I always enjoy reading Jamie Brenner’s books. Beach reads with substance. Love the Provincetown setting, would like to visit there someday. Friendships, bookstores and a little romance, it’s all here!

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of A Novel Summer, by Jamie Brenner, from Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

We had some Talenti dairy-free Roman Raspberry sorbetto for dessert the other night, and while it wasn’t the single-most wonderful thing I’d ever consumed in my life, it was light and bright and the perfect follow-up to a heavy meal of three different kinds of pizza.

Reading this pleasant bit of escapism (combined with a surprising amount of well-done realism) today after having finished a-long slog through something else felt akin to having that bit frozen sweetness in my life Sunday.

Was it an easy-to-read beach read? Absolutely.

Did it change my life/will it change the world? Nope and probably not.

Is there anything wrong with any of that? Nope, not at all, if you’re in the right mood.

I did roll my eyes, HARD, at the various musical selections cited. But, then again, I am not of the age group for which this book is intended. And my tastes tend more toward twangy steel guitars and heavy metal than pop, so I suppose I should not judge.

Ahem.

PS
Note To Future Kristi: Only read Jamie Brenner when you’re in the mood for mostly chaste romance with a lot of friend and family drama. You have only yourself to blame for not reading AND COMPREHENDING, FOR PETE’S SAKE, that this was a Harlequin book. And would you look at that? Now you have to get over being that kind of reading snob. You liked it!

DESCRIPTION
The perfect summer beach read! Rival bookshops, second chance romance, friend drama, it was the perfect book to curl up and escape to the Cape.”
—Pamela Kelley, bestselling author of Bookshop by the Bay

A bestselling author finds love and second chances in the stacks of a quaint beach town bookshop

Author Shelby Archer found inspiration for her first novel while living on the picturesque shores of Provincetown on Cape Cod. When she comes to the town to celebrate her new bestseller, she is expecting a warm homecoming. But instead she is confronted with the cold shoulders of friends and neighbors who feel exposed and betrayed.

Heartbroken, Shelby tries to move on and focus on her next novel. But then an unexpected call comes: her dear friend who owns the beloved Land's End bookshop needs help for the summer. Shelby reluctantly returns to the Cape to manage the store.

Back at the beach, Shelby sets her focus on the tiny seaside shop, getting lost in the shelves of steamy romance novels and dusty classics and trying to right the wrongs of her past. With every page turned and every customer served, Shelby comes closer to gaining back the trust of those she hurt. But as her manuscript deadline nears, she is again forced to choose between her own success and a second chance at love and belonging.

I had really high hopes for this book but it fell a little flat for me; it does have the small town coastal vibes which I LOVE but it felt a little predictable. It felt like there was a lot going on with the plot and characters. I felt like following the different POV's was confusing at times which made me lose interest in the story. There were points that I did really enjoy which is why I am giving this book 3 stars (for now). It has a lot of potential and I see the direction Brenner was taking this story in. I will be rereading this story and attempting to give it an0ther chance because who knows I may end up loving it!

Thank you netgally and Brenner for giving me the chance to read the arc!

3.5 stars

I love the setting of Ptown. It is a place that I dream of visiting and A Novel Summer took me right into the town. I could picture the quaint town with the shops with their doors open. Land’s End sounds like the perfect bookstore to find a cozy corner and lose yourself for hours within the bookshelves.

The characters of Shelby, Colleen, and Hunter as friends was a challenge at time for me. Hunter held a grudge for a silly reason and did not want to talk about it, Colleen refused to accept help and Shelby was floundering in her life and career. While they were friends, they did not seem to trust each other enough to talk to each other. I struggled with how best of friends could be that way. I wanted inside jokes, late night chats, and that fierceness that best friends have for each other.

A Novel Summer is easy to read and I did enjoy it. I liked that author events held at Land’s End and the way customers could come in and ask for a Green Book and would walk out with the Green Book they wanted.

This is my first book from Jamie Brenner and I will look for more from her.

I have loved several of Jamie Brenner’s books in the past, but this book did not feel the same. The overall storyline is interesting, if not predictable. I enjoyed the small down, everyone working together feel. The biggest difficulty for me was there were so many characters and there was no marker of when that POV was changing. Because we got so many POV it all felt more superficial, and there wasn’t a great flow. I do think Brenner does a great job of setting the physical scene, as I did feel really transported. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

A summer story set in a beach town, centered on three friends and the future of the local book shop. While mainly about Shelby and her new book, some members of the town have a pov throughout the book to further provide the setting of the community built amongst them. The conflict with Shelby and other characters seemed to be unnecessarily complicated and at times juvenile. For instance, a couple times they are upset with her books being direct parallels to their reality and yet Shelby does it again. It could have been enough that time and distance kept them apart. Another disappointment was how much of the book was about characters realizing things only for the last few pages to have them be where they should. It would have been nice to see characters to spend time in the roles or relationships where they would have been wholly content given how long they spent questioning or making regrettable choices. The ending is satisfying but the journey there was a struggle. I can see this book being better as a tv series, much like Sweet Magnolias, where the miscommunication and drama would work better for the format.

I enjoyed reading A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I thought this was an enjoyable and fun read. It was a little bit on the longer end, but it was worth the read. I received this book because I am part of the Hive influencer program from Harlequin Trade Publishing. I have heard that Jamie Brenner writes romantic and fun summer romances, and I would say that this is a good book for anyone who is bummed that Elin Hilderbrand is retiring. I am definitely going to put more books by Jamie Brenner on my TBR.
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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This book felt like a mosaic - so many relationships were damaged in order to repair and end up even more beautiful in the end. I felt so strongly for Shelby and thought her friends over-reacted, but at the same time, they were all still trying to figure out how to be good adults. The descriptions of living on the peninsula in the summer made me want a vacation desperately! My first read by this author was definitely enjoyable, and now I need to look into her backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC on this book.

A Novel Summer is about 3 friends in Provincetown on Cape Cod. Colleen has been born and raised in Ptown, Hunter comes from a rich family who has a home there, and Shelby is the college roommate of Hunter and together they spend the summer in Ptown. At the end of their college years the girls go their separate ways. The story continues 3 years later, Shelby is now an author, Colleen a bookseller, and Hunter a publisher.

This is a fun beach read. The book is light and not too serious. It is the exact kind of book I look to read in the summers.

Looking forward to reading more books by Jamie Brenner.

Best way to spend summer? Floating in the pool with a beverage and reading a Jamie Brenner novel! I adored A Novel Summer not only for the quintessential summer setting of Ptown but also the deep dive behind being a bookshop owner, author, and small press publisher. Perfect for those who love great beach reads especially when you come away with more knowledge about a topic (in this case, the book industry) at the end!
Thank you Ms. Brenner, Harlequin Publishing and Netgalley for the free review copy.

This was such an easy summer read. I loved the friendships, the bookish connections (authors, bookstore owners, love for books) within the story. This was a light, airy and heartwarming. I love everything about a beach setting for a summer read. This is the first book I’ve read by Jamie Brenner but it has made me want to read much more by this author!

I dream one day of having my own bookstore so getting to live through the characters in this book is something that will make me re-read this one over and over.

Set on Cape Cod and focusing on three friends reunited after three years for a summer in Provincetown, A Novel Summer is a love letter to Ptown, to local indie bookstores, and to the magic of summer in a beach town. Overall, I liked it. I loved the beginning, but the characters drove me crazy and eventually dropped it down to just a “like”

Here’s what I enjoyed:
- It feels like being at the beach! The author brings Ptown to life so vividly I feel like I’ve been there.
- Books about books just get me. There are a good handful of major secondary characters in addition to our MC, Shelby, and I love the way most of them live for books. I feel like I’d fit right in with them.
- The dynamics of business in a small beach town are portrayed so well here. They’re integral to the story but are told in such a human way that I didn’t feel like I was reading a book about business. It’s the classic Shop Around the Corner vs Fox Books situation and I really wasn’t sure who would come out on top.

What didn’t work for me:
- This book tries to take on ALOT: competing bookstores, friendship and dating woes, novel writing/publishing, Ptown locals vs guests, a complicated pregnancy, learning disabilities… while everything does come together, many important topics are included but only tackled at the surface level, leaving me wanting more. I think the book would have been more impactful with either a tighter focus or more depth put into each subplot.
- The characters just aren’t it in a way that is so out of the norm fir this author. At best, they aren’t lovable. At worst, they’re immature and petulant. ugh

Overall rating: 3.38 rounded to 3

Characters (2/5)
There are tons of characters, but few of them are well developed, and some are clearly included just as foils with no depth at all. I didn’t feel deeply connected to anyone in this story. The main characters flip flop over the course of the story — at times acting with maturity beyond their years, and other times, being so immature, petulant, and obtuse that I rolled my eyes. They repeat the same mistakes, somehow making it out unscathed despite not really understanding the root cause of their problems.

Atmosphere/Setting (5/5)
A+++ I feel like I’m in Ptown when reading this. The author brings it to LIFE.

Writing Style (3.5/5)
Mostly solid, a few moments where abrupt transitions and odd dialogue broke the reading spell

Plot (4/5)
I really like the plot overall and it could have been 5 stars if executed differently. This book tries to take on ALOT: competing bookstores, friendship and dating woes, novel writing/publishing, Ptown locals vs guests, a complicated pregnancy, learning disabilities… while everything does come together, many important topics are included but only tackled at the surface level, leaving me wanting more. I think the book would have been more impactful with either a tighter focus or more depth put into each subplot.

Intrigue (3/5)

Logic (4/5)
It’s all a little neat but ya know it’s a beach book.

Enjoyment (3/5)
Overall I did enjoy the story, though not as much as I did at the beginning. If you want a bookish read set in Ptown, this is a good option.

I wanted to love this! The cover is gorgeous, the concept is great, but the pacing and the POV switches were all over the place. Certain scenes were not shown on page that I would have liked to see, while other things got time and I could've skipped. It felt like the timeline was all over the place, and we got things like Hunter melting down and being angry, without leadup to it. Their mutual friend just supposedly didn't know Hunter was upset and just didn't mention it? It was just all over the place. The concept was good though and some of my issues with it may not exist in the final published version.

This was wholesome & I loved the setting!

A great vacation/beach read. Fans of Debbie Macomber & Holly Johnson, this is the book for you!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner!
This was the perfect summer read. I loved the strong female presence in this book. I was hooked and read it from beginning to end in one sitting.
The way Jamie develops characters is among some of the best. So much so that as a reader you feel you have grown right there with them.
A charming small beach town setting, second chances, friendship and romance.
If you enjoy the summer beach town novels of Elin Hilderbrand, where the setting is just as important to the story as the characters, then you will love A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner.

Thank You NetGalleyand Park Row for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I have mixed feelings about this one. there were some aspects that I really enjoyed and others that confused/irritated me. overall, I really liked the premise of the story!! the way the summer progressed and the different twists and turns we saw the characters make were enjoyable! there were genuinely some plot points that I didn't predict and I was pleasantly surprised to see the way they played out. but my biggest critique: there were too many POVs! I lost track pretty quickly of who all were narrators, and due to the third-person storytelling, I sometimes didn't actually know whose perspective we were in.

I liked all of the characters and the way we saw the ups and downs of their relationships! I actually enjoy when there are flawed characters and we see them make mistakes (even infuriating ones) because it's quite realistic. this was no exception! Shelby and Hunter definitely had me wanting to pull out my hair at moments, but I felt like this was very representative of how friendships can be in real life. the meandering paths with the romances were also unexpected and I enjoyed that too!

however, I didn't feel like we got very deep into any one character. coming out of the story, I'm not too sure I know any of these characters very well. especially given how there were romance and friendship speed bumps, I would have liked to see more insight into how the characters were really coping and handling these relationships. since we had so many narrative POVs, sometimes this felt like a replacement for dialogue/communication between characters, which I wasn't a huge fan of. additionally, some of the romance plot points felt a bit underdeveloped.

also, I wanted more from Colleen!!!!

all in all, this was an enjoyable read but certain elements took away from my reading experience.

thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the arc!

3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book. I really liked the ending, and the characters were fun to read about. It isn’t going to be one I pick up again, but most of the reasons for that are just personal preference. I don’t love the second chance romance trope, and Hunter was kind of infuriating for at least the first half of the book. I also was kind of confused on what the point of the story was; I had no idea where the plot was going at pretty much any point in the book. I had to go look at the synopsis on Goodreads because I was so confused on where it was going. There were a couple of grammar and spelling mistakes, but that’s to be expected with an ARC copy. I liked the character dynamics a lot. Without spoiling (as much as I can while still giving a good review), the relationships and growth of the characters were pretty cool. I liked how Shelby was considerate and caring, and loved her friends dearly, but also couldn’t understand their anger at being included in her stories. Hunter was infuriating in the first half of the book, but as she and Shelby got closer again, her perspective about being in Shelby’s book and the reasons why she was angry about it changed. I didn’t hate the way the story ended, although I was kind of hoping that the second chance romance trope wouldn’t be the endgame, but that’s a personal preference. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you Park Row Books, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and The Hive for my #gifted copy of A Novel Summer! #HiveInfluencer #ANovelSummer #JamieBrenner

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★★

I absolutely loved this book! I know when I pick up a Jamie Brenner book that I’m guaranteed to love it, and this book was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump! This book is all about friendship and second chances. It’s the perfect beach read and it’s the type of book that once you start, you will not want to stop. As a book lover, I loved how this book had such a strong focus on books! Not only with Shelby, one of the main characters as an author, but also with her role in helping to run Land’s End bookshop. There are so many other book references throughout the book which just makes this book such a delightful read. I loved how Shelby and her relationship with Hunter evolved throughout the book, and I could not have asked for a better ending!

☀️A Book About Books
☀️Second Chances
☀️Cape Cod Setting
☀️A Hint of Romance
☀️Friendship

Posted on Goodreads on July 15, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 16, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 16, 2024
**-will post on designated date

A fun summer read about friendship and books with a bit of romance thrown in? Sign me up! Thank you to Harlequin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this advance reader copy. I loved the small town feel and the peek into the publishing world.