Title: The Summer Deal
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication: June 2, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 365
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.
And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She’s fierce, tough, and pretty much the opposite of Brynn except for one thing: they’re half-sisters. Kinsey is keeping this bombshell, and a few others as well. Long time frenemies from summer camp, there’s no way she’s going to tell Brynn they’re related.
But then Brynn runs into Kinsey’s lifelong best friend, Eli, renewing a childhood crush. He’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. When he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have a sister, love, and a future―if she can only learn to let go of the past.
As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for na honest review.**
As I have gotten older I have read more and more romance books. I discovered Jill Shalvis and she has easily become my favorite romance author ever. I have bought and read most of her books. So when the request to read her upcoming books comes across my editor’s email she always forwards them to me. I generally squeal with delight and sign up immediately. I couldn’t wait for the book to come in the mail and start to read it.
Brynn is returning home with her tail tucked between her legs. Her asshole ex robbed her blind then moved out of their apartment and all of her stuff got locked up. So she comes back to start fresh and figure out her life. She gets home and promptly has a massive panic attack that causes her moms to call 911. As she leaves the hospital she runs into her old camp crush, Eli. Full disclosure…. I stayed up until 2 am reading this book because I couldn’t put it down and needed to find out what happens. Secondly this book is like two romances in one. There is the main character Brynn’s story plus a side romance with one of the secondary main characters, Kinsley. This book was so relatable. Not feeling like you can trust someone again. I know how that feels. My ex-fiance came home one night with hickies on his chest and told he is was a purple nurple gone wrong but I am not dumb. It was hard to trust my now-husband when we started to date.
Without giving too much away and spoiling it. I love the relationship two of the characters have with each other. They are friends but enemies. They hate each other for what happened at camp and that has carried over to what happens once they are grown. They finally put their differences aside and are getting along when one drops a massive bombshell. How they pick up the pieces and carry on are relatable. I also really liked the fact that the author made the main characters’ parents lesbian. I see very few of that in the books I read. It was refreshing to see that she did write the main character that way. I also really liked her mom’s. They cracked me up one strikes me as a patchouli loving, whispy dress wearing person and the other was more a bourbon and suits woman. They loved each other dearly. I can’t wait to read more books by Jill. I will be waiting patiently for my email to arrive…I hope. Now excuse me while I go start another book by her!
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. Check out more from Jill Shalvis on her website HERE and check out some of our previous reviews of her books, such as Almost Just Friends and Playing for Keeps.