Breakaway Books

Authored by Annabel Monaghan; Published June 2024; Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️

Summer Romance is, as you might expect, an excellent beach read. In what may be a growing trend in the genre, it feels like the main villain in the novel is the heroine, Ali, herself: the way she has allowed herself to be treated, the way she has allowed herself to “disappear” in her marriage, the way she has shrunk because of grief and fear.

One of the first ways I’d describe this novel is: easy. It’s a breeze to get through, and the plot flows smoothly, without unnecessary hijinks to throw up obstacles between the heroine and her prince. It’s a story about Ali sliding headfirst into a love that seems, truthfully, too perfect to be true (which had me metaphorically peeking around every corner to see if the hero, Ethan, would turn out to have some horribly dark secret). It did ring a little false, just how few issues the two main characters had in their relationship, communicating their feelings, merging their lives together.

But, if it didn’t feel completely true to life, all’s the better for a summer escape. I’m sure that Beechwood is a perfectly normal small town, but the author made it sound like an idyllic summer paradise. Not extravagant, just a sun-soaked place where the norm is seafood, grilling, and boating. I’m glad that I read it while I was at the beach to feel the sand between my toes myself, but if you’re longing for more summer as we descend into winter, this will quench the need.

What did ring true in the novel was Ali’s gradual realization that her beloved mother, who at the beginning of novel had seemed like a godsend, ready to step in when her ex-husband failed, was a flawed human being who had unintentionally left a few negative imprints on Ali’s mind. The way she began to process her mother’s less joyful legacy, especially as she saw it in the face of her own daughters, felt like a transition into adulthood: the sad realization that our parents are people, too. Equally, Ali’s and Ethan’s firm love for their communities felt like a testament to the beauty of how small communities can support each other.

At the heart of it, and of many of Ali’s ruminations throughout the novel, is the way that Ali was protected, and has protected herself, from failing. Is it better to try and fail than to have never tried at all? Is it better to feel the unfettered delight of a summer romance, only to experience the lonely pain of autumn? Is it better to fight for your husband to be a better partner and father, or let Grandma step in in his absence?

In the end, Ali comes to embrace joy, even knowing that it will eventually end with loss–a beautiful message for a seasonal romance.