I listened to the audio version of the novel, and the narrator was great. It is a superb coming-of-age young romance novel. You know the romance will happen, and you are cheering for Cat and Will the whole way, but you ask how many obstacles can true love face? And...the bigger question is can their love survive? Read it and find out.

I listened and enjoyed the Audiobook - thanks to NetGalley. I adored For the Summer. It was so nostalgic. I loved the references at the beginning of each summer and also the dreaminess of endless, carefree summers from childhood. Great setting, a good set of supporting characters A tiny bit too long towards the end but a slow burn romance to highly recommend. Great narrator.

This book felt like a nostalgic 90's movie where the characters are real people and the story is drenched in my childhood reality. While I did not grow on on the river, we were a boating family and the stories of Cat's coming of age on the water really resonated. From planning how to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July to eating Its-It ice cream on the curb to sneaking fuzzy navel wine coolers as teenagers... the pre-millennium details were spot on. The author's clear love of the music of the time was also a nice touch that reminded me of my forced music education by my Dad on Sundays.

The "love" story between Cat and Will is a timeless one. Childhood friends turned teenage lovers turned... who knows what else. It's a sweet trope that I enjoyed.

Narrator was solid. 2x listening speed and I was engaged the whole time. It was a nice listen for a long car ride.

My. Gosh. This took "slow burn" to a whole new level. I mean.... 15 years to play out?! Yikes.

Cat and Will have instant chemistry, so it's tough to watch them play out their relationship only during a couple months each summer and then disappear from each others' lives the rest of the year. It was nice that there wasn't wasted exposition chronicling their time apart, but it also made it a bit unbelievable to hinge everything on summers being strong enough to bring them back together without keeping them together.

Amazing that both families were so open and supportive. I really appreciated that versus the "have vs. have not" stories that often take over (cough *The Notebook* cough).

Cheap complaint would be that they could've figured things out wayyyyyyyy sooner and the book could've been shorter. Miscommunication for 15 years gets a bit hard to swallow.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, sex, alcohol,

**Thank you to NetGalley and Camille Harte, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

A light, pleasant story of a summer friendship that lasted over fifteen years. A young girl and boy met during a summer trip to her father’s marina, and the story continues each summer to follow. In this pre-technology era, the contact between meetings was almost nonexistent. I particularly enjoyed the calendar of events that introduced each chapter.

Beautiful love story and fantastic narration. I really enjoyed this story that brought me back to my own coming of age years. The references to the years represented in this book were spot on! I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was lucky enough to grab this via audio on NetGalley. I've never read this author before but I'm a sucker for friends to lovers books! I LOVED it! I usually knock off a star for a lot of miscommunication between characters but it worked in this book better than others I think. Plus I loved all of the characters too much to take anything away.

I overloved this book! Although I have to say that the back and forth and obvious miscommunication between Will and Cat drove me insane at times. So get ready for lots of angst and slow burn in this one.

It's a sweet and nostalgic love story told through decades as two best friends get together every summer. They go through many ups and downs and twists and turns with their friendship but always manage to make it back to each other no matter how many times they try and find other ways to lessen the blow of summer's end.

I had many favorite parts in this book but the two best ones that stand out are the beginning when they met and of course the ending when they're finally able to agree on something worthwhile. This book is going to make a perfect summer read and I can't wait for others to be able to enjoy it too.

Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out 5

Bittersweet coming of age story set in a marina during hot summers of the 80s to the new millennium.

I loved the nostalgia of this book. An immersive experience of awkward adolescence over lazy summers feeling growing pains and just how one fits in the world

Cat and will live through joy and sorrow, become each others best friend, confide secrets and share the heartaches of broken families while fighting against the destinies others predetermine for them.

Each chapter begins with the event’s head lining the year and sets the tone for each installment in their lives.

Characters are well developed and plot moves along at a pleasant pace.

I would recommend this to my reading groups.

This was a pretty good book. It followed the summers of Cat and Will as they grew up on Cat's family's marina. Lots of awkward coming of age moments that felt authentic and real. By that same token, I didn't always love the main characters, but everyone goes through a few tough years of being annoying before they get to adulthood! It was a little predictable and it wasn't a book that felt particularly novel or new, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it for an easy summer read. 3-3.25 stars for me.

Sweet coming-of-age and frustrating slow-burn romance all in one. This isn't the usual, meet once a year kind of story, though it does focus only on the summer lives of Cat and Will due to her father's business. They meet as pre-teens, and though they have a close friendship, they don't keep in touch during the rest of the year. The story follows their changes through puberty, school, dating, common friends, and new family members, into their mid-twenties.

Almost DNF’d but glad I didn’t. I had trouble getting into it at first, but once I did it proved to be worth the time invested. Great characters. Slow burn romance. 3.25 ⭐️

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

For The Summer - Camille Harte

🎧Audiobook review🎧

This coming of age Romance was recommended by a trusted friend, it's far away from my regular diet of thrillers but I loved it!

This is young Cat Rossi's life, starting in 1983 when she's eleven. Cat's dad owns a marina resort park and Cat and brother Jay are roped in as free labour every summer.

Cat is used to part-time summer friendships with the patrons, until she meets one special boy. Every year Cat waits for Will Henderson to return.

It's brilliant, often very funny, Cat is awkward and self deprecating, the humour snarky and acerbic. I don't read much humour but it's something like Adrian Mole meets Freida McFadden, especially in Cat's early teens.

There are excellent 1980's and 90's cultural references, I'm a similar age to Cat's character, I'm British and this is American, but teenagers are teenagers and it was evocative and relatable.

The narration by Melissa Connell is excellent, she really performs, and gets impassioned and involved with the characters.

I'm not one for Romance or love stories but
I loved this!

Thanks to Netgalley and Camille Harte, IBPA.

Excellent story that captured my attention! I loved the time period references. The story rang true and the dialogue was witty and very realistic.
The narrator did an excellent job and was truly believable.
Great book that really worked for me. I loved how Cat and Will’s relationship developed over the years. Cat is so full of attitude yet lack confidence, which seemed very likely.
She has a great relationship with her brother. At a young age, at the start of the book, they seem to be typical siblings, but as time goes on I could really sense the love between them
All characters were so developed they really brought the book to life. Enough characters but not so many I lost track of them.
A touching story of the ups and downs of friendship and the coming of age of two young people with a summer friendship that endures !
Thank you for allowing me to listen to this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

"For the Summer" by Camille Harte is an extraordinary debut novel that has left a lasting impression on me. From the very beginning, Hearte captivated my attention, and at the end, I was floored by the about author's note as she revealed that her own life experiences inspired this book. This added layer of authenticity truly sets the stage for a deeply emotional and relatable journey.

One aspect that I particularly adored about this book is the unique structure. Each chapter represents a different year, and Harte skillfully starts off with the highlights of that year. This approach not only adds a sense of anticipation but also provides a snapshot of the character's growth and development throughout the years. It's a clever and engaging way to tell a story, and it kept me hooked until the very end.

While "For the Summer" beautifully captures the essence of each era it portrays, I must admit I was surprised that the AIDS pandemic, a significant event of the 80s, wasn't mentioned in the highlights. However, this did not overshadow the overall impact and power of the story.

One major highlight of the audiobook version is the exceptional voice narration by Melissa Connell. This was my first experience listening to her narration, and I was thoroughly impressed by her talent. Connell's ability to bring the characters to life through her expressive and dynamic performance of all POVs is truly remarkable. I am eagerly looking forward to exploring more books narrated by her.

Overall, "For the Summer" is a remarkable achievement for an independently published debut novel. Camille Harte's ability to weave her own experiences into a fictional narrative is both courageous and inspiring. This book will undoubtedly resonate with readers, offering them a heartfelt and thought-provoking journey through the years. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a captivating and emotional tale that will stay with them long after the final page.

Bravo!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Cat and Will first meet in the Summer of 1983. Their love grows over two decades of summers spent together, while the rest of the year is spent apart. Enjoy the trip down memory lane in this warm summer story and shines with nostalgia.

This was a cute story that made me nostalgic for my younger days. I do feel like this book was geared more towards young adults, but still a good story.

For the Summer by Camille Harte was such a fun listen. I really enjoyed the love story and all the twists and turns it takes. It felt like hearing a friend tell their story of finding love versus a romanticize book version. I loved the heartache, drama and even the bits of humor along the way. A perfect beach/vacation read/listen.

I personally did not enjoy this story and actually was put in the DNF file for me. Just because this book was not for me does not mean it is not for everyone, I personally have to really enjoy the story to fully read a Young Adult.

For the Summer follows Cat and Will who became summertime friends when they were 11. Cat's father owns a marina that Will's family vacationed at each year. So, that's how the two MCs first met. And each chapter follows one summer, over the course of 15 years (one summer per chapter).

However, for the fact that they considered themselves "best friends," they only ever spoke during the summer months when they were together. In between, there was silence between them. So they "lived for the summers."

To me, that was flaw #1. I grew up in the '70s and '80s (while this book is set in the '80s and '90s), and it was common to have pen pals, even if it cost too much to call long distance. If they cared that much about one another, I don't know why neither of them made any effort to stay in touch.

As adolescents, they explored the river and each other every summer, but then one of them decides to "go all the way" with someone else after they each pretty much professed undying love to each other. That was flaw #2 for me.

And the red flags kept being raised after that. The MCs have a toxic relationship with each other; one unwilling to open up, the other expecting the partner to be a mind-reader. Their communication stinks throughout the story. And the hurt they inflict on each other "unknowingly" just goes on and on...

This story really dragged on too long to be an enjoyable read for me. So even once they finally got their act together and decided to be together, I almost didn't care anymore... The ending just felt like too little, too late.

Thanks to Camille Harte and NetGalley for an advance review copy.