I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, fun book. I enjoyed reading this book a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't like it at all. The writing was cringe and the main female character was an idiot. And not a cute fish out of water the author thought was writing - the female character was dumb. Super naive and cringe and messy and just an idiot with no observational skills. Instead of bubbly girl the author tried to write, we got a stupid blonde who didn't know right from left. I couldn't connect with her at all and I disliked her since page one, And she didn't get better.

I didn't really connect with this book as much as I have with some of Kathryn Freeman's other books.

I didn't really like Liam or Jade as characters and I really didn't like the fact that Jade was continuously described as being blonde with big tits, even though she wants to be seen as more than a "dumb blonde." If you want to portray her as something more than what people see as a stereotypical blonde then maybe don't constantly describe her that way.

As for Liam, he was incredibly childish. I get that he was hurt as a kid and those scars can hang around but to spend more than a decade trying to prove yourself better than some rich, snobby kids that bullied you just seems a bit much. And as Jade rightfully pointed out, he was turning into one of the very people he despised, all because he couldn't let go of the need for revenge.

Thankfully at the end he does seem to be using his money and power for the benefit of the Nantucket islanders rather than being in a pissing contest with the rich kids.

The chemistry between Jade and Liam was lacking and normally I don't mind a book that gets straight into the spicy stuff, this just felt forced and it didn't really sit well with me. I think had it been a drunken mistake or they met in a bar on a night out rather than coming across each other in a quiet beach bar and declaring how much they wanted to have sex, it maybe would have worked better.

And I really couldn't stand the constant use of the word "um."

That said, I did feel like Liam actually grew as a character and he became more likeable by the end of the story. He was at least trying to better himself after recognising his behaviour. But I think my favourite character was Jeremy, he was funny, didn't stand for anyone's bullshit and showed Jade and Liam what a real friend is.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is my 3rd Katheryn Freeman book and it did not disappoint! Delivering the picturesque Nantucket summer vibe, bookish feels, and punchy banter between the MFC and MMC.

Jade Taylor is over the moon excited at the chance to manage a bookshop on her own for the summer. The Little Bay Book Shack also happens to be located on the beautiful Nantucket Island. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving she finds herself the employee of Liam Haven. Liam is a billionaire and owner of the large resort located just down the way from the bookshop who has taken over ownership of the wharf where it's located.

This romance brings all the feels, from the illusive brooding billionaire, to the sunshiny bookshop manager, and the menagerie of small town characters sprinkled throughout. I was hooked from their clandestine meeting at the beginning, crying at the tenderness between Liam and is beloved grandmother, and cheering for Jade, and cheering alongside Jeremy (an interim manager at the resort) as his relationship grows with both leads, helping them each in different ways to find their path through their tenuous relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was unfortunately a 2 star book by me, i enjoyed the story a decent amount but i just didn’t connect with the authors writing as much as i would like to. But that being said i could definitely see this becoming a cute beach read for people because it is a quick run read nonetheless

Jade was promised a great summer - working for a small bookstore in Nantucket. She immediately hears a few different things: Don't trust the owner of the resort, part of her job is increasing revenue so the resort can't take over, and the island is welcoming. Most of those things are true but it becomes a problem when Aiden, the guy she keeps running into on the small island, is actually the owner of the resort AND he's bought the bookstore and is planning to tear it down. The resulting battle over the bookstore and love of the island residents is cute and hilarious, a little sad and misunderstood but mostly the kind of ending you want it to be. As a person who loves books about book loving people, this was a fun read.

#arc
#netgalley
#bookedforsummer

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute beach read. I loved the setting on Nantucket. But, I would have liked more of the real Nantucket included in the book.

Following a familiar trope, Jade goes to Nantucket to manage a bookstore for three months. She has a lot of issues in her life an was hoping that this would be her chance to prove herself. But, on her first night, she sleeps with a hot millionaire, who ends up buying the property the bookstore is on and wants to knock it down. She starts a campaign to convince him to keep the bookstore open. They feud, reunite, cycle continues, etc. The ending was exactly what I assumed it would be.

I will say I really liked some of the characters, including Jeremy.

Cute story for the summer, but I wasn't in love with the author's writing.

very fun romance. i love how our fmc completely turns around our grump mmc. i really enjoyed the community aspect of the book. my favorite character? Jeremy for sure, the ginger gay man who literally stole the show. absolutely fun, bookish book. recommend.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to like this book. The premise for this book was very cute but it was a bit problematic for me.

Unfortunately this wasn’t a book I particularly enjoyed - I found the writing a bit stilted at times, particularly the speech, and I’m not a fan of instant attraction. I did enjoy the concept but it wasn’t for me.

This is a light, feel-good romance set on Nantucket Island. It follows Jade, a bookshop manager, and Liam, a resort owner, as they clash over the future of her beloved store. Their relationship evolves from tension to romance in a familiar enemies-to-lovers arc.

The story is charming and easy to read, with some sweet and funny moments, though it sticks to predictable rom-com tropes and can feel a bit slow in parts. Overall, it’s an enjoyable but not particularly groundbreaking summer read.

A good read that really sets the scene of Nantucket and makes you imaging you are there. It’s not just about the romance but also the importance of saving the local bookshop and keeping the local community alive.

I found this to be a lighthearted easy read. It was a bit steamier than I was expecting. The location it was set in sounds lovely.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me
I couldn’t connect to the characters , the story felt a bit rushed but also dragged out. The writing just didn’t work for me it was a dnf

This wasn’t for me unfortunately. Lots of character backgrounds that were immediately forgotten about so they could fall in love. Far too quick to drop their whole personalities because they can’t stop thinking about each other.

2.5 stars

I’ve read another book by Kathryn (my first ever ARC 🥹) which I really enjoyed but unfortunately this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. I do think this book is for you if you like very light, easy summer reads with a brooding man and instant chemistry. Unfortunately those just aren’t my favourite things in books.

Jade wants to escape her ‘boring admin publishing job’ (queue offending the book industry in quite an extreme way) so moves to Nantucket to run a bookstore which she has zero qualifications or skills to do. She meets Liam and has a steamy moment with him on her first night there and is battling feeling like a tart whilst realising she really likes him. But she’s only there for three months and isn’t sure what that will mean for their friendship, especially when he won’t open up and let her in.

This is VERY insta love, like smut scene in chapter 3 insta love. The book is very top heavy (bottom heavy?!) in that way which does make for quite a dissatisfying middle while you wait for them to sort themselves out again and rekindle their interest in each other. They are sexually attracted to each other ALWAYS and it was kind of frustrating to not get the pay off for that again for a long time. The pacing seems off - ultimately 3 months is long enough to fall in love (I should know) but given how long they spend fighting or poorly communicating it makes it harder to go along with. The MMC also describes himself as celibate for not having sex in a couple of months and that’s an immediate no for me in books as that’s not what the word means.

Both characters have a lot of back story that stops them from being able to communicate well with each other and to doubt themselves often and whilst I respected this it does get a bit repetitive and frustrating when the third act break up rolls around. It’s also meant to serve as ‘it’s not just about sex and how they look’ but also, it really does feel this. Jade’s boobs are mentioned at least once a chapter and I get it’s the point that she’s more than her boobs but I felt we bordered on Liam not feeling that a lot of the time.

I liked the side characters and honestly would love to read a book about Jeremy and Liam getting together.

The whole Jade moving to run a bookstore part is madness. I don’t understand why she couldn’t be a bookseller in the UK rather than a publishing assistant so at least she’d have some credentials. We’re meant to not judge Jade for being a ‘dumb blonde’ but she does need a lot of help with the business stuff as she just doesn’t have the skills. And how does she have and ideas on book events to run?!

The writing was unfortunately repetitive and I think would have served from greater editing. I’ve never read ‘globes of the Asa’ before but have now read it at least 6 times. And globes of tits. The author is trying to differentiate between British and American which means we get a lot of silly fake British things we don’t say (nincompoop?!?! I read this word in a book for real?!?!) and Americans correcting her on how they’d phrase a word instead.

In the author’s note we learn that the book was going to be set in the Maldives but it was recommended it moved to Nantucket. I honestly don’t get why. I don’t feel any wiser about what Nantucket looks like or the feel of it, and the ‘small town’ vibes could have been handled as easily in the Maldives, somewhere more people have heard of and would have probably made more sense to be set in.

It’s a quick, easy read and whilst I could have DNF’d it was definitely easy enough to get through and enjoyable enough that I didn’t feel a need to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have read and enjoyed Kathryn’s books before so I was excited to start this. Booked for Summer looked especially inviting as there was a book shop involved. Jade, a book lover, grabs the opportunity to spend her summer in Nantucket managing a bookstore. Liam is the billionaire that owns the resort next door to the bookstore and wishes to shut it down to expand his resort.

I am such a fan of books about books and I wanted to enjoy this so much having read other books by Kathryn and loved them. Not this one I am sad to say. There really isn’t much to this book beyond the physical relationship of the two main characters. Being all sex and no real plot found me disappointed and not eager to pick it up. However, with an inviting setting, it may prove a good summer read for others.

This was such a cute book that was enjoyable to read. I would absolutely love the job opportunity of running a bookstore in a beautiful location like the female main character. It had a lot of funny moments and I loved all the different characters. Both main characters were relatable but Jade more so, especially some of her random remarks. My only query of the book would be do us brits love tea that much? Or is it just me who’s not the biggest fan. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

This was an enjoyable and easy read! I really liked all of side quests and how it added to the plot. I wasn’t the biggest fan on how physical the relationship was and would have appreciated deeper emotion or depth but overall it was a nice Summery read

Well, this was hard. I didn't really enjoy this book that much, it took me so long to finish it. The pacing of the story seems to drag, which didn't help.

I didn't like how strong of a start it has (if you know, you know), but I did enjoy the happy ending. I just don't think this book was for me, I couldn't really connect with the main characters.