A perfect read for pride month! This is such a fun story and concept, it really felt like I was watching one of my favorite guilty pleasure shows. This story had everything I am looking for in entertainment and handled it all in such a real way, it was easy to get lost in the book. I couldn't get enough of this!

This book gets released on the 25th of June, so as always when I get to read a book prior to its publishing date… shout out to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity!

This book surprised me so much! I actually loved all of the characters and thought the plot and storyline was done in such a real way. You’ve got a cute romance, a little bit of drama, bit of spice, and none of it is over the top of cheesy. (Jensen you would like this one)

Perfect quick fun read for pride month 😊🌈

I personally LOVED this book. I devoured it in 2 days, loving all the twists, turns, jokes, sarcasm, and depth in the characters.

Cas goes to a reality dating show, Hot Summer, desperate to get to finals and get the promotion she has been waiting for, an upgrade from the "events" that she now does. What she doesn't expect is to make genuine friendships... and even find someone perfect for her on this reality show.

I loved how deeply developed all the characters and romance between them was, as well as the thought out setting and the description of the show and how it all works behind the scenes.

If you love reality shows, have watched reality shows, or even if you haven't, this is a wonderful book, and I loved how Cas had seen the show, and was comparing living the show to how it looked broadcasted as she was experiencing it.

I would like to say thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVE a queer romance and Hot Summer was no exception. It was the perfect mix of flirty, romantic and reality show drama (if you know, you know).
This book was one of my favorite summer reads. I hope there are more to come in this series!

Entertaining while it lasted, but much like a reality show, quite forgettable once it's over. I didn't dislike Cas, but I didn't like her much either - I felt kind of indifferent about her, and I liked Ada well enough but her character is not quite as compelling as Cas makes it quite to be. I just wasn't convinced and Cas' instant attraction to her screams too much like insta-love.
However, the side characters really shined. I loved Sienna and her confidence but also warmth and kindness - she stayed true the whole time she was on the show. The way her character was described felt so vivid. I also instantly loved Femi and I loved his friendship with Cas. Freddie was an instant favorite! Without Sienna, Femi, and Freddie - I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.
Overall, I think it's a fun enough read for the summer, but will not be for everyone - the reality TV show vibes is pretty heavy.

I absolutely loved this! LGBTQ+ romance with some smut in it! I loved the main character Cas as well as Ada! This had some great moments! I laughed and was shocked and smiled happily to several parts. I think I also enjoyed it as the Hot Summer show is like Love Island in so many aspects, which i truly enjoyed the book probably because I'm obsessed with that show! Fun little summer read about someone being on a reality show not seeking love but finding it anyway!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I haven’t read Elle Everhart before, but I was drawn to the premise of Hot Summer. While I’ve never seen Love Island, I’ve really enjoyed previous reality-show setups in romcoms. I did think it started a tad slow, but I liked all the detail that went into setting up the reality-show atmosphere and all the different contestants, even getting me invested in that aspect almost as much as the romance. While I had mixed feelings about how the queer relationship was exploited for ratings, I also appreciated that it wasn’t viewed as a major taboo or scandal.
Cas is an interesting person to follow for the book, as in her “normal” life, she works for a dating app, and she’s picked to be on the show due to a partnership between the app and the show. I enjoyed seeing her perspective shift from being purely work-focused to considering the possibility of actually finding love upon meeting and getting to know Ada. This makes the source for their eventual third-act conflict pretty obvious from the jump, but I ended up really liking them together and was glad they worked out.
This was a sweet read, and I’d recommend it to readers who are interested in a queer twist on romance about reality-tv dating shows.

I am a sucker for trashy reality shows, and an even bigger sucker for queer romances based around them, and I absolutely devoured this. The balance of two bisexual leads taking a very heteronormative show and spinning it on its head with their relationship as well as the wider cast was really well done, and while the challenges were a little weak and some of the production choices were odd (what was the reason for making so many drastic changes and bringing up that they were changing things? we never learn), I really enjoyed reading about all of the aspects of Cas and Ada's time on the show.

It was also really nice to see two bisexual women who were really secure in their bisexuality and none of the drama came from their sexuality or relationship choices (there's already PLENTY of drama given the reality show setting) and nice to see them in kind of a forced proximity setting getting to fall in love. Femi and Sienna absolutely melted my heart, and I wish we'd gotten to see more of Freddie and some of the others once a sort of "core cast" was established.

My issue comes with most of the setup of the show - the contract between Cas' company and the production team never quite made sense, and who was it who leaked the contract? Also everyone keeps saying Cas has never used a dating app, but she only actually says she hasn't had a successful date off of one and doesn't like them, and on top of that, there's no way the production team could have expected a show based around social media followings to not uncover someone's workplace, so expecting Cas to keep quiet felt really stupid. I almost think it would've been better if the production team hadn't been in on it? But by the point that it all comes crashing down, I was fully invested in Cas and Ada, so it's a minor bump in the end.

HOT SUMMER is a sizzling reality show romance set on a love island-esque show about cas, an event planner whose job places her on the show as a new partnership between her company and the production team. cas only goes on the show to further her career, strategically planning how she's going to act while on camera, but her plans quickly go awry when she meets ada, a fellow contestant who she shares an undeniable connection with. as cas's feelings for ada grow, and as she forms friendships with the other contestants, cas isn't sure whether she should follow her heart or stick with her strategy.

i've said this before and i'll say it again: i'm not someone who watches reality shows, but i will always eat up a reality show romance and this was no exception. especially when queer love story taking place on a show that's predominantly straight. i loved cas and ada's relationship, how it slowly grew over time until it was obvious to everyone but them that they were so in love. i also really loved the other contestants (for the most part) and the friendships that cas formed with them.

read if you like:
- love island
- reality romances
- open door spice

thanks to netgalley and putnam for the advanced copy! HOT SUMMER comes out june 25th.

If you love reality tv this book is for you ! I would have liked more POV’s from different characters. I did find the book predictable but still enjoyed it.
Thank you Peinguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Hot Summer takes a close copy of Love Island and explores what might happen when two of the "girls" fall in love with each other, rather than the "boys" living in the villa with them and competing to win the reality tv show. I found the main character of Cas and her love interest Ada to be a good match, and be unique enough protagonists to feel fresh. I appreciated the author's intent to build out a strong cast of close friends, though it worked better for some than others (Femi and Cas' friendship jumps off the page, while we learn nothing about Sierra aside from her falling for Femi)

I have to imagine that someone who's never watched Love Island might find this to be a newer, fresher concept. Having seen a few seasons, I was a little surprised by just how closely the author stuck to the formula of the show. It made it much more predictable. I also found the premise of Cas' casting on the show to be flimsy, but necessary to have a conflict at the climax of the story. Overall I would grade the creativity of Hot Summer a 2/5, but putting that aside, think it's a 3/5 beach read for the summer.

What a fun summer read! Event planner Cas agrees to go on Hot Summer, a reality show aiming to match up hot people, for the promise of a much desired and deserved promotion. Things get complicated when she starts to develop real feelings for housemate Ava.

Ava, as well as several of the other Lovers, were well fleshed out characters that I was really rooting for. I wish we could have gotten a better feeling for Cas's personality since we were in her head. I believed the chemistry with her and Ada, and there were a couple great spicy scenes.

All in all, a lovely beach (or wish-I-was -on-a-beach) read!

* Digital ARC provided by NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam*

Have you ever watched Love Island and wished it was more queer (like I have)? Then this is the perfect book for you!!

As a big fan of Love Island, this book had me HOOKED! I literally could not put it down and finished it in two days. The two main characters, Cas and Ada, were so lovable and I was rooting for them the whole time. The side characters/ensemble were so well done and really added to the whole story. I feel like in books with larger ensembles sometimes they can get lost in the story and not be fully-fledged characters, but the author did a great job of making them standout and feel like real people.

The story was paced really well and kept me wanting more until the end. My one issue with the story is I think that the catalyst for Cas going on the show was just a bit too unrealistic. But, it really did not take away from the story so I don't think it's a huge deal.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful and fun queer summer read, and I would suggest it to anyone who loves reality TV dating shows, queer/sapphic romances, or that is just looking for a fun beach read!

first of all, thank you to putnam books via netgalley for the arc!

this is the perfect sapphic summer romance centered around a love island-esque reality tv show. the main twist here is that cas, the main protagonist, actually went on the show in an agreement with her job to secure a promotion. although cas initially enters the hot summer villa with all feelings detached, her agreement with her employer becomes much more complicated when she meets ada, another single girl on the show, and quickly finds out that it might not be so simple to keep her heart out of the mix.

while it was very predictable from the beginning that cas’ reasons for going on the show were eventually going to blow up in her face, i was still left satisfied at the end of the book with how everything fell into place. along with this, the pacing of cas’ and ada’s relationship was delightful to watch unravel, and i was even invested in several of the side characters by the time i flipped the last page (except for brad— he can rot).

if you’re looking for a light read for the beach or the pool, look no further!

Enough to keep me entertained, but I’m not sure I needed to read Love Island. As a Love Island fan though, it did keep me interested.

Looking for a cute friends-to-lovers sapphic rom-com to read on the beach? Hot summer is the perfect choice! I really enjoyed how the attraction kind of sneaked up on Cas but the connection was always there.

I found the reality TV aspect really fun here! I don't watch a lot of reality TV but I get the sense that while American reality TV is very intense, British reality TV is more laid back. This show certainly seemed to fit with that. It was fun to imagine getting to relax by the pool all day and I really liked the sense of found family created as a result of it.

This isn't exactly a downside but I will say as an introvert some of the rules gave me secondhand anxiety. Sharing a room with a bunch of strangers? I'd have a nervous breakdown. However, the characters were written in a way that I could connect with them despite their willingness to go on reality TV.

If you like a sapphic romcom or found family this is a must-read! It's great for summer and pride month!

4.5 ⭐️
🌶🌶
Another great addition to the queer reality TV books!

Cas goes on a dating show called Hot Summer for a chance at a promotion at work, but she didn't expect to build close friendships. Will she open up and let herself love?

I really enjoyed Cas's story and would absolutely read more books featuring this show. The challenges were interesting, and I liked the Sapphic buildup between Cas and Ada. The surrounding characters were all really great, and I actually enjoyed that no one tried to sabotage each other. Read this if you liked The Charm Offensive or Here For the Wrong Reasons.

I enjoyed the pacing of this one, I loved that we got in to the story right away. I also really liked Cas, but I had a hard time connecting to Ada, and I wish there had been a dual POV.
I also wish there had been more spice in this one. Overall, tho, a fun read!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was really enjoyable book. As a fan of the show Love Island I really enjoyed how to played up some of the same aspects of the show. I also found how Cas to be extremely relatable in the way that she slowly got more comfortable being herself as she got to know the people around her.
Ada was also so much to read about!

I also loved all the side pairings and characters! They were all so likeable!

I wish there were more to this series! I would 100% read them all like I was watching all the seasons of a tv show!

As a queer Love Island fan, this ticked all the boxes that my little sapphic heart could want. What a fun read for Pride - and a perfect time for this novel to debut, as a new season of Love Island is airing. (If only it was as queer!)

The plot is a slow burn - not terribly so, but in that way where you're dancing around each other because are we best friends or are we into each other? Obviously, the format of the dating show, as very heteronormative, helps keep the drama building. (If you watch Love Island, there will be absolutely no surprises with the typical plot lines - almost everything plays out exactly how it does in the show. It's kind of fun to see some of the stereotypical "high drama" points used for the plotline.)

The plot is never unexpected - it pretty much progresses exactly as you think it will, even down to the third act conflict - but it's still executed so well that it's a fun and giddy ride. I read it in a matter of hours, and greatly enjoyed it.

4.5 stars, rounded up.