Well damn. This book rocked me. Do I think this book will be for everybody, prob not. Check the triggers people and check them again. Nothing triggers me so I loved it. I felt so in tune with Samantha more than I ever have with another book character. Being 43, grown kids, with my husband for 23 years……so many similarities. I finished it with tears in my eyes. Tears for this woman who found herself over the course of a summer. A woman who fell in love with one man while falling out of love with her husband. Read the book if you want the story. The book opens up with her husband asking her for an open marriage because he is unhappy. They decide on 4 months apart with no contact. Unfortunately she finds that she was just as unhappy. Ugh so good.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC of Cruel Summer! I was hesitant throughout the book of how I would rate this, knowing what was most likely going to happen and it sitting weirdly with me.
But the way the story unfolds is a beautiful growth story about finding yourself and being honest with yourself when it comes to hard topics in your life, and your marriage.

I ended up loving this book and all of its storylines!

**there were quite a few editing errors which made it difficult at some point, but overall a great story!

I am so glad that I grabbed the opportunity to read this ARC.

This story is sexy, fun and sweet but still feels grounded in reality. Reading Sam’s growth in being comfortable in her own skin and who she is left me feeling inspired!

I did not expect to find this as impactful as I did. What initially I thought would be a fun romance with a unique premise ended up being so much more! (Don’t get me wrong, it was still such a fun romance!)

Logan…I mean what did Sam expect! He’s dreamy!

I’m so glad Yates’s backlist is so extensive - I need more!

Thank you to Canary Street and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book gave me all the feels. Finally a book from the perspective of a “40 year old woman”. Real life topics. Real life questions. Real life conundrums. This book was a warm blanket. You empathized and sympathized with the main character. You rooted for her and you even felt her pain. Well written, fast paced, and real. I highly recommend this book.

I was awarded a NetGalley ARC from publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Life doesn't always go according to plan. It is exceptionally painful and difficult when you aren't expecting the curve ball coming at you. For a couple that "did the right thing" and got married after a teenage pregnancy, Samantha thought they had overcome the odds and made it to the empty nest stage with a solid marriage. When Samantha's husband Will asks for an open marriage she is understandably confused and devastated. This book is the journey of her reflection and self-discovery.

I love a book with character growth and personal revelation. This is a book that I feel will stay with me for a while. I generally read to escape but this book sparked lots of reflection for my middle-aged self. While I may not fully understand the relationship dynamic between Samantha, Will, and Logan some aspects are personally relatable. How do you navigate those mid-life questions? How do we deal with self-image, body positivity, opinions of others, sexuality, grief? What are the repercussions of being a people pleaser? Do your choices really please other people? Do you make the "safe" life choices or do you say f-it, take chances, and live life to the fullest in the moment you are in? What does it cost your personal happiness to make choices to please others?

I've debated how to rate this book. Many books I read I don't think about after I move on to the next. But I decided Cruel Summer is a 5 star read for me based on how much it made me think and feel. A book that can take a difficult topic/situation/theme and make me feel it deeply, provoke thoughts and feelings earns my respect.

The ARC copy has some typos and errors that I found distracting (as well as formatting issues). I anticipate those will be corrected by publishing date.

This is a really cute summer read I did read it out of the summer, but it was still worth the read. Very interesting

Cruel Summer is a solid read for fans of character-driven stories. If you enjoy slow-burn emotional arcs with relatable pop culture nods, it’s worth picking up. For me, the slower pace and lack of urgency in the plot kept it from being a standout, but it’s still a good choice for a thoughtful, reflective read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I naturally chose this book because the title and cover sold me, but the story inside is so much more. I think the author did a great job navigating difficult topics, while still giving us a sweet romance.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book! I was so excited to see a title with one of my favorite T Swift songs and the story was equally as cute! I’ve never read a story with an open marriage concept and it quickly hooked me! Samantha’s journey to self discovery and finding love again (with herself and maybe someone else too?!) was so enjoyable.

I loved this book! I kept picking it up to see how things ended and what I was hoping for in the beginning had changed by the end. The authorities a great job rolling out all the revelations slowly and building up to the ending. I was happy to see her less of a slave to her image at the end. Well written, even with the edits needed.

*small spoiler warning!!*


Cruel Summer was a well written, beautiful and fun journey. This book had it all!! I can relate to Samantha’s struggles on such a deep level (hello grief and shame my old friends). My jaw hit the FLOOR when her husband asked for an open marriage!!!
The author did such a good job at making the struggles connect with their reader. Such a relatable read and I loved every minute!

This was a very interesting and fresh story that I truly enjoyed. The dialogue between the main characters is especially a strength of the book that stands out.

I enjoyed reading Cruel Summer. It was a poignant story of a woman dealing with an unusual situation with her husband but ended up finding a better life for herself.

This review contains some spoilers!

The first things that intrigued me about the book were the cover and the title (love me a good TSwift reference!). Overall I thought the book was well done and an enjoyable read. I did feel it was a bit redundant at times (Sam reminding herself that Logan had slept with other women multiple times, how Logan was Will’s friend and not hers - baby girl you went on vacation with this man and his daughter how many times over the last several years?). Sam’s development throughout the course of the book felt authentic in the sense that she felt trapped in her timeline of settling and marking all her milestones at such a young age which then made her second guess some of her thoughts and feelings as a now forty year old woman. I liked how the book evolved as a journey not only of physical road trips but adventures of self discovery as well. I was eating up the cliche “but I’ve been here all this time” trope. The spicy scenes were spiced enough for me and yes I too would love to stare into Logan’s beautiful blue eyes. Some grammatical errors here and there (I live in Chicago and we do not have Lake Erie anywhere nearby unless there’s something I don’t know about?) that I am sure will get fixed in post and prior to publication. I would recommend!

When I started reading I remember gasping when Wil asked Samantha for an open marriage! The audacity . Ended up loving how her and Logan travelled the country and falling in love. Self discovery is a tricky business but this was written really well! I could see this being a motion picture!

Sam’s husband Will asks for an open marriage after 20 years. Sam is upset about this, but agrees to keep her husband happy. They decide to spend the summer apart, with Sam hoping that after this time apart things will be fixed and back to normal. During this time Sam goes on a road trip with Logan, Will’s best friend. She starts to feel a connection with him and starts questioning everything she knows.

Sam has a lot of self growth throughout the book. She discovers who she is outside of motherhood and her marriage. I really loved watching her become her own person and figure out what she wants. I also loved the romance in this book. Their chemistry was insane. I highly recommend this book!

I read over 150 books a year, so honestly many of them don't stay with me long. This book will be an exception, it was hard to put it down at night! I related to the main character so much, and her story - while maybe not entirely - will be relatable to most women of middle age. The writing style was good, and characters were engaging.

Cruel Summer was a beautiful journey. The thing I love most about reading is when you find a book that transports you to new places, that teaches you things you’d have never thought about beforehand, and the stories that bring you to tears and heal you all the same. This book had all of that. Samantha’s struggles with grief, adulthood, shame, and complacency are extremely relatable and heartfelt. Maisey took her own experiences and created a new life from them. While I loved the romance in this story, I loved Samantha more. 5 stars all around.

Sure, the ending might have been predictable, but the journey to the happily ever after (HEA) was anything but simple. Our characters truly had to earn it, which is something I always appreciate in my romance reads.

We’re all deeply flawed at our core, and this story beautifully highlighted how some people can bring out the best in us, while others might not. The character development was top-notch, showing growth and resilience in the face of challenges.

This book told a compelling story, weaving together personal struggles and triumphs. It's a reminder that a predictable ending doesn't lessen the impact of the journey that gets us there.

Unfortunately I did not finish this book. I’m not sure why but I couldn’t get as into it as I thought I could. I’m sure I will try to pick it up again at some point but something about Samantha, Will and Logan irked me. Thank you, NetGalley for this opportunity. All opinions are my own.