Summer Romance

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.

This novel is just so beautiful!! This was my first Annabel Monaghan book, but it won’t be the last. I adored the characters and found their on-page vulnerability so well written. Reading this novel is like chatting with an old friend and being there for them as they experience all of life's ups and downs. The central trope for our heroine, Ali, was love after loss. Loss of loved ones, of a marriage, of time, of the woman she once was. It was learning to love herself, her life, and others again. I never thought I would relate to a book where our main character is divorced and has three children, but here we are! I never wanted to put “Summer Romance” down and always looked forward to the next time I could read a few chapters. I highly recommend this beautiful and honest love story.

SUMMER ROMANCE is well written piece with characters struggling their way through life like we all do, then accepting that it’s okay to do what is necessary to enjoy it.

There is never a dull moment in the story, but once again I became mesmerized with how this author can turn a phrase or find a meaningful metaphor. It’s refreshing to feel a romance the author takes time to build.

This was my first Anabel Monaghan book, but certainly not my last. I so enjoyed her writing style and thought the way she put emotions on paper really was beautiful. Ali is in a rut, her marriage is ending, she’s dealing with the loss of her mom, and she’s lost herself in the process of marriage and raising a family. When she starts to pull herself out of her funk she meets Ethan who makes her feel like her old self and she starts to heal. It was a sweet story taking place in a tourist town on the sound in NY. Great vacation read that had laughs, tears, and a feel good ending. Highly recommend.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan- I predict this book will do SO WELL this summer based on the colorful cover and the title that will lure in the masses. This is marketing at its finest. Thankfully there is a great book beyond the cover design and title.

Alice (Ali) Morris is a divorced mother of three and we get to join her in a little bit of her life, which includes a new romance! Is it only for the summer? Read and find out!

In true Monaghan style, Summer Romance is brimming with realistic and relatable quotes about motherhood. In this book, she also does the same for grief. Oh, how any character who loses their wonderful mother bonds me to them and helps me heal almost eight years after losing my own! I found similarities between Ali’s relationship with her mom and my own.

There were SO MANY good quotes but the only one that will fit in this post is: “The thing about motherhood is that day to day there’s no measurable outcome. The mark of a successful day is just getting everyone back in bed.”

While reading this book, if you have a charm bracelet, you will find yourself digging through boxes to find it (as I did), you will want to organize your home (Ali is an organizer), you will learn the words “The Lost Item Rabbit Hole” (which I fall down daily due to my husband), learn about “the basic madness of dog ownership” as well as important sleepover rules (that I am going to remember for my kids)!

Narrator Kristen DiMercurio worked well for this character and all the others in the story. I mainly listened but read the ebook occasionally. The ebook has some extras: acknowledgments, and a conversation with the author, a discussion guide and an excerpt from the book Nora Goes Off Script. The audiobook has the Author’s Note read by the author.

Everyone have a champagne summer!

4/5 stars 8 hours 27 minutes at 1x on audio Door: Fade to black Location: Beechwood, NY and Devon (maybe in MA?)

What a little summer cutie! Summer Romance is about Ali, a mom of three children, getting a second chance at love after her divorce and recent death of her own mother. Her dog pees on Ethan’s foot at the dog park and it’s all that new love, butterflies in your stomach magic from there on out. I love how Ali slowly grew into her best self and how Ethan supported her along the way. He was so encouraging and sweet with her. It’s an easy breezy read and totally bingeable.

P.S. I strongly appreciate Ali’s organizational skills #goals

Nora Goes Off Script remains my favorite Annabel Monaghan but I really loved diving into Summer Romance, the story of Ali, a separated mom-of-two and a professional organizer whose own life is anything but organized. Her soon-to-be ex-husband is fed up with the stacks of mail, the crammed cabinets, and the grief that has enveloped her since her mother died although she’ll soon realize that their problems started long before that. It’s hard to describe without giving too much away but she has a meet cute with Ethan at a dog park, as well as an excellent first date but he doesn’t ask for her number. She’s written him off when she runs into him again and realizes she already knows him. He’s only in town for the summer and they agree to keep it simple with an expiration date but things are never that simple. He can’t see himself moving to where she lives and she has two kids and too many roots to change her life. Annabel has such a wonderful ability to write a relatable 40-something female character who is still trying to figure out her life much like the rest of us and she will forever be one of my favorites for it.