This book gave me Hallmark vibes. Very cute and wholesome. Who wouldn’t love to spend the summer in Ireland with a cute Irish man? Chelsea did seem a bit immature which was annoying at times but I enjoyed this book overall.

THis was a great book! My favorite trope is anything Irish or Scottish and this was a great addition to my collection. Great contemporary love story that will have you hooked, beginning to end.

An Irish Summer by Alexandra Paige
4 Stars
Release Date: July 1, 2025

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because by the end of this book, I was looking up flights to Ireland!

Chelsea's life is upended by the sudden sale of the B&B she's worked & lived since graduating college. She ultimately is left with two choices, go to Ireland & work at hostel or move back in to her parent's house while she looks for a job an apartment. With a little nudging from her dad and best friend, Chelsea takes a leap and decides to go to Ireland - just for the summer.

I found myself rooting for Chelsea on her journey of self-discovery and change but her long refusal to embrace her new adventure did have me rolling my eyes at times. Chelsea and another hostel employee, Collin, make a deal that Collin will show her Ireland as it's ought be seen and enjoyed and Chelsea is to reserve judgement until the end of summer.

While Chelsea found it difficult to enjoy herself because she is not used to "going with the flow" and always likes to have a plan, we watch her change throughout the story. By the end of the book, she is not the Chelsea who arrived in Ireland & she understands that's not a bad thing at all. I grew quite attached to Florence aka Flo, an Italian transplant who also works at the hostel. Flo offered true and genuine friendship and was Chelsea's #1 fan (okay, maybe #2 after Collin).

This book takes you throughout Galway, Dublin, the countryside, a cèilidh, a proper Sunday roast and offers Irish tradition including lovely fairy stories. I'm telling you, you'll want to take your own trip to Ireland after this book. I enjoyed that this book wasn't just surface level and explored the depth in Chelsea and Collin, explored self-discovery and the difficulties in making life changing decisions. You're bound to resonate some way, some how with this story.

Thank you to Alexandra Paige, Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute story but felt a little slow for my taste. I struggled to get into the story at the beginning. Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

This summer fling romance set in Galway was super cute. The romance between Chelsea and Collin is sweet, perhaps a bit more spice next time..
I really enjoyed this lite read. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

First, let's praise this book's cover! The gorgeous and inviting cover drew me into the story, making me eager to learn more. Inside, I found a self-discovery story and a beautiful trip across the pond to Ireland. Paige's writing enthralled me, and I loved her characters and the book's progression. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My heart exploded over this adorable romance! So much whimsy, adventure, love, self-discovery, culture, and joy in An Irish Summer. I read this in December so I can only imagine how much I’d love it in the summer on the beach or by the pool or sipping coffee on a cafe patio!

Highly recommend for 20-something’s stuck somewhere between their desire for stability and adventure, figuring out what they want out of life and love and career.

A quick read perfect for the summer by the pool or to take with you on your travels, especially if it's Ireland! Chelsea and Collin had a sweet love story and I found it refreshing that their relationship developed slowly. I did have a hard time with Chelsea, at times it felt like she was in her early 20s as opposed to being in her late 20s. I loved all the side characters--Ada, Flo, and Lars!

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Sweet Summer Read

An Irish Summer is a cute and cozy book that's perfect for a lazy afternoon. Chelsea's move to Galway is a classic fish-out-of-water story, and watching her adjust to Irish life is both funny and heartwarming.

The romance between Chelsea and Collin is sweet, but it could have been a bit more sizzling. Still, it's a good choice for anyone who loves a good old-fashioned summer fling.

I wanted to love this one but, honestly, I couldn’t.

Many of the culturally or geographically Irish bits were off to the point of throwing me out of the story. I don’t know what the author’s background is but who lives in Boston, historically one of the largest concentrations of Irish immigrants, and doesn’t know what things like a claddagh ring are?

Why would an Irish native take someone to the Temple Bar, a huge tourist trap? And how is someone driving from Dublin to Galway and, in the same morning, dropping off a car and catching a train to Limerick in time for lunch? Especially after staying up late drinking the night before?

In terms of characters, I just couldn’t connect with Chelsea. Somewhat for personal reasons - I cannot comprehend someone not wanting to travel to Ireland. But, the whole storyline of people in the hostel revolving their lives around making a stick in the mud and rude American fall in love with Ireland, and make her want to to stay, wasn’t believable.

Also, most of the story was “told” to the readers rather than describing the setting, the characters, and what they are experiencing. I was told Chelsea fell in love with Ireland and its people in the span of a couple of months but I certainly didn’t feel it.

What gal wouldn’t love a dreamy Irishman to be their personal tour guide all summer long? This book was fun and sweet and a quick read, but don’t expect an open door romance with this one.

Chelsea’s life is turned upside down when she suddenly loses both her job and apartment. However when the chance to work at a hostel in Ireland is presented to her, and she has nowhere else to go, she finds herself moving 3,000 miles away from home for a temporary summer job.

But will her feelings for the people she meets, Ireland herself, and for the sexy Irish tour guide remain as temporary as she thinks?

Collin was absolutely dreamy, supportive, funny, and a perfect book boyfriend. By comparison, Chelsea somewhat got on my nerves. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her, but she figures it out by the end. I did expect more conversation between Chelsea and her mom at the end of the book since her mother was such a large part of the pressure she felt for her life and career goals, but overall I enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this wonderful book!

This is a wonderful book full of self-discovery, friendship, love, and adventure. I absolutely enjoyed getting to know Chelsea and Collin, and following along the journey of their relationship. Like many possible readers, we're all like Chelsea and have our mind set on these standards or ideals of what makes someone successful. But as Collin reminds us, those things can change and it's important to understand that change can be good.

I loved the relationship between the characters and really appreciate how personable they all were to me as I read. This was a fun read that included fairy stories, Irish slang and dialogue that had me swooning, and also wanting more. With this being the first book I've read by Alexandra Paige, I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for An Irish Summer. I’ve never read anything from this author before but I was pleasantly surprised. The book had great flow and was a very easy, pleasant read. I’ve never been to Ireland *sigh* but I felt like I have through the vivid, detailed visualizations in this book. I enjoyed the character transformation and developing relationships throughout. I’ll definitely be following Alexandra Paige’s future writings. Add this one to your must read list for 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

I did not connect with the heroine in this novel and therefore could not get into it. She felt juvenile and whiny to me.

3.75 stars. This is an ARC from NetGalley. This is a fairly standard romance with Hallmark movie vibes. Even though the ending was predictable, I found this to be a light enjoyable read. The MFC was supposed to be mid to late 20s, but overall this felt a bit YA with her coming off more early 20s. The main arc of the story was regarding her ability to give up control and always having a plan, and embracing the life in front of you. The internal angst/delimina was a bit overplayed, and caused the remaining characters to drastically disappear into the background. Was this story anything groundbreaking or memorable, no, but it doesn't try to be. If you want a feel good Hallmark tale in a book this story is for you. #netgalley #anirishsummer #romance #hea

Unfortunately I’ll have to call it quits and DNF this read. I cannot connect with Chelsea. Not to mention she is just plain rude. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This one was really slow to start. The idea was fun but there was way too much prep before she even got to Ireland. And I honestly didn’t understand why she was so against 3 months working in a foreign country. Like does she not know how hard those kind of opportunities are to come by? Idk it just seemed unrealistic for her to be so against it to me… It was hard to relate to the character, and I was overall just bored.

I get that she was sad to lose her job but c’mon how often do you get an opportunity like this?

Living and working in Ireland for the summer is the stuff dreams are made of…just not Chelsea’s. When she unexpectedly loses her job in Boston, her choices are moving back in with Mom and Dad or packing her bags for a summer job at a hostel in Galway, Ireland. Chelsea reluctantly choses Ireland, determined not to fall in love with the country or anyone in it. But that’s before she meets Colin, bartender and tour guide extraordinaire.

This novel was filled with rich descriptions of the Irish countryside served with a side of fairy stories and Irish brogue. I enjoyed seeing Chelsea express her creativity in her new job at the hostel (although some of her ideas seemed more suited to a hotel or resort setting). I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but all in all this was a sweet story.

A fun pick for those who have studied abroad, backpacked through Europe, or ever dreamed of doing so.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher (Avon and Harper Voyager) for allowing me to view this advance reader copy of An Irish Summer, by Alexandra Paige.
This story of adventure, new places, and finding yourself is a delight. It has comedy, romance, found friends and family and I found myself feeling as if I knew Chelsea, Collin and Flo and wanted to be apart of their team. I first related to Chelsea as a fellow Red Head and Curls, as well as thinking I have a structured plan for life. Chelsea is stable in her life in Boston, her best friend, her family, and a great job. She works at a bed and breakfast until she is notified that the Bed and Breakfast is being sold and she has less than a month to find a new job and apartment. A lady at the Bed and Breakfast knows of a summer job at the Bed and Breakfast sister hostel in Galway, Ireland. It is an adventure, and with reluctance she decides to go. It is so hard to leave your home and life, but for Chelsea her co workers at the Wanderer are determined to change her mind, especially Collin, the tour guide.
The landscape of Ireland is artfully described and had plenty of Irish lore. I found myself wanting to be apart of this team as I so enjoyed each character. Reading this book I felt transported back to my 20's traveling, places, so close to my best friend everyone thought we were sisters, and young love. I highly recommend this book for young adult and older adult.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Chelsea has the perfect life. She lives and works at a charming B and B in Boston close to her family and friends and has a plan for her future. Too bad that all goes awry when the owners of the B and B decide to retire and sell. Now without a job or place to live, Chelsea has a choice to make: live in her parents’ home and work reception at their podiatry practice or spend a summer in Galway at the sister hostel of the B and B. It seems like a no brainer, but for a planner like Chelsea the idea is daunting. Deciding she doesn’t have much of a choice, she heads to Galway with the plan of adding new skills to her resume in order to find work back in Boston. But when she meets the charming tour guide, Collin, her best laid plans fall to the wayside. Can this planner follow her heart or will she be beholden to the course she set for herself?

Chelsea was really off putting. I couldn’t connect with her at all. She had a very immature vibe, and I found her to be unkind. Everyone who worked at the hostel was kind and really tried to genuinely get to know her, and she completely closed herself off and at times was downright rude. I can see what the author was going for, but I think her execution failed. I wanted to see Chelsea fall in love with Ireland and Collin, and I felt like it took longer than it needed to for that to happen. The characters in the book had more patience with her than I did. She does eventually come around, but it took about 70% of the novel.

I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between Collin and Chelsea and that could be because she was closed off for a good portion of the book. I didn’t believe she would choose Ireland and him. I did enjoy the Irish backdrop and the secondary characters were fun and well developed. I think the heroine just took the fun out of it for me.