I'm a longtime fan of Sarah MacLean's romance novels and was excited to see her foray into contemporary fiction. This book does not disappoint! It has intrigue and drama, crazy family dynamics, a gorgeous setting, a fantastic protagonist, some yummy romance (though the book itself is not a Romance) and I flew through it. There is a large cast of characters and every one is richly drawn. MacLean's ability to describe the house and the island so clearly and, well, descriptively, puts the reader right in the room with this family. While I hope MacLean keeps writing historical romances as well, I also will not be at all disappointed if she continues her journey in contemporary fiction.

Wow, this book is unbelievably amazing. I couldn't put it down. I was gasping out loud thru the countless twists and turns of this family dynamic and then adding in the fabulous romantic element that Sarah Maclean always always always hits a home run with. I highly recommend this book. I might also pre-start a petition for Reese Witherspoon,Oprah, or Jenna Bush to add it to their book club, book of the month. I know I'll be recommending it to my book club.

In the footsteps of Succession and Yellowstone in the genre of family dramas, These Summer Storms follows Alice Storm back into the fold of her ultra wealthy family. Her father has passed and she is expected at his celebration. What she doesn't expect is the entrance of Jack Dean. He brings with him shocking but typical last wishes from her father. Alice and her siblings are once again controlled, this time after their father's death and they have to decide if the money is worth it.

I enjoyed the revelations of each sibling and their struggles. Their mother is God awful which makes for some entertaining interactions. I wanted more backstory with each sibling. More POV's.

Overall I enjoyed the journey that Alice goes through and the resolution was fitting.

I recommend MacLean's venture into contemporary fiction.

These Summer Storms is an intense story of a complex family dynasty who reunite to commemorate their father's death. This is Sarah MacLean's first published work of contemporary fiction. MacLean brings a rich cast of characters to life, and the reader learns the struggles that this family has faced despite their immense wealth. Full disclosure: I'm a huge Sarah MacLean fan and have read all of her Romance novels, and am an avid listener to her podcast. That being said, These Summer Storms exceeded all of my expectations.
Alice Storm, the narrator, finds herself back in her wealthy family's Rhode Island mansion following the unexpected death of her father, Franklin Storm. Franklin was a tech billionaire whose success and wealth have created an alternate world for his family. Growing up under the microscope of fame and wealth with parents who were cold and distant has created siblings who criticize and compete with each other to an extreme. Alice is returning to her family after an extended estrangement . Her father exiled her five years prior to his death after she goes to the press as a whistle blower for the Storm company, and none of her family members dare to defy him and keep ties with her. As Alice arrives for the funeral, she meets an intriguing stranger who becomes a central figure in the story. When the family reunites, they soon learn that Franklin has planned a game for them as (one of) his final wishes. He requires each and all family members to accomplish a task in order for all of the family members to receive their inheritance. This game pushes each of the family members to their limits, but also brings them closer together as they are able to be honest with each other and acknowledge (some of) their flaws. Huge secrets are revealed as the family spends time together, they host a huge celebration of life for Franklin, and each of them confronts the past and reality of their complex relationships with their father.
This book has it all - drama, suspense, romance, and intrigue. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop and I read it in one day. It will be the perfect summer read of 2025. Everyone is curious about the real lives of the tech billionaires of today's world and their families, and this story shows us the difficulties and struggles they face.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this advance reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

If you’re a fan of Sarah MacLean’s other novels, you’ll find “These Summer Storms” to be a modern-day take on her classic formula. What MacLean does so well is pay homage to the romance genre — she puts the romance on the page. Some of the styling in this book feels unique in comparison to her other works though. I thought we were going to have multiple points of views or set the stage for future books when we would diverge from our protagonist’s POV to a chapter from a sibling’s perspective. That didn’t end up being the case and it felt a little jarring to visit a perspective and then not pick it back up, but it didn’t detract for the overall story. Ultimately, I think this is the perfect summer read — a little romance, a little mystery, and a lot of drama all set against a deliciously summery backdrop. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books - Random House for this ARC. #TheseSummerStorms #NetGalley

These Summer Storms is a captivating romance novel that beautifully combines wit, passion, and depth. The story follows two protagonists who are brought together by fate and find themselves navigating the turbulent waters of love and personal growth. MacLean’s writing is both evocative and engaging, drawing you into the lives of her characters. I particularly loved how the story explores themes of redemption and second chances, making the characters' journeys feel relatable and heartfelt. The chemistry between the leads is electric, and their interactions are filled with witty banter and emotional intensity. The setting of the novel adds an extra layer of charm, with vivid descriptions of summer storms and the lush landscapes that serve as the backdrop for the unfolding romance. MacLean’s ability to create a sense of place is truly remarkable, making you feel like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing the same highs and lows.

Generous thank you to the publisher on Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review!

When I heard Sarah MacLean was writing her first adult contemporary, I was out of my mind with excitement. I'm a huge fan of her podcast Fated Mates and how she draws parallels between what is affecting us in society and what affects us in romance. 'These Summer Storms' is a big departure from her past work, but is written with her signature with, humor and depth, with such obvious love for the setting it's placed in. I loved how wealth, pride and love are tied up into complicated knots for all the characters, and how painful it is for them to be forced to pick it apart in the midst of their grief. Most of it is paced well, though in my opinion there were certain plot points that came in a little too late in the story to feel their full impact, but overall I really loved it and am so excited to hear Sarah talk more about her process for it!

I really wanted to like this book, and I think it will likely do well, since it has all the elements of a great beach read - summer setting on the New England coast, family drama, romance - but the biggest problem for me was that the characters felt very one-dimensional. When you have a story about the ultra-rich, I think it's more important than ever to make them fully human and really give them emotional depth, but I didn't feel like MacLean achieved that. I found it hard to connect with any of them, which made me less invested in the story. I think it will go over well with a lot of readers, but I really need stronger characters, which I felt this book was lacking.

3.5⭐️

This was more of a family drama than a romance, but overall I enjoyed it. The romance was sweet and there was a side romance that I was almost as invested in with one of the FMC Alice’s sisters. The family drama was a little predictable, but at the end they did seem to grow and come together.

My biggest issues were 1) Alice had one of the easiest tasks of anyone and I had a hard time feeling bad for her and 2) Books following billionaires are hit or miss. Especially with everything going on, it’s hard to care too much about a bunch of billionaires that got their money from tech.

title: These Summer Storms

author: Sarah MacLean

publisher: Random House

publication date: July 8, 2025

pages: 640

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: parental death, manipulation, alcohol/drunkenness, bad parenting

summary: Alice Storm managed to break away from her controlling, billionaire father and family (picture Succession) five years ago, but when her father dies and she heads back to the family's island home for the funeral/celebration, she gets pulled into the rules for inheritance, being judged by her father's fixer, Jack Dean, with whom she happened to share a one-night stand before she knew who he was. Over the week she has to stay on the island with Jack, her siblings, and their mother, secrets come out, and tensions rise.

tropes:

sibling rivalry
controlling father
rules for inheritance
trapped on an island
billionaire shenanigans

what I liked: all of it

what I didn’t like: none of it -- Sarah MacLean is truly a master!

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

The storms are an infamous family. Franklin storm is a multi-billionaire tech. tycoon, who dies at the beginning of the book and all of his children gather at his island coincidentally named storm island even before he bought it and Alice, (our MC) his Black Sheep also ends up being summoned for the festivities sound like a rough word when talking about a death. But I think the mother would approve of that. The 4 siblings must do their father's bidding. In order to get their inheritance, it's full of twists and turns, secrets, love and reveals. definitely recommend for a good summer beach read

Thanks, nat galley for the arc.In exchange for an honest review

It looks like I’m an outlier with my three-star review. This book wasn’t bad. I read the whole thing, and while I was engaged in some parts, I kept putting it down to do other things. I never fully sank into the story.

The writing is good on the surface, but it’s also the kind of writing that feels very conscious of itself. The authorial voice never disappeared for me. This might be due to the repetition of certain sentence structures and distant third-person POV. I never felt like I was fully in Alice’s head. (Most of the chapters are in her POV; there are a few random ones throughout from the POV of the other siblings.)

I requested this book hoping for Succession-level drama and backstabbing, but I didn’t get it. I’d also hoped for a more compulsively readable story, and at least one character I liked among all these angsty and terrible billionaire white people. We’re constantly reminded of their lore and their fame in this fictional universe, but I never fully bought into it. I could see the dad being famous as a billionaire tech mogul, but I couldn’t fathom a universe where his wife and kids — none of whom have any discernable talent (well, Alice paints, but still) or personality — were well-known, too.

Other people’s mileage may vary, but this was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Ooh Sarah MacLean dipped her toes in the contemporary romance waters! I loved meeting the Storm family. It took a while to get into the book because it seemed to go off tangets about the history of New England and the mystery of the notes Franklin had left for his wife and kids. All the mysteries and other couples in the Storm Family kind of over shadowed what was going on between Jack and Alice, and at times I felt the other storylines more interesting. I loved the “Grade A” stock ending! Is this the beginning of a series? If so maybe it will go back and give us more in depth to the other couples over the week on the island.

Wow.! Once I started reading, I could not put it down. These Summer Storms was like a movie. Part family drama (hurt people hurt people) and part romance, the twists and turns Sarah MacLean took these characters (and me as a reader) were 'Class A stock'. I was a fan of Sarah MacLean's historical romance and her romance podcast. And now, I am a fan of her contemporary romantic fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the author for access to an eARC for the purpose of writing this review!

Really enjoyed. I've read quite a bit of Sarah MacLean's historical romance books, but hadn't seen anything contemporary out of her before. I thought it was extremely well done and delivered maximum intrigue, fun, and, of course, romance to the reading experience. It was very knives out/glass onion vibes mixed with a more traditional romance. The characters were dimensional and propelled the story along well and even the father loomed large and was well developed for not actually being present as the events unfold. Would love to see even more like this out of MacLean (but don't abandon historical totally!!). Recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

inject family drama around a dinner table or a party or a public display of screaming into my veins! Sarah has seamlessly moved into modern fiction after writing some of my favorite historical romances. She still found a way to make her characters compelling and interesting. It felt like she brought her characters from the bare knuckle bastards into modern times. And of course there is still a hint of Henry Cavill lol with an odd smidge of the Umbrella Academy. I can't explain it?

I loved it!

I was absolutely moved by this sweet and honest story. It is a top read for me this year! It would be a really fun book club read with all the discussions to come from it.

I’ve never read Sarah MacLean before and I’m happy to say she is a great storyteller! I couldn’t put this book down - the interwoven secrets between siblings was great! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This is the first book I have read by Sarah Maclean and definitely not my last. The story is about four siblings who come together after the patriarch of the Storm family passed. Each child is tasked with an individual challenge based around their future inheritances. The book reminded me a bit of Succession with romance thrown in and I was blown away with how much I loved it. The family was incredibly complex and I was drawn into their backstories and individual relationships with their father. I loved the relationship between Alice and Jack and their story was probably my favorite part of the novel. I did see some of the twists coming, but it didn’t deter me from loving the story. 4.5 stars

Sarah MacLean has another winner with These Summer Storms.

The story starts out with Alice Storm traveling home to Rhode Island for her father's funeral, following years of not being included in anything family oriented. The entire Storm family is dysfunctional, but dang, what good characters they all are. Jack is the calm in this group of people who are all flawed (including Alice) and who may be the strength in this group of people who equally love and despise each other. I loved watching his relationship with Alice develop.

I'm used to reading Ms. MacLean's historical romances and this trip in to the present did NOT disappoint. I loved every part of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC. All opinions are my own.