An easy, fast read. Dad is head of the local golf club, but must answer to the rich, demanding board chairman. Teenage daughter gives up on her potential college golf scholarship for reasons only hinted at. Son is on the spectrum. Mom is a real estate agent hoping for the mega million sale that will keep the family finances afloat. The family next door is new to the area. The teenage son is of darker skin and worries about fitting in.

That's the plot in a nutshell. Not a book that will stick with me, but enjoyed it while it lasted. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review.

An exclusive beach club in New England is the setting for this summer novel. The residents in the neighborhood who are members are upset by an aggressive newcomer and there are fireworks developing between the teenager members of the club and among their parents during the summer.

The social club scene and their members are the focus of this very average novel.

Thank you NetGalley, Hannah McKinnon, and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read The Summer Club by Hannah McKinnon in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read from author Hannah McKinnon, and found this to be an easy read which contains summer romance, family dynamics, golf, country club antics, teenage emotions, affluence v. working class, and gorgeous scenery. The characters demonstrated redeeming qualities throughout the plot centering on family, friends, secrets, and inclusiveness. As a reader in MA, I was enthused to read The Summer Club by Hannah McKinnon, about a beach club set in Massachusetts. I enjoyed the Boston speak within the story. I have to point out the cover does not align with the actual plot of the book. The Summer Club is an easy, quick read, but I wouldn't categorize it as a beach-y read due to the deeper topics in the plot. The novel focuses on an actual club, stuffy Mayhaven, where Darcy Birch and her dad Ned both learned how to golf, but have never been members. Ned is now the manager of Mayhaven, and is going out of his way to make it the club it once was. There is a definitive social class divide here, the haves and the have nots, the affluent and the working class, and I liked the Birch family. Flick is a teenager forced to move to Massachusetts from New York with his mom and new stepdad. They move in next door to the Birch family, and Ned gives Flick a job in the kitchen at Mayhaven. Flick develops a fascination for Darcy, who has suddenly quit her beloved golfing. When her dad puts her to work at Mayhaven, the teens begin hanging out over an unforgettable summer. I found The Summer Club to be a book you could actually share with a teen - there's only one incident of groping but no sex and it's PG (over quickly) I found this trio of characters presented a strong positive message. The Summer Club was predictable, and in my opinion, the ending came suddenly and left me wishing there were more wrap up with several incomplete storylines and characters. 3/5

This book exposes the underbelly of an elitist "association" in terms of the difference between the have and the have nits and the members attitude towards both. That even with the financial wherewithal to join, does everyone truly belong? Ned is the president and snuck Darcy into the golf course early in the morning as he didn't have the ability to enjoy golf as a member. UT is only when.she displayed a true gift that superseded the rest of the members that she wad permitted to join the team. It was a true shame that she opted to quit; however, the reason that was revealed certainly makes it understandable as to why. As a young and susceptible teenager, the reader can understand why she chose to focus on her self image and lacked confidence as she didn't feel worthy of those she deemed popular. She wad immensely protective of Adam that unfortunately was ostracized by this community. Flick was treated as a meager dishwasher despite his stepfather and what was important is how he chose to follow in his mother's footsteps as a hard working individual that deserved everything they put in. As the book evolved along with the character development, I had true insight as to what makes a good person. It isn't wealth but rather how such as Flick and Nexus family that devout love and willingness to protect is the most important. Like Darcy and Flick, that is how one finds happiness.

The Summer Club
by Hannah McKinnon
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I have read this author before and was eager to read her newest one! Also, this is a great summer read with a gorgeous cover.
This was not my favorite of McKinnon's books but definitely one I can recommend for those who need a quick read.
The Summer Club is a summer escape to the idyllic and exclusive Mayhaven Club in Massachusetts. Absolutely pristine, it is Ned Birch’s whole world outside his family. When his teenage daughter, Darcy abruptly leaves behind her beloved sport of golf, she joins him for what turns out to be an unforgettable summer lakeside. New neighbors, new jobs, new dreams and hopes, it really is a summer of change. The characters are beautifully written and so relatable. The Summer Club is a good summer read!

Unfortunately not a fan. Perhaps more of a YA book? Issnot well developed, lots of tangents that were not resolved. Could be a light, quick beach read.

While slow to start, this one ended up being a fun summer read. I loved the setting and the country club vibe, but sometimes the characters made me shake my head. But I think that was the point? It was a quick read, but also predictable. It was fun, but also juvenile. So... make of that what you will? I liked it but didn't overwhelmingly love it... but it was fun nevertheless.

I’m always looking for a good summer read to have in between some of the other books I choose to read. So, I was excited to read The Summer Club.

Here’s the thing, I don’t classify it as a beach read at all. It’s a quick read, definitely, but there are some heavier topics mentioned. Even if they’re not fully developed topics, these are heavier issues than I expected to encounter. 

And to nitpick a bit more as I am someone who will choose a book based on the cover, I do not see a correlation between the cover and the story at all. This feels like a miss to me.

I did enjoy the characters but I wish there had been more… more development, more interaction, more growth with them. I felt like everything happened to them, they didn’t control their own story or decisions. 

The Summer Club wasn’t a bad story but it could’ve been so much more.

I really enjoyed this book, especially Darcy, Adam, and Flick. It's a story that I wasn't sure I'd enjoy at first, but after about 30 pages I was pulled in and enjoying reading about Mayhaven and the ins and outs of life at Mayhaven.

Darcy, Adam, and Flick all have challenges finding their place during the summer that the book is about. This is such a postively written book about how important it is to give others a chance and accepting that not everyone is what we see on the surface.

I really think this is something that you could share with your teen - there's no sex (one incident of groping but it's over quickly and isn't belabored - because it carries such a strong message.

It's been a while since I've read a book by this author and now i'm going back to see what I may have missed of hers. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

THE SUMMER CLUB focuses on a literal club, stuffy Mayhaven, where Ned Birch and his daughter Darcy both learned to golf--but have never been members. Ned is now the manager, trying to restore Mayhaven to its former glory. As for Flick, he's a teenage boy forced to move to Massachusetts from New York with his mom and new stepdad, where they live next door to the Birch family. He gets a job at Mayhaven and finds himself fascinated by Darcy.

There's no major in-depth characterization here, but it's easy to like Flick and Darcy and feel for Ned. He must deal with the insiders versus outsiders vibe of Mayhaven. McKinnon does a fairly good job capturing teens, especially Darcy, who has stopped playing golf and withdrawn from her family. There's a mostly unresolved story with Darcy and a sometimes mean rich kid she liked that just sort of fizzled out. Like a lot of the book, it feels like everything skims the surface, but never delves too deep. This is a decent, quick read but won't stick with me.

I found the writing style to not be engaging and lost interest at about 8% into the book. DNF



***********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*******************

This book was just ok.

I expected a good summer beach read but unfortunately it didn’t deliver.

I didn’t like any of the characters and if I’m being completely honest I disliked most of them. I really wish they had been more likeable.

I thought Ned and Ingrid as parents were completely blind. I pegged Darcy’s issue from very early in the book. I still don’t really understand what was with her and all her diet pills. I wish this book could have been able Darcy being brave to start with instead of letting everybody else be brave for her.

While I liked the country club setting it could have been done better. I would have liked if the book had gone into even a little more detail about it because that was probably the best part of the book for me.


While I will keep reading books my Hannah McKinnon I don’t think I would recommend this one. Her past books have been better.

Quick summer read, predictable story. Set in a New England town at a country club. Nothing very exciting happens. Rich and entitled vs hard working middle class.

This is my first book that I have read from this author. I liked how the author painted the picture of this story. I could almost feel that I was at this country club and other scenes in this novel. This novel was told in three POV's, Ned the father, Darcy the daughter and Flick the new next door neighbor. Although the story was nice and easy to read, I was a bit disappointed about the ending. Darcy dealt with several issues that are major issues in real life and I feel the author could have spent more time "helping" this character at the end. It felt very rushed at the end and everything was solved in basically two chapters. Although an easy read I wish more time was spent on the ending.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I love a good beach read to break up the murder and mayhem I usually ready and I was excited for this book. Unfortunately this beach read didn't do it for me. It ready very young adult for me and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. High school me would of loved it but 40ish me just couldn't get into it. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

A very easy and quick beach read.
Honestly it felt like it was on the cusp of a YA novel to me! A bit of drama in a small towns “country club”
Very predictable, but an easy enjoyable read. I would have liked to give it more than 3 stars cause I did enjoy it. It was just a little too fast and predictable for my taste.
I’d you want something that is a quick and easy story to read between more substantial books this is definitely a palate cleanser.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc of this book. This is the first book I have read from this author. This book is about Ned and his family, mainly his daughter at the Mayhaven country club. It also includes the point of view of another employee at the club. The book is told from multiple point of views. There is drama and some mystery. It was a light, fun, summer read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ebook title. Great story by Hannah McKinnon! These are my opinions of the story and are not swayed based on the free reviewer ebook.

A charming summer club in Massachusetts to escape to this fine summer. Things are not always perfect and Ned really has a time trying to keep things together, but he does his best and juggling a lot throughout the story to keep everyone happy.

Ned’s daughter, Darcy was such a creative character along with Flick. Both their stories weaved together really well and I greatly enjoyed following them, even if it was a bit rocky for them at times.

This was a great story that I really enjoyed overall. It really spoke about family, concern, fear, sticking together, love, friends and being kind.

There was a lot of inner monologue, which I’m not a huge fan of, and the troubles our characters face didn’t really interest me, so I stopped after chapter 1 (6%). That said, it feels accessible and comfortable enough, probably a 3-4 stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.