At first, I felt impatient with the female main character here, but I grew to appreciate her more as the story went on. The tropes are all here: klutzy, sweet female love interest and arrogant billionaire boss; meet-cute with coffee spilt; family dysfunction and toxic exes leading to an inability to trust a romantic partner; big business taking over a small local bookshop. It sometimes seemed a bit formulaic, but the further I got into the novel, the more I cared about the characters and became invested in their story. I thought that the spicy parts could have been pared down to just one or two to maintain romantic tension and impact. The setting of the island of Nantucket was evocative, and the tension between wealthy summer people and locals struggling to afford to stay on their island is portrayed well. This is a sweet, enjoyable light read.

Jade is taking a leave from her life and heading to Nantucket to run a bookstore. Liam is the wealthy businessman who runs the locale where the bookstore is located and he hasn’t told anyone that he’s planning on tearing it down to make room for condos and such for the tourists because it will make more money than the bookstore.
They meet the day Jade arrives in town not knowing that they will soon be facing off over the bookstore amd have a super steamy encounter. Jade quickly comes to regret it once she finds out who Liam is, but they can’t deny their chemistry and their attraction seems to get in the way of their professional stand, which leads to fun banter and conflicts.
What was even better about this story was diving into each of the MC backstory and watching them grow and develop, especially Liam who has a real love/hate relationship with Nantucket and the people who live there after a tough childhood and he just wants to prove everyone wrong.
Jade surprises herself and her family by proving herself to be a strong and capable business woman despite being known as the pretty sister while her sister, the doctor, is the smart one.
If you’re looking for a steamy beach read look no further than this one!
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

The premise of this book was good, but I felt like it fell flat for me. I loved Jade, but Liam was so closed off and unwilling to show his feelings. That man needs some therapy lol

3 star rating, thanks to netgalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest review

I devoured this book! Kathryn Freeman has such a great writing style that it almost feels effortless when reading. I was hooked from the beginning with the immediate physical chemistry between Jade and Liam, but I became even more obsessed when he became a man down bad. They both had their journeys throughout the story, and I feel they were captured well. My grandmother also has macular degeneration, so it tugged at my heartstrings to see the effect it had on Liam because I feel those same pains every day. This book came out of nowhere for me, but I am so glad it did!

Less of a meet cute and more of a one night stand turned more.

📚 grumpy millionaire
📚 boss x employee
📚 small town
📚 dual POV

🌶️🌶️

|𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 |
A cute sweet summer romance which is also a partial love letter to Nantucket. Was swept away by the dynamic between the two main characters and felt that they complimented each other.

Liam starts off a bit questionable (you’ll know when you read it), but it’s hard to stay mad when his gruff exterior begins to melt.

“𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒽𝑒’𝓈 𝒶 𝒷𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒹, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝑒’𝓈 𝒶 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝑔𝓊𝓎”

He does seem to fall first and hard and watching that slowly unravel was a delight.

“…𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝐼 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊? 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼’𝓂 𝒷𝑜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝒷𝓈𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊?”

While her family dynamics had me grinding my teeth at times, the resolution felt satisfying.

And if you’re a fan of books about books (and saving a bookstore!), this one will hit the spot.

“𝐼’𝓂 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀, 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓊𝓈. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜’𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃”

Thanks to @netgalley @harpercollinsuk @onemorechapterhc and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#romancereader #whattoreadnext #forcedproximity #booklover #bibliophile #kathrynfreeman #bookedforsummer #netgalley #smalltownromance #bookworm #nantucket #harpercollins

Kathryn Freeman’s Booked for Summer is a steamy, emotionally resonant romance that goes beyond surface-level attraction to explore the deeper scars we carry from childhood into adulthood. While undeniably spicy, the novel’s real strength lies in its honest portrayal of insecurity, emotional baggage, and the courage it takes to move forward.

Freeman strikes a perfect balance between past and present, offering just enough backstory to give readers a clear understanding of the characters’ emotional wounds without overshadowing the central romance. The characters are complex, relatable, and beautifully flawed, making their growth throughout the story all the more satisfying.

Written with warmth, depth, and a touch of heat, Booked for Summer is a standout contemporary romance that lingers long after the final page. Fans will no doubt be hoping for more from these characters—or at the very least, eager to see what Kathryn Freeman delivers next.

Loved the book!
It starts on a high note with instant attraction between Liam and Jade. Both have been burned in the past, but they agree to spend a little time together—just two dates—and then move on. But that’s just the beginning of a journey filled with drama, love, fun, and frustration.
Jade moves to Nantucket for a 3-month stint at a local bookstore, hoping to take a break from her monotonous life. Liam, meanwhile, is there to buy that very bookstore to expand his luxury resort and build villas.
Liam ends up buying the shop, and Jade unknowingly joins the team. At work, they don’t initially realize they’ll be working together. Liam becomes Jade’s boss and informs her that demolition will start in two weeks. Determined to save the bookstore, Jade comes up with a plan and enlists the help of local residents.
Liam and Jade constantly butt heads, but their feelings for each other also continue to grow. The character development—both for Liam and Jade—is well done and very believable. They’re lovable including Jeremy!

This one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I really struggled getting into it. Then once I did, I didn’t really want to finish it. The main characters aren’t my favorite. Not sure exactly why, but this wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m sure it will work for someone. I’m sorry it wasn’t me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to reading B​ooked for Summer because I've enjoyed Kathryn Freeman's other books. The Nantucket summer setting and book store was enjoyable, but something just wasn't coming together for me. The romance/spice level seemed unrealistic. That being said, I struggled to get through the first ​50% of the book​. ​I​ stopped at around 75% and put it in my DNF pile. I might pick it back up one day, but who knows.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing an ARC in exchange for honest thoughts.

I gave this book 3 stars​ as it may have potential for other readers.

This book follows grumpy billionaire Liam who is trying to expand his resort and bubbly blonde Jade who wants to show people she is more than her boobs and her hair color by running the bookstore next to the resort for the next 3 months. Except little does Jade know, Liam just bought the wharf the bookstore sits on and he plans to knock it down for good. Now Jade has to fight to keep the bookstore but will she learn that her frowny faced new boss is actually a secret softie?
I liked this book more than I thought I would!! I read some reviews and I was worried it was an all smut no plot book but that isn't true at all. The smut itself is pretty tame I think but frequently mentioned. However, there are a lot of emotional battles that both characters face together and apart that made this a wonderfully emotional book!
There was a lot more to the story than I was anticipating and where I feel like some books would have ended the story, Freeman continues for another 40-50% of the book and that made it a completely different story. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if she didn't keep writing so that was a real positive for me!!
I definitely had some qualms with the book such as a grown woman saying holy guacamole or holy moly when she finishes or how often she says "frigging" (which you can choose not to cuss but this was excessive) and finally the amount of times Jade's boobs are mentioned. They were unnecessarily brought up consistently from chapter 1 and while I understand it's supposed to be apart of her and everyone else's character development to grow past caring about her boobs but to mention them in like every chapter was a lot. Lastly, it was a dual pov book written in third person limited (limited to each character when in their pov) with no indication of when the povs switch and so when beginning the book I struggled. By the end, I actually really enjoyed the third person plus dual pov as I'm used to first person and that was really fun!!
I have mixed feelings about Liam, he is a very damaged MMC and I thin a lot of their story shows the realistic parts of growing up the way he did and the emotional scars that leaves. However, the level of groveling and how many times he had to grovel were INSANE!! Liam was always pushing her away or making issues so I think as an FMC I would have a hard time trusting him and idk if he did enough to make those changes!
Overall, this book was impressive! It showed realistic emotional issues, amazing imagery, and it was a well layered story. I felt that with each new layer I got from Liam I liked him more and that I understood Jade more as well. It took me longer to read than most books but by the middle of the book, I had finished the rest in a day because the ending had me hooked! Pat Haven is an angel and I'm so glad that the SOB group came around (minus Henry I will hate him for life :P)
Thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Freeman and her team for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jade travels to Nantucket Island for a 3 month contract to run a bookshop. There she meets Liam and starts a relationship with him, not realising that he is the billionaire resort owner who becomes her boss.
I'm afraid that this book wasn't for me, although there are many (including my wife) who would enjoy it. There are many very spicy scenes which, for me, spoilt the storyline. It you do like books like this give it a try, but if you prefer sweeter storylines, as I do, maybe this isn't for you either.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Booked for the Summer by Kathryn Freeman. As someone who unexpectedly fell in love during a working summer vacation on Nantucket, Booked for the Summer by Kathryn Freeman made me feel very nostalgic. The novel beautifully captures the charm and possibility of summer, and I found myself swept up in its easy, breezy storytelling. It’s the kind of book that’s perfect for a lazy afternoon—fun, lighthearted, and not demanding too much deep thought.

However, I did have some issues with the characters and their actions. At times, their decisions seemed a bit far-fetched or inconsistent. The thing I had the largest issue with—and I have to mention this—is WHY DID HE HAVE TEA IN HIS POCKET? Who does this? is it just so he could pick up the box of books without having to hand the cup over first? I have so many questions.

Overall- this was a fun read.

I love this author and was so excited for what I had expected to be a great summer read. Unfortunately it was extremely lack lustre and forgettable. Nothing was unique and I was so bored. I Dnf at 65%

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers for the widget. Jade (FMC) is in Nantucket to be a bookstore manager for 3 months and then she meets Liam (MMC) on the first night and insta crush and when all the drams start because he will soon become her "boss". Jade is trying to save the bookstore because Liam has bought it. Even though this was such a fast and easy read the book had real substance even if it was in a fluffy way it dealt with being bullied as a kid and not being taken serious because of hair color and other attributes as a woman. I enjoyed the character growth on both Jade and Liam and shout out to Jeremy IYKYK he was just chess kiss.

This book honestly wasn’t for me. It was kind of boring at times especially getting started. There’s no real love between the characters or a believable relationship. It all just felt like lusting after each other. I truthfully didn’t even want them together. The MMC was insanely toxic and had a lot of trauma to be dealt with before being ins relationship at all.

First of all, the cover is so cute. I was looking forward to reading a fun rom com. It was an OK read. It was too much spice (for me) and didn't care for some of the dialogue between the two main characters. It seemed forced and cringe worthy; and the romance one sided until the end. But overall a fun lighthearted read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A bookshop on Nantucket with a billionaire owner sounds like the perfect romantic read to getaway. While this premise is promising, it fell flat and below my expectations.

Jade is trying to save the bookshop from being bulldozed to make way for a resort that billionaire Liam owns. She is out to prove that books are wanted and loved and need a chance to make others happy instead of being taken away due to real estate opportunities. The story starts off slow and the romance seems to be one sided until almost the end of the book. The chemistry just appeared nonexistent.

Kathryn Freeman is an excellent writer, and I love her other books. Booked for Summer just could not incite romantic flutters within me to recommend it wholeheartedly.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Booked For the summer well where to start , i thought it had a wonderful plot the story starts with main character Jade taking on a bookshop which needs some super TLC she needs to save this place ,enter billionaire liam which yep he ended up being Jade boss , the totally do not see eye to eye at first but you can feel the slow burn romance , the most wonderful enemies to lovers and back again. i loved the sweet, slow burn ,swoon worthy ,spice elements with the most wonderful heroine jade

the most wonderful cosy read set in Nantucket which now i would like to visit one day sounds fab .

i thought that Kathryn's writing flowed so well i loved her quick wit in the book .

i think it is a wonderful spring /summary read

i am giving the book 4..5 starts with a great big warm hug

Booked for Summer by Kathryn Freeman is a light, summery romance set in the beautiful backdrop of Nantucket. I loved the cozy bookshop setting and the idea of fighting to save a beloved local place. Jade and Liam had great chemistry, and I enjoyed their banter and the way their relationship slowly developed. The found family aspect, especially with Liam’s sweet grandmother and Jade’s fun friend Jeremy, added warmth to the story. However, I did feel like the romance leaned too much on physical attraction rather than deep emotional connection, and at times, the characters felt a little flat. Some parts were repetitive, and I would have liked a bit more emotional depth between them. Still, it was a quick, easy read that delivered summer vibes, charm, and a happy ending. If you’re looking for a light, feel-good beach read, this could be a good pick!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own