This is the story of Maggie and her young daughter who are still trying to recover from the death of her husband. Her brother in law Josh has been her rock all along. When Maggie sees someone who looks just like her husband, her world is overturned and she is left with many questions. Was her whole marriage a lie? She and Josh are on a mission this summer to figure it all out. This is a great easy read and I finished it in 2 days. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming and that made it even more enjoyable. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was my first book by this author and I'd love to read more of her work.

Denise Hunter tackles a variety of issues in this heart-warming and uplifting story. Maggie, a young widow with a five-year-old daughter, Zoey, has gone to spend the summer at her in-law’s beach house. Maggie’s brother-in-law, Josh, lives near the beach house, and he has been her friend and a great support person since the death of her late husband Ethan. Their summer takes on a whole new look as the days go by. Intrigued by a mysterious person and heartache from grief and loss and unknowns are wreaking havoc on what was supposed to be simply a delightful summer by the sea leading up to the 5th anniversary of Ethan’s death. Don’t worry, the story basically has a happily ever after in the end, but it is hard to make it to that point. Lots of tears and hardship are in store for Maggie, Josh, and their families. However, what I appreciated a lot about this book, besides the wonderful characters, the excellent plot, and the multiple conflict points, is how Denise Hunter tackles difficult inter-personal relationships, specifically, difficult family relationships. She does not dodge them or make them pretty on the outside, rather she delves in and walks the characters through situations that we likely encounter with loved ones or close friends in our own lives. Maggie’s mother is narcissistic and the author walks her through those interactions and that situation quite well, with Maggie needing to set boundaries and talk things through with someone else. Josh also has a difficult relationship in his life, and the author again walks Josh through some difficult conversations and the reader can see the results of that. This is something that has been lacking in Christian fiction for a long time, and it is so refreshing to see it and learn from it. I highly recommend this book. It is a great, summer-themed literary escape and it is also a great personal growth book too. Read it. You won’t regret it!

This was my first Denise Hunter read and I will definitely read more of her books. This is a story of love, loss, family and so much more. Maggie lost her first husband, Ethan, and she has never really gotten over him. She comes back to her summer home and spends time with Ethan's family and his younger brother. Josh is in love with her and has always been. (I really enjoyed reading the characters that were brought to life in this book.) They end up with a mystery to solve and the last 25% of the book unravels this mystery with a huge twist. Will Maggie and Josh end up living their happily ever after? Will she let go of Ethan? Add this to your TBR as it would make a great beach read!

Thank you Net Galley, Denise Hunter and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions shared are my own.
The Summer of You and Me is expected to be released April 22, 2025.

Cute romance novel with very little spice. I thought it was predictable at times, but not in a bad way and there were still some surprises in the plot. The writing was well done and not heavy handed. Would recommend this to other friends as a sweet, enjoyable summer read.

Maggie is spending the summer at the beach with her daughter. Maggie lost her husband five years ago and is just now starting to live again. Josh Reynolds is her brother-in-law and her rock since Ethan died. Josh fell in love with Maggie over twenty years ago and has kept the secret from his family. As the summer starts Maggie sees a man that looks just like Ethan at the amusement park. As Josh and Maggie search for the man they become closer together; can Josh finally let Maggie know he is in love with her?

This book was really good. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. I enjoyed it so much. I can't wait to read more by this author.

The Summer of You and Me is an exciting, heartfelt book that hits all the right notes! It has a bit of everything, too, which I love. There's a great romance, but there's also mystery and drama and a healthy dose of inspiration.

All of that came through lots of twists and turns. Romance books are usually pretty predictable, but I loved how this one played out! It was certainly sweet, but it had hard moments, too, and they came in really unusual ways.

The Summer of You and Me is the perfect beach read. Denise Hunter has penned another winner!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter had me yearning for sunshine weather and the joy of a book I couldn’t put down. Absolutely fell in love with the characters as they took me along with them in life’s struggles and unpredictable outcomes. I recommend reading this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions are my own.

This was the first book I've read by Denise Hunter and I really enjoyed it. As I was reading it, I thought that it would make a good Hallmark movie. When I looked up the author, I see that she's written several books, 3 of which have been adapted to movies by Hallmark. It was an engaging story and I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing and ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Ooh, I wanted to like this so badly. I think remarriage as a Christian is definitely a touchy subject, and I feel like this story was not the best example of it, unfortunately. I loved both of the characters individually, but their relationship lacked a lot of depth and felt very circumstantial and immature. The mystery kept me reading, but once it was revealed, it weirded me out more than anything, so was unfortunately disappointed in that regard. I love most of Hunter's books. but sadly this one was a miss for me.

3.5 stars but rounding up to 4⭐️
I have liked this author’s other books, but this one didn’t quite work for me. It’s not a bad book, but something about the writing was off putting. For example, the term of affection “honey” was used way too often and seemed unnatural for the relationship between a brother-in-law to his late brother’s wife. It didn’t work. I also realize this is an arc, but the amount of typos took me away from the story.
With all that said, I still liked the story of a woman trying to find out what really happened to her husband and searching for love again. I did not like the conclusion to the “suspense”, but it could have been worse.
I will continue to read this author’s future books, but would like to see her write in 1st person next time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I was unable to read this book. The PDF format with production marks and text that I was unable to adjust was very difficult to read, and it kept failing to download to my mobile device (was only able to access it via desktop browser). But because I could not adjust the text to be larger, it was too small for me to read on desktop.

The writing was beautiful. But the characters were awful. The book came to a screeching stop when I realized Maggie was in love with her husband's brother. It kinda felt like it came out of left field.

All in all, it was just ok.

I think I struggled with this one because I had trouble relating to Maggie. The book started off with a mystery - which I love. Did Maggie see her husband, who died 5 years ago, at an amusement park? Immediately, I’m invested. Loved the setting, loved the characters. Loved that Maggie is going to spend time in Seabrook with her husband’s family and with her daughter and explore her feelings, trying to get some closure. Then it got weird for me. The more the story evolved, the more you begin to see that Maggie is in love with her husband Ethan’s brother, Josh.

I think I felt bad for Ethan throughout this novel. His wife was always in love with his brother? His brother was always in love with his wife? Just didn’t feel right. Felt like a real betrayal, so I had a hard time rooting for this romance.

I still give credit to the author - it’s well written. Just the storyline hit me wrong.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

The Summer of You and Me did NOT disappoint. I have always enjoyed Hunter's works, but this one shined. Masterful plot twists, an unexpected ending, dealing with grief and forgiveness, and looking toward a hopeful, joyful future. So much packed into this novel.

Releases Apr 22nd. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheSummerofYouandMe #NetGalley.

Title: The Summer of You and Me
Author: Denise Hunter         
Genre: Christian, romance   
Rating: 4 out of 5

Five years after her husband's death, Maggie is finally ready to let go of him and the dreams she had for their future. A summer at Seabrook, where she and Ethan first became childhood sweethearts, seems the perfect time and place to find closure. Plus, she gets to spend time with his family, the Reynoldses, whom she loves like her own.

Unbeknownst to Maggie, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds, has been in love with her since they first met all those years ago. But his brother ultimately won Maggie's heart, and Josh's unrequited love has ruined all of his relationships. If Maggie is ready to move on, then Josh is ready to lay it all on the line and come clean about his true feelings for her.

But his plans soon get put on hold when, shortly after Maggie returns to Seabrook, she runs into a man who could pass for Ethan's twin. But he disappears into the amusement-park crowd before she can confront him.

The event rattles Maggie, stirs up impossible questions, and sends Josh and her on a quest to discover the man's true identity. But their search ends up raising more questions than answers--and soon Maggie isn't sure she wants those answers at all.

Like most of Denise Hunter’s books, this was a sweet, quick read. Maggie’s daughter was actually my favorite character, but I liked all of them. Except Maggie’s mom, of course. She was pretty horrible. I liked the mystery over the Ethan-lookalike, and the resolution was unexpected. This was a solid read, and I do recommend it.

Denise Hunter is an award-winning author. The Summer of You and Me is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 4/17).

I was completely engrossed in this story of family and friendship, lost and found, loss and love.
It's a unique story line and I couldn't figure it out until Denise's story unfolded the truth before my eyes. I loved every moment of reading this lovely romance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found the premise of this book to be highly triggering and had to put it down.

The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is a heartwarming romance about Bailey, who returns to her family’s beach house and reconnects with her first love, Austin. As they face their past, they must navigate old wounds and second chances. Hunter’s writing is engaging, and the beach setting adds charm to the story. While the plot is familiar, the emotional depth of the characters makes it a sweet, feel-good read for fans of second-chance romances.

Maggie is a widow with a young daughter. Her former brother-in-law Josh is very involved in her life. Maggie has an overbearing and narcissist mother who verbally abuses her. When Maggie and Josh (who has carried a torch for Maggie for years) are at a carnival with her daughter, she sees a man from afar who looks exactly like her dead husband, Ethan. From this point the story unfolds as the author draws us into the mystery of who this man might be. Some of the mystery seemed just a bit too “out there” for me, but overall I enjoyed the twists and turns.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own