First of all, I have to say that I LOVED the cover art.

This was a cute, fun read, if not a bit predictable. I enjoyed the story and the characters, as well as the setting on a reality show.

I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A hot new bombshell has entered the villa ... it's this book! The story follows Cas, a contestant on a *Love Island*-inspired dating show, who plans to manipulate her way to the top for a career promotion, only to be sidetracked by unexpected feelings for fellow contestant, Ada. The writing was engaging with strong development of sweet, genuine characters. While the ending was predictable (aren't they all?), the story was so fun, drama-filled, and a solid rom com.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm staying true to my brand by only reading books set on reality TV shows, but this one was especially amazing. A perfect summer read, and an answer to my biggest Love Island question which is, why is it always so straight? As a bonus, I don't know why, but I'm so enamored with the book cover. Bright! Neon! This is one instance where you can judge a book by its cover, because it delivers on that promise.

This was super fun! I’ve watched like 1½ seasons of Love Island US, and I loved seeing a book with a more queer version of it. The whole thing about how “anything goes” but most of the couples are still m/f totally tracks. And I like the social media posts, I definitely was thinking some people would recognize Cas if the app is big enough, so I’m glad they addressed that right away, and it makes sense that that ends up being the major conflict of the story.

Cas and Ada’s relationship was nice, I loved the relatable “oh but does she REALLY” like me aspect of it, and this is a story where the third act breakup totally makes sense. I also really like that Cas went into the show wanting a friend couple and came out with several friends AND a girlfriend :’)

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my review. I’ve been wanting to read this since like February and I got approved for the ARC in June so idk what took me so long to read it, but I’m glad I finally did!

I can’t believe I procrastinated on reading this book for so long, but it was the perfect way to end the summer! ☀️

A big thanks to PUTNAM for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Read if you 🩷:

• 📸 Reality Show Romance

• 🌈 LGBTQIA+ Representation

• ‼️ Drama and Secret Reveals

• 🛌 Only One Bed (x5!!)

Cas Morgan never imagined she’d be a contestant on "Hot Summer," the reality dating show she’s obsessed with. But when her company partners with the production team, Cas is thrust into the villa with the goal of winning over the public—and securing her promotion. Her plan? Charm her way through eight weeks under the sun. But when she meets Ada, a fellow contestant looking for something real, Cas’s strategy goes awry as sparks start to fly. Now, she’s caught between playing the game and following her heart. 💕

I have to be completely honest… I WISH this year’s dating shows were as entertaining as "Hot Summer"! 🤩 The drama of Cas being sworn to secrecy due to her NDA is full of tension and anticipation. It’s hard to tell if, when, and how the big reveal will happen, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I also loved the social media threads sprinkled throughout the story. They were a great reminder that the world wasn’t seeing everything happening inside the house. 👀

My only gripe is that the ending felt slightly unsatisfying in terms of redemption. I wish we could’ve seen more of the public’s reaction to the reunion episode! However, the extra scenes with Ada and Cas, along with the perfect epilogue, more than made up for it. 💕

If you love books like "The Charm Offensive" and "Love & Other Disasters," I’d highly recommend "Hot Summer"! ☀️

Hot Summer by Elle Everhart is your ultimate summer binge-read!

This book is a queer romantic comedy that takes you on a sizzling ride through the drama of a Love Island-inspired reality show.

Cas Morgan, a reality TV superfan, is plucked from her mundane life and thrust into the spotlight, where she’s expected to charm her way to the finals and snag a promotion.
When she meets the gorgeous and genuine Ada, her game plan starts to crumble.

With sharp humor, undeniable chemistry, and a behind-the-scenes peek at reality TV chaos, this book is a must for fans of drama and romance.

4 ⭐

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This gives you an insight to a reality tv show. I enjoyed the characters, however I thought it was predictable. We all knew the secret would be exposed. This was an easy read.

As a big fan of slow burns with very long push and pulls I was absorbed from the start. Hot Summer is the perfect blend of light-hearted, sentimental, and cute--a wonderful summer read. I don't watch a ton of reality television, but I did really enjoy this, and the peak behind the curtain this also gave.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately DNFed this book at 53%, I wasn’t enjoying myself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the eARC!

This book started off compelling despite its somewhat contrived premise. Cas, a grunt worker at a dating-app company (whose job seems to be an exhausting cycle of hosting late-night singles’ mixers) is offered the promotion she’s been waiting for, contingent upon her entering, and making it to the finals of, the reality dating show Hot Summer. (Which is essentially just Love Island.) There’s some connection here with the dating app building a brand partnership with the show that maybe makes sense, but still seems kinda goofy; nevertheless, Cas is determined to net herself a real office and more consistent working hours, so she agrees. She’s not looking for love at the Hot Summer villa but, of course, it finds her anyway.

As someone who doesn’t watch reality dating shows (my working knowledge of Love Island comes exclusively from an SNL skit that spoofed the show), I was pleased that the book was still easy to sink into. The characters were extremely likable, with a couple of standout secondary characters who were extremely charming and fun. The problem, I think, is that eventually, I just got bored. Watching reality TV, which has been spliced and edited to be exciting, is not the same as watching reality TV get made; the reality is that Cas, her love interest Ada, and the other characters are essentially locked in a fancy house for weeks on end, with the monotony occasionally broken up by the introduction of new people arriving at the villa or challenges where they get to know one another. There wasn’t even really any juicy drama, except for what’s going on with background characters; most of the main cast of characters in this book are just nice people getting along really well and being supportive. Which is fine! I like people being nice! But when they’re pretty much doing nothing most of the time, even I felt myself craving a little drama.

The main romance was fine, as was the fact that the show, and all the cast members on it, were really kind and supportive of it. The book itself just had such a hard time keeping my interest. I definitely think there’s an audience for this—reality TV fans, or people just looking for something sweet and a little soapy to read on the beach.

I really liked the premise for this book. I am often drawn into reality dating type shows such as Too Hot to Handle and Love is Blind. And I also typically enjoy romcom style books. This had both aspects so I enjoyed that very much. I liked meeting the different characters and found their individual traits to be unique and fitting for each one. I enjoyed seeing the relationships grow and develop throughout the course of the book. I did feel like it was longer than expected and just got to the point it felt to be drawn out a little too much. The details and conflict made it drag on longer than I would have liked.

I may hate dating shows but I love dating show romance novels, and Love Island is one of the few dating shows I actually have watched some of, so I was very excited at the prospect of a sapphic Love Island romance novel.

Overall I liked this book. I loved the characters, especially Femi, and the plot was enjoyable. It wasn’t perfect. I do think the pacing could be better and I frankly found the reason for the third act breakup to be kind of stupid. (I’m sorry but who cares why she was on the show? I get the fans caring but Ada? And I know she kept it secret but she had an NDA and you’re literally surrounded by cameras and mics 24/7? That warrants a conversation not a breakup imo.) But it was still a fun summer beach read and I’m glad I read it.

I had a difficult time connecting with the characters.
I liked the concept, and wanted more depth in order to care more about the relationships being built.
It probably didn't help that I'm not a super huge reality tv fan.

8/19/24
As a Love Island lover, the minute my best friend sent me a post about this book I KNEW I would have to read it. Who hasn’t dreamed of a queer Love Island couple? (Seriously though - when is a queer season coming? Can you imagine the drama?)

This book definitely for you if you’re looking for a little Love Island fix during the off season.

Shockingly, it was not as dramatic as I would’ve liked. And I felt like the climax was lacking. It felt predictable.

I kept being like “yeah it feels like Love Island but it doesn’t FEEL like Love Island because I barely know the side characters.” Like, Freddie never even had a purpose aside from “get Cas and Ada together.” We don’t even know if he found anybody in the villa! I need to know!!

We don’t find out much of anything about any of the other couples either! Like, at the reunion we’re supposed to be like “omg drama these two won’t sit too close” but we didn’t have enough information about them for me to really care.

Every time somebody got voted off or got sent home, it just felt lackluster because I couldn’t find it in myself to care.

Yes, I know a book cannot replicate the 1+ hour episode 6 nights a week but I should at least care about the other islanders - er, “lovers” - outside of our main character’s best friends there. Love Island is an ensemble cast at its core.

Anyway! I feel like I’ve spent a lot saying why I had to take a star off. But genuinely, I highly enjoyed this! It’s very easy to read and just as addictive as Love Island. I just happened to put it down for like a week or two there🤣

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for an ARC of this!

Hot Summer by Elle Everhart 4 ⭐️

Cas Morgan works for a dating app company and is provided the opportunity to go on Hot Summer to hopefully make it to the finals and secure her promotion. Things get sticky when she forms actual relationships with her fellow housemates.

I really enjoyed this fun read and blew through this book in 4 hours! I was initially overwhelmed by the sheer amount of names I was trying to remember but once I realized that there was only a core group that truly mattered to the plot line (aka Cas) it got easier to keep track. I loved that Cas not only built a strong relationship in the villa but also built strong friendships. I thought that Cas’ abandonment/commitment issues were well discussed and I appreciated that she was still conflicted with them throughout the story. I feel like sometimes those issues are resolved super quickly when the MC meets the “one”. I also liked that we got to see the relationships between the other contestants develop. The yearning is TOP TIER!! Cas and Ada’s relationship developed naturally and in a way that I could actually believe. I also liked the “live” tweeting aspect of the book and thought it was a fun way of showing the audience’s perspective.



Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Felt like a good reality tv show, Hot Summer was a mess in the best way! Fun and all over the place and had some darling characters and some beautiful friendships and romance! So hot! So summer!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable sapphic romance. I am realizing I don’t necessarily love the dating show trope, but I was able to get past it because I really did enjoy all of the characters and getting to know them. I loved Cass and Ada, as well as the background characters, Femi and Sienna, I would happily read more books by this author as I had a hard time putting this book down it was a perfect beach read summer read all around enjoyable.

Hot Summer is a delightful, heartwarming, and drama-filled sapphic romance. 🌞💕 The writing skillfully captures Cas’s emotions, and I appreciate how neither Cas nor Ada are portrayed as perfect characters. Both are given raw, authentic emotions and unique personalities, and their actions are refreshingly unpredictable. It’s incredibly sweet how Cas and Ada’s lives are transformed in just eight short weeks by each other and their new friends. 🌈
I absolutely adore the book’s concept and believe it’s brilliantly brought to life by the off-screen details, setting, and plot twists. 📚✨ Fans of dating reality shows will find this book a captivating read!

The slow build was nice, even though it felt like it could've been a little bit shorter. Even knowing how the climax was going to happen based on the initial setup, it still delivered and had me near tears. Definitely recommend this book!

I'm not even a fan of reality tv shows, much less dating reality tv shows so I didn't know what to expect from this book. Turns out, you don't need to be a fan of those shows to enjoy this book. I actually loved it and found Cas and Ada phenomenal characters and love interests. It would be easy to get lost in the amount of characters in this book but Everhart does a great job with making each main character stand out and I really liked the friend relationships in this book. This was my first Elle Everhart book but it won't be my last. Highly recommend!