The Lightlark series had been on my TBR forever, partially because I’m always #100 on the waitlist at the library. So, when I got approved for this ARC, I was thrilled! Huge thanks to William Morrow for the opportunity.

What I loved:
The story is set in NYC, and as someone who lived there for years, I loved how the city came to life through the settings and little relatable moments woven into the story. Honestly, this plot is what I hoped my move to NYC would feel like as a young professional. Spoiler: my experience was more “spot the rat on the subway” than whirlwind romance, but hey, a girl can dream, right?

Also, no instalove here! The slow burn and the simmering tension before the characters finally get together were so satisfying. Nothing ruins a romance faster than bad pacing, and this one delivered.

What didn’t love as much:
The focus on money throughout the book got a little repetitive. I get why it was part of Elle’s backstory, but her reactions to Parker’s gestures felt over the top at times. And don’t even get me started on the third-act breakup in Chapter 30.

TLDR
Overall, this book pulled me out of a terrible reading slump, and I devoured it in one day. If you’re looking for a swoony romance with NYC vibes, give this one a try!

Alex Aster's contemporary romance debut was a pleasant surprise. I am not a fan of her young adult fantasy novels, but decided to give her adult romance a try. This book has the early 2000s NYC rom-com movie vibes that are so beloved, which really surprised me. I read a lot of romances set in NYC, but this was the first one that felt reminiscent of some of my favorite movies.

What I struggled with was the characters in this book. Their motivations and actions didn't feel fleshed out, and they didn't feel like real people to me. I found myself growing frustrated with both the FMC and MMC, which took me out of the story quite a bit.

This was such a cute book, and it felt like a love letter to NYC. I kept getting annoyed with the FMC and her money/relationship issues but overall, I really enjoyed it. If you like strong, independent women, billionaire romance, sort of enemies to lovers, summer flings, and fake dating, you'll enjoy this! I was dreaming of enjoying a summer in New York the whole time I was reading, and I think this is going to be the perfect beach read this summer. It's light, fluffy, and just a lot of fun (besides the annoying "I can't be with a man who has money" comments). The ending felt a bit rushed to me but if you're in need a summer romance full of banter that will have you giggling, make sure you add this to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was a 5 star read up until the last few chapters honestly.
I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time. I loved this book!!! the tension and bickering between Elle and Parker 🤌🏼
brb booking my flight to nyc 🗽

Screenwriter Elle heads back to New York City to combat a severe case of writer's block. The city is the setting for her next script and her previous home. Her new neighbor is billionaire bachelor Parker Warren — her almost hookup from her last night in the city two years ago. She can't stand the guy, but her hatred for him somehow gets her writing again. Soon, the pair agree that Elle will be his fake date for media events, and he'll accompany her to the places throughout the city that she needs to visit for the screenplay.

Summer in the City is fun and cute. The city becomes its own character. Elle and Parker have such an enjoyable dynamic, even when she hates him and he verges on love-bombing her.

However, many aspects of their personalities feel like caricatures, e.g., Elle's homebody tendencies and Parker's overly grand gestures. I understand it's to make a point, but it feels very "tell" instead of "show" at times.

Also, I'm seeing numerous comments about the third act. I personally didn't have an issue with it. Yes, it all happened close to the end and could have benefited from more development there, but the author manages to pull it all together.

3.5 ✨

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

What a book! A dreamy, whismy plot as we read about a summer romance. I wish it was summer now, but I'll cope through this book!! I loved the characters and the interesting plot

📖 Book Review 📖 Here’s a little secret about me…I always want to visit NYC, no matter what season it is. And this book absolutely swept me away, playing like a favorite rom com movie in my head like only a select few books can. In a totally unapologetically ironic manner that is not lost on me, Elle is a talented screenwriter who is tasked with writing a screenplay that brings The Big Apple, a city she hastily left two years ago with a bad taste in her mouth, into the limelight. So with just one summer back in the city she once loved, she lays all her cards on the table to make her dreams come true. But when a familiar face from the past turns out to be the billionaire next door, all bets are off for her heart. This was my first Alex Aster and she had me enchanted with her characters: Elle, Parker, and the city! Their stories were whimsical yet with depth and vulnerability that was beautifully relatable. Summer in the City was a truly magical romance that enchanted and left me rooting for more than just the summer…

Another billionaire romance where the FMC refuses to let the man take care of her. /sigh. I mean, I get it in a way, you want to be a strong, independent woman who can take care of herself. I totally get that but please, let a billionaire take care of his woman! I loved Parker and I thought their relationship was fun and cute and sexy despite Elle's insistence that she cannot let him do anything for her. I hated the end of this book and I wish I would have stopped reading at around chapter 30.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first half of the book but the ending didn’t really do it for me :/ Elle was a bit insufferable at parts bc just let the billionaire man spend his money on you!! By chapter 30 and beyond it really went down hill for me. There was also a lot of telling and now showing and it jumped between scenes very suddenly. I think the 3rd act break up here was very unnecessary as 1) they were never really together anyways 2) Elle was so back and fourth with him anyways it was really their 2nd break up.

it hurts me to say this but i fear i have to dnf. i have tried multiple times to get into this, but i only make it about 20% before losing interest. this could totally be a me problem and if this sounds up your alley, i def recommend, it just wasnt my personal cup of tea!

I was given an ARC copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!

This was a cute and easy read. It’s a billionaire romance with a fake dating trope set in NYC. I thought the writing was very good and descriptive and made me feel like I was Elle living in Manhattan.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. I couldn’t put it down for the first half. However, I got so frustrated with Elle. I understand her past shaped her to be the person she is now, but GIRL. This man is willing to give you the whole world, and you’re acting like such a brat throughout the whole book. It would’ve been different if she changed her attitude through like the last half, but she never really changed until there were two chapters left. If I was Parker I would’ve given up. Honestly. She’s so mean to him because he said something stupid two years ago. I wanted to reach through the book and slap her especially at the end. If that was the author’s intention, it was well done. Don’t even get me started on Chapter 30…

There were a couple plot holes that confused me…The whole making a big deal out of him living in San Francisco and her living in LA didn’t make any sense because that’s literally a 6 hour drive… and he owns a private jet. Which he’s now going to give away because Elle whined about its carbon footprint. There was so much whining about money that I couldn’t stand it. But that man would’ve moved mountains to get to her even if she moved to space. Distance was no problem.

Another thing, the conflict with her dad was never resolved. She never confronted him for taking credit for her success or tried to stand up for herself. I was waiting for Elle to stick up for herself and tell her dad to kick rocks, but we got nothing. I feel like her secret came out, he took credit, she cried, and that was that. I feel like that could’ve been explored more.

Overall, I give it 3 stars because Elle was so infuriating. Everything else was great! It’s a big difference from her Lightlark series and it’s interesting to see her come out with a different genre.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing with this ARC. I've read the the first 2 books in the Lightlark Saga and was absolutely blown away by Alex Aster's writing. Seeing her go from Fantasy to a contemporary romance, I knew I had to give Summer in The City a read. This book was the perfect summery rom-com. Alex Aster did the fake dating trope justice. Elle and Parker's relationship had me giggling and swinging my feet. They are so cute and I'm in love with their banter. The author did such an amazing job writing this book. It really gave cutesy romantic vibes. I will definitely be recommending this to all of my bookish friends and I can't wait for this to release so I can finally talk to someone about this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first introduction to Alex Aster (believe it or not) but I had such a fun time reading this book. It took me back to how I used to feel watching Gossip Girl as a teenager, wishing that I could be a New York city girl with a rich boyfriend.

Working on a once in a lifetime screenwriting project, our FMC Elle is struggling to find inspiration. In an attempt to get over her writer's block, she returns back to NY where she soon runs in to our MMC Parker, tech billionaire and her one night stand from 2 years ago...

I loved the chemistry between Elle and Parker. The enemies to lovers trope always does it for me, and this book was no exception. The pacing was perfect and the writing was excellent. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and find this to be the perfect "beach read" in the summer or in the winter just dreaming of being someone else, somewhere else just like the perfect rom-com book should make you feel!

Thank you so much Alex Aster, NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is for you if you love :

🍎Enemies to Lovers
🍎Billionaire MMC
🍎Fake Dating
🍎Rom-Com with banter

Thank you to the William Morrow publishing team for providing me with this arc. I love Alex's fantasy novels, so I was very excited to read her first adult contemporary romance novel.

This book had it all for me. I loved the characters, the premise, the plotline, the build-up, the tension, and of course, the romance. This book managed to bring my emotions to the forefront which is the definition of a good book for me. Some parts had me on the brink of tears while others had me laughing out loud. The only reason I'm knocking a star is because, around the 89-90% point, the FMC gets a little too whiny/immature for my liking. Although, I totally understand her "crisis", I think the writing weighs too heavily on it, making the plotline a little too dramatic for my liking. Her ego just got a little too big for me. Otherwise, this was such a fun and enjoyable read.

Pub Date: Mar 25 2025

As always, all thoughts are my own. 🖤✨

Perfection! This book made me crave summer. I loved going all thru the city with these two characters.

loved this romance in the city and how they meet and finally come together . loved that he helped her with her writers block and that they found a way to be together.

This book was so fun and I could not put it down! The chemistry between Elle and Parker was great throughout the book with the forced proximity, fake dating, and history with each other. Also, a great amount of banter between Elle and Parker which had me giggling while reading. Definitely a book everyone should read for their next summer romance!

Read if you like:
🗽 enemies to lovers
🗽 billionaire MMC
🗽 fake dating
🗽 forced proximity
🗽 NYC

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It's a shame that the last 10% of this story ruined Summer in the City for me. Summer in the City started off very promising. I was immediately absorbed by the story and NY setting. Unfortunately, the character growth we see with the main characters gets forgotten about at the end of the story. Summer in the City focuses around Elle and Parker. Elle wasn't my favorite character. She was prickly, pessimistic, and too hung up on herself. Elle's friend Penelope (someone with a voice of reason!) summarized her perfectly "why are you so obsessed with money?". At first, I understood where Elle was coming from with her money issues. Although her hatred towards Parker went too far IMO, I empathized with her situation. But after a while, it became frustrating watching her deny her feelings for Parker over and over again over money. Elle made Parker being more successful than her such a big deal. She wasn't a character I wanted to root for. I actually didn't mind Parker's character. Even though his throwing money at the problem mantra got old, I could tell he was trying to improve for Elle. I did find his big move at the end with the house silly. For an intelligent man, he should have known how that would have made Elle feel. I liked his patience and willingness to better himself. I liked the slow burn between Elle and Parker. I also enjoyed their movie scene dates. The glass tower one was cute! I wasn't the biggest fan of how Aster and Elle's relationship played out. I didn't understand why Elle kept pushing Parker away. After what went down in chapter 30, I was over their relationship. I wasn't happy with the ending of the book. So much happens at the end and there is very little resolution. I was disappointed that Elle and Parker's happy ending was eighteen months later in one chapter. It's a bummer that the ending of Summer in the City dropped this book down to a lower star rating. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

Alex Aster did a really great job with this book. I was hooked from the very beginning and I loved every second of it!

Oh how I truly just love an enemies to lovers… even if the feeling of being enemies isn’t mutual between the party. Summer in the City starts off with an iconic summary of how doing pretty much anything outside of her bed is a no go zone. One faithful night (her last night in New York) before moving to L.A. she meets Parker Warren, CEO of a tech company. After a two year jump, we meet the pair again when Elle temporarily moves and ended up being next door neighbors with her #1 enemy. The best part? He shows no recollection of meeting her previously and is drawn to her distaste towards him. It’s honestly hilarious how twisted Elle’s relationship with Parker drives her forward. One night after Elle moves in and discovers Parker, he comes over to ask if she could be his fake date for an event. Clearly taken aback and “disgusted”, she declines and a few hours later there is a dress waiting in the hallway. They strike a deal, he’ll have a fake date for the press during his business acquisition and she’ll have someone to help with her screenplay. Plenty of self growth and regression (because isn’t that the way of life) flows through the story. I genuinely loved every single purchase Parker made, they either made me laugh out loud or brought a smile to my face.

Pub Date March 25 2025

ARC provided by NetGalley, William Morrow and Harper Collins Publishing. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads