Readers who enjoy enjoy family drama will love this book. An unique story with characters in which readers will fall in love with. I love the way Erica chose to help Allison because of her daughter Summer even though it was a difficult and unimaginable thing to do. Readers will be drawn into the story and love the outcome. Enjoyable! Highly recommended!

For The Love Of Summer
By: Susan Mallery
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing
Pub Date: June 6 2024

Erica has known her whole life what she wanted to do. Become a beautician and take over her moms salon and continue to grow the business. Now middle aged with a 16 year old daughter, Summer and one divorce she’s a force to be reckoned with. Her one salon quickly turned into an empire called Twisted. Summer’s dad remarried Allison; they have one young son and a daughter on the way. Allison receives the shock of her life when her husband, an accountant, is arrested for a whole bunch of financial crimes. Summer walks in on her stepmom not long after she’s told about the arrest and much like her mom Summer takes charge. As they learn more about his charges and that he has a million dollar bail price, Summer asks if a very pregnant Allison and her son can come live with them. Shocked and stunned Erica doesn’t know what to say. Her ex-husband's new wife and children moving in with her? There has to be a better option… but is there?
This was a perfect summer read. I really enjoyed the play on words with the title! Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Susan Mallery and NetGalley for the ARC

Susan Mallery writes stories with the best characters! This one is now on the top of my list for her books. Great story with lots of drama. I loved reading about the ex-wife and the new wife becoming friends. Summer is the daughter of the ex wife and she is the main reason for the two women to find a way from resentment to friendship. A great story with many dimensions.

For the Love of Summer by Susan Mallery
A Summer Beach Read
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes an unforgettable beach read about the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters and finding friendship with the unlikeliest person, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin…
As the owner of Twisted, Seattle’s best salons, Erica knows that the sharpest cuts come from the people we love. She’s terrified that she’s losing her teen daughter, Summer, to her “other” family, especially to her stepmom, Allison.
All it takes to blow up Allison’s happy life is one collect call. From prison. Her beloved husband, Peter, has been arrested, leaving Allison pregnant, broke, scared and alone with a toddler. But when her stepdaughter ferrets out the truth, the teen rushes to the last person Allison wants to ask for help—her husband’s battle-ax ex.
Erica would do anything for Summer, even take in the woman her daughter loves like a second mom. Allison feels intimidated by Erica—a woman who would never let herself become so dependent on a man. But the more time they spend together, the more Allison realizes what Erica truly needs is a friend. Can two women who married the same man move beyond their complicated past and rethink what it means to be family?
This is Erica and Summer Sawyer's story.
This is Allison and Jackson's story.
Erica is the owner and CEO of the Twisted Spa Salons.
Summer is Erica and Peter's daughter.
Allison is married to Erica's ex-husband, Peter.
Allison has a 18 month old son, Jackson and is 6 months pregnant with a girl.
For the Love of Summer by Susan Mallery is a 3 star book.
I received a complimentary copy of the book.

I could read Mallery’s books every single day!
For the Love of Summer by Susan Mallery is another remarkable read!
As always, Susan creates relatable characters that you care about and grow to love.
The characters bring to life real emotions and situations.
This story is as if you are watching a real family play out their emotions and drama. The vibes of the summer are paramount for this atmospheric and situational wave of emotions.
She writes the absolute best women’s fiction/romance reads that deals with family, friendship with some added romance.
This book is absolutely wonderful and I am very thankful to have received a copy to review.

Thank You NetGalley and MIRA for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine need to buy the rights to this book and make it a TV show.

For the Love of Summer is a wonderful story of strong women and the importance of female relationships.

Summer is the daughter of Erica, a successful owner of a string of hair salons in Seattle and Peter, who is divorced from Erica and now married to Allison. Turns out Peter made some bad decisions and ends up going to jail leaving Allison alone, pregnant and caring for a toddler. Summer gets the idea to move them into Erica's home and yes, there's more than enough room for everyone. Oh and Erica's mom lives in a house on Erica's property.

Susan Mallery crafted a beautiful cast of characters that you root for, admire, and definitely don't want their stories to end. I'd love for Mallery to turn this into a series. I'd love for her to revisit Allison several years later and see what she has made of her life after following Erica's guidance and another with Summer as the main character. Will Summer follow in her girl gang's footsteps?

You'll laugh at the interactions between Allison and Erica, especially when Allison calls Erica out in the romance department.

For the Love of Summer needs to be at the top of your summer reading list.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

This was a cute, quick and easy read. I went into this expecting a bit more and it was a little lack luster. However, I did really enjoy the sense of found family under dire circumstances. Erica and Allison were able to overcome their differences to make things better for them and Summer. This is a great read to pick up as a palette cleanser or if you just want to have a mindless read with pretty low stakes.

I flew through this book! From the beginning I was heavily invested in the outcome for all of the characters. I love the theme of female friendships and finding family in unexpected places. Allison and Erica forge a strong bond with Summer's best interest at heart despite being very different people. Allison and Erica were strong female characters with a lot of growth throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For The Love of Summer is another amazing Susan Mallery book. This story is full of love , heartbreak and family issues .
Erica has built a great life for her daughter, Summer and herself. She owns her own chain of hair salons and spas and is happy . She has a man for companionship that never asks for more than she can give..
Allison finds herself suddenly alone and unsure how she is going to get through her pregnancy and take care of her toddler as her husband ends up in jail for money laundering. Feeling lost and about to be homeless and having no money the only person she can confide in is her sixteen year old stepdaughter .
Through all the madness the women find a way to co-exist and work through Allison’s problems.
Thanks NetGalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

For the Love of Summer by Susan Mallery is a women’s fiction title that deals with friendship and family drama and with a slight side of romance to the story. The story in For the Love of Summer is one that does change the point of view between the characters involved but does take place in the present timeline.

Erica was once married to Peter and they share their wonderful teenage daughter, Summer. After their divorce Peter went on to marry Allison and start a second family with her which includes their young toddler, Jackson, and another baby on the way but they always include Summer in their lives welcoming her to their family too.

Since the divorce Erica was motivated more than ever to continue to bring her business, Twisted, Seattle’s best salons to the top and doesn’t really want a man in her life permanently again. What Erica never expected though was to bring Allison and Peter’s new family into her life but when Peter is arrested Allison is left with nothing and no where to turn and Summer is determined she and her mother need to help “family”.

I’ve read several of Susan Mallery’s books before and always enjoy them so I was looking forward to diving into For the Love of Summer. Thankfully I was right when I expected to enjoy this one but even more so I really loved the creativity to this whole new twist to what family means. Just how many people would step into Erica’s shoes and what she does in this book is probably an extremely low number but it worked for this book and really pulled me into the characters lives and struggles. Definitely a book I’d recommend checking out if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary that is truly a thought provoking read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Another awesome women's fiction story by Susan Mallery. She writes such strong women characters that at the same time are vulnerable and easy to like. This story reels you in from the beginning to the end and it encompasses the empowerment of women into a strong storyline. It is an absolute must read.

I really enjoyed this story of friendship and family. It was not what I expected from other Susan Mallery books I've read. I recommend this book.

Fantastic fast paced read that hooked me in from the very beginning! A story of a strong successful woman helping other women who have less opportunities for similar success. Erica really can do it all but struggles to accept love for herself.

Thank you Netgalley for this exceptional ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This is a summer must read!

For the Love of Summer really tugged at my heartstrings. We have Erika, the owner of several hair salons, her teenage daughter Summer and her ex husbands new wife Allison (who is about 7 months pregnant). It's a beautiful tale of friendship and family and finding the strength inside yourself to do what scares you.

Erika's ex husband, and Allison's current husband committed several white collar crimes and is now in jail. While sometimes you can root for the one in jail, Peter is not that guy. Peter and Allison's assets are frozen and she has to move out of their apartment and Summer gets involved and pleads with her mother to let Allison and her toddler son move in with them. Erika reluctantly agrees, and Allison shortly moves in. Watching Erika and Allison navigate each other was quite something, and I enjoyed watching them go from disliking each other, to awkwardly not knowing what to do to eventually being friends.

I appreciate that both women brought different types of strength to their friendship and newfound family.

Despite what the cover might imply this is not a romance. I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Erica and Allison would develop. This was a first read of a Susan Mallery novel but it not be my last. Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review

Loved this book. Loved the daughter and how she brought her two families together in a loving way. And how her mom put aside her differences to be a huge part.

Owner of an upscale salon chain, Erica fears losing her daughter Summer to her “other” family, especially her stepmother Allison. When Allison’s life falls apart, Summer turns to Erica for help. Despite their differences, Erica opens her home to Allison, forming an unlikely friendship. Can these women move past their complicated history and redefine family?

I loved this heartfelt novel, with its likable characters, engrossing plot, and immersive sense of place. I grew impatient with Erica’s slowness to act when her daughter’s toddler half-brother was in danger of becoming homeless. I wish the book had spent less time on Erica’s dilly-dallying and more on her blossoming romance. Ultimately, though, the novel is a gripping and satisfying read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

For the Love of Summer is the latest release from Susan Mallery. It’s an ultimately uplifting summer story that has depth, insight, personal growth and ultimately, redemption.

The lessons the author weaves into the story through her characters and the things they experience is impactful and relatable. The notion that you can either choose to give up when adversity and trials strike, or you can push through and create a new life for yourself, with the help of your friends, is pivotal to the plot. Life is full of hardships, something we can all relate to, and our life trajectory and personal peace lies in how we face them. This story imbues this truth and the reader is drawn into the lives of these characters.

For the Love of Summer is the story of friendship, empowerment and overcoming difficulties, but it’s surrounded by a summer aesthetic. This is a quick, sweet story and a perfect summer read!

FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER – Susan Mallery
Mira
ISBN: 978-0-778-30552-1
June 4, 2024
Contemporary Fiction

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Erica is a successful businesswoman who owns a chain of beauty salons in the Seattle area. Her only child, Summer, is in high school and busy playing on her school’s softball team, and Erica tries to attend each game. A painful divorce has her vowing to herself never to fall in love and marry, though she is currently seeing a gentleman, Killion, who is good to her but there are no promises of love between them. Summer adores her father, Peter, as well as his wife and son. Summer’s stepmother, Allison, is pregnant with a little girl. The world seems all right…until it isn’t. It starts when Peter gets arrested by the Feds and placed in jail.

Allison first realizes something is wrong when the debit card she was attempting to use is rejected. She tries to call Peter, but it goes to voice mail. Then she receives a collect call from prison. It’s Peter. He insists it is all a mistake and will be out soon. Meanwhile, their bank accounts are frozen, and Allison has a son to feed and bills to pay. Summer finds out what is going on and attempts to help. Summer finally turns to her mother and begs her to help Allison and her son, Jackson. Erica could refuse but it would only anger Summer. Besides, what Peter did (money laundering for one thing) isn’t Allison’s fault. She invites Allison and Jackson to move in with her.

Erica and Allison shouldn’t like each other but they soon have a lot of respect for each other in FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER by Susan Mallery. They have something in common: they care for Summer. Erica is jealous of Allison because Summer sings her praises. Allison was told by Peter that Erica was a bitch and took everything they had accumulated in their marriage. The truth finally comes out when Allison learns that the house and the business were all acquired before Erica married Peter. Erica learns that Allison was fed lies by Peter and she is innocent in his shenanigans. Add in that there is not one, but two kids are paying the price of what their father has done, and it’s no wonder that Erica stepped in.

The thaw to their relationship is slow in FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER but readers will sense that these two women will become lifelong friends. The only barrier will be what happens to Peter. Meanwhile, Summer acts like a peacemaker and helps the thawing. Summer is truly a wonderful and positive child. Unknown to Erica, Peter has lied to Summer about his marriage to her. Things are grim for Allison, and readers will root for her life to get better. As for Erica, her relationship with Killion continues, though it’s clear he feels more for her than she realizes. Will something change in this tale to upset their apple cart?

FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER is the perfect vacation book to put in your tote. I found this tale intriguing and immersed myself in the lives of these characters. While we start out not knowing much about Erica, Allison, or Summer, by the end, we feel like we are part of their little circle. If you are looking for a beach read to put on your book shopping list, then be sure to pick up FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER. You won’t be sorry.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

For the Love of Summer is about finding friendship with the unlikeliest person. This book is full of the great characters that you get in Susan Mallery's books and a wonderful story about friendship, love and second chances.

I liked seeing Erica step up and help Alison. I enjoyed this book a lot.

For the Love of Summer comes out on June 4th!