I wanted to love this book and truly tried to push through but at 50% through I needed to take a break and give up. In theory this book sounds like the perfect beach read but I can’t relate to any of the characters and I truly hated the multiple POV’s. with no distinction between them. Unfortunately, was a miss for me.

3.5 rounded up

The perfect summer beach read for book lovers and any aspiring writers out there. I am always up for a good book about books or indie bookshops and this one did not disappoint! Full of memorable characters, second chances, indie bookstore love and so much more. I enjoyed this one on audio and would highly recommend for anyone looking for a light-hearted, feel-good summer read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

3 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an early release of A Novel Summer.

This book follows the story of three friends-Colleen, Shelby, and Hunter. They drift apart after college but are brought back together three years later and let’s just say it is not a happy reunion for everyone. It is a story filled with miscommunication, jealousy, and second chances.

It was hard to keep all of the characters straight and to figure out who was telling certain parts of the story. There were parts of this book I really enjoyed and there were other parts I found very frustrating. It is definitely not an easy going beach read kind of book.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i love jamie brenner's writing, she's one of my favorite authors. however, i did not enjoy this one. the story was disjointed and seemed unedited. the miscommunication trope annoys me so much. the story itself, i guess i don't care how the characters interweave? and then more characters were introduced to make it more confusing? aside from miscommunication, i thought she used every common writing trope to be able to say she did.

This was a story about friendship with a bookish theme set in a small town.  We have competing book stores, the drama that comes along with it.  Plus the jealousy between friends.  This was a summer beach book. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing-Park Row for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love the connection of the characters, love this author's way of story telling, I cant wait to recommend this to my customers

ARC Thank you Harlequin and @netgalley for this advance copy for my review.

I really enjoyed this book. Good summer read in my opinion. Story contained two of my favorite things - female friendships and indie bookstore. Fast paced. The POV shift can be difficult to follow at times but I still enjoyed the book.

Well written and sweet, a perfect cozy summer read. The romance was not the main focus of the story but more of a subplot. I would have liked more background on the "before" - it would have helped me get more invested in the characters. I also found that Shelby lacked a bit of aelf-awareness, but don't we all at some point? It made things frustrating at homes, but overall a calming read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When looking for something to read, A Novel Summer caught my attention right away. It's a beach read that takes place on Cape Cod in Provincetown. And it is also about writers, publishers and booksellers, the love of Cape Cod and finding inspiration and true happiness! What a great combination!

Shelby Archer is a debut author who returns to Provincetown, where she spent her college summers, to help her close friend run the local and long-standing bookstore in town. When she returns, she must cope with broken friendships, an old love, feelings that she had put aside, supporting a best friend and navigating the book and dating/social scene. I loved the set-up and was really looking forward to some exciting events. Unfortunately, I found much of the storyline somewhat predictable and ordinary. I enjoyed the characters and could relate to them, but perhaps a few more "villains" would have spiced things up. However, if you love books, Provincetown and romance, you should definitely pick this up. 3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the digital ARC.

📖Book Review📖
A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner
Publication Date: 07/16/2024
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Follow friends Shelby, Colleen, and Hunter as they realize life throws curveballs, but maybe that swerve set them on the right path.
Shelby returns to Provincetown to first kickoff her book tour at her friend Colleen’s bookstore. However, Shelby realizes not everyone was happy with her book. Not long after her return to New York, Shelby returns to PTown to help her Colleen run her family’s bookstore for the summer and complete her second novel.

I don’t enjoy giving book reviews less than four stars, but I couldn’t give this more than three. This was almost a DNF. The first half of the book would not hold my attention. The POV jumps left things tangled. The lack of honest communication between Shelby and Hunter, and Shelby and Justin with little growth almost prevented me from finishing. However, once I was at about 52%, the story turned, and I finished it in one go.

It’s a wonderful storyline about friendship and life, and I honestly can’t wait to see the author grow and improve with every book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#ANovelSummer #bookreview #NetGalleyReview #NetGalley #HarlequinPublishing #ARCreads

A story about friendship with a bookish theme set in the perfect summer vibes small town. Competing bookstores one indie and local one a bigger chain. Plus the drama that goes along with it. Not to mention the jealousy exhibited by friends. Gave off summer beach book vibes.

A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner is the perfect summer read if you are a book lover! Shelby Archer, an author, comes to Cape Cod to run her friend's bookstore for the summer. This book includes second chance romance, friendship drama, and author/publishing roles. I thoroughly enjoyed being engrossed in all things books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for the advanced digital copy of the book.

This book was the perfect summer beach read as it focused on friends, life, and a second chance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which centered around three best friends who met in their freshman year of college. Life and careers after graduation have caused them to grow apart. Shelby, Colleen, and Hunter spent all of their summers during college in Provincetown where Colleen lives and Hunter is spending her summer there after being laid off. Shelby was just returning to spend the summer and work on writing her second book. I found their lives fascinating and it made me want to go to the Cape.

I liked how the book focused on the ups and downs of their friendship and where life was taking them. They all were at some kind of crossroad and had some tough decisions to make.

It was such fun that their careers revolved around books. Shelby was a writer, Colleen worked at her family's bookstore, and Hunter had worked for a publishing company in Boston. It was a fascinating world to read about and I could not put the book down. I would love to see another book by this author set in Provincetown. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

The story was really cute. Set in a picture perfect beach town - I wanted to jump into the pages of this beautiful, close-knit small town. I loved the connection to books - the main character is an author who is helping a friend run her small bookshop. I loved that the main character goes through a lot of personal growth - from figuring out what she wants, how to be a great and supportive friend, neighbor and the second-chance romance. Unfortunately, the characters were just blah to me. I wanted more dimension, more drama, more spark. They all kind of seemed like strangers to me by the end of the book - no different than the beginning. I feel like a little more details on their life and the lead up to today would have made a huge difference. I wanted to love or hate them - but instead I felt that I did not know them well enough to do either. Overall, a quick, easy and great book for those long and beautiful summer days.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing Park Row for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Jamie Brenner. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

When Shelby Archer returns to Provincetown to celebrate the publication of her first novel, she is expecting to get a warm welcome. Instead, her friends are giving her the cold shoulder, especially Harper who feels betrayed that one of Shelby's book characters is based on her. She tries working on her next novel which is under deadline, but is not having any luck. When her friend, Colleen, who owns the local bookshop needs help for the summer, Shelby returns to manage the store. But is history about to repeat itself?

This is a wonderful book to pack along for your summer beach trip. Plus, I loved all the book-related topics and learned more about both the publishing and the selling ends of how our beloved books make it to readers. There is a full cast of intriguing characters - both main and side - and I especially liked Mia's story. This book is full of sunshine, the importance of friendships, and second chances, with a bit of romance along the way.

I have been a fan of Jamie’s books for years and A Novel Summer is another hit for her. I loved the friendship of Hunter, Shelby and Colleen. Even though they had their struggles, they ended up being honest with each other and figuring it out, which is true friendship. There’s always romance but it wasn’t the focus but a subplot. One of these days I’ll make it to Ptown and see why she loves it so much.

3 high school friends return to Cape Cod for the Summer. Old boyfriends, books, bookstores, friendship and love are a perfect combination for a great Summer beach read!

A Novel Summer takes place in Cape Cod and is the story of 3 high school friends who wind up back in their small town, their lives entwined thanks to a bookstore and a book written by one of them, based on their lives. We have competing bookstores with a corporate bookstore coming to town, we have angst over former boyfriends, we have old fights resurfacing, we have internal struggles to figure out life’s direction. And that is all mixed in with an unbelievably idyllic small beach town setting and lifelong female friendships being put to the test. It was the quintessential beach read and so easy to get lost in the setting and the characters. And any book centered around a book and a bookstore is a win for me.

The plot of A Novel Summer was really enjoyable. I loved the characters a lot. This book really portraits how hard it is to navigate adult female friendships. The ending felt a little rush and the romance feels a little underdeveloped. Overall, it was a cute beach read.

A perfect relaxing, throw in your beach bag summer read for readers who love books about bookstores. I loved the Provincetown and bookstore setting. I was expecting a little more romance element, but that wasn't there. Overall it kept me reading and turning the pages, but I didn't love it as much as some of her previous books.