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.

⭐️ Rating: 4/5
🌶️ Spice: 2/5

Genre: LGBTQIA+
Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Friends to Lovers
Secret Keeping
Slow Burn

Sapphic Romance + Reality TV = Amazing Summer Read

Hot Summer by Elle Everhart was so much fun. It incorporates all the fun aspects of Hot Summer(aka Love Island) and that crushworthy, will they/won't they feelings. This is the perfect summer read, it’s a fast paced book that keeps the reader hooked. Cass, one of our female leads, feels stagnant in her marketing and events position at the dating app she works for. With a promotion being held over her head, she goes on Hot Summer to use her vast knowledge of the game and to cross promote the dating service without telling or even hinting at it, thanks to an ironclad NDA. The show progresses and personalities come to show themselves. Cass struggles to stay in the game and to keep her feelings about Ada at bay.

This book is a slowwwww burn. We’re talking small touches and holding eye contact kind of slow. Being held in captivity and with cameras on you 24/7 really accelerates relationships. Strangers become best friends and crushes turn into love connections. This couple is so cute and I loved seeing what their HEA looked like in the epilogue.

I’m not a huge fan of the 3rd party narration, I’m much more of a dual POV gal, but it worked in this instance. The emotions/reactions of the characters were still evident even if you weren’t getting it from their first hand point of view. I think the vehicle of producing a reality television show helps this, as shocking things happen to these characters it’s a surprise to 1. The character, 2. The rest of the cast, and 3. You, the audience.

Cas Morgan works events at a dating app company called Friday. They offer Cas a promotion if she joins the reality show, Hot Summer. They make her sign an NDA. She's hoping to make friends and make it to the end. She's not looking for anything serious. That changes when she meets Ada, another contestant on the show. 😉

I really loved this book. It kept me entertained the whole time. I loved the relationships with all the contestants. A perfect read for Summer and pride 🏳️‍🌈.

A must read for any reality TV fan! Hot Summer is the perfect bingeable summertime read - it’s sweet and steamy with a fantastic found family and delicious made for television drama.

These characters (except for Brad… he’s the actual worst and can get lost) were so much fun to meet and get to know! Even though they were competing for a prize and there were some scandalous (gasp!) twists, I loved how friendship won the day and these characters rallied around each other. Watching the friendship and then romance between Cas and Ada blossom was tender and sweet and you couldn’t help but cheer when they finally acknowledged their feelings - it was a full on squealing in delight and kicking your feet moment!

You could see the third act conflict and subsequent break up coming from page one, BUT I appreciated the quick and mature resolution from Cas and Ada to a situation was thrust upon them by the manipulative tv executives.

If you love a reality tv dating show and are looking for a bingeable read with swoon and spice, make sure this sapphic summer romance is in your beach bag!

This is my first Elle Everhart book & I have been completely blown away! She did an amazing job keeping me engaged as a reader from the very beginning. “Hot Summer” is a fun sapphic romance that takes place on a Love Island-type show. I was fortunate to receive an ARC from Netgalley. I was completely invested in this book and felt like I was actually watching a reality show. I was obsessed with the main characters, Cas & Ada, as well as the side characters and side plots. Sienna, Femi, and Freddie brought so much depth to the story. I adored the friendship between Cas and Femi, the definition of platonic soulmates. I loved Cas' journey from thinking she was done with love to finding something unexpected in Ada. Every interaction between them was so adorable and made me literally giggle. Watching them fall for each other was a wonderful experience. The romance was very, very slow burn, but Cas and Ada had so much chemistry that it didn’t even matter. The spice was very good! There were only a couple spicy scenes, but I feel like they really paid off and worked well with the story. I do wish that the book was a dual POV. I really wanted some chapters from Ada’s perspective. I think that it would have made it so much better to be able to see how Ada was feeling and watch her fall in love with Cas. The author really captured the setting and plot and didn't stop running till the end. The writing made you feel like you’re actually watching it, the details are incredible. Also, I can't get over the cover, it’s so gorgeous and really drew me in. If you’re a fan of Alexandria Bellefleur, Meryl Wilsner, or Ashley Herring Blake you are to going to love this book and it’s writing style! I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy watching Love Island or Bachelor in Paradise and reading sapphic romance with spice. Thanks to Elle Everhart, Netgalley, and Penguin Group Putnam for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I am looking forward to reading Elle’s next book!

as a gay woman first and reality tv lover second, i immediately knew i was going to love Hot Summer when i received the arc, but i truly had no idea just how much i was going to love this book. the writing is beautiful, the characters are filled with interpersonal growth, and the love between ada and cas is downright adorable. i continually felt like i was watching an episode of love island throughout the book which will always result in a good time. thank you so much to the publisher for this early release!

Thank you Putnam Books via NetGalley for the ARC!

I started this book while on a beach vacation and it had me gasping and kicking my feet, giggling. Each chapter felt like I was waiting to see what was after a commercial break of a reality TV show and the perfect companion to inevitably get a sunburn while reading.

I highly recommend to those who desperately wish that queer folx got more time in the reality dating tv sphere.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i thought this was entertaining enough to keep me reading. cas was a well-written character with a conscious. i dont' know why i thought this but i thought cas and ada would end up together because they were the closest in age/oldest contestants in the book. i like that the sex scenes were open door and mature in the way that they were believable, its hard to do. it was difficult keeping the characters listed, and to keep track of when a new one arrives or an old one leaves.

One, I don’t think this book was for me. I am not really a fan of those type of reality shows.

Two, this book felt pretty flat. The characters were one-dimensional and the love relationship was a little lackluster

Three, it was way toooooo long.

Hot Summer is reality TV but better! A summer in Cyprus, where days and nights are spent poolside - dancing, flirting and trying to win popular vote to stay on the show. Cas is our relatable main character who has a big secret and no plans to fall in love, but she didn't plan for the sweet and gorgeous Ada.

Hot Summer follows Cas who has spent years watching the dating show Hot Summer. She never thought she would be on the show. But her company gets a partnership with the show and Cas is picked to go on it. If she does well and makes it to the finals she will get a promotion. Cas is determined to make it to the finals and get her promotion. Everything changes for Cas when she meets Ada. Throughout the show Cas and Ada start getting close to each other and catching feelings. Now Cas will have to decide if she should fall for Ada or stick to her plan of getting a promotion.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have loved both of the books I have read by her. But this is my favorite. I feel like this is the perfect summer romance book. I loved the dating show vibes of this book. I thought the relationship between Cas and Ada was so cute. If you watch dating shows like The Bachelor. I think the book would be right up your alley. Sometimes a cute summer romance book is just what you need.

Cas Morgan has been an event host for a dating app for years, so when her boss offers her a chance for a promotion, Cas jumps at the chance. The only thing is Cas has to participate in the reality TV show Hot Summer, a hit dating show that pairs together singles in an exotic island location. If she does well on the show and makes it to the finale, Cas gets the long-awaited promotion she has dreamed of. Once Cas arrives at the villa, she immediately falls for Ada. Will Cas get her happily ever after or will it all end in disaster?

This was my first book by Elle Everhart and it definitely won’t be my last. I went into this book thinking it would be a cute romcom, but it was so much more. I found myself loving the main characters and rooting for them to be together. The feelings, the steam, and the humor all wove together perfectly in the story. Everhart’s writing made me feel like I was right there with the characters actually watching and experiencing the reality show. That is hard to do. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys sapphic romance. I know it will be the read of the summer!

This queer love island book was okay overall.

I didn't enjoy that it was play by play like love island. There were barely any liberties, did I like that unlike Love Island it accepted a queer couple and didn't kick them out, yes. I just didn't like how she was used by the show for rating.

Even with the way Love Island works in real life, someone that works for a dating app as an event planner will get leaked and people will hate and try to ruin her credibility. Like as a long time Love Island fan, we know the drama that comes out while people are in the Villa.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As an enjoyer of both “bikini reality” and sapphic romance i have to say i had a great time reading this book. it’s the perfect summer read with the perfect balance between heartfelt moments, drama and of course a little bit of spice! 🤍