Thank you for the ARC for this wonderful book! I really enjoyed the journey that the main character went on to find herself in the midst of her husband asking for an open marriage. Her self growth throughout the book was so fun to watch. I love that at the end she did realize she could choose herself but also choose having love at the same time.

Diving into a Maisey Yates book is like putting on your favorite cashmere sweater when you’re cold, it’s just so comforting and makes you feel good. This book is like her others in that you know you’ll get your HEA but not without heartache and growth. I loved Sam and Logan, they had crazy chemistry but also a friendship that was so sweet to watch happen.
Solid 4 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Sam's husband of 20+ years shocks her when he asks for an open marriage. Knowing she can't comfortably share space with him while he's seeing other women, they settle on a summer break, promising to reunite in the fall.

Sam initially believes he will get his desire for other women out of his system and she'll spend the summer ignoring it, so they can move forward together. Instead, his best friend Logan asks her to embark on a series of road trips where she wrestles with self discovery and her feelings about her husband and about Logan.

While this is not typically the kind of story I read, I definitely enjoyed it. Yates did a great job of weaving a more complicated relationship dynamic than I've read in most romance novels. This book is certainly not for everyone, specifically those who are uncomfortable with open relationships.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for Cruel Summer. I enjoyed the transformation Sam has throughout the story. While the men in the story are central characters, this story is more of an exploration of her own growth and discovering who she is outside of motherhood. While this story is a small jump outside of my own personal reading preferences, I was drawn in regardless. Also, can we talk about that playlist at the end?!? Golden. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC! Add this as a must read for 2025!

I was thrilled when I recieved this book as a ARC from the publisher. The storyline of a woman who has been a Mother and a wife since she was 18 and is now 40 and spends the summer to find herself adter her husband drops a bombshell on her seemed right up my alley.

I was not disappointed at all when I read the book and stick by my 5 star rating. The dialogue aline is thought provoking and memorable. The friends to lovers plot was done magnificently. Perfect blend of romance and chick-lit.

This book has some of my favorite tropes
❤️ Forced Proximity
❤️ Friends to Lovers
❤️ Vacation Romance
❤️ Second Chance Romance (kind of)

Samantha is 40, married with 3 children and her youngest has just left making them empty testers. Imstead of planning their future travels, her husband asks for an open marriage. He says he wants to have freedom to see other people. Samantha is devastated. She doesnt want to to lose her marriage so agrees to spend the summer separated and not in communication so her husband can have his exploits without her being exposed to further heartache.

Just when all hope seems lost her husbands best friend , Logan , a widower of 10 years asks her to be his travel companion on a summer long adventure driving across country to deliver vintage cars he restores. She has gotten a weird vibe off of Logan for the last few years they went of family vacation together but she agrees to go.

Logan has lived the life that Samantha's husband envied and wanted to obtain.

Will Samantha figure out her next steps with her marriage? Well she finds New ❤️ love? I highly recommend reading 📚 to find out!

When I first started this book, I was pulled into the plot as it was set up to be really interesting and unique. However, the main character didn't interest me and I started to loose interest at the book went on. I'm sure some people will love this book, but it just wasn't for me

This book was EVERYTHING!!! Saying I LOVED it, does not even do it justice! I don't even know where to begin. This book is 5 stars, without a doubt! I cried through at least the first 6% of this book, and then many more times throughout...this may sound like a bad thing, but it's NOT! This book spoke to me on SO MANY levels! It might have something to do with the fact that she is around the same age as me and is also a people pleaser to her own detriment but ya know! Someone in another review had mentioned that this was not your typical rom-com, which I agree it was not at all, it was such a nice change of pace! But that it was also very thought-provoking, which I couldn't think of a better way to describe it. Seeing the FMC Samantha have her own self-actualization made such a huge impact on me. Talking about this made me think of the hierarchy of needs, starting with our basic needs of food, water, shelter, safety, then moving up to our psychological needs like intimate relationships, self esteem and a sense of accomplishment, and finally to self actualization where you achieve your full potential. I mention this because Sam (and me) spent so much of her adult life focusing on everyone else's basic needs while also providing an environment for them to thrive in the higher needs. The only thing is that she forgot about herself. But this Cruel Summer could change everything for her!
When Sam's husband Will asked her for an open marriage, I wanted to punch him in the face! Instead of working through their problems, his first reaction is to have an open marriage, I mean screw you buddy!
And last but certainly not least, the spice in this book was so sweet and perfect!
Moral of the story is READ THIS BOOK...YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! Be prepared with your tissues but don't worry, it will be WORTH IT! This was my first Maisey Yates book, but it will not be my last! Bravo Maisey!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Will, Samantha’s husband of 22 years, announced he thought they should have an open marriage. Will was the only boy she ever kissed or dated, and she was pregnant then married at 18. She was devastated, but when he said he was not happy she agreed to live apart for the summer. Logan was Will’s best friend. He restored cars then delivered them to the owners. He asked Samantha to be his relief driver. Samantha had not traveled much and the thought of seeing the countryside was intriguing. Logan and his daughter, Chloe, had taken several trips with Samantha’s family and it sounded fun. Logan’s wife died of cancer, and she always admired Logan’s love for his wife and how he cared for Chloe growing up. This is a wonderful book about love and loss. Samantha begins to be honest with herself and realizes that she was always a people pleaser. She had never done things just for herself. Logan and Samantha's trips across the country were filled with soul searching, exciting attractions, and humor. Great book with a lot of important life issues.

I am a big Maisey Yates fan. I love her Four Corners Ranch series so much, so getting to read this book was a win! While I did enjoy the writing, because Maisey is amazing, I can't fully get on with the main elephant in the room. There was so much growth and self discovery, that part was so excellent, but the fact that they were still married was not ideal for me. I do think this book was written so well and I can't wait to see what else Maisey writes next.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the free e-arc.

Cruel Summer is an emotionally poignant romance that delves deeply into themes of trauma and grief, offering a story that resonates with weight and authenticity. Maisey excels at crafting a genuine and compelling connection between the two love interests, making their journey feel both natural and deeply earned. She also developed such a rich and layered bond between the leading lady and leading man that it almost feels too vivid, as though their connection leaps off the page with an intensity that stays with you long after the final chapter.

I love this story. The ability to find yourself when you didn’t even know you were lost. I rated it four stars for some of the repetitiveness, but I couldn’t put it down. The character building made this book so much more interesting. If you’re looking for an emotional road trip this is the book for you.

While Samantha’s inner monologues could get a bit tedious at times, I still enjoyed this book. All it took was one conversation with her husband Will for her life to change considerably. Though Sam being able to discover new things about herself despite her age is a powerful thing we could all learn a lesson from.

This book was hilarious. I really enjoyed the characters and their personalities. I would definitely recommend this book!

Loved loved loved! Sam has been married her whole adult life - since before graduation from high school- with a baby on the way three children followed and now when they are out of house on their own she's excited for the vacation her and Will have always talked about he takes her out she thunks to discuss the what nots of vacation only he throws down the news that he wants to open their marriage she doesn't know what hit her, they decide to spend the summer apart- she ends up working with Wills best friend Logan- delivering restored classic cars across the country while doing so she learns who she is and what she wants- at the end of the summer does she want what she did at the beginning? This was so good read it in one evening- definitely check out more from this author- thus was my first.

will decides to open the relationship but she is having a tough time with it. she find love and herself with Logan, who is his best friend. she ends up find herself and love on these trips with logan.

I’m thankful I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley.
In her 40s - Samantha’s life gets turned upside down when her husband asks for an open marriage.
That launches her into a journey of self discovery. The book plays out in the present but also has flashbacks where we see Sam deal with the grief of losing her mother but we also catch glimpses of a person who was there for her in the toughest of times.
I enjoyed the flashbacks in the book. It gave me more insight into her new situationship with Logan.
In the end Samantha learns to advocate for herself and her happiness.

BTW the end of the book has a playlist with lots of Taylor Swift songs

I'm excited to read more of Yates' books because I liked the story and her writing style. Fun and relatable. I thought the story was mostly entertaining and had a nice writing style. Anyone searching for a tale that encapsulates the essence of summer love and the intricacies of the human heart should read this one.

Cruel Summer is a book of second chances. Second chance at living, loving, loss, and more. Samantha’s journey is a hard and beautiful one. There was some repetitiveness and maybe a little too much detail when it came to the road trips and internal dialogue that could have sped up the story and kept it engaging. This is definitely a slow burn romance so buckle in for the journey! The jumps between the present and past were a great addition. I would have loved to get a chapter or two of Logan giving his perspective or more dialogue between Sam and Logan. Overall great read and will definitely look for more of Yates’ writing.

Thank you Net Galley and Maisey Yates for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Sam’s comfortable life was turned upside down by one sentence from her husband of 22 years, which led her to a summer of self-reflection and growth as she worked through what she viewed as a tough time. While initially slow, I found myself hooked and couldn’t put the book down. I originally thought that it was going to be a typical rom-com, and instead I found it to be very thought provoking and beyond enjoyable to see the character come into herself and realize what she wanted, and find happiness along the way. Don’t pass up on what is sure to be an amazing Summer 2025 read!

Samatha Parker’s feel that she has it all. A loving husband and her kids. But suddenly her husband Will is telling her that he wants an open marriage and she is devastated. After thinking about it she de ides they should spend the summer apart and revisit their relationship after that. Sam de ides that she will take a job with her husbands best friend Logan and travel with him to deliver cars he customizes. She has always been attracted to him so thought it would be a fun summer. Was a great read!


Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Maisey Yates