The estranged daughter of a larger-than-life tech magnate returns to her family's private island after his untimely death and encounters tricky family dynamics, grief, self-reflection, and an unexpected romance. Franklin Storm has plans for his wife and children even after his death, and they quickly learn they will be participating in a series of tasks outlined in letters from their father in order to gain their portion of the estate. While MacLean is known primarily for her romance, this is more on the family drama side of the spectrum, with a dash of suspense and some romance mixed in. The setting, relationships, and setup draw the reader in, and this will likely be a popular pick for women's fiction and domestic suspense fans this summer.

Wow! This book was hard to put down. Alice, one of the Storms, was sent away by her father when she revealed family information to the press. She is returning home for her father's funeral, and she is not looking forward to being on the island. She meets Jack on the train, and he protects her from the press. She thinks it is an anonymous meet up but is shocked when he comes to the house with letters for each of the kids, except Alice. Franklin liked to be in control, even from the grave. All need to follow rules or no one inherits anything. The dynamics, the control come full circle. I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

In "These Summer Storms," Sarah MacLean ventures into contemporary fiction, delivering a gripping tale of family, loss, and inheritance. Alice Storm, estranged from her wealthy family, returns to their Rhode Island island estate after the death of her father, Franklin Storm, a tech mogul with a narcissistic streak. The siblings, who haven't seen each other in years, are summoned for a bizarre inheritance challenge orchestrated by their late father. Each must navigate personal conflicts and family dynamics while completing tasks that reveal deep-seated issues and secrets. Among them is Jack Dean, Franklin's brooding right-hand man, whose chemistry with Alice adds a romantic twist to the story. As Alice grapples with her family's legacy and her own identity, she discovers what truly matters beyond wealth and status. The narrative is rich with character development, emotional depth, and unexpected twists, making it an engaging read that explores the complexities of family relationships.

Romance readers will be drawn to "These Summer Storms" for its compelling romantic tension between Alice and Jack. Their chemistry is palpable, igniting sparks that keep readers invested in their evolving relationship. While the novel centers on family dynamics, MacLean skillfully weaves in moments of intimacy and longing, offering a satisfying balance of drama and romance. There is so much drama in this book!!! Wow. I really enjoyed the New England beach/island setting. The emotional stakes elevate the connection between the protagonists, making readers root for their love amidst the chaos of family secrets (so many secrets) and challenges. The witty banter and steamy encounters provide an enjoyable escape, ensuring that even those who are primarily fans of romance will find a lot to love in this captivating contemporary fiction debut.

Sarah MacLean can write anything - she never fails to write characters that amazing depth and stories that keep me up reading way later than I intend. She also always manages a great romance, even in the midst of this fantastic family drama. I loved every minute of this book!

Nobody does it like Sarah MacLean. This is her first move into spicy contemporary fiction, and I am absolutely here for it. This story is like, what if Succession's Boar on the Floor, but the flawed characters make it through in a way that leaves you hopeful and not despairing of humanity.

Alice Storm was cast out of the mega-billionaire Storm family by patriarch, tech revolutionary, and emotionally stunted narcissist Franklin Storm. After his death, she returns to the family's private island off the coast of Rhode Island, where she and her estranged siblings learn they must play one last game arranged by their father to vie for their inheritance. At the center of it all is baddie Jack Dean, Franklin Storm's hottie fixer. Sparks fly with Alice immediately, but can she trust his intentions? More importantly, after a lifetime of running from discomfort, will Alice grit out a week on the island for the prospect of something better?

The spice was nice (other than an extremely objectionable use of "humid"), but not, say, Lady Calpurnia Hartwell romancing a rake spicy. Also, there's at least one Easter egg I caught that Sarah MacLean readers will love.

Thanks #NetGalley for an eARC of #TheseSummerStorms. This is definitely on my buy and reread list.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early! The prose was atmospheric - and absolutely compelling - and I can't wait to suggest my book club read and also enjoy.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this contemporary family drama. It exceeded my expectations. It sets a quick pace right from the beginning and doesn't let up. Loved it!

6/5 stars. All the stars! I absolutely loved These Summer Storms - it's filled with drama and truly was like Succession in the page with some romance included. MacLean can do no wrong in my book and this is just more proof that it's true!

These Summer Storms, by Sarah MacLean, is full of drama, yet it pulled me right in, and I enjoyed it. It was a great vacation read for me.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

WOW! This book was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. The family drama is TOP TIER, the love story is the most beautiful slow burn. Loved this book! Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I gave it 3 stars but could have given 3 1/2.
I found it a little anticlimactic. It settled sweetly, but I was really looking for more of a twist. I didn't really connect with the protagonist. To be honest, I didn't really feel invested in any character. I wanted to connect with the oldest daughter but her sacrifices seemed unrealistic to me. The youngest daughter did have a twist but it was also anticlimactic.

These Summer Storms is everything I could ever want from a Sarah MacLean novel that isn't middle-of-the-road genre romance. The characters are so fully formed, the writing is exquisite, and the drama is **fraught**--in the best way!! This is going to be an epic summer read!

This is an amazing story. I can believe it’s the authors first published contemporary novel. (The writing still felt very MacLean, however). I think it’s still very much a romance for all it’s described as a family drama, and I devoured the whole book in a matter of hours. So good. Thanks to Ballentine for the ARC.

Unexpected, but I had a great time reading this book! From the synopsis I thought it would be an adult version of The Inheritance Games as each sibling had a task to complete to get the inheritance, but it was very different. This book focused more on the sibling and family dynamics and how they learned more about themselves while completing the humiliating/difficult tasks their father set for them.

The majority of the book is told in Alice's perspective, who is the daughter who was exiled from the family for several years and is now rejoining them. Throughout the book, each sibling had their own chapter from their POV that did a great job developing them as people and as more complex characters, and I really appreciated the inclusion.

I loved most of the book, and the fast-paced nature kept me very engaged. The romance storyline was fun and added a sweet plot-line in an otherwise dramatic book. There were a couple big reveals toward the end that I didn't really care about (it didn't seem to change a lot for me or for the characters) and I wish that the ending was a bit more satisfying and conclusive.

All in all, the reading experience was enjoyable and I wish that McLean had other books in this genre, but it seems like her whole backlog is historical romance, which is not my vibe. I'll keep an eye out for any contemporary fiction books she writes in the future though.

Thank you to NetGalley + Random House Ballantine for the ARC

If Knives Out and The Inheritance Games had a messy, drama-filled baby that Succession occasionally babysat, you’d get ‘These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean!

Alice Storm has spent years avoiding her ridiculously rich, dysfunctional family—until her father dies and pulls her back to their private island for one last game. The deal— Stay for a week, complete some impossible tasks, and win the inheritance. Simple, except her siblings are a mess, her mom loves drama, and her dad’s extremely good looking right-hand man, Jack , is keeping an eye on everything. The family chaos is nonstop, the writing keeps you hooked, and the romance keeps you all in!

This book flew by—I didn’t want to put it down. The mix of secrets, backstabbing, and slow-burn tension made it impossible to stop reading, and even when things slowed down, the characters kept it interesting. My only complaint? I wanted more from the ending—not sure what exactly, but I wasn’t ready for the story to be done! If you like rich people being messy, family drama, and a little romance along the way, this one’s worth picking up.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the early copy—this was a fun one!

This story reminded me so much of Succession! I absolutely LOVED the sibling banter. It was so quick witted and fun. I thought the Jack storyline was a little cheesy, but overall enjoyed this read! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another good quick read from one of my favorites. Highly recommend this book. Another winner for sure.

Gawd, I wish this was a series! I would read about all the Storms and their family drama forever. This was so much fun and is going to be SUCH a perfect summer read! This might just top Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, which has still remained my favorite MacLean novel over the years. But now that she’s writing contemporary, all bets are off!

ETA: Sorry, those were my thoughts immediately having finished the book at midnight last night, after being sick for a week and not feeling like reading anything, and I was a little excited.

The thing is, though, this book was really good. Like, if I'd never read a book by this author before, and this had been my first foray into her novels, I would believe that everything she's written before this must be pure gold. (Not to say that all her books aren't, in their own way.)

But this story was the perfect blend of summer, romance, drama, and weird (read: rich people) family dynamics. I always imagine that the wealthy live so far removed from the rest of us, and to some extent, they do. But they still have their own set of issues to contend with. Mo' money, mo' problems, am I right?

If I were to compare this novel to others, I'd have to say it's like if Sugar Daddy and The Inheritance Games had a baby. It's part ridiculous patriarch still playing his silly games from the grave, part affluent family at each other's throats, and part sweet-if-possibly-misguided romance. I think in one of my last updates before I fell ill, I likened it to Knives Out but without the murder aspect...though, I wouldn't put it past some of those family members. (I'm looking at you, Sila. o_O)

I do wish this were going to be a series, even if each book featured a different family member. I just want to see how everyone's doing down the road. If that family chat group holds up the test of time. If the Storms did indeed weather the storm in the end. (Har dee har har.)

I am a big fan of Sarah Maclean’s historical romance novels and she did not disappoint in bringing the conflict and the longing and the craft to her initiation into contemporary.
The main character, Alice, third child and black sheep, returns to her family’s private island to take her part in the deliciously toxic inheritance games required by her late billionaire father for her siblings and mother to inherit “their share.” Although this story centers around the seemingly trauma bonded siblings and how they simultaneously navigate camaraderie and old sibling rivalry wounds, the main character, Alice, unknowingly has a one night stand with her father’s second in command and now manager of said inheritance games. Chaos and drunk fueled pettiness ensues. A never ending thread of secrets are revealed. And while the main story here is about how Alice can move forward with a family that wrote her off years before, it’s also an incredibly romantic story of should be enemies. These Summer Storms was a hurricane grade 5 and I loved every single sentence of it.

Errors I noticed in my copy:

Page 21 - “That’s she hadn’t realizeD she missed . . .” The “d” was missing from the word realize.

Page 214 - “ago” is duplicated

Page 253 - “realized” should be “realize”

Page 306 - Jack takes off his sunglasses and says wave to Larry and then several paragraphs later, removes his sunglasses again to look at her.

Sarah’s writing is so beautiful and I loved the constant storm theme throughout this book. The battle between siblings and family secrets were so juicy, not to mention the chemistry between Alice and Jack - which was off the charts. The RI Island setting made it all the more fun to read and was I was completely transported into the story. I could picture everything the author described as though I was there, which is a testament to her writing. This was a fun one and a beautiful statement on the importance of family and being true to yourself.