I absolutely love Josie Silver’s books and Slow Burn Summer is a funny, emotional and romantic triumph. Set in the world of books, Kate - in an attempt to return to acting, something she hasn’t done for years - is offered a unique opportunity, to be the public face of a romance book when the author wants to remain anonymous and out of the limelight.

It’s a setup that leads to some hilarious moments as Kate becomes well known, but also some really tricky situations. I loved Kate’s strong will and the relationship with her sister, Liv, and I loved the developing romance between Kate and her agent Charlie, the way it was really slow burn (hence the title) but also utterly delicious.

It’s a poignant, funny, romantic read with such well drawn characters, and it lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve finished it. I loved it.

If you love books about books then I highly recommend this one!

We follow Kate Elliot, freshly divorced and in need of a job. she unearths an old letter from her ex-talent agent, Jojo Francisco – she takes it as a sign from the universe to brush off her old acting skills and become someone else entirely.

I absolutely loved Kate! She is so witty but still very much unsure of herself. She is so relatable. I enjoyed reading about her escapades along with her older sister whom she is currently living with in the apartment above her sister’s fancy dress shop. I wish I had an older sister just like Liv!

I fell in love with pretty much all of the characters. Except a few of course! As a book blogger myself this was so much fun to read, especially about how the book community is portrayed in the book. It’s pretty accurate.

This is such a feel good read. I was laughing and gasping all the way through!
There was enough drama, angst and romance to keep you going.

The storyline was fantastic! It really had me guessing at how it all would turn out. Josie’s writing flows so effortlessly and beautifully I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I read this book so quick!


Slow Burn Summer is a perfect fun summer read and I would highly recommend it.

Thank you so much to random House and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave such strong Bridget Jones vibes I loved it! I thought the idea of a ghost author was a clever idea. I felt the romance was a bit rushed and we didn’t have much romantic content of them to build tension. Regardless it was very sweet and feel good. I read these pages at such a rapid rate because the FMC antics amused me so much!

A very unusual, and special story. I have never come across a story-line quite like it. Kate Elliott suffered a very vicious divorce, because she had signed a pre-nup agreement she came away with nothing, and was heartbroken to leave her daughter behind in the family home. She was seeing her regularly, but now Alice is at university in Leeds. Kate has a very strong relationship with her sister Liv, and now lives in the tiny flat above Liv’s fancy dress shop. Kate realises she has got to get her act together, and do something with her life. In her late teens she had been an actress, but had given it up when she decided to marry Richard. Remembering her old agent’s aversion to technology she writes him a letter, with a fountain pen, apologising for letting him down twenty years before, and asking if there was any chance he could find work for her. Sadly, Jo-Jo has died, his business was now run by his son Charlie. He reads his father’s file on Kate, and invites her along for an interview.

After chatting for a while Charlie thinks she would be suitable, and hands her a manuscript to read, and explains the book is about to be published but the author does not want to acknowledge it, or let anyone know they wrote it. The publishers would want Kate to ‘become’ the author - with the book printed with her name on it, she would take on all the publicity, interviews, podcasts, book signings as if she really was the author, so she must know the story inside-out. She agrees she will read the manuscript, then decide if she wants to take the job. She is given the weekend to read it.

Katie finds it one of the most romantic books she has ever read. it is romantic, funny, emotional and in some places unbelievably sad, tragically so. She spends the weekend alternating between laughing and crying. She feels it would be a tragedy if the reading public did not get the opportunity to read it. She accepts the job.

And so it begins. Despite being terrified Katie goes to interviews on the radio and television, answering fan mail and all the other promotional work asked of her. Her enthusiasm shines through, people start discussing the book. It is interesting to see how the publishing industry works, both when things are going well, and when they are not. After the book has published to rave reviews and huge sales, Katie unwittingly makes a small mistake which becomes a huge problem. She feels isolated as she sees the dark side of publishing, she is trolled on-line, verbally abused by e-mail, and other things that scare her. Eventually she snaps, she has to sort this out. She asks Charlie to arrange a television interview, and explains what she has done, and why. She talks about the things that have happened to her. Next day she gets a huge surprise, and her faith in people is restored. It is just one of many really funny scenes in the book.

The characters are extremely well-written, you find yourself rooting for Kate to succeed, and we could all do with a big sister like Liv in our corner. And like THE book, this book is very funny, romantic and emotional, with a little sadness in the mix as well. A lovely holiday read, or any other time in fact!

I really enjoyed this. I’m a huge fan of Josie’s writing and this book is no different.

The premise of this book is really interesting - a previous actor, who gave up her career to support her husband, tries to return to the industry after her marriage falls apart. However, the opportunity she’s given is a bit different - to be the face of a new romance book, to be the author without ever writing the book.

I loved Kate and how she navigated this. Her relationship with her sister Liv was one of my favourite parts of the story. I also loved how she connected with the anonymous author and they actually helped each other. And then there’s Charlie. I loved how supportive he was of Kate, even in the face of his grief and heartbreak. I actually wanted more of him! The romance felt secondary to the plot, which is fine, but I loved the connection Josie had created between Kate and Charlie and I was craving more from it.

The underlying messages in this book were lovely. It brought to life many elements of society and the media and played it out well - but also, it focused on the power of a good book, of how, at the right time, it can be a safe harbour for some.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for an early copy in return for my honest review.

A famous crime author has written the most beautifully heartbreaking love story about his late wife however he does not want to release it under his name.

His agent decides it would be a great idea to hire an unknown actor to be the ‘author’ of this book and release it to the world

Kate’s life has been anything but perfect for the past few years. She found her husband in bed with his secretary and had signed a prenup that ensured she was left with absolutely nothing. Kate gave up her asipriatons of being an actor to marry her ex husband so when she is left with nothing, she reaches out to her former agent to see if she can dip her toe back into the acting world. When she meets Charlie, her late former agent’s son, he offers her an opportunity to become the author for the book. Surely it can’t go wrong, right?

I really enjoyed this book. I have read Josie’s books before so I knew this would be great! Ioved the characters in this book, especially Liv’s older sister. The sisters had each other’s backs through everything. I also enjoyed how Kate and Charlie’s relationship slowly blossomed.

I loved the nods to the online book community. Especially when they all came together to help Kate in her hour of need. It really showed how the book community is there for each other.

I highly recommend a read when it is released!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General for the arc. Unfortunately I DNF’d about halfway through.
I really wanted to love this but it felt too cheesy. I love an easy romance but I think it didn’t quite hit the mark. I didn’t really relate to or like Kate and so I just wasn’t invested in the story. Such a shame!

As a book lover and aspiring romance writer, I couldn’t help but love this book. Fab characters and a super fun story line as our main character Kate is employed to act as the author of a book.

Loved the humour, the romance, her gorgeous sister Liv (and the costumes she makes).

A fun, feel good summer read.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Kate Elliott, una actriz retirada, recién divorciada y buscando un nuevo comienzo, acepta un trabajo inesperado: fingir ser la autora de un exitoso y misterioso libro de romance en una gira de promoción. El encargado de esta misión es Charlie Francisco, un agente talentoso que, tras la muerte de su padre, está intentando mantener a flote la agencia familiar mientras lidia con su propio divorcio. Juntos, deben navegar entre entrevistas, firmas y apariciones públicas, todo mientras una chispa de tensión y química crece entre ellos. A medida que la mentira se complica, ambos comienzan a cuestionar si pueden seguir jugando sus respectivos papeles o si el guion de su vida cambiará para siempre.



~


No es un libro que vaya a recordar en unos meses.

El romance fue inexistente, el comportamiento de los personajes no corresponde a su edad y el final apresurado. No todo fue malo, hubo partes entretenidas.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Burn Summer is the perfect mix of warmth, humor, and heartfelt romance. Kate’s journey of self-discovery is inspiring, and her slow-burn connection with Charlie feels so natural and rewarding. Their banter, tension, and emotional depth make you root for them from the start.

The charming small-town setting adds to the cozy, feel-good vibe, making it an ideal summer read. Josie Silver’s characters are real and relatable, and this story beautifully captures the magic of second chances. If you love slow-burn romances with depth and charm, this one’s a must-read!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

A talent agent hires an actress play the part of "novelist" on a book tour for his agency's publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com.

LOVED THIS. I love everything about this because it involves two of my favourite things, books and love.

Kate was such a great main character and she was so relatable even for me a 24 year old. I loved her relationship with her sister, Liv is just such a badass and I wish I had a Liv in my life.

The connection Kate had with Charlie was palpable from the beginning and I loved how it eventually culminated, though I do wish they had a couple more scenes with affection and yearning before the L word was said but I still loved them together and appreciated the slow burn.

I rated this 4 stars!

This book does exactly what it says - easy cheesy romance! Took me a little while to feel fully invested but overall a great romance story and a plot I haven’t come across before - it has been the perfect palette cleanser and makes for a great holiday read

This was such a cute romance read! I absolutely loved Kate and her story. This book does not disappoint and i would recommend it to everyone.

Thank you To Josie Silver, the Publisher Penguin Books and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

What a fantastic read, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book!

When Kate, after splitting from her husband, is at a loose end as to what to do with her life, decides on a whim to send a letter to her old talent agent Jojo. She finds that Jojo has since passed away and that his son, Charlie, is now left in Jojo's position.

Kate is offered a job to act as the face of an already famous Author who has written a Love Story and doesn't wish to be associated with the book for various reasons. After reading the book, Kate decides that she will take the opportunity and the chaos begins!

There are so many different aspects to this story that really enables the reader to get to know the main characters and gives an understanding as to why they are the way they are and why they may behave and react in certain ways.

I loved the relationship that Kate has with her family and in particular her sister who is just so funny and lovable.

This is the first book that I have read by Josie Silver and am looking forward to reading more of her titles.

A slight departure from her previous novels, but as always a fantastic read. Following Kate as she navigates life post divorce and finds her way through it is both relatable and engaging. As the title suggests the romance is a slow burn but the story and characters are brilliantly brought to live drawing you in and keeping the pages turning.

Having enjoyed Josie Silver’s previous books, I was eager to dive into Slow Burn Summer. However, if I hadn’t known she was the author, I’m not sure I would have guessed—it had a slightly different feel from her earlier works.

The protagonist, Kate Elliott, was definitely a highlight. She felt like a real person, full of human flaws, misfortunes, and moments of hope. Her struggles were relatable, and I appreciated how she tried to rebuild her life after her soap actress days and a messy divorce. That said, the book had a slow start, and I initially found it difficult to engage with the story. It took a while for things to pick up, but once they did, I enjoyed it more.

One thing that stood out was that the main characters felt a little older than what I typically read in a romance. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it did make it harder for me to connect with them at first. The romance itself was also quite gradual—there was no instant spark between Kate and Charlie, and as the title suggests, their relationship was truly a slow burn. However, by the end, I appreciated how naturally their bond developed.

A moment that really stuck with me was the scene involving the dinosaur costume—it felt a bit extreme but added some much-needed humor! While the book had its ups and downs, I ultimately enjoyed it, though I wouldn’t rank it as my favorite from Josie Silver. Also, I’m not sure the title fully matched the plot—it conveyed the slow romance aspect, but I expected something a little different based on it.

Overall, Slow Burn Summer was a pleasant read with charming moments, but it didn’t quite captivate me in the way I had hoped. Fans of slower-paced, character-driven romances may enjoy it, but for me, it lacked some of the magic of Silver’s previous novels.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done a fantastic job of creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. The language is clear, concise, and evocative, with descriptions that bring the setting and characters to life. Dialogue is natural and authentic, and the pacing is well-balanced, with enough tension and release to keep the reader engaged.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed, and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if it were in a bookshop.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I had such an amazing time with this book!

Although I usually don’t read about characters that are that late in their stage of life, I absolutely adore how we can see ourselves in them in a lot of ways.

I love when we get to read a book about books! Seeing our passion for them just makes my day.

Totally recommend this book for a fun and light weight novel but with no doubt, one that makes you reflect.

A funny novel. After the breakup of her marriage, Kate decides to resurrect her youthful acting career.... not that she had done much before falling head over heals with her soon to be ex-husband.

Kate reaches out to her previous agent's son (Jojo had passed away a few months previously) to her amazement is hired to act as a novelist for a new novel, the author is kept a secret from her and the public as it was not his normal type of novel.
Kate's daughter has a new Aussie boyfriend at Uni, and decides to take a break to join him there..... when her mother tells her of her secret acting role.... needless to say the Aussie boyfriend acted on this and for money sold the story - all hell lets loose!

It was funny.... how can I ever forget the trifle episode with Kate's sister in the supermarket!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc & an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Quite a sweet story - even though the premise seems quite far-fetched! Suspend your disbelief at that part (although who knows what goes on in publishing!?) and the characters are well-rounded, nice people who find themselves in a rollercoaster situation and at the mercy of a baying mob of social media.

The resolution was good though, and I love a Josie Silver book!