This book was the perfect romance. It follows Parker and Elle— whose meeting two years prior had Elle hating everything to do with Parker. That is, until they become neighbours and make a pact to spend the summer together in New York.

I read this book in one sitting. It was so easy to fall in love with the characters and become invested in their lives. I was rooting for both of them from the beginning, and I read most of the book with a smile on my face. It was romantic, emotional and hopeful, I cannot recommend it enough.

Scenes were picturesque.
The writing feels very real and a lot of the details/things said were very relatable.
Could’ve done without some of the references, “Skims shapewear” & “Twilight” for example

I loved Parker. How he went out of his way for Elle.
FFS He bought a whole coffee shop chain just so she could have her favorite blueberry scones again
He listened to how she felt and grew to be what she wanted and needed.
Elle needed to get out of her head 100% and let the pride bs go, then she could’ve enjoyed him as much as we did, and fully appreciated what she had with him
Chapter 30 just rips your heart out for Parker honestly.
The last chapter really saved the ending for me.
We LOVE character growth

I really enjoyed Lightlark so I was expecting big things from this book. I absolutely loved it!!! Alex Aster smashed the first person narration and I fell in love with the characters. I loved all the cute little dates which just seemed so realistic and wholesome. I predict that this book will do really well!

This was such a funny rom com based in New York which contained all my favorite tropes. I found New York City to be incredibly romantic, it's the perfect backdrop to Elle and Parker's story and they way she described places so vividly, it was like you were with them in the city! Parker loves Elle you can tell it immediately and he has you swooning with his romantic actions!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury publishing and Author Alex Aster for allowing me access to an advanced readers copy of Summer in the City.

As a fan of Alex Aster's previous work (lightlark series) I immediately knew that I was interested in reading the authors first adult contemporary romance book.

Summer in the City follows FMC Elle, a screenwriter who isn't a fan of being in New York City. However as she is house-sitting for someone who is having construction work on their home in the big apple she has no choice but to just tolerate living there for a summer. Elle tries to keep herself busy while writing her current screenplay.

However, little does Elle know that she's about to get a blast from the past. This is where MMC Parker comes into play. A billionaire CEO living nearby.

Review

As previously mentioned. I really enjoy Aster's fantasy YA writing in her Lightlark series. Summer in the City is a huge step up in terms of professional and creative development. I do enjoy a good temporary romance and as I was already a fan of the author I decided to go into this one blind without doing any research on the story. Little did a realise that this story contains one of my least favourite contemporary romance tropes, the fake dating trope. Although written fairly well it was just something that I personally could not get on board with due to my personal preferences as a reader. It would also seem that I'm not the biggest fan of the billionaire romance story either.

Although I enjoyed reading Summer in the City, and it is a great first step into this genre for the author, there were just some elements that I felt were a little lacking for me, I didn't feel a great connection to the main Character of Elle. However it is clear to see the dedication and passion that went into writing this character. Dare I say Aster may have even written a little of herself into the role?

I did enjoy reading about the character of the MMC and it's clear to see why readers may fall head over heels for him as he is brought to life from the pages. He kind of reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey MMC Christian Grey (of course without the dominance and morally grey history) in the sense that he feels that everything can be fixed with his wealth. This was apparent for the majority of the story.

Heading into spoiler territory here.........



There is a third act break up, which is quite common in contemporary romance novels, however I think it being placed just two chapters from the end of the story makes the plot seem a little rushed towards the end. So unfortunately this didn't do the story justice.

When reading this novel, I also got the sense that we could probably expect a second book to follow this one, which I am predicting could simply be called "Winter in the City" as it was heavily hinted at and even written word for word in this book. So this could potentially be a book to watch out for in the future if this shall be the case. Who knows what Alex Aster has in store for us in the world of romance.

3.5 stars

This was the author's first adult contemporary romance and honestly it was really good. I really enjoyed the romance, the characters had great chemistry. Elle is a complex character and i think she was well written and Parker was just lovable, even though at first i was skeptical about him.

I was going to rate this much higher if the third act breakup didn't happen at the last two chapters. And on top of that the characters meet again after almost two years and the way the got together again felt a bit rushed. The whole thing was just unnecessary and lowkey kind of ruined it for me. Despite that it still was a fun read and i'm definitely planning on rereading it in the summer.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3 ☆
Firstly thank you so much for approving me for this ARC.
This is my first time reading Alex Aster and aware this is her first romance book too so was super excited to dive into this :)

There were a few minor issues that didn't capture me though - a few plot points with the billionaire/fake dating tropes didn't feel entirely plausible. Also the MFC Elle's attitude towards money/the MMC did start to feel a bit tiresome after a little while. I felt the MMC was a stronger character that you could certainly fall in love with easily.

I also felt an uneven flow to the story, chapter 30 in particular did give me a bit of whiplash.

Overall, I still enjoyed it as a summer NYC romance, which I’m sure others will enjoy - I’m just not sure if this one was 100% for me.

Lucky enough for this to be my first ever ARC

About 25% in I was unsure I’m not a massive fan on the fake dating trope but I gave it a chance and so lucky I did. Very cute NYC romance

When I saw that Alex Aster had written a romance book, I knew I needed to read it. Especially after just finishing Skyshade, I just needed another fix.

Elle gets her big break when she’s asked to spend the summer writing the screen play for a big budget movie. The only catch, she has to move to New York for the summer to do it. After promising herself she wouldn’t ever come back to New York, she finds herself in an apartment she could never afford, next door to the one person she spent years failing to forget.

I absolutely adored this book, Parker is such an amazing male lead and the way he feels and acts towards Elle is just swoon worthy. The only reason I didn’t give this book five starts was because of the last third twist (no spoilers) I was just sad about the way Elle handled everything.

If you are an Alex Aster fan I would definitely recommend this one! Thank you for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC.
I am afraid that this book was not for me. The female character feels obnoxious right from the first page, the pace of the story is quite odd at times and some descriptions are very vague or confusing.
Not for me.

My first Alex Aster read but it honestly put me off reading the Lightlark series. I think she should stick to fantasy because this just wasn't it. The chemistry wasn't there, the pacing felt weird and I just didn't click with it at all.

A book set in New York after I’ve just visited the city. Yes, please!

Everything was going so well. I loved the NY setting and the premise along with feeling like the main characters were actually relatable regardless of the fact that they’re both probably millionaires. I felt like I was right there in the city with these characters.

There were a few things I didn’t love. Elle’s attitude towards money was entirely frustrating and her not understanding her sister was off-putting. The fact that the first half of the book had a metaphor or simile on every page was starting to get old fast. These were minor issues for me that would have led to this book being 4 stars because of that. The last few chapters are really what solidified this book as a 3 star book for me. I hated the proposal and then Elle’s reaction to the house together with the 2 years of separation. I understood Elle’s reaction to the house but I felt like if she needed 2 years to grow but still hasn’t grown much then she wasn’t the one for Parker. He deserved better.

Thank you Net Galley!

This was a Cute and fun Rom Com!
Loved Parker, but I do love when the mmc falls harder!

Elle is a little insufferable, especially in chapter 30!

Overall will be a great summer read, fast paced and easy

Elle, a screenwriter with a writers block and Parker, a tech Billionaire bachelor. They are in a lovers to enemies situation, ever since their stairwell hook-up two years ago. Seeing him again gives her the -hate fueled-inspiration to write the screenplay for the big-budget movie set in New York, that's due before the end of the summer. He is in need of someone to fake a relationship with during his company's new acquisition.
I really loved this book so much, it has everything. Lovers to enemies to lovers again, fake dating, he falls HARD and I ate it all up. There's just one reason it didn't get 5 stars... I really did not like chapter 30, it made me so angy. Other than that, I really fell in love with Parker myself as well.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alex Aster and the publisher for trusting me to write an honest review in return for this ARC.

With tropes like, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and fake dating this is going to be a hit for the romance readers in 2025.

Set in New York with have successful Screenwriter Elle who has moved back to to oversee work in an apartment and write a script for the next big movie that is coming this year. Problem is Elle is jaded and what she needs to write is a romcom but alas writers block is in residence and she keeps procrastinating on writing. On the way back from an unsuccessful writing session in a local coffee shop she bumps into her nemesis, or who she feels is her nemesis Billionaire and Tech Mogul Parker Warren. They have met before, and it wasn't a meet cute either, he has fuelled her hatred and been her muse for writing.

Parker, is a cinnamon roll character, due to things going on with his business he needs to show that he is reliable and what better way than to fake date his neighbour Elle. They take the Summer, for him to help Elle with writing her Screenplay by going to the locations that will feature in the film, or Elle has to do will be to accompany Parker to a few events and pretend to be his girlfriend, what could possibly go wrong?

There is underlying issues with Elle, she has had a lot of past trauma that she can't quite figure out in her head. She wants to be as independent as possible which is always how Parker has treated her. There is nothing wrong with that but Elle bless her has somethings to work through and Parker also needs to listen.

The book is steamy, it has fun moment, it has sad moments as well as calm and quiet ones. This is going to be perfect for summer reading in 2025.

A really enjoyable romcom. Parker and Elle have a great will they, won’t they bubbling chemistry/ eventual romance. I enjoyed the backstory and emotional scenes as well as how confident, driven and committed to her family Elle is shown to be. I love Parker too, especially the ease in which he’d drop everything for her/ do anything for her. .
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

This was my first time reading Alex Aster.
This book was easy to read, and parts of it I really liked. It started well, but unfortunately, there were just a few to many things that kept bothering me. I also felt like the flow was a bit uneven.
I felt like this book had a lot of potential but unfortunately didn't make it all the way.
To me this was an okay book but not much more.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for the opportunity to read to this book early.

Wow… amazing… read in one sitting I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the lightlark series so just had to give this romance a go when I saw it.
It had everything and more… the characters, the plot, the tension, the drama and the love.

Couldn’t put it down - 5 stars

A big thanks to Alex Aster, William Morrow Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this romance debut from Alex Aster. I fell in love with this story from the first page and I couldn't stop reading. It has enemies to lovers, forced proximity and a New York setting. Everything you could need!