Songs of Summer is an enjoyable novel about tangled family relationships and love. It’s set on Fire Island, off the shore of Long Island, and deals with the theme of adoption and finding one’s birthmother at the age of 30. The extended family dynamics are complex, adding to the action. Riffing on the book title and the fact that Maggie, the main character owns a record store, each chapter is a track number (like on a record) and is titled with words from a popular song. Music from the 1970’s, 80’s and later runs creatively throughout the story. Maggie, Bea, and Jason are well-rounded characters, while humor and a twist or two color the mostly predictable plot.
Some of the characters here appear in Rosen’s earlier novel, On Fire Island, and for this reader were less well defined and harder to keep straight. I recommend this book for fans of Susan Mallery and Elin Hilderbrand. It’s a coming-into-your-own beach book and could be fun for a book group wanting something lighter.

I am a big fan of the original book in this series (On Fire Island), but haven't found the same magic in the sequels. I enjoyed Maggie May and Matt's meet cute and will they/won't they storyline, and the sisters storyline was good too. I wanted to see more of a happy ending for Jason.

What a charming and engrossing book! I thought Jane's writing was fantastic, and it definitely kept me curious about how everything would work out. A wonderful summer or vacation read would be this. Multiple points of view and the plot were ideal. Despite this, the story touches on a number of serious subjects. A delightful romantic retreat that is perfect for a beachy, light summer read.

“Songs of Summer” is the perfect book for any season because it is filled with love, laughter, and beautiful music. Ms. Rosen’s creativity has given us song titles as chapter headings, a heroine named Maggie May who owns a record shop and a family reunion you will never forget. The idyllic beach setting of Fire Island was the perfect backdrop for Maggie to explore, reflect and come to terms with who she really was. Maggie had the best childhood and the most loving parents, but she had always wondered what her birth mother was like and if she should look for her. Fortunately for Maggie, her journey took her to Fire Island where the summers are magical, the people are friendly and love is always in the air.

The minute Maggie stepped off the ferry she knew she had made the right decision. The air smelled fresher, the ocean was calling to her and the bright sunshine gave her the strength to go on. That night, as Maggie walked around the quaint town, her growling stomach led her to the “Salty Pelican” where she met a rather nosy bartender and a cute guy who knew as much about music as she did. Not that she was looking for romance, but Matt’s music knowledge and his love for Fire Island made him the perfect dinner companion. Matt quickly became her confidant, tour guide, and ally in her quest to meet her birth mother.

“Songs of Summer” is one of the best books I have ever read. Why did I love it so much? The characters felt like family, music became a character that we couldn’t live without, and the storyline touched all of my emotions and made me feel for Maggie and her dreams. There were surprises along the way, scenes that made me cry, but more often than not, I was smiling, because this book just made me happy and allowed me to escape, if only for a while.

Promise me Sunshine is about dealing with grief and learning how to live (and love) after!

Lenny lost her other half- in best friend form- to cancer. She’s barely going through the functions of daily life, barely surviving. But she promised her best friend she would at least try. She’s in between jobs when she gets a babysitting gig for a weekend where she meets miles.
I love Lenny 😂 the way that she imagines an entire future at the drop of a hat as soon as she just GLANCES at a man. She’s 5 foot but her attitude is 7 foot 5” 🤣


Miles is the uncle of the child Lenny is babysitting. When they first meet, Lenny is imagining her future (like she does with many me) with miles. However, Miles is super skeptical of this woman that looks like she’s been living on the streets, and addicted to drugs.
I love miles because he went from not trusting Lenny to doing the absolute most for her. It’s amazing for someone to be dealing with grief and teach someone how to get through it.

After the weekend is over, they strike up a deal, a win-win situation. Miles gets closer to family and Lenny gets help keeping her promise to her best friend. But that’s not the only thing that they achieve!!

I loved this book. It made me hurt for Lenny and Miles but it also warmed my heart in the most beautiful way, warm, gooey ways. After the trauma they both went through, they got the ending they deserved!


*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eArc.*




This will be posted on my goodreads account and instagram account. It is posted on my
goodreads as of right now! 02/20/2025

What a wonderful read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was such a heartwarming story with such believable characters. I really loved the dynamics between all of our side characters as well as the friendship between Maggie and Matt.

My only complaint is that I wanted more on page interactions between Bea and Maggie.

This book does something that I haven’t really seen done before and it features a wide variety of POVs. Not just our main characters, but we even get a few chapters from minor characters as well. I felt that it really helped flesh out the story and make those characters less flat. I really loved it!

4/5 stars! I’ll definitely read more from this author.

This was such a sweet and captivating novel! I really loved Jane’s writing and it definitely kept me wanting to know how it would all turn out. This would be a great summer or vacation read

What a sweet and lovely story! I love when a story can touch on something so meaningful in such a way. Walking through the journey of adoption, loss, betrayal and friendships was truly captivating a beautiful. This is a story I wish I could read for the first time again.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. My first read by this author but will not be my last. The storyline and multiple points of view was perfect. Can not recommend this book enough. Thank you for my copy in exchange for a fair review.

Songs of Summer is the story of Maggie May Wheeler and her search for her biological mother. She quickly finds her, but doesn’t tell her, deciding instead to get to know the family first. There are all sorts of adventures (and misadventures) which add to the fun! The story is sweet and entertaining. A little predictable, but most romance novels are. Each chapter has a song that is linked to the events of that chapter. I kind of wish the songs were actually brought up MORE in each chapter because I liked that idea and then forgot what the song was. Overall, a good read!

Oh, how good it was to be back on Fire Island. This is my second in the series (my first being Seven Summer Weekends), and I just love the humans in these stories. This story focuses on 30 year old Maggie Mae. She wants to find her birth mother, and that journey takes her to Fire Island. On the island, there's an upcoming wedding that's brought a lot of people with a lot of relationships and history back together.. I loved the different dynamics of this one as there were so many dynamics and so many feels, and it was just such good stuff. I also loved that the directions the story took were unexpected, so it kept me captivated. I'll now be going back to read the first book in this series because I have fallen in love with these stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2025 release!

Songs of Summer centers on Maggie’s journey to meet her birth mother after her parents pass away. She discovers that her birth mother is spending time on Fire Island, and takes the chance to try to meet her. At a crossroads with her new fiancé (but long time best friend) Jason, Maggie also realizes that what brought her comfort in the past may not make her happy in the future.

This was a heartwarming and fun read, and I loved exploring Fire Island through the eyes of the book’s characters. Maggie is the owner of her parents’ old record store, and music is a big part of her life. As such, I enjoyed how song titles were woven into the story and tied to each big part of Maggie’s journey toward self-discovery. Though the ending was predictable, it was quite sweet and comforting. This was an enjoyable beach read!

Another great beach read from Jane L Rosen! 30 year old Maggie crashes a wedding on Fire Island in search of her birth mother with a local guy she meets who offers to be her fake date. As she spies on her biological family, she’s caught between diving into their chaotic lives or returning to her comfortable world. I enjoyed this story that was equal parts self-discovery, family drama, and romance.

I have not read all of Rosen's other Fire Island books, so at times the name-dropping of characters who presumably were from previous books was frustrating and detracted from the story. Though the story deals with several heavier topics, it manages to maintain a lighthearted vibe that will lend itself to the "beach read" category.

Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.

Cute, easy read that made me smile. I did feel like there were too many POVs at a certain point, especially with some characters who had almost no role tied to the plot (see: Ben). The "love story" felt a bit forced for me, as they had only known each for basically four days but I did appreciate how mature her relationship/friendship with Jason was. I would have preferred if the focus was solely on the adoption/reconnecting with family aspect.

A wonderful romance getaway, so light and beachy read for this summer.

This author had written this so beautifully. I loved it.

This is my first and definitely not last Rosen novel! Songs of Summer is a perfect beach read or a winter read when you’re pining for a good beach trip. I don’t typically gravitate towards adoption type books but this one was a for sure winner for me! Small islands, wedding crashing, finding family and love along the way with a dash of messy drama. This book will be going on my shelves very soon and continue to be in my re-read rotation.

Songs of Summer was a delightful getaway filled with heart, humor, and just the right amount of drama. Maggie May Wheeler’s search for her birth mother led her to Fire Island, where crashing a wedding turned into a transformative weekend of soul-searching, romance, and family revelations.
The beachy vibes, colorful characters, and swoon-worthy fake date scenario kept the story lively and heartwarming. Maggie’s journey was a sweet reminder that sometimes finding where you belong means stepping outside your comfort zone. The pacing wavered slightly at times, but the emotional payoff hit all the right notes. A perfect summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A cute summer read! Very sweet and lighthearted. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Jane L. Rosen!

What a perfect novel to read on a chilly day. But…don’t worry…it will still be a wonderful book to read in the Spring, Summer or Fall! Songs of Summer is the third of a trilogy of books Ms. Rosen has set on Fire Island in New York. You don’t have to have read the first two books (On Fire Island and Seven Summer Weekends) but there’s time now to read before Songs of Summer is released on May 20.
The novel opens in Ohio where Maggie May Wheeler has been living a contented life. She’s running her parents’ record store in the small Ohio town where she grew up, and is secretly engaged to her childhood best friend, Jason. While she’s trying to move forward from the deaths of her adoptive parents, the one missing piece is knowing about her birth mother. As she turns 30, she decides now is the time to take action…and the setting moves to Fire Island, where Maggie meets all kinds of interesting and well-developed characters (and family members).
The story is beautifully woven together with each chapter told from the perspective of one of the characters. An interesting touch is the titling of each chapter that ties into a Spotify play list!
Maggie is the kind of protagonist you can’t help but root for and hope she has her happy ending. As with the first two novels, I loved the character of Fire Island and Maggie quickly discovers its magic: “The island has a way of swallowing you up and making you forget that anything existed outside of it.”
There are sappy and hokey moments, but Songs of Summer is an all around sweet story about uncovering your past and moving forward. I hope there’s a fourth chapter in the Fire Island series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read Songs of Summer. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

Jane Rosen's new book has to be the beach read of this summer!!!! Her characters and storylie are well developed and all so loveable. I couldn't put this book down and I love how she connects each chapter with a song. Thank you for a great book and the ARC!!!!