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kirareadssometimes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Tate is that perfect kind of popular, goofy, kind and extremely sweet guy that I just knew I would love after about 10 pages. Cassie started out a bit too “quirky” but the more the book went on the more her character developed and she became more realistic. Their story was sweet, full of summery energy, and had the feeling of youthful freedom. The least spicy of the 3 books.
Cassie’s mom is a narcissistic bitch who has a serious mental illness and needs actual help. I’m glad Cassie broke contact with her and the book didn’t end with them reconciling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Infidelity, Abortion, and Body shaming
emccosky's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Abortion
Minor: Infidelity
abookwanderer's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Revisiting Avalon Bay is always a nice way to spend a day or two. And The Summer Girl, the third installment in the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy, was everything I wanted it to be and more! Fun, romantic, and surprising, I didn’t want Cassie and Tate’s story to end.
If you’ve read the previous two books in the series—Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation—you’ll recognize many of the characters. While Cassie is a new addition, Tate has appeared as a side character in the other books. And our lead characters from the first two books are here, as well, since this group of friends is a close one. But like Cassie, we have several new side characters, who only enhance the story. I can’t help wondering who the next book will be about when a side character makes an appearance in a scene. While reading the previous books is not necessary, I highly recommend them!
I adored the setting of The Summer Girl. Not only the setting of Avalon Bay with it’s beachside campfires, but having Cassie and Tate be neighbors for the summer. It led to so many romantic encounters, including one particularly steamy scene that will remain quite memorable.
In this dual point of view romance, Cassie and Tate are beautifully flawed, enigmatic characters. Their chemistry leaps off the page, and they just make sense together. Cassie is kind, to a fault, and Tate, try as he might, can’t resist Cassie. I enjoyed their push and pull, and watching as Tate battled with himself. It’s a sweet friends-to-lovers story!
There is a surprise twist I didn’t see coming, mostly because I was just reading for enjoyment, not thinking too hard about where the story was heading. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it at first, but Kennedy weaved it so expertly into the existing story, it made the ending that much more satisfying.
There’s plenty to love in this one: beachside parties, late-night chats, magical boat rides, and a local Beach Games event that had me cheering for the characters. If you’re a fan of Elle Kennedy or simply a fan of summer romances, you’ll enjoy The Summer Girl!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my review and playlist at A Book Wanderer
If you’ve read the previous two books in the series—Good Girl Complex and Bad Girl Reputation—you’ll recognize many of the characters. While Cassie is a new addition, Tate has appeared as a side character in the other books. And our lead characters from the first two books are here, as well, since this group of friends is a close one. But like Cassie, we have several new side characters, who only enhance the story. I can’t help wondering who the next book will be about when a side character makes an appearance in a scene. While reading the previous books is not necessary, I highly recommend them!
I adored the setting of The Summer Girl. Not only the setting of Avalon Bay with it’s beachside campfires, but having Cassie and Tate be neighbors for the summer. It led to so many romantic encounters, including one particularly steamy scene that will remain quite memorable.
In this dual point of view romance, Cassie and Tate are beautifully flawed, enigmatic characters. Their chemistry leaps off the page, and they just make sense together. Cassie is kind, to a fault, and Tate, try as he might, can’t resist Cassie. I enjoyed their push and pull, and watching as Tate battled with himself. It’s a sweet friends-to-lovers story!
There is a surprise twist I didn’t see coming, mostly because I was just reading for enjoyment, not thinking too hard about where the story was heading. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it at first, but Kennedy weaved it so expertly into the existing story, it made the ending that much more satisfying.
There’s plenty to love in this one: beachside parties, late-night chats, magical boat rides, and a local Beach Games event that had me cheering for the characters. If you’re a fan of Elle Kennedy or simply a fan of summer romances, you’ll enjoy The Summer Girl!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my review and playlist at A Book Wanderer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Abortion, and Miscarriage
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
3.25
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Summer Girl in exchange for my honest review!
As a fan of Elle Kennedy's romance novels, I was excited to dive into The Summer Girl, her third entry in the Avalon Bay series. The romance between Cassie and Tate started out charmingly enough, their chemistry and the breezy atmosphere making it all pretty fun. But then I noticed how the narration repeatedly refers to Cassie's apparently massive breasts, doing it in a way that almost made me feel like this aspect was the only significant thing about her character. It gets toned down as the book progresses, but it's still not something I cared for.
Another element that bugged me even more was the book's deployment of the virgin trope. Cassie is a virgin when she gets together with Tate, so there's a whole bunch of talk about how concerned they are (though the concern is more on her side) when it comes to her having sex. The thing is, Kennedy falls back on an incredibly outdated portrayal of virginity that claims you're a virgin until—well, how shall I word this here—the P enters the V. If you do anything else, the book seemingly doesn't consider those things as giving up your V-card. It was frustrating to read about, considering how much virginity persists to live in our world as a social construct, its prominent roots in purity culture, and the misogyny it helps to perpetuate. This whole aspect was enough for me to knock my rating down half a star.
I know I just spent a good chunk of this review criticizing the book's usage of the virgin trope, but I want to make it clear that I did like quite a bit about this book. It isn't just for the romance, either. I also appreciated its handling of the relationships that Cassie and Tate each have with their own parents. I can't really say that much more without dropping spoilers, but I'll just praise Kennedy for adding heart to the story by exploring some interesting nuances in those dynamics, especially in the third act.
Overall, I'm landing on a score of 3.25 out of 5 for The Summer Girl. If I were to recommend a Kennedy romance to a friend, I wouldn't necessarily rush to pick this one, but I'm still glad I got the chance to read an eARC of it. I'll definitely continue to pick up more of Kennedy's work.
As a fan of Elle Kennedy's romance novels, I was excited to dive into The Summer Girl, her third entry in the Avalon Bay series. The romance between Cassie and Tate started out charmingly enough, their chemistry and the breezy atmosphere making it all pretty fun. But then I noticed how the narration repeatedly refers to Cassie's apparently massive breasts, doing it in a way that almost made me feel like this aspect was the only significant thing about her character. It gets toned down as the book progresses, but it's still not something I cared for.
Another element that bugged me even more was the book's deployment of the virgin trope. Cassie is a virgin when she gets together with Tate, so there's a whole bunch of talk about how concerned they are (though the concern is more on her side) when it comes to her having sex. The thing is, Kennedy falls back on an incredibly outdated portrayal of virginity that claims you're a virgin until—well, how shall I word this here—the P enters the V. If you do anything else, the book seemingly doesn't consider those things as giving up your V-card. It was frustrating to read about, considering how much virginity persists to live in our world as a social construct, its prominent roots in purity culture, and the misogyny it helps to perpetuate. This whole aspect was enough for me to knock my rating down half a star.
I know I just spent a good chunk of this review criticizing the book's usage of the virgin trope, but I want to make it clear that I did like quite a bit about this book. It isn't just for the romance, either. I also appreciated its handling of the relationships that Cassie and Tate each have with their own parents. I can't really say that much more without dropping spoilers, but I'll just praise Kennedy for adding heart to the story by exploring some interesting nuances in those dynamics, especially in the third act.
Overall, I'm landing on a score of 3.25 out of 5 for The Summer Girl. If I were to recommend a Kennedy romance to a friend, I wouldn't necessarily rush to pick this one, but I'm still glad I got the chance to read an eARC of it. I'll definitely continue to pick up more of Kennedy's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Pregnancy, Cursing, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion and Alcohol
haleyzajac's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 ⭐️ This was a pretty standard young twenties, summer at the beach, romance book. I didn’t feel like it blew me away, but it also wasn’t bad. I really disliked the relationship between Cassie and her mom. Which was sort of the point I guess, but it still seemed way over the top. The body shaming was ridiculous, especially considering it’s mentioned how tiny she is on numerous occasions. All the family stuff in this book was heavy. I definitely think you need a bit of drama or conflict to make a book great. This book took that expectation and overkilled it. Body shaming, emotional and verbal abuse by a parent, cheating, divorce, discussion of miscarriage, etc. It was just trying to do too much. I would have liked to see more of those giddy moments in a new relationship as you’re starting to discover each other. I think it would have helped balance the book out a bit. Would I recommend this summer read to a friend? Probably not. There are too many other great summer romance reads out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Miscarriage
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