Thank you Sarah MacLean, and Netgalley, for the e-arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

It is rare I enjoy a book with unlikeable characters LOL, but here is another to add to that list! I binge read this, and enjoyed all the family dynamics and mystery.

Through a layered family drama, the story explores how each sibling navigates privilege, rivalry, and the search for meaning outside their father’s legacy. A good summer read! Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy.

I really enjoyed this one! It was the perfect summer read, full of drama and some humor. I love Sarah Maclean's historical romance so obviously the romance in here was fun and the writing was just as good as her other genre.

This was an enjoyable and quick read filled with little revelations throughout. I would have loved to have a little more well rounded view of the father as it was hard to feel much remorse for him. I would give it a 3.5–rounding up to 4.

Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for a review.

These Summer Storms is Sarah MacLean’s first dip into contemporary fiction, and the premise had me instantly intrigued: a wealthy New England family, a private island, and one final inheritance game after the patriarch’s death. Secrets, drama, romance, and plenty of summer storm vibes—what’s not to love?

The setting was hands-down my favorite part. MacLean paints the island and mansion so vividly that you can almost smell the salt air and feel the tension buzzing through the walls. It’s very much “rich people behaving badly,” with juicy themes of grief, betrayal, sibling rivalry, and long-buried secrets coming to light.

Where it lost me a bit was the pacing. The middle dragged, and some of the characters’ behavior started to feel repetitive. I know they’re meant to be messy and unlikeable, but I still wanted a little more payoff or growth by the end. Even Alice, who’s supposed to be the emotional anchor, didn’t totally work for me. And the romance? A little rushed and not as swoony as I’d hoped.

Still, I had fun with this one and think lots of readers will eat it up. If you’re into character-driven family sagas, inheritance games, and chaotic sibling drama with a side of summer romance, this could be right up your alley.

I've read a lot of Sarah MacLean's historical fiction and really liked this contemporary addition to her work. Like I've come to expect from MacLean, the characters were compelling and the plot drove forward at an exciting pace while a satisfying love story developed. I thought These Summer Storms felt like a fun crossover between Succession, The Westing Game, and beach romances from Elin Hilderbrand. Would recommend!

These Summer Storms
By: Sarah MacLean

Thank you Partner, PRH Audio for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review. #prhpartner #prhaudio.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“We follow a wealthy New England family, the Storms. After the patriarch of the family passes, the heirs are met with a final challenge, an inheritance game. The rules are clear: stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, and receive the inheritance. But one week is easier said than done - with destructive secrets, hidden desires, and twisted family drama, our character’s fates are forged in the wake of wild summer storms.”

I have read and loved MacLean’s historical romance, so I was very excited to read Sarah’s take on contemporary fiction. And what an intriguing premise! An inheritance game on a private island, a summer romance and a twist in family dynamics. Sign me up.

This novel excelled in atmosphere and character exploration. This was “rich people behaving badly”, with messy characters, and themes of resentment, love, secrets, grief and mistrust – leading to interesting family dynamics. I appreciated the focus on character growth, and the multitude of interwoven relationships conveyed was well balanced. Unfortunately, what didn’t work as well for me was the pacing. In the middle of the novel, the pacing slowed, and I struggled to remain invested in our characters. Many of these characters are rather unlikeable, and the behavior and dialogue felt a little too repetitive at times.

This novel may not have aligned perfectly for my reading tastes, but I think this novel could be a hit for many readers! If you enjoy reading character driven novels, with wealthy families, twisted sibling drama, and a taste for summer romance, you may really enjoy this one! I’d also highly recommend the audiobook. Julia Whelan is the narrator, so you can’t go wrong.

3 stars.

Loved this one!! An easy, juicy page-turner that kept me guessing. I also adored the romance subplot! I would definitely read more from this author.

Book Review: These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

These Summer Storms swept me away from the very first page. Sarah MacLean delivers a compelling mix of family drama, romance, and intrigue set against the atmospheric backdrop of Storm Island.

The novel follows Alice Storm, who reluctantly returns to her family’s private island after years of estrangement. What begins as a simple plan to pay respects at her father’s funeral quickly unravels into something far more complicated when she and her siblings are forced to stay for a week-long inheritance game, complete with tasks designed to stir up secrets, tensions, and long-buried wounds.

MacLean writes with warmth and wit, and the dynamics between the Storm family members are both messy and heartfelt. Alice is a sharp, relatable heroine, and her evolving relationship with Jack Dean—the loyal, enigmatic right hand of her late father—adds a layer of tenderness to the otherwise stormy family drama.

I loved how the novel balanced emotional depth with page-turning suspense. Themes of grief, forgiveness, and finding one’s place resonate throughout, making this not just a story about wealth and legacy, but also about healing and love.

Overall, These Summer Storms was a thoroughly enjoyable summer read—lush, entertaining, and surprisingly moving. Perfect for fans of family sagas with a romantic twist.

Overall I thought this was a good book. It is not a genre I typically go for but really like it. The family drama kept me entertained and it was an easy read. Thank you for the ARC!

These Summer Storms follows Alice Storm as she reunites with her estranged family for her father's funeral. When she arrives on Storm island, however, she discovers that Franklin Storm, billionaire and tech genius, has left his four children and wife a game of sorts that they must complete in order to claim their inheritance.

Of the things I liked about this novel, the setting was probably my favorite. MacLean is typically a historical romance author, and it shows in her care and attention to detail when crafting a world. The sea, the history of the island, the Gilded Age mansion, the tension and secrets all jump from the pages of the book, wrapping you in their embrace and pulling you under.

Now that I'm writing this review, I realize that's pretty much the only thing I actually appreciated about this. Try as she might, MacLean simply did not succeed in making me care about a family of billionaires and the problems they think they have. I couldn't connect with a single one of them, and while they are meant to be unlikeable in the beginning, not a single one of them managed to redeem themselves enough by the end for me to be happy about their existence, in my opinion. Even Alice, whose whole "thing" is that she isn't like these people and doesn't care about money, was insufferable because she was at the other end of the spectrum, too high and mighty to be relatable or likable. I did enjoy aspects of every character's backstory and current situation in life, but it wasn't enough.

And the "romance." Let's just say it's so extremely unrealistic and sort of icky and a weird power dynamic and rushed.

I guess what bothers me the most is that I don't know what I'm supposed to walk away from this story with. It was a story about family, money, class, control, power, patriarchy, all of which are ingredients for a fascinating story. This one was just underbaked, let out into the world before it was ready or knew what it was supposed to be. Rich people will be rich, I guess.

2.5 stars.

Great book. Liked reading about the family dynamics. Interesting to read about a family with endless money. Loved the setting.

This is a grand family saga set in contemporary times, with such timeless issues as rivalry, betrayal, loyalty, secrets, love, and grief. As the story opens, we learn that the main character Alice is part of a family that is fabulously wealthy, thanks to the innovations and investments of the domineering father, who has just died. Alice has been outcast for five years, but joins the family on its private island to share in the mourning and dealing with the fallout of the father's death and complicated estate. Sarah MacLean has portrayed a setting and situation that is fascinating to us, allowing us to be voyeurs of a lifestyle of the rich and famous, while describing relationships and emotions that we can all relate to. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for this e-arc.


One of my all-time favorite authors is Sarah MacLean. The plot of this book was amazing. It has a lot of drama and angst. Sarah obviously knows the bittersweet nature of grief. The family was truly dysfunctional. I couldn't stop reading it, trying to figure out how it would finish.

These Summer Storms was a story about a billionaire family and the drama that unfolds when siblings are left picking up the pieces after their father's passing. But wait - there's a catch. Each family member is tasked with rules that they all must uphold if they want their slice of the inheritance. Their dad is still manipulating them from the grave, and they wouldn't expect anything less. Will the family do what it takes to secure their millions - or will they fall short?

Great, page-turner of a story that includes sibling rivalry, rich people drama, mystery, with a romance subplot.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the e-ARC of this book!

I've always been a fan of SM's historical romance books so when I came to know about this contemporary novel, I was equal parts curious and excited!

These Summer Storms follows the story of the Storm siblings - centered around Alice, who's kinda like the black sheep of the family. The Storms are uber wealthy and grew up with a lot of privilege but Alice left it all behind for an ordinary life. But now the sudden death of their father, the one who amassed all their wealth, has brought her back to Storm Island and though she wants to leave as soon as the funeral is over, she's soon caught up in the Storm family chaos. Her father has left them all with instructions - almost like a final challenge and to receive their share of the inheritance(which Alice isn't interested in) they'll have to complete these tasks. Her siblings along with their mother are determined to see it through and that means that Alice will have to stay and face some of the things that she's been running away from.

This was such a fun ride - I absolutely loved the mix of drama, secrets, familial bonds + romance in this one! There were some nice twists and turns too! We get to see everything from Alice's pov at first so it takes a while for us to get to know all of these characters and I ended up liking almost all of them(in a way haha!). The whole Storm family was chaotic with Greta - the eldest sister who's desperate for their mother's approval, Sam - the brother who's grown up with a lot of privilege but wasn't ever upto the task, Alice - the classic middle child who broke away and forged her own path, Emily - the youngest sibling who's loved by everyone. I shouldn't forget the romance with Jack - though it wasn't the focus of the book, it was my favorite part and I was very satisfied with the relationship development and how things worked out(without any drama on that front!). As always, Julia Whelan is one of the BEST audiobook narrators out there! Her narration kept me engrossed in the story and I loved how she voiced all of the characters! Would definitely recommend listening to this one if you're in the mood for some family drama with a sprinkling of romance!

3.5 stars but I rounded up to 4! This book was so fun and unexpected since this leans more contemporary fiction than romance which isn’t something I usually read. This book was so fast paced and gave all of the summer vibes. The family drama kept me entertained and there was always a surprise around the corner. I loved the romance subplot between our main character and her father’s lawyer. I also loved seeing the growth in all of the characters!! So so good.

What a great book! The family drama was enthralling and I binged this book in a day I swear! I feel like the ending could’ve been stronger given the whole book and that’s why I gave it 4 and not 5 stars.

This was a twisting story of the rich and famous. The ending was satisfying, and the twists kept me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC! These Summer Storms was a beautifully written, emotional story that perfectly captured the intensity of first love and the ache of growing up. Sarah McClean’s prose felt raw and heartfelt, pulling me right into the characters’ longing and heartbreak. It’s the kind of book that lingers with you, like the memory of a bittersweet summer.