Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️
Tropes: virgin heroine; player hero; good girl/bad boy; summer fling; new adult; band of brothers/found family; small-town; insta-attraction; standalone in an interconnected series
Elle Kennedy’s The Summer Girl, book 3 of her Avalon Bay series, is the perfect summer read. Set in Avalon Bay, a small town with a townies/tourist vibe, it’s the type of book you find yourself reading on the beach. I haven’t read the first two books of this series, but this is Elle Kennedy, and I dived into this book without a look back. Thankfully, Kennedy makes it easy on her first-time reader to this series, introducing us to the broader group of characters and offering nods to the storylines of the first two books. In fact, The Summer Girl has prompted me to read those first two books because the story between Cassie and Tate is just too good.
The chemistry between these next-door neighbors is a four-alarm fire. Kennedy deftly takes her virgin heroine, Cassie, and pairs her with Tate, despite all of their attempts to keep their friendship platonic. However, any reader can see and feel their attraction. Kennedy carefully draws out their inclination for each other until just the right point. Then, she crafts a complication that comes from right field which makes your head spin. The entire time, she has you rooting for Tate and Cassie, but an Elle Kennedy coupling is never easy. She draws you in so deeply, and she forces you to wait until the very end for their happily ever after.
Add to this the reality of families. Tate’s character represents a loving family. In contrast, Cassie’s family dynamic has created a skewed sense of self and family history. Tate helps Cassie find her voice and draw appropriate boundaries, allowing Kennedy to underscore the psychology of families and their impact on our construction of self. One minute, she has you swooning for her characters’ romantic journey; the next, she’s emphasizing the power of forgiveness and letting go of people who bring us harm. Kennedy has curated a balance of fun and thoughtfulness through her story.
If The Summer Girl is any indication of the texture of the Avalon Bay series, I’m excited to read more of the stories in this steamy enclave.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 