Review: Hot Summer by Elle Everhart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Hot Summer is the Love Island-esque reality show that Cas Morgan finds herself competing on in exchange for a promotion in her career. Typically closed-off and more inclined for a one night stand, the last thing Cas expects to find on Hot Summer is her love match. But as soon as she lays eyes on Ada, everything changes. Cas is immediately drawn to Ada’s physical beautiful and her adorable yet sassy personality. Cas must navigate her growing connection with Ada and her commitment to her employer that she garner the praise of Hot Summer’s audience and make it to the series finale.

Hot Summer is an entertaining, sexy summertime read, that also delivers a romance with intimacy and genuine connection. Cas and Ada are a swoon worthy couple! I was definitely rooting for them to fall in love! I also liked that throughout the story, Everhart sprinkled in excerpts of social media posts that showed how the Hot Summer audience was reacting to the plot and gave the reader a little foreshadowing into what was coming next. Readers who like Love Island or The Bachelor will have so much fun with this cast of characters!

Hot Summer will be published on June 27th 2024

This is a great summer read! This is my first Elle Everhart book and I will for sure be grabbing all her future books as well.

Cas and Ada were 2 characters I fell in love with. Not to mention the side characters were wonderful. This book was just a fun read filled with romance and spice. If you are a fan of reality tv shows you will love Hot Summer

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Books centering reality dating shows truly are so much better when they're adult.

This was so much fun! While I definitely side eyed and questioned a few of Cas's thoughts, I really enjoyed reading this, which was most of what I was hoping to get out of it. I also think the author did a good job of establishing the side characters and friends of Cas (and to a lesser extent Ada), which I loved.

Okay, I was absolutely a Love Island addict for quite some time, so I was so stoked to see a Love Island esq romance book, and especially one that was queer (I mean, how does this not actually happen on the real shows??). Hot Summer was such a good read! I loved the setting, and I loved the twist of Cas being on the show for her job. I think that just a Love Island type show book in itself would be super interesting, but throwing in that twist of Cas’s story really made it even more so. The romance was also excellent, and I loved seeing the character development of Cas as the romance between her and Ada develops.

I'm so disappointed - I thought this book was going to be a big hit for me!! I loved the premise as I enjoy watching reality TV shows but have always wanted there to be more queer rep on them. I was really vibing with the beginning of the book as the MC started the show, although I did think the premise of why she went on the show was shady (and I'm betting that premise sets the stage for the 3rd act conflict later in the book lol). Once the show had kicked off, the writing and story became so tedious and boring that I wasn't interested in continuing to read and decided to DNF at 16%. The story became about reiterating each character on the show rather than developing the romance, which I was anxious to learn more about. Thanks anyway for the ARC - hopefully others will love this more than I did.

Hot Summer is a single POV forced proximity romance. Cas, a worn-out events planner, gets the promotion of her dreams dangled in front of her. The catch? She had to compete on, and make it to the finale of, a popular dating show called Hot Summer. There she meets Ada, another contestant, and Cas has to decide whether to focus on her career or take a shot at love.

I loved this book! It was the first sapphic romance I’ve read, and I really adored both Ada and Cas. Reading this cemented my feelings that being on a reality show would be a special kind of hell, but it was fun and funny and surprisingly emotional.


Read dates: 05/25/2024- 05/27/2024
Goodreads review: 05/27/2024
Instagram review: 05/27/2024
Blog review: 06/25/2024

A fun fluffy book, but I was hoping for more from it. Didn't love the whole "going on a show for a job" concept, it felt way too forced, and it was clear it was all going to crash and burn in the end. As a reality TV show fan, would have loved more of it to be centered around the TV show and the different challenges they had to do. I loved how this combined both queerness and reality tv show dating with straight reality tv show dating - usually it's either 100% gay or 100% straight. Go bisexuality! But otherwise, an enjoyable read!

If you love the following:

- Love Island
- Drama
- Any reality tv
- Queer romance
- Romance
- sexxiiiii romance
- SUMMER READ
- a LIGHT and EASY summer read

Then this book is for you. I loved all the characters and I felt like I was reading a reality tv show instead of usually just watching it lol

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Cas has always been a fan of reality dating show Hot Summer (i.e., fictional Love Island), so when her boss suggests she go on the show to build a relationship with the network and come back to a promotion, she says yes with little hesitation. She enters the house with a calculated plan to make it to the finals and please her boss, but when she realizes the public hates her persona, she gives up and just tries to be herself. It's then that she catches the eye of fellow hottie OG cast member, Ada. But it wouldn't be reality television without a little drama thrown in...

As a huge Love Island fan, this book was a blast to read. It nailed all the little details, from the house, to the challenges, to the recoupling ceremonies. It's a super fan's dream! And it's great to see a book where a same sex relationship is just accepted by the show and public, which has historically been the case on Love Island, but not so much in the, e.g., Bachelor franchise. It's the perfect grounds for a fun, summery, sapphic romance! I will admit, there's certainly some suspension of disbelief required, regarding how and why Cas goes on the show and her ultimate departure, but I was enjoying the book enough that I didn't care!

Thanks to Putnam for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Three words:
Hot. Gay. Summer.

What can I really say, I’m obsessed with a romance that has a reality tv aspect and this gave what I needed it to give. There’s drama, a contestant you love to hate (fu Brad), an mc with abandonment issues, and of course… romance. I adored all of the separate relationships that Cas was able to make on the show and might just be adding Love Island to my reality tv rotation.

As a Love Island devotee, I immediately had to read Hot Summer when I came across it. If only the real show gave us these kinds of queer relationships! I'd read a sapphic romance for all reality shows, probably.

I did think some of the plot felt a bit silly — in what world is it not an HR violation to exchange sexy TV show appearances for job promotions! — but 'tis the nature of romance novels. If they were realistic no one would read them. I was fully prepared to hate the miscommunication trope nonsense as well, but at least it was resolved maturely.

The author does a great job at immersing readers into the setting so that it really does feel like you're watching a season of Love Island, though of course it'd be 1,000 pages long and exhausting if it went too close to the script. I already know that I'm going to be disappointed not to see some of Hot Summer's characters, and particularly the side characters and their friendships, once this summer's season airs.

thanks to netgalley for the e-arc!

This is my first time reading an adult LGBTQ+ romance novel and I loved it so much. This book most definitely gives Love Island vibes!

Elle Everhart's writing had me hooked from beginning to end, making this a very smooth and easy read for me.

This book just feels like summer! It was so fun and steamy and I absolutely loved the commentary. I am also totally here for the drama. I felt like I was actually watching reality tv at points.

This was my first book by Elle Everhart and I will definitely read more of their work in the future!!

4.5 stars rounded up

This book was a lot of fun. I am a sucker for a behind the scenes look at reality tv book especially when its queer. Fans of love island are going to love this book (It's me. I'm the love island fan). Reading this was like being transported into the love island house and getting those emotions and relationships first hand.

I loved Cas and Ada so much. There were so perfect together and the type of could I love seeing in romance books. Their chemistry was phenomenal, they had wonderful communication, and their tension and banter was top tier.

Now let's talk about the side characters because I loved all of them! While I am obsessed with the main couple and their story, these side characters shined. Elle is magical because there were so many characters in this and they were all unique and stayed true to their character throughout and that is a true feat. I would read an entire book for so many of these side characters because I just adored so many of them.

As someone who doesn’t watch Love Island—or any other reality TV—I probably wasn’t the ideal reader for this. I was hoping for something where dating show contestants picked each other over the guy they were supposed to be vying for (which was 100% my bad for not knowing the difference between Love Island and The Bachelor).

The reality show itself rubbed me the wrong way. Ranking people, only allowing the women to wear skimpy clothes, and requiring kissing and dancing felt icky. And the safety issues were downright alarming. Forced bed sharing with a complete stranger? Absolutely not! I’d feel safer Goldilocking it and sharing a bed with a bear. Women accepting drinks they didn’t watch being poured? Seriously, NEVER do that!

If that’s how Love Island works, it’s a good thing I’ve never watched it.

I also had trouble keeping track of everyone in the large cast of characters. Other than Brad standing out as the jerk of the group and Femi as the sweetie, all the men seemed basically the same. The women besides Ada and Sienna blended together for me too. And the focus on superficial descriptions rather than personality did little to help me tell them apart.

That said, I liked Femi and Ada a lot. They were the MVPs of the book for me. And Ada and Cass did have great chemistry and a couple delicious spicy scenes. But I found Cass difficult to relate to since I never got a clear feel for her personality. All of her interiority centered on her shallow obsession with the show instead of anything that would have fleshed her out as a fully realized, three-dimensional character.

This is probably best as a light beach read, since the stakes were so low. Cass didn’t seem particularly passionate about the promotion she went on the show for (she doesn’t even show the full details about it). I didn’t feel like the other contestants were particularly invested in trying to sincerely find love either, no matter what they claimed on camera. Lust? Sure. Love? Not so much. Which made me feel like Cass’ secret shouldn’t have been as big a deal as it was made out to be.

I think this is a great choice for sapphic fans of Love Island and similar shows, but it lacks the stakes and compelling protagonist of other queer reality TV themed books like Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly, The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett, and Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I am obsessed with Reality TV shows - the Bachelor, Real Housewives, and competition shows like Big Brother. I was so surprised and excited to see this book offered here on NetGalley as a perfect combo of reality TV and queer romance. It gives summer vibes and is the perfect book to read at the beach or pool!

This book read like reality TV and I couldn’t help but binge it the same way. It was like Love Island x Summer House x UnReal but with all my wishes for those shows to be gayer fulfilled. The characters all felt so real (the side characters were phenomenal) and the romance and spark between Cas and Ada was so well-done and believable. A phenomenal queer rom com with an awesome central bi/bi sapphic romance.

I LOVEDDDDD THIS BOOK. As a huge love island fan this was everything i have ever wanted. I feel like their have been so many almost gay couples / really close female friendships on love island that i could have pictured having Ada and Cas’s love story. So it felt like a dream to read what could be, and hopefully one day it really happens lol. I thought the way they got together was beautiful and a perfect slow burn and natural. I also loved Femi and Freddie and Sienna. Overall an amazing book

𝘏𝘰𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 by Elle Everhart 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👙☀️🌊⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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This is a Love Island inspired and queer romance book. 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 our main characters, Cas & Ada, as well as the side characters and side plots. The author really captured the setting and plot and didn't stop running till the end. Also I can't get over the cover she's so cute 😍

Despite being someone who can't stand reality TV, especially shows like the one depicted in the book, I adored Hot Summer! And if you're already a fan of Love Island but wish it were queerer, this is the perfect summer read for you.
I expected lighthearted and steamy summer fun, all of which I got and more. Fun banter, a diverse group of characters who made you fall in love with them and their support for one another, and dealing with the very real fears around love and vulnerability, all while millions of people watch and judge you. My only issue was the extreme reactions everyone had when Cas's motivation for going on the show was revealed. Obviously the author needed to feed into the reality TV level drama but it felt inauthentic to me, especially given how quick the resolution ends up being between Cas and her core group.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review!

I want to start off by saying that I am not a fan of reality television or dating shows - it’s never been something that I’ve been interested in for entertainment.

BUT, that being said, I started and finished this book in less than twelve hours because I couldn’t put it down. Cas, the FMC, is a pretty stereotypical “they can’t hurt me if I don’t let them get to know me” type but she’s still likable and seems willing to grow.

The pacing is nice, that’s usually something that’ll make or break a book for me but I felt like the author does a good job at keeping things moving even if the plot requires the “same” scene to be done again.

I will say, I did have a bit of a hard time keeping some of the side characters straight in my head. I feel like we randomly got info about them and then the info just didn’t matter? They were just there to fill the house so I didn’t get to truly care a whole lot about them as individuals. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but they just kind of felt blah to me and side characters are usually my favorites.

Overall, it was a really cute book and while I don’t understand the draw to reality shows in real life I still really enjoyed this!


MINOR TROPE SPOILERS BELOW!
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So while there was technically a third act breakup (I know that’s a hot button trope for some) I felt like it was really well done. The author doesn’t lean super heavy into miscommunication and allows these ADULTS to talk to one another as such. It was honestly refreshing to read.