Thank you Jamie Brenner for making it feel like summer in mid-March!
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A Novel Summer introduces us to Shelby, Hunter and Colleen- Shelby the author, Hunter the publicist and Colleen the bookseller. Shelby leaves Cape Cod, the source of inspiration for her first novel to pursue her writing dreams in NYC.
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When Colleen calls her to come back to Cape Cod to help with her bookstore for the summer, Shelby is hesitant. Her debut novel seems to have been "too inspired" by her friends back home and they feel betrayed by her friendship.
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I was particularly drawn to Jamie's descriptions of running the bookstore, applying for events- eyeing the "big box" competition- Jamie just "gets it". I enjoyed these three characters separately in their stories and together as a unit.
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Jamie has all we want out of a novel that feels like pure sunshine- a beautiful setting, great friends, second chances and a beach bookshop!

I enjoyed this story about friends (Hunter, Shelby and Colleen) and their summer in Provincetown. Shelby’s debut novel was a smashing success, but at what price? She’s now back in Provincetown, working on her second book and trying to mend friendships at the same time. She’s determined to not make the same mistakes, but a summer full of drama and a lingering love interest have her struggling. Will she end up with another best seller? Will she stay in Ptown? What will happen to her friendships, her love life and her beloved Lands End book shop? This is a good one to take on vacation and find out!
One note, I read this on my kindle and there were many typos. Not sure if it was a digital issue or also exists in the print version, but should be corrected before publication.

A Novel Summer is the perfect beach book for readers who love to read about all things bookish! The main characters are a novelist (Shelby), a bookseller (Colleen), and an editor (Hunter), and the supporting cast includes more writers, editors, agents, bookstore staff, and publishing-house employees. The Provincetown setting is beautifully described and the events of the book perfectly encapsulate a typical Cape Cod summer. It was a quick and engaging read. What I didn’t love: the rapid shifts between perspectives and characters. This happened multiple times per chapter and there was no separation in the text to signal the change. Because almost every character works with books, I often found myself a little puzzled until I realized that I was now reading about a different character. But I did love many other aspects of the story. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. The characters were unlikable and hard to relate to. The story is based on 3 friends embarking on life after college and their friendship. However, the friendship felt forced and more like the girls were acquaintances rather than true deep friends. They came off as selfish and a bit narcissistic. There were a lot of social/political thoughts brought up in the book (climate change, housing inequities, etc.) that felt forced and overdone. Lastly, the character development was lacking as well. A lot of material things were used as a way to describe the characters rather than giving the reader a true sense of who the characters were.
Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Paperback for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An absolute fit in the beach read category. A book about a bookstore on the beach with three friends - a bestselling author, a soon to be mother of twins who needs help managing her family bookstore and Hunter, the friend who isn't quite sure what she wants from life.
I enjoyed following these women throughout the summer as they find their contentment with their lives.
Jamie Brenner has done this chick lit/women's fiction story right.

My thanks to #NetGalley for letting me early read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A rollicking good story, perfect for every beach bag!

I adored A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner, which I found to be delightfully entertaining. This beautifully crafted tale is a veritable love letter to Provincetown, with a sense of place and the summertime so strong you can smell the salt water, hear the crashing of ocean waves, feel the sand between your toes and envision yourself strolling down Commercial Street in a sundress. Featuring three well-developed, relatable, smart, independent and evolving women three years after their college graduation, Brenner’s latest is a coming of age story and something of an ode to the ties that bind - friendship, families and community. It features an 80 year old bookshop, novels within the novel, and alluring romantic interests. It provides a fascinating peek into the world of publishing, a realistic glimpse into a few of the most serious challenges plaguing Cape Cod (e.g., a shortage of affordable housing for workers and the ravages of climate change), and “Easter eggs” of characters from other Brenner books. And the plot is intriguing, compelling and well paced.

Having read all of her backlist, I was thrilled to learn another tale by Jamie Brenner would be publishing this year. A Novel Summer does not disappoint. Fans of Brenner’s earlier works or the novels of Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Jennifer Weiner might especially appreciate this story.

Highly recommended! 4.5 stars,

Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for the complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

I think that this one of my favorite Jamie Brenner novels. I enjoyed the characters and learning what had molded their friendships into the way that they were today.

I always enjoy small towns and families woven together. I love learning about the connections between the families and the town.

This book had quite a few surprises and instances that I certainly didn’t see coming. That made it easy to get lost in the book and excited to find out what happened next.

If you are looking for a good beach/vacation/poolside book, I think you will enjoy this one. While there are a lot of things happening in this book, it is a quick, easy read that is entertaining. I do agree with some other reviewers that some of the situations are a little too coincidental and there are a lot of tropes going on here but I still enjoyed this one. While I've never been to Provincetown I have been to the Cape and this book evokes wonderful summertime memories.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row, and Jamie Brenner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shelby leaves Provincetown to move on with her life in New York to find her success with writing the dream novel she has always wanted to write and pursue her writing career. She promised to come back to host an author event in her friend's family bookstore when her novel is published. During the event her friends reveal that they aren’t any too happy with her since she used events in their own personal lives to create her story line. She apologized to them over and over but it took other unfortunate events for them to finally forgive Shelby.
I enjoyed the beach romance of A Novel Summer.
Thanks to NetGalley for ARC .

I love Jamie Brenner's novels and live in Cape Cod so especially loved A Novel Summer. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for chance to read this book.
It’s a great story of 3 college friends reuniting in Provincetown and the challenges that are each facing as adults. The characters and plot line are very well written. Another win for this author!

A charming, sweet beach read set it idyllic Cape Cod. Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand. What I liked: setting (Provincetown, bookstore), realistic friendships, What I didn't like: not so subtle liberal agenda of author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I love Jamie Brenner. Her previous novels Blush and Gilt were a tribute to those icons of the “trashy novels” Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins.. That is meant to be a compliment, by the way. However, in A Novel Summer, she steps away from that to write an engrossing story about friendship and saving a beloved landmark business in an ever changing world. I loved the character Shelby, who only just wanted to be successful in her life’s passion- writing. I admired Hunter for not wanting to rest on her family’s fortune but make it on her own. Then there is Colleen who has to weather some extreme changes in her life. This is set against the charming and colorful backdrop of Provincetown (Ptown, as it’s called in the novel). Now, this book makes me want to visit this little gem. Thank you, Jamie Brenner for another wonderful book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I really loved Blush, but sadly, nothing else by this author has lived up to that one. Sadly, the same is true here. This book felt forced and rush and I couldn’t connect to any of the characters.

A quick summer beach read; I read it quickly as I wanted to read something light. Predictable story line and happy ending. Perfect for those who want to throw in a bag to take to the beach.

Having read all of Jamie Brenner's previous work, I knew I had to get my hands on A Novel Summer. I suspect this will be the book in everyone's beach bag this summer. Set in idyllic Ptown, this story has romance, friendship, drama, and family themes. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

This was a lighthearted, quick read. The storyline was cute, but I can't say it held my attention the way I would have liked. There were times that a lot was going on and sometimes it just didn't make sense. I also found it hard to connect with the characters. There were so many all at once that it was hard to tell them apart. I am glad I stuck with it and finished it because it ended up being a cute story.

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. There were just too many things that I did not like and could get past while reading.
First... the name Hunter for a girl? I know there are many gender neutral names out there but this isn't one of them, IMO and every time I saw the name it jumped out as wrong.
Second.... There seemed to be all of the common troupes included, such as lack of information or withholding info leads to misunderstandings, spoiled rich teenagers and twenty-somethings, and too many relationship triangles. Without giving away too much info as soon as I read that the ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend is the new business competition which makes the ex-boyfriends best friends girlfriend's business at risk. I was done. That's just too many circles in one story. As well as too many characters added in so quickly. I was not connecting with any of them!
Three..... what is with the name brand descriptions. These words have no relevance to the story so why do they even need to be there?
Four.... it seemed that every current north american current event is going to be name. There's climate change, ocean temperature changes, garbage dumping, wind turbines, same sex marriage, rising house/rent prices, lack of employees to fill jobs. And that is just what I found in the first thirteen chapters.
I was looking forward to reading this book since the author has so many others. This was the first for me and I'm not sure I would try another. I am glad that many have enjoyed it so far though.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is the story of 3 young women, best friends, pledging lifelong fidelity. Of course, 3 years later, this has disintegrated. Shelby returns to Provincetown, a best selling author. Colleen is expecting twins, with a very difficult pregnancy, and Hunter is bored and bitter.

Shelby also must face her ex-boyfriend and his family. Despite her misgivings, she takes over a small bookshop to help Colleen. Readers and reviewers always find novels about publishing, writing and bookshops very intriguing, but in this case, very predictable.

Brenner’s prior novels were much more sophisticated. This seems like a throwback to a simpler beach read. I did enjoy the read, but it could have been predicted after the first chapter. So, again the story of 3 friends, travails and remediation.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review this novel.

A great summer read from Jamie Brenner! Recommended for fans of Elin Hildebrand, Jennifer Weiner, and Pamela Kelley.

I liked this book. It was engaging and kept me reading to see how everything shook out.
Things I liked:
-the multiple perspectives...it added a layer of complexity to the storyline and made you more empathetic to the characters
-the flawed characters...they were equally likeable and frustrating (the multiple POVs enhanced this)
-the character growth

Things I that kept this at a 3 star:
-needs to have better breaks when switching perspectives. Sometimes it was hard to follow.
-weird details that were added, like clothing brands or item brands like "Jonathan Adler couch" or "Lisa Eldridge lipstick in velvet ribbon" -- many of these were just asinine and did not add to the story or the imagery. They felt random.
-the third act conflict was super jumpy between hunter's relationships with people (esp Shelby), then Colleen suddenly turning on Shelby?
-dialogue formatting...needs to be a new paragraph for each new speaker. It was hard to follow.
-weird spacing issues with the letter F