Book: Summer Romance

Author: Annabel Monaghan

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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We first meet Ali while she is going through a hard time. She is grieving the loss of her mother, and at the same time her husband Pete decides he wants a divorce.

One day she decides she needs to start wearing “hard pants” again, so she gets dressed up and goes to the dog park. This is where her dog decides to choose a guy named Ethan to pee on. Thanks to her dog, we are taken on a champagne summer between her and Ethan. They have this instant, undeniable connection.

After this run-in, Ali starts feeling different. She finally sees a light in her life. She finally has some motivation to get dressed up every day.

As she goes through her divorce I loved seeing the growth in Ali. You see her realizing what a jerk Pete was to her and the kids. Pete tries to mess everything up for Ali, he will change plans to do what he wants without caring how it affects her.

I loved seeing Ethan truly care, listen, and be there for Ali every step of the way. You can see how much he cares for both her and her children. Given his professional history, Ethan was present during most of Ali and Pete’s divorce meetings. One of my favorite parts of the story was ws hearing about the outfits Ethan would wear to these meetings.

When we get deeper into the story we learn that Ethan’s nickname is “Scooter” and that Ethan has known Ali since they were fourteen years old. He has been in love with her ever since. Unfortunately, Ali doesn’t remember him. However, Ethan lives in another town about four hours away. He has been in town visiting family and has no ambition to move back. Ali is hoping she can change that.

This summer romance was very emotional but I loved it so much! I love both Ethan and Ali as well as her children.

Annabel does it again! This is a must-add to your summer reading!

Final Score: 5/5