The Summer Girl - (Avalon Bay) by Elle Kennedy (Paperback)

a nice summer read by the beach kind of vibes .

“The Summer Girl” is my first read by Elle Kennedy. While I found the book fun and engaging, it wasn’t a story that I found memorable and I’d say it’s a 3-3.5/5 star read for me. Cassie Soul is spending her summer in Avalon Bay, the beach town she grew up in but hasn’t spent quality time in since her parents divorced years ago. This summer, though, she plans on spending time with her grandmother before she moves and seeing the reopening of the hotel her grandparents built and ran for decades. She also plans on having a bit of fun by finding herself a summer fling. In steps Tate Bartlett, town lover boy and sailing instructor, who knows his way around girls and flings. From their first meeting, Tate likes Cassie, maybe too much, and doesn’t want to break her heart with a fling gone bad. However, the more time they spend together, the more they both realize there’s too much chemistry there to ignore, and they give in…but what happens when a fling becomes more? And what happens when the other parts of their life converge in a way that makes being together harder than they thought? While entertaining, I will say I’m not sure this book was for me. In my opinion, the book was raunchier than it needed to be, and the storyline lacked substance. I feel like some pieces of the storyline were a bit random—Cassie’s mom and Tate’s dad being together and all that came from that seemed out of left field and am not sure was needed. I also didn’t feel a lot of depth behind the characters and most of the relationships in this book, which would have helped me become more attached to them. With that said, this was a fast read for me. I was entertained throughout the book. This may not have been my favorite book, and I might not remember the characters for long after I finish it, but while I was in its pages “The Summer Fling” did what it was supposed to—it kept me reading, turning pages to see how it ends. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this book is for you. If you want a little more from your reads, if you desire a larger connection to the characters and events you read about, I would probably look elsewhere. **Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy.**