First of all let’s recognize how amazing this story is. It is beautifully written with just the right amount of fast pacing and visualizing descriptions. This book will definitely be recommended to all of my friends, family, and followers for a perfect Summer beach read. The more I read, the more I fell in love with Justin and Shelby. I am hoping and looking forward to reading another book by Jamie Brenner. Thank you again to NetGalley for sending over this advanced readers copy!

Unfortunately this book didn’t grab my attention and I found myself not wanting to pick it up, so I decided to stop reading it. I do think it’s probably a decent book if a beachy, cute story is what you’re in the mood for, but it’s just not what I’m looking for at the moment.

In this novel, 25 year old Shelby has just published her first novel, inspired by the summers she spent on Provincetown during college with her two best friends Hunter and Colleen. But her return to Provincetown for a book event is more complicated than she expected - Hunter is mad at her because she thinks the main character of the novel is based on her, and it’s awkward to see ex-boyfriend Justin. And yet when Colleen asks her to stay for the summer to help run Colleen’s family’s bookstore, she agrees. Meanwhile Hunter has been fired from her job and worries people only like her for her family’s money, and is simmering with resentment for Shelby, but also returns to Provincetown for the summer.

This was such an enjoyable read, perfect to read by the pool or beach this summer! I love books set on Cape Cod, I love books set in bookstores, I love books that are light in tone but more about friendship than romance - and this book had all of that! This is the 6th book I’ve read by Jamie Brenner and one of my favorites, and I look forward to getting to her two backlist books I haven’t read as well.

A Novel Summer follows 3 best friends, Shelby our main character and new best selling author, Hunter an aspiring literary agent, and Colleen who plans to one day take over her parent’s bookstore. Shelby returns to Provincetown to promote her new book, which is a little too close to come for Hunter, causing a rift in their friendship. As the summer progresses can Shelby fix the rift between her and her oldest friend?
This was a fun beach read and so easily to get sucked into. I thought that it was really fun to see each character play a different literary role. I did however struggle a bit with the transitions in characters since there wasn’t a clear character outline when we changed point of views.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner.

Living in Provincetown on Cape Cod, meet Shelby (an army brat), Hunter (a wealthy Cape Cod resident) and Colleen (runs her family owned bookstore Land’s End). When Shelby dreams and succeeds at being a published author, her first stop is at Land’s End to promote her book. She experiences problems with her friendships and commitments when she spends the summer in Provincetown. These three women experience difficulties trying to manage all life has thrown their way. Each woman faces tough decisions that will impact their futures in a huge way.

I loved the characters, the setting, and the storyline of this novel. The title, The Novel Summer, was perfect for the story itself, a summer based on a newly written novel by a new author; as well as, a summer based on new endeavors and happenings.

Jamie Brenner has done it again! A solid, worthy read for your summer reading pleasure! Out for publication on July 16, 2024!

ummmm think crossroads (the movie with britney spears) but middle aged cast - that’s the vibes of this book! it fell flat for me because there’s povs of the 3 main characters but they jumped around so sporadically that you had to reread to see who’s pov it was. also there was TOO much going on in the side plots and i didn’t really enjoy.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I chose A Novel Summer on a whim and think it is the perfect summer beach read! I've never read anything by Jamie Brenner, but plan to now.
Three friends who met in college, spent time on the Cape in Provincetown, then went their separate ways, are thrown back together for yet another summer. Drama with each girl individually and together, town drama, and the summer on the Cape equals a good read. I will say, at times the point of view isn't clear and I did have to stop to figure out who was talking and what the problem was. The story is a "ends well" type, ties together at the end nicely. Always good to read a story where the author clearly knows the area they are describing. I'd definitely recommend as a beach read!
Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Brenner, and Harelquin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you're looking for "the" book to go into your beachbag for the summer of 2024 look no further. This was such an amazing book. The characters were real and relatable, it was about a bookstore and books, and it took place on Cape Cod, my favorite place on earth.

Three friends, Shelby, Colleen, and Hunter all go their separate ways after graduation. Only Colleen remains in Provincetown but the others come back for reasons of their own. Now a bestselling author, Shelby returns to help Colleen save the small bookshop that has been in her family for decades. Hunter returns to try and find herself and figure out what she wants her life to be in the future. Along with saving the shop the girls are also navigating their romantic feelings.

The fight to save the bookshop encounters several obstacles including a rival bookshop opening up. Through the ups and downs of their friendship, they manage to band together for the good of the town and do what they feel in their hearts to preserve the history there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Park Row for the advanced copy of this book

This is the perfect summer beach read. Shelby, Colleen and Hunter are college friends who reunite to celebrate Shelby's first book. There are hurt feelings and betrayals as they navigate life. Shelby is an author; Hunter was recently fired from her publicist role and Colleen owns the local bookstore. When Colleen needs help running the shop, Shelby returns home, and old feelings return. Hunter and Shelby try to navigate their strained relationship, but when crisis hits, they rally with the town to save Colleen's bookshop. I really like Jamie Brenner's writing. I was given and advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

A Novel Summer made me want to move to a small seaside town, spend afternoons in an old bookshop with friends, and evenings under twinkle lights listening to authors share their latest novels. A story of friendship, second chances, love, and belonging to a community. A Novel Summer is the perfect summer/beach/pool read!

Colleen, Shelby and Hunter spent their college summers in Provincetown (Ptown) After Shelby’s debut novel becomes a NY Times bestseller she returns to Ptown for her book tour, only she doesn’t get the welcome she was expecting. Did she betray her friends with her book without even knowing it? Shelby wonders if she should have stayed in New York and never come back to the small seaside community of Ptown.

Colleen asks her to come back and help run Land’s End Books for the summer. This could be a second chance at mending their friendship, not to mention reconnecting with Justin … but she’s also got a deadline with her agent for a new manuscript. Can she do it all? Will Shelby get a second chance at love and find a place where she finally feels at home?

What I liked about this book: Aside from the obvious beach read and seaside setting, the book is filled with strong female leads. Not just the three friends, but also Justin’s mom and sister and Colleen’s parents. This is a subtle theme throughout the book and doesn’t overpower the plot. Jamie’s writing style was enjoyable and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I also loved the 80’s music references!

This was the first book I’ve read by Jamie Brenner and I’m looking forward to reading more. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this ARC for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I gave this book 4.5 Stars

A Novel Summer is available for purchase July 16, 2024

Rating: 3 stars

What a nice book to start summer! I was pleasantly surprised. It was a cute, small town friendship drama with some romance. I'm really glad this book didn't lean too heavily in the romance, and instead focused on family and friendship relationships. This was a nice time, but I probably won't think about this book again. I wasn't so heavily invested in any of the characters, and the transitions/pacing didn't make a lot of sense to me. Throughout the entire book, it seemed like the characters made rash decisions, and there wasn't really any inner monologue or reasoning provided that made it make sense. I wish the author dedicated more time developing the characters, I felt like what I knew was pretty surface level.

Overall, if you're looking for a good beach read, this is a good book to pick up!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“That’s part of why she loved books so much -- they were friends she could take with her wherever she went.”

Set in a beach town on Cape Cod, this story follows the lives of three friends -- Sydney, a writer who finds inspiration in her friends and loved ones for her debut novel. Hunter, an aspiring literary agent who feels betrayed and embarrassed by the portrayal of herself in print. And Colleen, a local bookstore owner who finds herself pregnant with twins and unable to fulfill her responsibilities after her doctor puts her on bedrest.

I was excited to read this one, hopeful for a light and cozy beach read. The setting is absolutely beautiful. I love a small town romance with quirky characters and I enjoyed that much of this story revolved around the fate of Colleen’s family bookstore. Unfortunately it was the characters themselves that didn’t really measure up for me. I couldn’t connect to them at all and the story jumped around so much that I had a hard time keeping everything and everyone straight. I was also looking forward to the second chance romance between Shelby and her former beau, Justin but honestly it just fell flat for me. There was no build up and ultimately I wasn’t invested in whether they ended up together or not. Sadly, I don’t think that A Novel Summer was for me but that doesn’t mean that others won’t enjoy or connect with it better.

I always love a good summer beach read, especially one written by an author who knows about summers in New England! Shelby, Hunter and Colleen were college friends that spent their summers together in Ptown (Provincetown, MA) until graduation, then life got in the way. When Shelby goes back to Ptown to promote her first novel she is met with some upset and angry former friends who do not like the way she wrote her characters in her story. She also crosses paths with an old boyfriend who is seeing someone new. Like all good beach reads, this one has a happy ending and it’s a lot of fun to read!
Thank you Netgalley and Park Row Publishing for the digital ARC!

Ughhhh I'm upset. I had high hopes for this and I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the setting but that's about where what I liked ended. I didn't find the characters to be likeable and thought they were all selfish. We jumped in too late in their friendship to really care about them finding each other again. There were a TON of plot lines - too many - and a lot of humanitarian issues raised as well. I think what I disliked most of all was how quickly the POVs changed, and there were so many of them. There were certain instances that I had no clue who's POV I was reading until a few paragraphs in. I was really excited about the local book shop being saved, and was actually really happy with the ending, but the writing was kind of painful to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this ebook review. All opinions are my own.

A Novel Summer started so slow for me. The POV changes were a little jarring as well.

However, everything picked up in the end and the last 1/3 of the book was delightful.

Shelby made a bestseller out of her life in Provincetown, and not everyone was happy about it.

When she returns, she has a chance to make things right, and to see if she can find her own happily ever after.

A Novel Summer gets 3 stars from me.

(included link will go live on publishing day.)

This book literally had me booking a trip to Ptown! Jamie Brenner's books are always a slow burn for me, but once I get into them, I can't put them down.

Author Shelby Archer found inspiration for her debut book while spending her summers in Provincetown. When she returns to celebrate her best-selling book she's not met with the most pleasant welcome. Heartbroken, she moves on but is quickly called back when one of her longtime friends needs help managing her family's bookstore for the summer. Shelby quickly realizes the store is in trouble and focuses on what she can do not only to put the shop on the right course but her friendships and the people she's hurt as well.

Jamie Brenner has turned out another tantalizing beach/pool/vacation/travel read.

A Novel Summer focuses on three college friends - Shelby, Colleen, and Hunter - who summered in Provincetown on Cape Cod. The three have always shared a love of books and of the quaint beach town. One friend hails from a military family; one comes from old Bostonian money; and one calls Provincetown her home.

The novel picks up a few years after their college graduation. By this time, one of the friends is a successful, published author with her first book (a beach read) on the NY Times best sellers' list; one is an editor laid off from her Boston publishing company; and one is running her parents' eighty year old landmark bookstore in Provincetown.

Brenner weaves several subplots into this beach read. There are some misunderstandings and hurt feeling between the friends. There is a love triangle (actually a couple of them); there is coastal weather as a deterrent; there are old love interests; there is the threat of corporate business wanting to infringe upon the cozy, little coastal community.

If you love the literary thematic thread woven into a friendship/beach read, grab this one when it hits shelves on July 16th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this fun beach read.

Shelby Archer had spent a few enjoyable summers at Provincetown on Cape Cod with two university friends. She is back now as a successful author. Unfortunately, she isn’t as well received as she hoped to be. She is given a cold shoulder by some of her friends who feel she betrayed them with her story. She returns to New York, which is where she always thought she wanted to be, to work on her next novel. She is asked to come back to Provincetown to help a friend with her book store. Between selling books, hosting authors and getting involved in municipal politics, she also has opportunities to try to mend bridges. Will she be successful? I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to everyone.

Reading Jamie Brenner's books during the summer is a given for me! From the coastal, small-town settings to the drama and emotional moments, she always delivers. I especially loved the bookstore setting of this one and how publishing was a big focal point of the story. There was also a lot of healing, strong female friendships and even a little second-chance romance happening. I really liked that Shelby, Hunter and Colleen each had their own story developments, but also helped each other grow throughout the book. Tons of heartfelt moments, healing journeys and more were a win for this book! Parts of it felt a smidge slow, but overall I loved the progression and the ending as well! Thank you to ParkRow Books for sending me a copy to read and review!

Although this book does qualify as a light beach read, I didn’t find it a great read. Unfortunately I thought the characters were self-absorbed, and they, along with the plot, were implausible. I found myself wondering if it was worth it to finish the book. Ultimately I did finish and it was good enough but not a book I can highly recommend.