Contains an audiobook review.

Rebel Summer is part of the 7 book series Falling for Summer. This is a series of closed-door/kisses only standalone romcoms that feature
interconnected characters and are all set in the fictional town of Sunset Harbor. They are written by 7 different authors and can be read in any order. It is fun to read the whole series and see how events overlap and characters interact with each other.

This was my 6th of the 7 books to read. In my opinion, it has had the least amount of crossover character interaction. I sort of missed that in this book, but the story itself was enjoyable. I particularly liked the last half of it. The male and female lead characters have a history that connects to their present. I like seeing some backstory and previous relationship with characters.

I listened to an audiobook version of the story. It is told in single person point of view, so their is just a female narrator. I felt like she did an excellent job reading the book and portraying the male and female voices.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Cindy Steel for the audiobook that I was able to listen to. I am happily leaving an honest review.

The summer has come to an end and what a ride it’s been. Rebel Summer. is the last book in the Fall for Summer series. This is the story of bad boy meets good girl. Dax and Ivy went to high school together. Ivy was always trying to make her dad happy. Being a good student and being involved in school is what she thought would accomplished that. He was a politician and always in the spotlight and her job was to help him look good. Dax had some family drama that made him want to lash out and not care of the consequences. 10 years later the two meet unexpectedly in a freak accident. And their story continues.
This was an entertaining book. We have met Dax and Ivy in some of the other stories, and it was good to get their story out. I liked the tug-of-war they had with each other and even though they were quite opposite, they just mashed together well. A couple of things I did not care for was Dax continually trying to get Ivy to be a rebel, to do things that would get her in trouble with her father or with the law. Even though I did not care for her father, I just didn’t like the way that part of it was portrayed. I am glad that she found a way to stand up to him and find something that made her happy for herself. I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰.”

Superb narrator for this book! She really brought this story to life and did so great with the voices! A narrator can either make or break a story, and this one definitely MADE the story!!

This has got to be the BEST book of this series hands down!! Oh my goodness, I’m obsessed!! I LOVED reading about the tatted hottie of the island, Dax Miller. His humor was 100% giving me Ryan Reynolds vibes and I am so here for it 😂 The way he would constantly goad Ivy had me cackling my head off 🤣 The grandmas’ obsession with Dax is absolutely hilarious! This is peak Rom-Com humor and romance at its finest right here folks! What are you still doing here?! Go read it!!

Ivy grew up with a politician for a father so her every move was carefully monitored by said father lest she make a mistake which might reflect badly on his good name. Life was not what you might call pleasant. She did her best to pull good grades and do whatever would please her father, but then Dax Miller became her assigned biology partner. Dax was a perpetual bad boy and he carried that label with pride. Things just always seemed to go wrong when Dax was is in the picture so when one fateful night led to Ivy accidentally getting involved in a crime with said bad boy, her politician father was less than pleased.

Fast forward a few years and Ivy has moved off the island and away from her tyrannical father. When a wedding brings her back to the island, things quickly begin to go back downhill. Ivy may or may not have accidentally taken Ambien, hopped into a golf cart to go home, fell asleep behind the wheel, and then smashed into the front of Dax Miller’s repair shop. So yeah, definitely not great. Even though it was an accident, Ivy was given a DUI and told she owed Dax 200 work hours to help repair the giant Lego car she demolished in the wreck. Life was not looking to be in Ivy’s favor at all. Now stuck on the island, Ivy has to settle with living under her father’s tyranny once again (he wasn’t at all impressed that she got a DUI plus had to spend so much time with Mr. Bad Influence himself) unless she can find another house to live in for the duration of her stay. That’s where Dax comes into play 😏 Dax has a duplex. Half of said duplex is empty. Ivy connives Dax to let her live in the empty half. And they lived happily ever after!

Okay, I lied. They absolutely did NOT live happily ever after. Things were good for a few days but then, as was to be expected, they started to annoy each other. A truce was made so that they could attempt to live in perfect peace and harmony. Many swoony moments commenced as Ivy and Dax were forced to spend much time in each other’s company at work and at home. Ivy constantly tried to deny what her heart was feeling, but you can only deny a heart for so long. I absolutely died over THE KISS 🫠 Absolute perfection right there! I adored the fact that they made each other better people ♥️

Best Moments:
🚗 Accidental accomplice to a crime
🚗 Dax calling Ivy “Books”
🚗 Biology class — namely the dissections 🐸🐷
🚗 Accidental DUI
🚗 Mediocre coffee
🚗 Rebuilding a giant Lego car
🚗 Sharing a duplex
🚗 Dax coming to Ivy’s rescue
🚗 The tattoo 🤭
🚗 Knocking her song through the wall
🚗 Goading Ivy into THE KISS

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook! All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️ Right out the gate, Cindy Steel's books all feel very similar to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like them. But I've read so many of her books that I got kind of bored in this one. Don't get me wrong, it was still cute and I enjoyed it, but it just feels like the same story. Bad boy. Good girl. Nicknames (luckily she had a cute one this time)

The characters, Dax and Ivy, were likeable enough but definitely not my favorite in this series. I enjoyed how much time they spent together, but I feel like that time spent was kind of lame. They could have done so many cute things together. I don't know it just felt like a missed opportunity. They did have fabulous chemistry though. Side note, absolutely hated her dad. The most unlikeable character in this series by far. So glad Ivy stood up for herself. A quality I liked from her.

I only listened to the audiobook of this one, and I feel like my enjoyment wouldn't have been improved if I read it in tandem with the book (which is a good thing for the audiobook). All of the female narrators in this series did a really good job. They honestly all sounded very similar to me, but still made the narration their own with their inflections and voice changes from character to character. I liked Marli's dude voice ha.

Anyways, I think the ending of this series could have ended better. It didn't wrap up all of the other stories like I thought it would, and you didn't see many of the characters from the previous books in this one. It just felt unfinished.

Ultimately, I liked all of the books in this series and would honestly recommend them all. Great summer reads and a fantastic setting. Enjoyed.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cindy steel for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read if you enjoy:
- Forced proximity
- High school flashbacks
- Closed-door romance
- Acquaintances (kind of) to lovers

4.35⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Falling for Summer #7
Others in the series ~ Falling for Summer series
Setting ~ Sunset Harbor, an island off the coast of Florida
Publication date ~ book ~ July 31, 2024, audio ~ August 13, 2024
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page Count ~ 364 (p+ 27 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 52 minutes
Narrator ~ Marli Watson
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ small town, island life, family drama, flashbacks, community service, forced proximity, opposites attract, bad boy/good girl, slow burn, friends to lovers, no steamage

Trigger warnings from the author ~ parental manipulation, narcissism, sibling abandonment and a brief scene of attempted sexual assault

Ivy (28) & Dax (28) see each other again after 10 years when she accidentally DUI’s the golf cart right through the window of his mechanic shop, breaking his beloved Lego car. The judge orders her to do 200 hours of community service to rebuild it.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it's parents of full blown adults thinking they can make choices for them and tell them what to do. Ivy is a very mature woman with a PHD. Yes, she accidentally got a DUI, but she still has her head on her shoulders, so I’m pretty sure she can make her own decisions. You know what happens when you try to tell your child to stay away from someone? They do the opposite, which I know from experience. His name was Alex if you’re wondering.

Overall, they were so adorable and sweet together. I loved the flashbacks to their interactions in high school to see where it all started for them. Their banter was perfect then and now. Dax was one the sweetest bad boy I've ever read. I was thrilled when Ivy finally stood up to her father.

Series notes:
The timeline is the same for each book meaning the characters from other books in the series are in the background, but haven’t necessarily had their story told yet. I like this way of doing things since it doesn’t make it absolutely necessary to read them in order, but it’ll be better if you do.

Narration notes:
She did a wonderful job.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I adore the books in this series! All of the books are downright adorable and super cute. I loved the banter between Dax and Ivy in this book, it had me giggling away. I was heartbroken for Ivy and the abandonment she felt from her father. This was so sad and made me want nothing but the best for Ivy. I could not wait for Dax and Ivy to finally give into their feelings for each other. This was a great romance.

The banter. The teasing. This book was so good!!! I wanted to savor it but ended up binging it. Oops 😅

5 stars!!!

Rebel Summer is the 7th book in the Falling For Summer series, it reads completely fine as a standalone. I really love this series. It's so much fun to revisit the characters from book to book, you never feel lost or like you've missed something. I really loved this installment, there were some deeper subjects, but they were handled with such finesse and care from the author. She sprinkled them in through the funny moments and I thought it was the perfect blend.

I absolutely loved Ivy & Dax. They were both such endearing, loveable characters. I just couldn't help but root for them and their HEA. There was so much tension and chemistry between them without it being spicy, that says a lot at how the author is able to convey that connection. I thought the past chapters were really nice to see a glimpse of their relationship before. I just completely fell for them while they were falling for each other.

The author's writing style was amazing, I couldn't help but be so captivated by every sentence and interaction between the characters. It was a beautiful story that made me smile and laugh throughout it all.

🎧 The narration by Marli Watson was really great. I loved her voice and her tone. I thought she conveyed the emotions perfectly and was able to play both parts flawlessly. I never felt like I was missing a male narrator.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia & @cindysteel for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
This was such a fun book and audiobook. Rebel Summer is written by Cindy Steel and is the seventh and final book in the Falling for Summer multiple author series. This was a wonderful way to end this amazing series.
I read part of this book and also listened to the audio book which was so good. I really liked the narrator and the way that she drew you into the story. Rebel Summer is a single POV so you get to follow Ivy. Steel is a lovely writer and you really get to know the characters. I felt for both Dax and Ivy as I learned about their struggles.
I like how both Ivy and Dax felt real. They were humans just trying to make the best of their situations. They felt real. The romance and connection between them was just perfect. Their banter was a lot of fun and their interactions truly made me smile. I liked the progression of their relationship and how you got to see their history.
I would totally recommend Rebel Summer! Both the book and the audiobook are great! The characters become your friends. I love getting to see some of the other characters too. Rebel Summer is a closed door romantic comedy.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

This is the last book in the Falling for Summer Series (but the 6th one I've read)

I so adore this series and Dax and Ivy were a great way to end this series (or just read in general)

Dax is the beach mechanic and he was always getting in trouble growing up.
Ivy is the senators daughter and she has always done whatever she can growing up to make her dad proud. But with these kind of men you can never make them proud.

She's back on the island for her cousins wedding where a headache turns into falling asleep and running through the mechanic shop and now she's stuck on the island for the summer.

But this is the 1st time she can let lose and finally become herself.

I love this series and I can't wait to read book 6 but the last book for me in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio arc in exchange for my honest opinions!
#NetGalley

Rebel Summer by @authorcindysteel is the perfect ending to the Falling For Summer series! This book is bringing all the charm, humor, and romance you’d expect from her books! I’ve absolutely loved all of the books I’ve listened to from this series, but this just might be my favorite! (Maybe because I’m married to a slightly rebellious mechanic 😝)

Dax, the obvious rebellious heartthrob on the island (just ask all the grandmas 😉), and Ivy, the picture perfect senator’s daughter, have the kind of chemistry that just leaps off the page. The flash backs to their high school past adds a rich layer to their evolving relationship, making every interaction crackle with tension and sweetness, and I have to add that the last little flashback is the cutest thing and had me absolutely melting!

The small town Florida island Sunset Harbor makes the perfect backdrop especially with its close knit community and the specific rules and regulations!
This story is a delightful mix of summer fun and heartfelt growth. Whether it’s Ivy finding her voice or Dax discovering purpose, their journey is full of laughter, love, and unforgettable moments.

I would definitely recommend reading all the books in the series, but trust me this is a fabulous finale you don’t want to miss!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the audiobook copy!

The narrator captured the various voices well and was a joy to listen to.

This book is a great example of how tropes you don’t normally like can still work in the right hands! The premise of a bad boy/good girl romance isn’t one I’m drawn to, but Cindy Steel is an auto-read author for me and I haven’t been steered wrong yet. She made those elements work really well (and more nuanced than they first appear) with the needed blend of lighthearted and depth and it was a delightful read!

Cindy Steel’s signature banter and playfulness is here along with all the swoon and sweetness of her romance. The flashbacks and personal history added a fun element, there was plenty of forced proximity, and the humor was balanced with heartfelt personal development and realizations.

Pick this up if you want to hold on to the last little bits of summer! Or really it would be a satisfying read any time of year.

♡*Thank you to NetGalley and Cindy Steel for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion*♡

4.5⭐
When I say this book is as close to perfection for a closed door rom com, to have to believe it!
I loved the dynamic between Ivy and Dax, it felt so natural and progressed in a very believable way. I found myself giggling away and kicking my feet on several occasions!
Although the book follows a tried and tested storyline and romance tropes, it still comes across fresh and enjoyable. I was addicted from the start.
The way it is integrated with the other 6 books in the Falling for Summer series is fun, without it being overbearing.
Marley Watson as narrator really makes the characters come to life, I loved the way she read to story.

If you are looking for an easy summer romance read, I would highly recommend Rebel Summer :)

“Part of life is knowing there is going to be disappointment sometimes, but when it comes to matters of your life and your heart it shouldn’t be you that is disappointed”

This book was SOOO incredibly good. It hit home for me in some ways I was not expecting, but it made my connection with Ivy instantaneous. I loved her. I loved her strength even when she felt she wasn’t enough, her hard work and determination, and her desire to do the right thing. Dax was my favorite kind of MMC, the boy that seems to be bad from the outside, but has so much goodness within. Put the two of them together sprinkled with nicknames, tattoos, Sunchips, Coke, tools, and Legos and you make a 5+ star book! The audiobook is TOP NOTCH!! Marli Watson did a phenomenal job. I love it when a narrator can do a male and female voice seamlessly without it being cheesy or cringey. It really was prefect and added to my experience. This is a summer must read! Thank you @authorcindysteel and @netgalley for letting me review this audiobook (Available Now).

☀️Contemporary Romance
☀️Part of Series/ Can Stand Alone
☀️Kissing Only
☀️Mild Infrequent Swearing
☀️CW: Attempted Sexual Assault and Narcissism

Dax and Ivy stole my heart. My favorite of the Falling for Summer Series. Secret high school crush, flashbacks of them as science lab partners in high school, he fell first, high school frenemies in second chance meeting later in life. Opposites attract. Forced proximity. The banter. Tatood boy, mechanic, confident vs academia girl with controlling father. Dax's confession after Ivy calls him "chicken" in Chapter 21 broke me. Make sure you check out the author's website cindysteel.com for a bonus chapter told by Dax's perspective. 0.5/5 spice. I think the only thing I would have loved more is if it had some spice because the angst, chemistry and desire was there, whew! I'd love to see the movie version of this!!

I listened to the audiobook in one sitting minus a 20 minute break when my earpods went dead and needed a charge!

4.5 stars

This was such an adorable book. It hit some heavy topics (people pleasing, putting her happiness aside for family, emotionally stunted father, family dynamics, expectations v reality, etc). I love Dax and Ivy together. I love the back and forth dual timelines of in high school biology class and now. This book is also not spicy (they only kiss), but it's authentic. It seems like a true to life story that would actually happen. It's a great story of figuring out who you are and who you want to be and setting boundaries.

Ivy is the daughter of a Senator (she even refers to him as Senator and not "dad") and has grown up knowing he never wanted her and prides his career above all. She's always fell in line and taken the path of least resistance as it would get her away from him the fastest. She slowly learns that maybe being away from him isn't necessarily what she actually needs and Dax is the one to push her outside her comfort zone and ask the tough questions and slowly peel back her layers to show Ivy who she is and what she actually wants. She's stronger than she realizes and can have it all.

Dax is the town screw up who has a heart of gold and has secretly held a torch for Ivy almost his entire life. He's the ooey-ist, gooy-ist cinnamon roll out there and between the tattoo and the secret song I couldn't get enough of him. I was ready to move to to Florida and challenge Ivy for his affection if she didn't wake up and see what was right in front of her.

I really enjoyed this story more than I thought I would and it was the perfect end of summer read. The narration Marli Watson was just perfect. She did such a wonderful job bringing Ivy an Dax to life. I've already looked up other books read by her.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

I've fallen in love with Sunset Harbor, and Dax and Ivy were a match made in heaven. Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media LLC for the ALC via NetGalley! These are my honest thoughts :)

I absolutely loved this story of the senator's daughter and the rebel bad boy with a soft spot for his lab partner. I had so many questions about Dax leading up to his story. The glimpses of him in the other books had me so curious about who this guy really was, and let me tell you, he did not disappoint. I sadly didn't remember too much about Ivy before this story, except maybe at the cafe? Regardless, I loved her story so much.

These two are both struggling with their families for different reasons. Ivy's expectations come from being the senator's daughter and having to live up to his expectation for the life he "paid for." Dax, we learn, has hardened to life because his older brother left the island and never returned, which left a deep cut in his emotional life.

When Ivy accidentally takes a sleeping pill and drives her golf cart into Dax's building, destroying the lego car that he built with his brother, the judge sentences her to community service to rebuild the lego car. The close proximity to Dax and her dread of staying on the island and in her father's house leads to close proximity at work and then in the duplex that Dax rents out to Ivy for the summer.

There were so many levels of this story I enjoyed - the adventure, the way Ivy pulls Dax out of his shell, the way each character was forced to face their real life and examine if they've become the people they actually want to be.

This is my first Cindy Steel novel, but I'll be checking out her other work! This was a fantastic and fun audiobook. 4.25 stars!

One accidental medication swap leads to Ivy being stuck on a no car island with her horrible lab partner from high-school.
There is a good mix of drama, feels, and chemistry (and biology ;)) following Ivy own up to her mistakes and find her inner strength to stand up against her dad.

Ivy Brooks was supposed to be in Sunset Harbor for a weekend. An unfortunate accident lands her in court where she is sentenced to community service paid toward the person she's wronged, Dax Miller.

It was an awkward time for Ivy as she had looked down on him as a troublemaker back in high school. We also got to see glimpses of their interactions in high school chemistry classes which was awesome.

I loved the scene in the courtroom with the judge and his not-so-subtle matchmaking ploy to have Ivy serve 200 community hours working for Dax and extra time working at the cafe. I loved it when he dropped by at the cafe just to tease her 😂 Ivy started her hours and they developed a rhythm, including trading in hour cash 😂

Dax also wanted her to know her worth and had interesting ways to do so. The tattoo parlour scene had me in stitches. Ivy understood that what she did with her life shouldn't be dependent on other people's opinions. Seeing Dax opening up and learning to need other people despite past trauma was also beautiful.

I enjoyed the narration. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. Another Cindy Steel masterpiece!

Help! I'm addicted to the Falling for Summer books. I'm not normally a fan of romance novels but I started this journey and I'm not stopping now. Rebel Summer is the fifth one I've read from the series and by far my favorite. The chemistry between Caroline and Dax was palpable, despite the fact that the book contains no explicit scenes or language.

I finished this book in two days. An easy, well-paced read. This was my first Cindy Steel book but I'll definitely check out her other titles.

4.6 rounded up to 5.