Member Reviews
This was a lovely summer read and it was really cool to see how the author tried to make the book more dyslexia friendly.
I loved the summery island setting, and Sam’s predicament at the start of the book drew me in.
While I liked Sam and Ben, and especially enjoyed their meet cute, I actually enjoyed the developing closeness of Sam and her much younger half brother, Tyler, a lot more. It was really sweet and I felt like you saw a lot more of Sam’s fun personality in this relationship than her romantic relationships.
I found the repeated worry she had - he’s a reader and I hate reading we could never be compatible!! - a bit strange as a reason that you mightn’t date someone but perhaps that’s just a personal thing.
I enjoyed reading the book but the writing wasn’t quite for me. At times I found it a little bit on the cringey side (bursting into dance was a hard read) but again I think that’s personal preference.
A final note - all of the food sounded incredible, and I loved the inclusion of the recipes at the end!
Thanks to Jenn McKinley, NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the ARC
Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay
This was a great summer read. The romance between dyslexic chef Sam and sexy librarian Ben had me read this in one sitting. The rapport between Sam and her brother and her best friend was a bonus.
Sam gives up a job in the city and goes home to look after her 14 year old step brother while her dad and step mum go to Europe. She meets Ben at the local library where her best friend works and between her budding romance with Ben, his search for his dad, supporting her hypochondriacal friend and getting to know her stepbrother she has to tackle the trauma of how she was treated as a child with ADHD / dyslexia and what it means in her budding romance with someone who loves reading.
The characters were great, it was a charming funny read just right for a lazy day in the garden with nothing better to do than read.
A great summer read with a bit of a twist on the usual contemporary romance.
Samantha does not like reading at all - for her it's a chore. And that's mainly to do with her dyslexia. I love how this book has addressed that issue and how Ben helped her find more confidence in herself and her reading as she created her own cookbook. The author's note at the front explained it well and I love that when this is printed it will be in dyslexic friendly font. As a teacher I find many teenagers assuming they can't read because of their dyslexia and not having the confidence to try.
Ben is searching for his own answers but my gosh it is hard to resist the hot bookish guy! Especially when he reads a smutty scene and pulls her on his lap! The spice was nice in this both the fictional book and the actual scenes between Ben and Samantha. My only issue was with the third act breakup I need it to make sense to get behind it and I just felt this one didn't.
My first book by Jenn McKinlay and I'll definitely be checking out her other titles.
This is a cute, fun, easy read romance. It’s perfect for a beach or summer read.
I absolutely loved the meet cute between our main characters Sam and Ben when they meet on a ferry taking them to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. Obviously they bump into each other again afterwards and their relationship develops. There is also great family and friend relationship development in this book and I enjoyed the characters and their side plots, particularly Sam’s relationship with her half brother Tyler.
It is really great to see dyslexia representation in this book and the additional adjustments the author and publishing team have gone to to make this book more accessible. I have a real passion for reading and I love being able to share and recommend books like this to others who may appreciate these aspects.
I was drawn into this story from the beginning scene which was filled with a little drama and a wonderful meet cute between Sam and Ben! The romance between this pair is sweet but more cosy than chemistry-filled romance, though there is a bit of spice in there too. It’s evident throughout that Sam has a lot of hang ups about her dyslexia, bred in the most part from other people’s negative reactions to it which was really sad to read but added a lot of depth to her character and experience, and I couldn’t help but feel for her and it definitely frustrates me to see how awful people can be. While the romance was nice, and Ben’s character was very sweet (I particularly enjoyed the reading!), the highlight of this story was actually Tyler and Sam’s relationship with him. Seeing their sibling bond develop after so long apart, and seeing them open up to each other and find things they enjoyed together. Their closeness is so heartwarming and Tyler’s character made me smile with his antics.
Some parts of the story felt a little unnecessary to the main storylines and there also seemed to be, to me at least, loose threads that weren’t tied up but overall I enjoyed the mystery Ben was trying to unravel and how supportive Ben and Sam were of each other, working together towards their goals. It’s also fantastic to see a neurodivergent main character and especially in a romance!
I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.
This was a great summer read perfect for your holiday.
Samantha Gale is between jobs, she’s quit her job after being passed over for promotion and has agreed to “babysit” her teenage stepbrother while their dad and her stemum are on their travels.
I enjoyed Sam and Tyler becoming reacquainted and their relationship beginning to blossom.
It was great that the female lead wasn’t the typical bookish trope and instead the “love interest” is the book lover.
On her way back to Martha’s Vineyward she meets Ben and then again at the library dropping Tyler off for robotics camp they are reunited.
Despite this obvious difference between Sam and Ben, sparks fly and their attraction is undeniable. However, Sam has a lot of baggage, and a lot of that has to do with her neurodiversity.
Past relationships have taught her that being with someone that is book smart is not in the cards for her.
However, Ben has other ideas and the more time they spend together, the more it seems that this new relationship might just work.
Sam knows that she must get a job soon and not give up on her ambition to be a professional and successful chef.
What a wonderful read.
I loved the relationships in this book and that is has been published in a dyslexic friendly font – more books should follow suit, reading should be accessible for all.
Most notably, Sam and Tyler, half siblings who learned how much they really cared about one another.
Sam and Ben’s blossoming relationship was lovely. He was empathetic to her dyslexia and neurodiversity and she supported him with his quest to find his father.
Lastly, I also enjoyed the fact that Sam truly loved her stepmother, and even though she is very close to her own mother, her stepmother is someone that she adored.
So while this book was indeed a romance, these relationships in this book really pulled this book together.
Sam Gale has quit her job as a Chef after being passed over for promotion. She is returning to Martha's Vineyard for the summer to look after her 14 year old half-brother whilst her father and step-mother are away.
One the ferry over she accidently knocks into Ben, sending his book into the water. He is a reader but she is dyslexic - what do they have in common.
A gripping read addressing the problems faced by those with dyslexia.
Wow! That was my first reaction after finishing this. It’s a perfect beach read with adorable yet very relatable characters; that I couldn’t help rather fall in love!!
Unfortunately for me this was a dnf. I’ve only read one other book by this author that I thought was okay but felt like something was missing. With what I read of this book I couldn’t connect with the writing or the characters. It felt stilted and forced, I didn’t believe the budding romance or the chemistry.
3.5 stars (rounded up)
Summer Reading follows chef Samantha and hot librarian Ben as they spend the summer in a small town working temporary jobs. Samantha is there looking after her step brother and picking up work as a chef after quitting her previous position - she was overlooked due to being dyslexic. While Ben is the temporary interim library manager who is overseeing things. The pair meet on a ferry crossing when Sam drops Ben's book into the sea and their love story grows from there.
There were definitely parts of this I enjoyed - like Sam's budding relationship with her brother as the pair learn more about one another and bond as siblings, and Sam's love for cooking really shone through. There were parts however that felt a little rushed. I felt aspects of Ben and Sam's relationship suddenly blossomed artificially or from nowhere, or accelerated from casual kissing to being each other's 'person' within the space of a few pages. That being said it's good summer reading (as the title suggests) and could totally imagine escaping into their world from the comfort of a sunlounger at the beach. I enjoyed reading about a dyslexic character too and learning more about the condition and how Samantha struggled with it.
Thanks to the publisher for my copy!
A super fun, witty romance! I really enjoyed this book and I devoured it in one sitting! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book.
Thank you for the advanced copy.
This is my first book by this author and it chose it based on the front cover.
I found this an easy and quick read over one afternoon. I found the change of style in the second half a little hard at first to get to grips with and struggled slightly with the main character but all in all , it was an easy read and pleasant.
Sam is returning home to Marthas Vineyard as she has promised to care for her younger brother while her father and step mother go on their dream trip to Europe. She hasn't been back for some time and can hardly recognise the tall boy she is to be caring for. They never really connected and she is hoping to get to know him better. She bumped into Ben on the ferry who turns out to be working at the library over the summer she would like to spend more time with him but is worried her reading difficulties will turn him off. We follow their journey to try to discover who Ben's father is and overcoming Sam's fear of books. Fun summer read.
Sam, after suffering a career setback travels home to spend her summer looking after her step brother who is competing in a robotics competition in the local library.
She realises her relationship with her step brother is distant and sets about gaining his trust, whilst embarking on what she thinks is a summer romance with the director of the library.
Sam is also dyslexic and struggles to read, so what could she possibly have in common with a book lover.
I did enjoy this book but did find the dyslexic angle played a bit too much and thought sometimes the author was trying to weave it into the story when it didn’t need to be
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really enjoyed the writing style however the storyline and characters were not my favourite and i could not connect to this book. It felt a little flat for me at times.
I mostly read Jenn McKinlay's cozy crimes, but the premise for this summer romance was very appealing - a return to a childhood home for the heroine who is at a bit of a crossroads in her professional life, and a newly arrived on the island hero who is searching for the keys to his family history. It's sometimes a bit of a tough sell for a book to have a lead character who hates reading - after all we're all reading it and so it can be hard to sympathise - but I think McKinlay does a good job of explaining Sam's dyslexia and the issues that it causes for her. I'll add that I'm not neuro-divergent - so I can't speak to how accurate the depiction is, and obviously different people will have different experiences, but it all felt pretty plausible.
I had a few quibbles with the book though - mostly around the fact that everything is very black and white and there's a lot of jumping to conclusions going on at times in the romantic relationships. There's also quite a lot of plot strands - the romance, Ben's hunt for his dad, Sam reconnecting with her brother and her roots, Sam finding her way through a career difficulty, Sam reconnecting with her friend - that even though the book is quite long, none of them really feel as completely explored as they could. BUT I did enjoy the book - and I read it in two days so that says something too. I suspect it will work perfectly for people who are looking for something to read on their sun lounger - it's a beachy summer read with a summery setting.
I really enjoyed this story and the differing dynamics in the various relationships throughout the story.
I particularly admired the insight into neurodiversity that was offered through Sam's challenges with dyslexia and how that felt for her in different parts of her life.
Samantha, a renowned chef at a top restaurant in Boston, quits her job having been turned down for promotion. She opts to take a short Sumer break and heads back to her former home in Martha’s Vineyard as she has offered to “look after” her teenage brother, Tyler, whilst her father and step-mother take an extended vacation. During the ferry crossing to Martha’s Vineyard she careers into a fellow, rather dishy, passenger and accidentally knocks the book he is reading into the sea. Profuse apologies later she leads him to believe she is a fellow bookworm whereas in actual fact she is severely dyslexic.
She drives Tyler to his college class and much to his dismay, as he resents her presence, follows him into the building, explaining that she wants to meet up with an old friend who works in the college library, Whilst there she suddenly spots the book loving passenger who turns out to be temporarily in charge of the college library and immediately regrets not being honest about her dyslexia., when it becomes obvious that there is a real spark between the two of them. One thing leads to another …
In typical teenage fashion Tyler eventually succumbs to her cooking and becomes a fan of the good food she produces and starts to even eat vegetables and fish, amongst other things that she teaches him ….
Can anything good come out of her stay or will she return to the mainland?
Jenn McKinlay has written a really good holiday read, that, as well as being a fun romantic comedy, gives a clear and very interesting insight in to the problems thar dyslexia can cause. I enjoyed every chapter!!
Thank you to Netgalley for this book in return for a fair and honest review.
I knew this would be a cheesey book when I requested it but it felt flat for me. I didn't like the way it was written, jumping about throughout. I did not feel the characters were very well developed either.
An engaging, frustrating, but great story!
Samantha Gales has returned to Martha's Vineyard to help her dad and step-mum with some 'supervision ' of her younger teenage brother while they leave for a few weeks. Life hasn't been easy for her, losing out on a promotion and ending up with no job.
Arriving at home, she is thrown against a hot, bookish guy on the ferry, and a not-so-typical relationship begins.
You see, Sam is not so typical, either. As a woman diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, she has struggled to find her niche in life, and that is where the kitchen welcomed her. So to find herself strangely drawn to a guy who appears to love books and one who appears to be way out of her league, that is a frightening situation,
Bennet, or Ben, is in Martha's Vineyard for the summer with a mystery to solve and hadn't foreseen meeting a woman in his plans.
I don't want to tell you the story; this is a review, but needless to say, it was a good read. A woman who has felt rejection keenly over the years, I feel Sam's pain purely because characters on a page won't sit still for her. She is a brilliant chef, yet still gets overlooked for so much, not knowing whether her condition or gender are to blame for her stilted rise to success.
And Ben is just a darling! He has his issues, obviously, but to see someone so caring and considerate, despite his own issues, was a pleasure.
There are a couple of steamy scenes, which added a bit of spice, too! And there are those key 'will-they/won't they?' moments, too!
Recently, there has been a slew of books with some neurodivergent MCs at the help. It makes my heart happy to see these stories out there, considering how many people operate in a non-neurotypical manner. Way to go, diversity and inclusive literature!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for an ARC.