This was a slow burn and I absolutely loved it! It almost feels like it should be classified as a second chance romance. Loved to see Elle’s growth and Parker’s unwavering dedication to her. The 3rd act breakup was absolutely necessary in order for Elle to grow, find her own voice & love herself.

I would’ve liked to have seen a resolution to Elle’s relationship with her dad. Also, would’ve liked to have seen the loop closed on who revealed Elle’s secret.

The writing was so vivid, I felt like I was in New York. I loved the pizza day, and the blueberry scones. I got so hungry reading this book, I went in search of my own blueberry scones.

Can’t wait for more contemporary romance in the future.

I absolutely loved this book! I was swooning and laughing the whole time while reading. This book consumed me, I just couldn't put it down! It's such a fun and flirty romcom. I really enjoyed the main characters. Elle and Parker are incredibly cute together. And their banter is amazing! If you like romcoms then this book is definitely for you. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love this book so much I could cry. This is the rom-com book of my dreams!!!!

Elle is a screenwriter who operates under a pen name and thrives being a wallflower hermit anonymous being in her professional and personal life. She is determined to not make the same mistakes as her mother and live every day to be fiercely independent like her mom taught her. Parker is a hotshot young tech genius CEO. His slingshot into celebrity status as one of the richest and most successful people has him jaded that relationships are transactional and based on what you get from the other person, that you can buy your and others happiness.

First and foremost, the banter was B A N T E R I N GGGGGG. They were both so funny and cheeky with their banter. I lived for their exchanges. I can see this being a movie that I would absolutely watch. BRB need to pre-order all the editions now. I devoured this entire book and I’d do it again.

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

Elle meets Parker at a party and there are immediate sparks they almost hook up in a stairwell until Elle sees straight through Parker and his billionaire playboy tendencies. She feels like she dodged a bullet there, but soon leaves NY. She hates the city and hates Parker even more.

When Elle gets the chance to get back to New York to write a screenplay that sets primarily in New York, she begrudgingly takes the opportunity. Only to find out that her neighbor is none other than Parker Warren - the same man who she almost hooked up with and that she hates. But every opportunity she is forced to interact with him something unusual happens - she gets the urge to write. Elle has had writers block and couldn't figure out a way to write this screenplay, but turns out she just needed her muse - the one and only Parker Warren. Parker soon has an offer for Elle. They'll pretend to fake date for PR so that he can keep everyone off of his back as an important merger is going on with his company and Elle continues to write while in close proximity to her muse. But when the lines start to blur between real and fake are these two brave enough to cross that line?

Summer in the City was a really cute rom-com! I ended up reading the first 40% of the book in one sitting. I liked Elle and Parker's dynamic even though Elle hates Parker and he just wants to spend more time with her. There were parts of the book where I was getting frustrated with Elle. She was hot and cold when Parker genuinely only wanted to spend time with her. Summer in the City was written from a single POV and I think this made it kind of hard not to see his side of the story.

I still enjoyed Summer in the City! I like Alex Aster's writing style. Looking forward to reading more contemporary romance from her.

I don't know why but I was so excited for this book and am so glad I got approved for it. The premise just sounded like so much fun and it was!

This follows our FMC as she goes to New York City for the summer (hence the title of the book) to find inspiration to write (she has some good ole fashioned writer's block going on). She also happens to run into our MMC who she has a not-so-amazing past with. He is a very wealthy tech bro that is about to become an even wealthier tech bro. And since they hate each other, of course they have to do a fun little fake dating situation! I think fake dating is so much fun to read about and this did not disappoint in that department.

There was something lacking about this book that I can't quite put my finger one, there just wasn't enough oomph. But I still had so much fun reading this! It just wasn't as exciting as I wanted it to be - I think that was the problem. Give me more drama!

This was so fun and I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a fun and summery read. And especially if you love a fake dating trope like I do. Who doesn't?! And it was a super fast read too!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Wow. Wow. Wow.
ALEX ASTER OUTDID HERSELF.
Tied in the #1 spot for my fave contemporary romance.

This is the first romance I’ve ever read where I quite literally didn’t want it to end. I wasn’t chasing answers or an ending. I want to follow Elle & Parker to their GRAVES.

I’m not usually a millionaire / billionaire romance girlie, but this was oddly realistic. Even for me, a girl who rarely has more than 3 zeroes in her bank account.

I thought our FMC Elle was BRILLIANTLY written. Honestly, all of the characters were so utterly themselves. Unique & fun & distinguishable.

The PLOT TWISTS !!!!!!! had me gasping.

I cannot say enough good things about this book.

The friendships. Sisterhood. Self-discovery. Family drama. Grief. Lust. Love. All of the dates. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!! It was all so downright perfectly done.

THANK YOU NET GALLEY FOR BLESSING ME WITH THIS MASTERPIECE.

Going to gather all of my thoughts some more & I’ll be back to add my Goodreads / Fable review + IG post 🫶🏼

I am very happy I had already pre-ordered one of the beautiful spray-edges editions.

I started reading Summer in the City, knowing that Alex Aster was primarily known for her fantasy books, a genre I’m not typically a fan of. I didn’t know what to expect from her first contemporary romance, but I absolutely loved it!

The relationships between the characters are one of the standout aspects of the book. The author presents a rich and complex dynamic that allowed me to feel the palpable chemistry between them. Each character has their own backstory and motivations, granting them depth and authenticity. This connection is not solely based on romantic attraction, it also encompasses a mutual understanding of their personal struggles, making their bond even more significant.

One thing I loved is how Aster doesn't just make the city a backdrop, it’s a character on its own! The sights, sounds, and hustle of NYC come alive on every page. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the pavement, hear the buzz of the streets.

I found myself completely engrossed in the story, unable to stop reading even when I knew I should take a break. There were moments when I couldn't help but giggle and kick my feet in delight and Parker Warren is now one of my ultimate book boyfriends, I highly recommend this book which is also now one of my favorites💗💗

3.75 rounded up

Received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It started off strong as a cute enemies to lovers billionaire romcom. And then we get to act 3 where it fell off the wagon for me. Semi spoilers below:
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So we get not one, not two, but three third act breakups? And we're proposing at 3 months? And this whole time we've never once exchanged phone numbers? And then we just fast forward two years? I know they both needed growth and whatnot, but I just HATED how it happened and the FMC just became unlikeable at the end. I get *why* she acted how she did, but the fact this man just waited 2 years with no contact, no questions asked after she went ballistic on him with no explanation? I didn't love it. The last few chapters just didn't do it for me.

Overall I'm happy with the HEA and it was a fun read for the most part. I think the book had a lot of potential, but the abrupt 180 towards the end when we're usually smooth sailing into our HEA wasn't what I wanted from the book

I received this book as an ARC and absolutely devoured it.

First, I must say Parker is perfection.

The story is fast paced and deeply engrossing. I find the characters and their personalities to be frustratingly realistic. At times, I wanted to talk sense into Elle but also understood her hang-ups.

I wish we could have had more at the end, but honestly cannot complain!

Loved her debut adult novel. I read in one day it was so cute I didn't want to put it down. Very different from her YA fantasy novels but she did great making the switch.

HOLY FREAKING COW! ALEC ASTER HAS DONE IT AGAIN! I will be the first to admit, I was a little nervous about this book, but I am so glad that I requested this ARC. Summer in the City is a cute rom-com that is a quick read with a grumpy FMC and a “Sunshine” MMC for most of the book until the roles reverse and then revert back. The characters are easy to fall in love with. I will say I wish we learned a little more about the MMC through his thoughts and feelings. I want to know more about what drives his choices and feelings.

Tropes:
-Forced Proximity
-enemies to lovers
-NYC setting
-Time limit

Give this sweet quick read a shot, chuckles all around.

Thank you NetGalley and Alex Aster for the eARC of this book, I really appreciate it and I’m excited to see how the stories continue from here.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🗽A very funny rom com with a great meet cute, excellent banter, and all my favorite tropes. A little too much spice for me, but that’s a personal preference. I find New York City to be incredibly romantic, it’s the perfect backdrop to Elle and Parker’s story.

Elle meets a cute guy at a club, they share a moment and immediately have a miscommunication. She uses that resentment to fuel her writing career, and keeping her identity a secret she becomes one of the world’s most successful screenwriters. Two years later and she is on a deadline, the studio sends her to the city for inspiration. Who just so happens to be her neighbor? You know it, a gorgeous billionaire who soon is smitten with her.

This is a wonderful fantasy; there is great dialogue in this book. They have excellent banter and good back stories. Some of the things that Parker does for Elle are so incredibly romantic it made me swoon. There’s also a well fleshed out family of origin story with an absent father and a strong independent mother.

I have to say, this is a gorgeous cover and I love the spayed edges, this is well done! Add it to your TBR now!
Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the ARC. Book to be published March 25, 2025.

#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #SummerInTheCity

WOW! That’s it.

I absolutely adored this book, and I cannot wait to find my own Parker Warren. The banter, the tropes, the setting (NYC, I may be a little biased), the plot! This book was everything I could want in a romcom set in NYC visiting places I love and adore, and places I want to go to (I’m looking at you Cloisters) I felt like I was reading a Meg Ryan film. The characters were original and the extremely relatable, I saw maybe a little too much of myself in Elle! Summer in the City was a fantastic contemporary romance debut and it will be my personality for the next 6-9 months. I cannot wait to see what else Alex Aster writes!

This Billionaire romance was fun to read but was frustrated with the main character.

Elle and Parker meet in a nightclub where there's a stairwell hook up, but afterwards a not-so-nice exchange. Two years later Elle is back in New York for the summer and her next-door neighbor is Parker. Parker convinces Elle to be his fake date for the summer but as time moves on feelings start to happen on both sides, but Elle can't get over the exchange from two years ago.

Summer in the City by Alex Aster was an okay read for me. I had never read any of Alex Aster's previous works because they never really called my attention but I was very curious to see how an adult romance novel from her would pan out. I'm glad I read it. It was fun, it was a romance. I wouldn't say it was memorable, the writing was okay for me, nothing too special or memorable. Overall, a basic romance novel.