Other Peoples Summers by Sarah Morgan is the newest release by one of my favorite authors. Milly and Nicole are lifelong friends. They were thick as thieves, could tell each other everything, were always there for one another no matter what. Until Milly’s husband walked out after admitting to an affair, then Nicole was nowhere to be found and Milly was left to navigate this new life alone. Without her best friend by her side. Now, 18 months later, Nicole is calling Milly for a desperate favor. Will Milly push the past to the past and help her lifelong friend?

I love the way this story tackles a few different storylines but weaves them together without making you feel like you need a cheat sheet to keep up. Whether we are following Milly, learning how to live this new life for her and her daughter, Nicole who is hiding from her superstar reality and all that suffocates her within it. Zoe, Milly’s fun-loving daughter who is caught up within her father and mother’s separation. Milly’s mother Connie and Grandma Nanna Peg who are delightful and bring needed humor to every situation, each character is strong, caring and independent whether they know it fully or need a little reminding. The male characters are nothing to sneeze at either, bringing serious turns and grand humor themselves.

Sarah Morgan paints such a wonderful picture that our minds eye feels like we are hiking the same trails or huddled around the same tv in a bungalow. It is a fun, easy read that will leave you feeling like you want to seek out people like these and hang out. Fantastic new read.

Other People's Summers by Sarah Morgan

Once again, Sarah Morgan has written an incredible story filled with love, second chances, relatable characters, found family and lifelong friendship.

Milly and Nicole have been friends forever but when Milly's marriage fell apart Nicole ghosted her. Now 18 months later Nicole asks Milly for her help and a place to disappear for a while. Milly helps her even when she doesn't trust that she won't disappear again.

This book beautifully captures the complexities of lifelong friendships—how they can shatter, evolve, endure & ultimately heal. The tension between Milly and Nicole is tangible, making their reconnection all the more rewarding. As they navigate past hurts and unspoken truths, both Milly & Nicole undergo personal growth, find strength within themselves & each other.

The setting is a standout feature, with the Lake District brought to life with vivid descriptions. The natural beauty of the woodlands, mountains, trails are very calming and it feels like you are right there with the characters.

This story is a celebration of love, living in the present, friendship and emotions. I cried, I laughed but most of all it touched me and reminded me of the unbreakable bond of true friendship.

I know this is going to be a fantastic summer read for all who pick it up!

Thank you to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date; May 6, 2025

I have this 3.5 stars on StoryGraph.
Overall this was an enjoyable read and it kept me invested until the end. I liked both the main characters and loved the setting!
If I was to be picky I would have to add that I didn’t like the constant body image negativity, the fast moving relationship between Joel and Nicole ( especially since she was very leery of strangers, the fling Nicole had with the other celebrity after already making Richard chose between his wife or his gf, how easy it was for Nicole to be in the public at the end of the story (there lacked a few steps of addressing this). It also really bothered me that no one thought about how they could just make the paparazzi leave the boat house property. It is private property after all. 🙄
As well I found the book wordy especially amongst the dialogue. I found myself scanning paragraphs or jumping a few at a time.
If you are looking for an easy summer read then this would work for you! I will continue to read Sarah Morgan books because the overall stories are enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this arc.

Other Poeple’s Summers is an embracing exploration of friendship and family that will draw you in and take you on a journey as two friends reconnect and find a place in each other’s lives.

Milly and Nicole had been the best of friends for many years; however, a major life event for Milly suddenly changes the course of their friendship. The two friends are brought back together when Nicole needs Milly’s help more than ever. The two friends must find a way to open up and trust each other in order to heal and move forward. Along the way, newfound friendships and family revelations guide Nicole and Milly to rediscover who they are and just how important the strength and resilience of friends and family can be when dealing with life’s circumstances.

I loved everything about this story! The story line, characters, and setting all perfectly blended together to create a wonderful, heartfelt, and cozy reading experience. This is a perfect summer read!

Thank you to The Hive, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Other People’s Summers.

If you love stories about friendship and second chances, than this story is for you. This is the perfect summer read and I can see so many people enjoying this one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @HarlequinTrade for this ARC. In the middle of the night, Milly picks up her once best friend from the train station because Nicole said she needed her. The Nicole Raven, famous actress that the press just released she was having an affair and breaking up the biggest marriage in Hollywood. Though Nicole ghosted Milly eighteen months ago, she knew that she needed her now. With time and a lot of late night talks, they both heal from the past and present. A sweet, sweet story of friendship and love. Sarah Morgan is one of my favs! #OtherPeoplesSummers #SarahMorgan #HarlequinTrade #May2025

I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Another great read by Ms. Morgan. This time we find Milly Beckett, a divorced single mom, running a resort with her mom in the Lake District. She gets a call from her lifelong friend Nicole Raven, famous actress, who needs Milly helps. The two had been close all their lives until Nicole ghosted Milly when her husband left her. Now Nicole needs to get out of the spotlight and ask Milly to take her in. Can the ladies get their friendship back on solid ground? This one is a book about forgiveness and friendship. Pick it up in May 2025.

Once again, Sarah Morgan has written an interesting novel with wonderful, relatable characters. I was intrigued from page one when Milly was waiting in the dark at a railroad station to meet her friend, a Hollywood super star. Milly and Nicole have a long history of friendship and being there for each other. However, Nicole had ghosted Milly for the past 18 months for a very good reason. Will this reason keep them from rekindling their friendship? Nicole has a some very big secrets and eventually she will share them with Milly and her family. Can Milly and Nicole move on to new relationships with the new men in their lives? I highly recommend this book. It is suitable reading for teens as well and might teach them some life lessons. (Note: No explicit content. I would rate it PG)

Book Review: Other People’s Summers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Sarah Morgan @sarahmorganwrites
Publisher: Canary Street Press @canarystreetpress
Thank you @netgalley for my ARC.

Other People’s Summers is a heartwarming and deeply emotional story about friendship, forgiveness, and second chances, set against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District.

Milly and Nicole were inseparable in their youth, but fame and distance drove them apart. When Nicole, now a global superstar, finds herself embroiled in scandal, she turns to Milly—the one person she can still trust. However, Milly, fresh from a painful divorce and raising her daughter alone, hasn’t forgotten how Nicole abandoned her when she needed her most. Despite her reservations, she offers Nicole sanctuary, setting the stage for a powerful journey of reconciliation and self-discovery.

The novel beautifully captures the complexities of lifelong friendships—how they can fracture, evolve, and ultimately endure. The tension between Milly and Nicole is palpable, making their slow but meaningful reconnection all the more rewarding. As they navigate past hurts and unspoken truths, both women undergo personal growth, finding strength and clarity in each other’s presence.

The setting is another standout feature, with the Lake District brought to life in vivid detail. The author’s descriptions of the natural beauty—woodlands, mountains, and tranquil waters—add a soothing and restorative element to the story. The sense of community within Milly’s world, from her hilarious and wise grandmother Peg to the charming and dependable Brendan, enriches the narrative, providing warmth and depth beyond the central friendship.

This novel is more than just a story of rekindled friendship—it’s a celebration of resilience, love, and the importance of living in the present. While some twists are predictable, they don’t diminish the emotional impact of the journey. Other People’s Summers is a touching, feel-good read that reminds us of the unbreakable bonds of true friendship. Perfect for fans of stories that explore relationships, healing, and the beauty of finding home in the people we love.

#OtherPeoplesSummers #FriendshipFiction #HeartwarmingReads #PaigeToon #LakeDistrict #BookReview #SecondChances #EmotionalReads #ContemporaryFiction #Bookstagram #MustReadBooks #WomenFiction #FamilyAndFriendship #FeelGoodFiction #BookLover #HealingJourneys #BookRecommendation #ReadingCommunity

4 stars awesome vibes and very well written read! would definitely recommend the book and the chars. tysm for the arc.

This was exactly what I needed. It is a story of family, friendship, love, and life that I did not want to end! Milly and Nicole have been friends forever but when Milly's marriage fell apart Nicole ghosted her. Now 18 months later Nicole asks Milly for her help and a place to disappear for a while. Milly helps her even when she doesn't trust that she won't disappear again. As they spend time together they rediscover their friendship but can they learn to trust each other again? There was another storyline, a mother worrying about their daughter, that resonated with me. I identified with Connie and how she put Milly first and put her own life on hold. The cast of characters was so much fun, Nanna Peg was a favorite. The setting of a secluded lake in the Lake District adds to the appeal of the story. and makes me want to visit. I love Sarah Morgan's books and this one is a new favorite. One of the things that I enjoy is that amid the friendship and love there are situations that make you think and wonder what you would do. This book is no exception and I don't know what I would do if I was in Nicole's situation. I highly recommend this to readers looking for a story of friendship and family with a little romance.

This is another great story by Sarah Morgan. It was a nice change from the few books of hers that I had read, which were all winter/Christmas stories. This is the story of Nicole and Melly and their lifelong friendship, that had hit a few speed bumps, as they work through the speed bumps and learn that friends that are family are most important. I would love to see a continuation of the story, to see what the future holds for both of them after the changes they made at the end of the story. A great read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sarah Morgan does it again with a wonderful story about mending a long time friendship broken, a dissolved marriage and a new love found. This story is about family and friends who are like family discovering what is important to them.
A five star read, perfect for beach reading.

My thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to early read for providing an honest review.

Five stars!!

I’ve read two Sarah Morgan books before and both were Christmas stories. They were so heartwarming.

Other People’s Summers was just so sad to me - Milly and Nicole have completely lost touch after being best friends their whole lives. Nicole is a successful actress and Milly runs a resort. When the tabloids start running stories after stories about Nicole being a homewrecker, she calls Milly who offers her sanctuary.

I don’t know what I found more depressing - Milly’s body image issues (this is so hard to read about), the obvious imbalance in their relationship (Nicole is constantly asking Milly not to run to the press with her confessions, this is not how you treat a friend), Nicole being completely out of touch with reality, poor Zoe, Milly’s daughter who had an awful father. This was frankly too much. Sarah Morgan has always made ne feel better and like I’d found a family in her books but I couldn’t wait to finish this. I think I’ll stick to her Christmas books

My endless thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC!

This book is a love letter to friendship, the kind that survives distance, heartbreak, and even betrayal. The writing is effortless, drawing you into the idyllic charm of the Lake District while exploring love in all its forms, friendship, romance, and self-discovery. There is warmth in these pages, a tenderness that lingers long after the final chapter. A beautifully told story of second chances, forgiveness, and the unexpected ways life can still surprise us.

This was another great book by Sarah Morgan. This is a story of friendships and second chances. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoy the way Sarah Morgan tells a story that lets you deeply feel the way the characters are experiencing their emotions. That intensity of being hurt by people you love, that anger at betrayals and then the freedom and happiness that comes from forgiveness makes this a wonderful book in my opinion. Ms Morgan is now on my ‘always read’ author list! Thanks NetGalley for a chance to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin, for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

***SPOILER ALIERT*** So here's my issue: Why did Nicole choose to have a relationship with a man who was still legally married? Maybe I missed it but I don't think he was even legally separated from his wife. I realize that Justin's wife had cheated on him a bunch of times but that doesn't make his cheating OK. Why didn't he get divorced before starting a relationship with Nicole? Well, because that's not what he wanted. He wanted to stay married and have an affair. I have no sympathy for either of them.

I wasn't onboard with one of the characters' choices. That said, I did enjoy readnig this story and stayed up way too late so I could finish it. I loved most of the characters and also enjoyed the family dynamics between the different generations. There are several romances in this story but it was more about friendship and family relationships.

No profanity and a PG-13 love scene.

A heartfelt story about friendship, forgiveness, and second chances.

Sarah Morgan delivers a hopeful novel in Other People’s Summers, a story that captures the complexities of friendships that feel more like family and the ways life can pull people apart—only to bring them back together when they least expect it.

At its core, this novel is about Milly and Nicole, childhood best friends who were once inseparable but now live in vastly different worlds. Milly, recently divorced and raising her daughter alone, has built a quiet life in the idyllic English Lake District, while Nicole, a global celebrity, is used to flashing cameras, fame, and a fast-paced existence. When a public scandal threatens Nicole’s career, she turns to the only person she truly trusts—Milly. But forgiveness isn’t easy when the wounds of the past are still raw, and Nicole’s unexpected reappearance forces Milly to confront both old heartbreak and new possibilities.

The story unfolds with stilted small talk, long-buried emotions, and revelations, as Milly and Nicole try to rebuild the bond they once had. Along the way, Milly discovers her own strength, reimagines her future, and even opens herself to the possibility of love again. #OtherPeoplesSummers #SarahMorgan #FriendshipFiction #LakeDistrict #NetGalley #BookReview #WomenFictionReads #HQ

I was shocked by how different this book felt from Sarah Morgan's usual style! As a long-time fan of her heartwarming stories, I was expecting the familiar charm, but this one had a completely new voice. I found myself struggling to connect with the characters and the overall pace.

It’s not that the book was bad, it just didn’t quite hit the same sweet spot as her earlier work. I was hoping for a bit more depth and connection, but instead, it felt a little bit like the story was dragging on.

That being said, if you’re looking for a light, quick read for a summer afternoon, it could be perfect. Just don’t expect the typical Sarah Morgan magic that so many of her books deliver!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration.