I really wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately, I did not.

The premise was exciting and I really looked forward to getting an ARC of this book.

Let’s start with what I did enjoy; the vivid and beautiful descriptions of Nantucket. I can see why this book will be the perfect summer read.

However, I did not like either of the main characters. Personally, I found them and their relationship to be unlikeable and hard to connect with. It felt too focused on their physical relationship.

I do recommend this book to those looking for a cute summer read, but this one was just not for me.

Watching a book-loving heroine go toe-to-toe with a billionaire who wouldn’t know a happily-ever-after if it bit him is pure magic. Sweet, swoony, and irresistibly fun; this is the kind of love story that feels like a perfect beach read.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked some of the characters, but I didn't love the MMC as much as I wanted to, and the romance wasn't my favorite. Let's start with what I liked. The setting was fantastic, and I could easily visualize the beauty of Nantucket. It's actually an island not too far from me, and I thought the author did a great job of describing it. I would love to visit the bookstore on the wharf and meet some of these interesting people!

Jade has such a vivacious and charming personality, that it's easy to see why she's so easily accepted into the Nantucket community. She is an underestimated woman, and I think she's been underestimated for so long that she actually underestimates herself. I like how she grows and becomes more confident and self-assured over the course of the story. I also really liked some of the secondary characters, especially Liam's grandmother and a few of his employees. Unfortunately, I didn't like Liam.

I love a good grumpy-sunshine romance, but Liam was too grumpy for my taste, and I felt like some of the things he said and did were just downright mean. He did not treat Jade or his employees well, and his disinterested, cold manner was offputting. He did have a redemption arc, and he did change, but it wasn't really enough for me. I felt like he needed to grovel way more than he did. Luckily for him, Jade is wayyyy more understanding and patient than I am.

There was also a LOT of talk about Jade's boobs, and it got really repetitive. It felt like every single person she met stared at her chest or implied that she was a dumb blonde. It was cliche and cringy to me. Even Liam falls victim to this, and it makes it feel like he is more sexually attracted to her than anything. It took time to see him connect to her on a deeper level, but the constant references to her body were too much.

I also felt like her family was kind of passive-aggressive with her, and though her sister was called out on it, her parents weren't. I did like that they treated her differently in person and how the sister reacted when confronted with her behavior, but they were not very nice to her, and it didn't feel consistent with their previous conversations. Overall, this was just an ok read for me. I didn't hate it, but I don't know that I'd recommend it either, which is a bummer because I usually love Freeman's romances

This book was very cute off the bat - you could get a feel both for the main characters from the first chapter and the small town vibe. A typical big city grump coming in thinking he knows what’s best and a wide-eyed gal comes breezing into town. I love the immediate foil set out in the beginning that she is coming to work at the bookstore on the wharf he is trying to buy.

I think what made this book great is the string of character development you can see with the MMC from the beginning of the book through. I was SO annoyed at him at first and thought (like many typical romance men) would spend the book brooding and in the very last chapter notice how blind he’s been. But instead, this book really showed the process of that growth and change over time. I actually teared up at one point because of how she was causing a healthy change in him and giving him something he’s never felt before.

The book made me want to visit Nantucket, work in a bookstore, and become friends with the people in town. A great read for book lovers and dreamers!
I can’t wait for more readers to enjoy! I really liked this one - and think there’s a story there for her sister and the nurse!!

The perfect summer setting for a fun and flirty story! I adored this book and thought Freeman did a great job crafting the characters and their dialogue. Good spice level and again, love the setting! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Booked for Summer was an easy read, but I wasn’t fully invested in the characters or the plot. I was frustrated by the lack of communication between the main characters. I felt like the book was too focused on them wanting to sleep with each other which meant there wasn’t as much character development as I would’ve liked. It’s fine for a quick summer read, and the description of Nantucket did make me want to visit!

Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book notably more than I did.

The premise was fun - a book lover takes a 3month job to run a book store at the beach only for the shop to be sold. Her summer then focuses on trying to convince the new owner to not tear the shop down while she ultimately falls in love with him.

Throughout the book, I understood and could buy into Jade and Liam’s (the main characters) motivations. I also liked how the author depicted both sides of an argument as Jade and Liam worked through their feelings and would apologize or forgive one another.

Unfortunately these strengths were overshadowed by a few issues I had with the book. Specifically
- I found both Liam and Jade unlikable. They were both quick to jump to negative, often unreasonable conclusions and never gave each other the benefit of the doubt nor a chance to explain. This made for a lot of unnecessary miscommunications and over reactions throughout the book which grew old
- The story is focused on sex and their physical connection with a few, unrealistic conversations to try and add depth in a way that felt unbelievable (e.g., both of them sharing some of their biggest secret fears/scars on the first night they met)
- Given the above, I never bought into the Jade and Liam’s relationship. Despite white Liam claimed, it felt like they brought out the worst in each other and I felt like they needed time to work on themselves before either could be in a healthy relationship

Thank you to Kathryn Freeman, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great book! Liam and Jade had such a great slow burn romance but the pay off was totally worth it! I loved the fight for the bookstore because as a book lover and professional obviously I know the passion behind books and literacy. Also the location descriptions were gorgeous as well I felt like I was right there with the characters.

Jade es la decepción de su exitosa familia, y cuando le ofrecen un trabajo temporal en una librería en la isla de Nantucket, cree que es su oportunidad para demostrarles a todos que no es solo una cara bonita. Sin embargo, cuando Liam compra la librería con la intención de destruirla, Jade decide que nada se interpondrá en su camino, ni siquiera él. Ahora está dispuesta a hacer lo que sea necesario para demostrar que puede hacer rentable la librería.



~


Yo apoyaba la venganza de Liam.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those stories that sneaks up on you and catches you right in the heartstrings. It's sweet and spicy (!) in turn, and may just be one of my favorite books so far this year. Jade and Liam are at odds from the beginning and the romantic tension builds page after page. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Underneath the spicy open door scenes, there was a sweet story here. I was not expecting so much spice based on the cover and title, and it definitely threw me off, but past that the story had a sweet romance, friendship, family trauma healing, cozy small town setting, a love of books, found family, etc. This was not the book for me, but I can see how some will enjoy it more.

This book definitely made me want to visit Nantucket! I loved the setting and scenery descriptions. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.