Great romance book by a great author. Loved the story and plot line. The cover is beautiful and will definitely read from this author again

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Review of Charlène Boutin’s Second-Chance Romance

Charlène Boutin’s latest novel is a poignant exploration of love, anxiety, and personal growth. While it captures the essence of a second-chance romance beautifully, there are moments that feel a bit rushed, especially in the development of the protagonists’ relationship. Nonetheless, the story is engaging and written with clarity, making it an enjoyable read.

One of the standout aspects of the book is Boutin’s sensitive portrayal of anxiety and panic attacks. The depth of Avery’s struggles is depicted with remarkable authenticity, resonating deeply with anyone who has experienced similar feelings. The author does an excellent job illustrating how anxiety can overshadow daily life, providing readers with a relatable and compassionate perspective. This is particularly impactful for those who may not fully understand how debilitating anxiety can be; it highlights the reality of living with such challenges.

The bond between Sophie and Avery is heartwarming. Sophie’s unwavering support serves as a reminder of the importance of friendship, particularly for those grappling with mental health issues. Their dynamic adds a layer of warmth to the narrative, showcasing how vital it is to have someone who understands and stands by you during tough times.

While some reviews have pointed out Avery’s perceived self-absorption due to her anxiety, it’s crucial to recognize that this portrayal reflects the reality of many individuals facing similar battles. Anxiety can be consuming, often making it difficult for those affected to focus on anything beyond their immediate feelings. Boutin handles this nuance with grace, encouraging empathy from readers.

Avery is a beautifully crafted character—kind, sweet, and protective—who many readers will see parts of themselves in. Her love interest, Logan, is equally well-drawn, and his own struggles with personal demons add depth to his character. Boutin has successfully woven their backstories into the present narrative, creating a rich tapestry that enhances the overall story.

The pacing of the novel is commendable; it does not drag and maintains a steady rhythm. However, it would have been interesting to explore Logan’s perspective more. Including his point of view could have fostered a deeper emotional connection with him and provided insight into his character development. Additionally, a glimpse into the skipped months toward the end would have enriched Avery’s journey and added more substance to their relationship.

Overall, this is a beautifully crafted, heartfelt story that will resonate with many readers, especially those who have faced anxiety. It’s a reminder of the importance of love, support, and understanding in navigating life’s challenges. I highly recommend this book, but be sure to read the trigger warnings—it’s not your typical fluffy romance. I’m looking forward to the sequel and to seeing where Boutin takes these characters next.

The best kind of romance. Learning to forgive, heal, and move on. So much to remember from this well done book.

I seem to be really drawn to these animated kind of covers lately. I really like the colours and pictures on this one and it is definitely initially what drew me to request the book.

Avery is spending a full month on the ocean shores of Cape Breton. Alone. Trying to recover from a relationship breakdown. She suffers from really bad anxiety and panic attacks and just needs a break away from it all. On arriving at the resort she is shocked to bump into Logan her childhood friend. Spending time together again it is obviously that there is something there smouldering between them.

The characters in the book are lovely and I found myself feeling nothing but empathy for Avery and the struggles she faces, daily. And Logan is so warm and kind hearted and patient, I couldn't help but be hopeful for the two of them. Mental health issues are handled really well in this book and it was quite refreshing to see and read about in this context. The author dealt with difficult subject well ad with sensitivity and tact.

A really lovely read, I will definitely look out for the author in future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Iris Books Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet second chance romance. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and loved the characters and their history. I would definitely read more written by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for sending me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of notes on this book. I am a huge romance reader and have read widely within the genre and its subgenres. There was a huge amount to say about this book and I spent most of my reading time writing notes.

Let's start off with what I really enjoyed about this book.

"Was the guy an idiot? He must have been an idiot."
"Why?"
"He lost you."

There were some absolutely lovely romantic moments in this book. I loved how the MMC viewed the FMC, even though we didn't actually get much from his specific point of view. As a side note I would have loved to see this as a dual point of view book. The MMC was really great, working her through a panic attack, even the instant attraction was done well. I usually dislike instant attraction in books but it worked really well in this book.

Unfortunately there was also a lot about this book that really could have done with more editing before publication. The pacing was a bit strange, too fast at times and then really good at other times. The FMC was quite infantilised throughout the entire book. She was very self aware but her self pity became cringe and she began to show some signs of immaturity. I think the author was trying to display complex daddy issues but the FMC was 30 years old and was acting like a freshly 18 girl who had never been in a relationship before. These aspects made it very difficult to enjoy the really good parts of the book as I ended up just getting more and more irritated.

With a bit more editing this book could really have been amazing, but I think it needed a bit more time and more editing before publication.

3 stars.

the depiction of anxiety felt very real - it's not often i feel so seen in a book and i loved reading something so authentic. that being said, i wasn't the biggest fan of the main character. avery was pretty hard to connect to and that made it less enjoyable, i did love logan though and wish we had more of his point of view!

i did still enjoy this overall though and i'm very excited to read more from this author.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

I received a ARC from Netgalley for the review of Summer Kind of Love. Avery has writer's block and needs to get away to regroup. She thinks she went somewhere to be alone and focus, when someone from her past is also at the same place. Logan and Avery have not seen each other since there were newly teenagers.
This book had a bit of mystery.... her dad... she was always leaving messages with him and he wouldn't respond. Flashbacks to when she was a teenager....
Avery also suffers from anxiety and mystery past.... It kept me guessing....

For a book about characters who suffer with anxiety this book was just frustrating,
it constantly referred social anxiety as a 'family curse' which was irritating.
then she was someone who has been diagnosed with anxiety at a young age yet she had zero coping mechanisms for it, i dont even think she was on medication for it she just expected everyone else to help her out during her spirals which is just not healthy. for anyone.
also this is a book about childhood friends to lovers but both suffer from mental illness (anxiety/depression) yet there was nothing enjoyable (for me) about this book, the characters were flat and boring or just over characterized which led me to skim read the book.

An enjoyable summer romance novel. I enjoyed it but I felt like it was missing some tension between the main characters. I would definitely recommend to people who want a quick and enjoyable read! Perfect for the summer.

I requested this one because of the adorable cover, I was so excited to read it but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I had trouble with the FMC and I just did not connect with her and couldn't understand her actions most of the time. I did not feel the romance at all, and second chance romance for me is a hit or miss so it has to be really good and this one fell flat

This book is to die for!
Loved the characters, the descriptions, the writing as a whole was incredible!

Avery struggles with her mind and body and is in a constant battle she rarely wins.
Logan is a dream; what every girl wants. He is there for her, he helps her in any way he is able to. He listened, didn’t judge, all while battling his own troubles, but him having Avery made it all easier to deal with his own struggles.

This book was beautiful and I can’t wait to read more from Charlène Boutin

Personally, I did not like this book.

The writing style was not it for me which prevented me from fully enjoying this book.
I did however like the small town setting, and the romance was fun too.
It was funny, sweet and fun, but I found it hard to really get into this book due to the writing style.

There are many heavy topics present in the book, but I do feel that the author has handled them really well, and they definitely add some more complexity to the characters.

I did not like the main character. I'm sorry but she seemed a bit odd to me. There were some things that did not make that much sense to me, and it felt like there were times when she was not being a good person at all, Yes, no one's perfect, but all these things make it hard to empathise with her character.

The ending was also really beautiful, and the epilogue was a nice way to end too.

Finally, thank you to NetGalley and Charlène Boutin for providing me with an arc for this book.

What a heartwarming story. It was more on the sad side than I expected but sometimes that is so right for the story, just like it was in this book. The mental health representation was great and a great book for a good cry and caring for the characters.

Summer Kind Of Love by Charlène Boutin is the first book in the Seasons Of The East Coast Series. This is Avery and Logan‘s story.
 
Avery is a texter and she has a good life until her relationship ends, and her heart is left in pieces. She desperately needs a change of scenery and gets a new job for a retreat center, and she moves into a little cottage by the sea. It took me a long time to warm up to her and I often didn’t understand her thoughts and feelings and she jumped into a new relationship way too fast.
 
Logan is a person from Avery’s past, and he is happy to see her again. He supports Avery and that was super sweet but at the same time it often seemed like that was his sole role and I feel like I didn’t fully get to know him.
 
From the cover and title of this book I expect this to be a cute summer book and it definitely was that but at the same time something was just missing for me. Avery and Logan were childhood sweethearts, and they had no contact for 17 years. Now they meet again and immediately reconnect and that went way too fast and because of that the feelings and romance didn’t come across for me.
 
Overall, I wish the romance was developed a little more, but nonetheless Summer Kind Of Love is a cute story. 3 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was an enjoyable read and I was so happy to have been chosen by the publisher. We need more anxiety rep, falling in love, feeling the summer breeze on our hands even if we're at work under the AC and can't really feel anything.
I can't wait to read more by the author.

I really enjoyed reading it. A perfect sfun summer read. I loved the writing in this book. It was beautiful from start to finish, and it kept me hooked the whole time. The story developed really well, and the plot was awesome. I liked the premise from the beginning, and it totally delivered. Great writing overall!

Heartbroken and fried of her regular life, Avery takes a month-long trip to a cabin to work on a special web copy job and recharge. Expecting to only nurse a broken heart and get work done, she quickly finds out her former crush works at the cabin rental, and the two spend time getting reacquainted.

This one was a did not finish and MAN did I try to finish. I got all within the last thirty pages and finally gave it up. It was really benign. The romance was not hot, the steamy parts weren’t steamy, and the conversation was so formal, almost like they were summarizing their conversation rather than actually having it. When the couple gets into a fight about their lives, it is so over-the-top histrionic, and not at all real life. Avery is prone to intense panic attacks, but it just didn’t seem real. This definitely lacked in a lot of departments for me - I feel like it needs a lot of editing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with this ARC ☺️💗

I’m going to start off just listing a few things I loved from the book:
- the characters
- ⁠the scenery and the writing around the setting of the book
- ⁠the authors beautiful way of writing
- ⁠mental health rep
- ⁠the perfect summer read

A few things that weren’t my fave or things I’d like more of:
- more of Logan’s POV
- ⁠Avery did annoy me at times in terms of her character
- ⁠the miscommunication trope (but that is completely personal to my own enjoyments from a book)
- ⁠they jumped into the relationship quite quickly. I wish there was a little more of a build up!

Overall it was still an enjoyable read and I look forwards to any books the author publishes in the future 💗