About the Book
When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s new rom-com.
For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who has dyslexia, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.
Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn’t interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.
An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she’s always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.
My Review
I admit that one aspect sparking my interest in Summer Reading was getting a male character that loved reading and female heroine who was the exact opposite. Typically we get it the other way around, especially in a rom com book, and I also thought the setting of Martha’s Vineyard sounded like a good pick for my end of spring reading list, and I am so happy I said yes to this review request. Samantha is an unemployed chef, who scurries to her family’s cottage on Martha’s Vineyard to watch her half-brother, Tyler, for the summer while her dad and stepmom take an extended vacation. She’s hiding the fact she’s not actually still employed to her family and friends – including the new guy on the island, Bennet Reynolds. The two don’t get off to a hot start – Samantha knocking his book in the ocean on the ferry ride to the island – but the two slowly start to grow on each other. Samantha is also dyslexic and feels sure if Bennett knew how much she struggles to read, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. Soon, Samantha is hiding all kinds of secrets from those she’s closest to, and I felt a little exhausted for her.
I noticed she also greatly hid behind her dyslexia, using her diagnosis as a shield to push others aways. She assumes Bennett won’t like her because he loves to read, and she also assumes her half-brother thinks less of her because he is a bit of a brainiac. She uses this to keep people at arm’s length when they would really love to get to know her, and I enjoyed that there were several personal growth moments to read throughout the way. The relationship that forms between Samantha and Tyler is super sweet, and the romance is also fun to follow along. There was a good balance of vulnerable yet humorous moments throughout the way, and it’s a great one to choose for the summer!
4.5 stars
