendship was a highlight of the story! I also enjoyed seeing Mia's struggles and her relationship with her mother Carmen.

Going into this book I thought it would be more of a romance, but that was not the focus. And I am not mad about it. It is much more in the chick-lit category for me. However, it is a very satisfying second chance romance. And I am always happy with a HEA!

I strongly recommend if you enjoy 2nd chance romance, stories where the characters go through positive personal growth, or small town beautiful settings! And I will not hesitate to read this author again.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for providing an advanced DRC in exchange for my honest review**

"A Novel Summer" takes us to Provincetown, where Shelby, now a bestselling author, returns to the place she left years ago, unexpectedly. This book follows Shelby on a journey of self-discovery as she reflects on her friendships, artistry, and past love, ultimately realizing she may not have needed to run from this place after all.

Initially, I found it challenging to engage with the story, but once past the initial slump, the writing and characters became more accessible. While there were a few moments of frustration due to a lack of awareness, the book was overall a straightforward read. There is always something heartwarming about a story that brings a character back to their roots.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the setting of this book in Provincetown, but most of the characters were a little too self-absorbed and scheming for me. Some of that was resolved at the end, but to be honest it was hard to plow through the rest of the book to get there. Thanks to Harlequin, NetGalley, and Jamie Brenner for the opportunity to read it.

I don't normally like to give anything less than 3 stars but I really struggled to not DNF this book. I thought parts of it were cute and a nice beach read but I really struggled to connect to the story. I felt at times it reminded me of other books I have read in the past and it just didn't bring me to want to finish the book. I did finish it, however it's only been a day since I finished and I already forget most of what the story was about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A good summer read.
Shelby comes back to her summer vacation spot, Provincetown, after her debut novel hits the NY Times Best Seller list.
She quickly realizes things can’t be the same after years apart and spends her summer mending broken relationships with her two best friends and ex-boyfriend.

My biggest critiques:
I enjoyed this book but struggled to relate to any of the characters; it lacked some character development for me.
It was a little difficult to follow along at times, due to the lack of breaks when switching perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley + Harlequin Publishing for this ARC!

A novel summer is a perfect beach read. Its setting alone is summer perfection. I love a female friendship story. I thought they were all coming into their own and figuring it over the summer where they reunite to keep a family bookstore and town legacy open against a big bookstore threat. The cast of characters was as delightful as the summer town by the beach. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. Pick this up for your summer vacay or to feel like you are on vacation.

who loves summer read
me
who loves a GOOD summer read
also me
the perfect blend of summer and love