Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  Spice: Closed Door

by Annabel Monahan

My favorite romance novels are those that have a compelling story but also get under your skin and make you think about some aspects of your life. Summer Romance was a fantastic romance that made me think about what I want from life outside of my identity as a wife and mother. It also really made me want to clean out my junk drawer.

Ali’s mother died, and then her husband moved out. She’s been lost in a fog of sweatpants and sorrow while focusing on keeping her girls on time for school, her elderly neighbor fed, and her fledgling organizing business up and running, all while navigating divorce. While at the dog park, her dog decides to pee on Ethan, the handsomest man there. Thus begins a whirlwind, complicated, deeply meaningful summer romance that will change Ali and Ethan forever.

There is so much to love about this book. Ali is incredibly relatable as a person adept at helping others figure out their lives (and junk drawers) while in paralysis to care for her own life in the same way. There’s also a very thoughtful storyline about how our choices as adults are viewed through the eyes of our children and that sometimes, knowing what we are subconsciously teaching them can be a catalyst for change. It is also a hilarious book about the chaos of life and making decisions based on whether or not you’ll have to wear hard pants.

A huge thank you to Net Galley, Putnam Books and Annabel Monaghan for the opportunity to read Summer Romance, which will be available on June 4, 2024 in exchange for my honest review.