This had everything I love in a book- small beach town, coastal beach house, summer romance. I loved the way the story unfolded with the dual timeline as it went on you got a little more detail on Fred and Olivia’s twenty year story. Olivia and her sisters return to their Southampton Beach house to help their dad prep it for sale. Olivia jumps at the opportunity it’s to return to the house she loves and leave her cheating husband behind. When she gets to the beach house she soon finds out the buyer happens to be her first love she is not to happy. The story unfolds and you get a little of their beginning, middle and end of their story. This was such a fun a d entertaining debut novel. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Megan Tusing. She does a really great job with the emotions and feeling of the story. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Love happens whether you are ready for it or not. Trying to get the timing right can be painful. Story moved quickly and the narrator was very good.

“Sometimes you have to listen to the universe when it’s telling you something isn’t meant to be, no matter how much it might feel like it is.”

Summer After Summer is a contemporary retelling of Persuasion. Now it could have been the books that I read right before this one, but I was on the struggle bus trying to stay invested in this story. I know not every book is for every person and I can absolutely see how some would love this one! Especially on a warm day with your toes in the sand. But I found my mind frequently wandering while reading/listening.

I just could not connect with these characters or even come to care about what happened in their lives. At all. This cover though! 🤩

But I would definitely recommend the audiobook. The narrator does a great job with the emotions and angst of the second chance/lost loves. I found myself listening more than reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alcove Press, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book. And i'm in love with this world and these characters. I kept guessing who was the one that would throw the whole plot off track. And i would have been wrong. HAHA! This is a fantastic cozy/clean romance/mystery. It's so good, it's hard to pick a lane for it. Highly recommend.

Ohhh I wanted to love this one so bad!

This story has all the pieces to make a great summer romance - second chance romance, young summer love, family drama… but this one seems to have fallen a little flat for me!

What I loved:
- FRED!!
- The tennis elements, such a fun way to add a dynamic to the story!
What I didn’t love:
- the FMC … maybe it was just the way the narrator spoke in the audiobook but she felt… whiny and immature!
- With all the back and forth timelines, I felt myself getting confused. I also felt like there was a little TOO much in the past to the point where the story began to feel a little YA!

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this one and I am super excited to see what Lauren Bailey writes next!

Olivia returns to her family’s Hampton beach house after being sold to her first love. With past and present story telling we get the story of Olivia’s life and that of her family we see how her life is and how it end up as it is. We also we want to know why did her ex buy this house… her house.

I'm realizing, after many lackluster reads, that I really don't enjoy retellings that much. :/

I usually love a multiple timeline, summer second chance romance, but I think this fell really flat as both a modern retelling of Persuasion and a swoony beach read. I don't think I liked a single character in this story, and I really wasn't even invested in Olivia and Fred's journey throughout the story or their eventual reconciliation. I felt myself rolling my eyes and speeding up the audio narration (read by a narrator I didn't really connect with) to get it finished.

A unsatisfactory read for me overall.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alcove Press, and Dreamscape Media for the e-ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. SUMMER AFTER SUMMER is out May 7th, 2024.

This is a perfect beach read. I had the opportunity to both read and listen. The narrator kept me engaged, the story. Second chance romance trope that is a light read. If you enjoy tennis, give this a try. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! 3.5

I did really like the pull the characters had towards each other the whole time and the build up of them finally being together.
But I wasn't a massive fan of how long it took her to choose and then when she choose the wrong person before the twist and then choose the right person straight after, it all felt a bit rushed at the end, even with all their history tying them together.
I also find with audiobooks that I can't connect with the characters as much as I can when I'm reading the words, and I found that with this one too. I think this was also the case because in the chapters that explored the FMC and MMC together there wasn't actually much exploration, there wasn't enough depth for me. However, it was a really well thought out story and I liked the quirks of the other side characters.
Overall, it was a good second chance romance read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a quick light romance and a slow burn.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summer After Summer is a story of romance, heartbreak, family drama, and more of Olivia's life told through interwoven years spanning decades. While still perfect for a beach read Summer After Summer provides more depth in the storytelling.

Oh this book! It had me tied up in knots and I LOVED IT! Olivia and Fred can't seem to get the stars to align where their relationship is concerned and "summer after summer" they try and fail to make it work. No matter how much they care for one another, the breakups and misunderstandings are painful.

This book was so well written and I really was immersed and quite frankly, very invested in this storyline. I received early copies of both the ebook and audio and basically knocked it out in one day because I couldn't leave this book alone. I simply had to know how Olivia and Fred's story resolved itself.

I can't recommend this book enough. It's addictive!

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was simply perfection and made this audio even more appealing. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

Olivia gave up the guy to chase her career and do what she thought was there right thing. Didn’t get her very far with her cheating husband. This felt like some sort of adult version of Gilmore Girls, honestly. I love that they kept trying to stay away from each other but the feelings were obviously still there. Then in the end he ends up saving her, again.

Fred and Olivia
Second chance
Childhood sweetheart only in summer
Returning home
Separated

Olivia come home for the summer to help her father and sister box up there home after it was sold and they have until the end of the summer to clear out. Not knowing who is the buyer and Olivia is surprise that it’s Fred her on and off summer fling this book goes back and forth to the past and present so you’ll read about Olivia pov. There seem to be a lot of miscommunication toward the characters. Olivia is married and separated and it seem like she doesn’t know what she wants from her marriage and she thinks Fred is with someone so she think maybe she should give her marriage another go because she believe fred is with another woman, but the plot twist
Narration is really good love how expressive the narrators is and how well she does the male voice.

4.5⭐ (audio) I listen to lots of audiobooks. The narration on this was well done. She kept me engaged in the story without pulling me out of it, the voices were good, the pacing was great. Overall recommended.

4⭐ (story) Olivia Taylor is running away from her soon-to-be-ex, and the fact that her father and sisters need her help packing up their family beach home before it sells is a good excuse to get away. Olivia has a lot of memories wrapped up in her childhood home. It's where she grew up, where her mom died, and where she first met Fred, the real love of her life.

She and Fred have tried so many times in the past and it's always blown up between them. But when she sees him again on this trip, things feel different. Second-chance tropes are generally not my favorite, but this was a fun beach read. I enjoyed the beachfront atmosphere. It was fun to watch the relationship between Olivia and Fred change through the story. If you enjoy second-chance romances, give this one a chance! Fun read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

"Summer After Summer" by Lauren Bailey initially captivates with the promise of youthful romance and second chances, but ultimately falls short due to inconsistent character development and an overly melodramatic plot. Bailey's characters struggle to evolve over time due to the frequent jumps between past and present. Despite some endearing moments, the protagonists, Olivia and Fred, fail to elicit the raw emotion and depth necessary to fully engage readers. The on and off dynamic between Olivia and Fred feels contrived and lacks genuine emotional resonance, detracting from the overall authenticity of their relationship. The narrative is marred by unnecessary plot twists and melodrama, particularly concerning Olivia's tumultuous relationships and familial dynamics. The revelation regarding Olivia's husband feels forced and I think it is the only way Olivia can break up with Wes. Divorce babe, Divorce.

This is the PERFECT book to kick off the summer with! It's set in the dreamy Hamptons and follows Olivia from the age of 16 to 36 as she navigates through a complicated relationship, her dreams of becoming a pro tennis player and the death of her mum. This is a romance with so many layers it doesn't feel cheesy, and I devoured it.

This read really brought out all the summer vibes and I was hooked immediately. Something about the characters felt very realistic, and I really appreciated reading a romance without forced tropes. I was also surprised by the twist at the end that really tied it all together.

I recommend this if you're a fan of Every Summer After or Love and Other Words, or just want a really lovely summer read!

Summer After Summer, Bailey’s debut novel, is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

Our main character, Olivia, is heading home to the Hamptons to help her father and sisters pack up their family estate. Olivia is happy to flee from her soon to be ex-husband, but is still anxious about coming home and facing unresolved feelings and relationships from her past. She soon finds out the buyer of their estate is Fred, her first love.

The book is told in dual timelines. We witness the angst over the missed opportunities between Olivia and Fred. I am a fan of tennis, so the element of her tennis career was extra appealing to me.

I liked the complicated relationships, the dual timelines and the ending had a little twist that was fun. The writing was great, the atmosphere came to life and I’d be interested in picking up another book by Lauren Bailey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy of this book.

This was a fun listen and I loved the story. Two people that have been in love and finally find their way back to each other over the years. There was a twist in the book that will shock you.

unfortunately, this book is not for me. The narration is not very good and I do not feel connected to any of the characters. I found myself distracted while listening instead of engrossed in the story and I couldn’t tell you what was happening. It makes me sad because I was looking forward to reading this. I may try it again not on audio in the future, but this is a DNF for me now.

Summer After Summer follows main character Olivia Taylor as she returns back to her family's home in the Hampton's as they prepare to sell it, fresh off of a separation with her husband and into the orbit of her longtime love of her youth, Fred. Told in two different time periods, the before and the present, we follow Olivia as she deals with her family drama, her emotions as she finds out Fred is playing a big part in the selling of her family's home, and the potential demise of her marriage.

I went into this book knowing that it was loosely based off of Jane Austen's Persuasion, but even so, I just could not get on board with the main character - or any of the characters really. I really wanted to like this book, and the storyline seemed along the lines of other popular authors like Rebecca Serle, which is what attracted me to read it, but without becoming invested in any one character, it made it difficult for me to finish. Without that investment, I was about halfway through the book when I realized I didn't care how this story ended, or what happened to the characters. While this particular book wasn't one of my favorites, I wouldn't necessarily count this author out on my TBR lists yet. I'll be very interested to see what her next novel brings, and perhaps it will be more my cup of tea!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced digital audio copy of this book. I will definitely recommend this book to my library patrons looking for readalikes for popular romance writers this summer and will look forward to their feedback to see if I was on par with my thoughts, or perhaps just an outlier!