I started reading this book thinking it was a silly little romcom… Boy was I wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE silly little romcoms, but this was nothing like one. The words I’d use to describe it to someone interested in knowing about it would be “grief”, “anxiety”, “friendship” and yes, “love”. I was not expecting most of it, but it was such a nice surprise.

I have do to say that even though it’s so beautifully written and explores many aspects that can make readers feel seen (I know I did sometimes) that are not normally portrayed in this type of books, at some point I felt like it was too stretched, like I was reading the same things over and over again. When I started reading I was really enjoying it, but at some point it did get a little bit wearing.

P.S: I would like to point out that even though I loved Quinn (and her friends especially Haven!), I would’ve loved to see some therapists mentioned or even as characters, as she really really really (can’t stress this enough) needed and still needs one… But hey, that might just be my Psychology Degree speaking!

[Thanks to NetGalley and Bookcomber Publishing for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion!]

DNF

At 50 per cent of the book, I still didn't know where the plot was going. Slow pace.
Very dense.
Until halfway through the book, there was very little information relevant to the development of the story.
I couldn't fall in love with the plot or the characters.

Despite my opinion, I wish the writer all the best.

Thanks to the NetGalley platform, the publisher and the author for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

"𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦"

☼ 3.75

this book in a way, is a love letter to summer, to friendship, and to those we've lost and the memories we keep. if you enjoyed the vibes of tsitp but don't want that love triangle drama, pick up this book! i'll be over here wondering where i can get tickets to piper island because i need my own becah vacation there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
"You deserve a rollercoaster."
That one line from The Summers of Us hit me straight in the chest—and perfectly sums up what this book delivered: every high, every low, and every breathtaking drop in between.

This was hands down the best summer book I’ve read so far this year. It’s not just about sun and sand—it’s about healing, grief, love, and learning to let people back in after life has knocked you down.

We follow Quinn, who spends her summers on Piper Island with her aunt and baby cousin. And this town? It’s pure magic. There’s something about the way Taylor Crooks wrote Piper Island that made it feel like a place we all know deep down in our hearts—the kind of place where every summer leaves a mark on your soul.

Her friend group? So precious. The kind of core friendships that feel like home. The laughter, the late-night talks, the silent understandings—they were beautifully written and full of love. But when tragedy strikes, Quinn’s world shifts. She starts to guard her heart, believing that love only leads to pain. But throughout the summer, slowly, she starts to find her way back. To hope. To healing. To love that doesn’t come with conditions.

This book made me feel everything. The beach setting, the emotional depth, the friendship bonds, the raw moments of grief and joy—it was vivid and immersive in all the best ways.

If you’ve ever felt broken by life but still longed for a little magic to pull you through, this book is for you. The Summers of Us is an ode to second chances, deep summer nostalgia, and the wild, messy beauty of being human.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Bookcomber Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Summers of Us was SUCH a cute book! you follow quinn who every year since she was a kid spends the summer a piper island with her aunt. piper island is a magical little town that is the perfect encapsulation of the north carolina coast. for seven summers you follow her and her friends through the trials and tribulations of life and just being a teenager. the ocean gives and always takes- and not everything can always be perfect.

The Summers of Us is a good read for summer or a beach read. The book follows Quinn through different years of her life each summer. You get to see how things change in her life, how she interacts with herself and how much summer means to her.

I will say that some of the jumping back and forth bothered me at times. I also wanted to sit Quinn down and have a conversation with her to help her see what she is missing or help her with relationships-mostly with in regards to Everett and her dad.

This is truly one of those books where I have to ask myself if I finished the book or if the book finished me.

Quinn Kessler has always seen the ocean as both a giver and a taker. For eight summers on Piper Island, it gave her freedom, friendship, and a first love that stayed with her long after the season ended. But when she returns for her last summer before college, everything feels different. The magic is harder to find, and Quinn has to face how much she’s changed. Her feelings for Everett Bishop are still there, but nothing else is as simple as it once was.

After her dad leaves and her mom is stuck living in fear, Quinn learns to play it safe with love. She keeps people at a distance without meaning to. But on the island with her Aunt Blair, cousin Hadley, and a close group of friends, she slowly opens back up. She learns that when family leaves, friends can stay. She starts to take risks instead of letting life pass her by.

When tragedy hits, Quinn starts to see life as transactional. But through small, meaningful moments with the people who love her, she finds hope again. She learns to keep going even when the future feels uncertain. She learns to love without fear.

This book had everything I love in a summer read. The beach setting, deep friendships, real emotional moments, and writing that felt vivid and true. It was healing and beautifully written. I truly believe this story can touch anyone who reads it. This was such a strong debut and I cannot recommend it enough. A special thank you to NetGalley and Bookcomber Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do not give reviews less than 3 stars because I feel as if authors genuinely put their heart and soul into their writing. This book however, was not for me. I did not expect the dual timelines of switching back and forth from when she was a child back to high school. This felt more like a middle school/high school book and did not align with what I normally read. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

Taylor Crooks delivers a heartfelt and nostalgic coming-of-age story in The Summers of Us, a novel that shimmers with emotion, memory, and the slow ache of growing up. Set on the dreamy, sun-drenched shores of Piper Island, this is a story about love, loss, and the beauty of everything in between.

Quinn Kessler’s journey is tender and deeply relatable. Through her eyes, we experience the sweetness of summers past—sticky ice cream, late-night bike rides, crashing waves, and first love. But we also feel the weight of grief and change as she returns for one last summer before college, only to find that the island, like her relationships, has shifted. Taylor writes with poetic clarity, drawing out the melancholy magic of a place that once felt like home.

At the heart of the novel is Quinn’s relationship with Everett Bishop—an emotional thread that pulls gently but persistently through each chapter. Their connection is soft and slow-burning, full of unspoken truths and moments that linger like the scent of salt on skin. It’s a romance rooted in memory and possibility, made all the more poignant by Quinn’s fear of losing it all.

With vivid imagery, aching nostalgia, and a hopeful undercurrent, The Summers of Us is a beautiful reflection on the fragility of happiness and the courage it takes to hold on to it. Taylor Crooks captures the essence of bittersweet youth in a way that feels both timeless and immediate.
Perfect for fans of sun-soaked fiction with emotional depth, this novel is a gentle reminder that some summers stay with us forever.

i LOVED this book. it was the perfect summer book with everything that i needed in it. i loved how much of a role the friendship group played in it and how it touched on many different kinds of relationships. it felt very real and honest which i loved because it didn’t feel like anything was sugarcoated. the touch on grief and pain was really important and it felt very real and was represented in such an honest way. the romantic relationship also felt very realistic and i’m just obsessed with them. i overall would 100% recommend this book

“You deserve a rollercoaster”🎢 😭
I don’t even know where to begin on how much I loved this book and how much it emotionally destroyed me with how both haunting yet beautiful the writing was. I’d book a one way flight to piper island and never look back it was that incredible!!
This book tackles a lot from grief, to friendships and love to also family trauma and the dominio affect it can have from a young age. I feel like I lived and breathed Quinn’s life throughout the novel , and watched her grow in each summer as well as deal with so much. Taylor’s ability to make every word feel effortlessly beautiful had my jaw on the floor I could not stop highlighting every chapter . This would make such a great coming of age movie or tv show and I stand by that notion .
Overall if you want something that’ll be perfect for the summer and make you feel like you’re at the beach , but also something that’ll hit you straight in the feels and bring out raw emotion in you. The summers of us is a book I’ll remember for a very long time and one I’d love to read-read
Some favourite lines-
“The thought of being noticed made me want to grow and shrink at the same time . To be noticed was to matter”
“Family comes and goes, by friends always stay”
“You are my rollercoaster, and somehow also my moon. Two things that are constant but never stay the same”
“If just blue were as beautiful as him, then I hoped for a lifetime of just blues”💙

Thank you victory editing and net galley for the e-arc !!

This was a stunning story about found families and friendships whilst navigating teenage years. It was written so wonderfully that it feels like you are growing up with Quinn, the FMC. It broke my heart and put it back together all in just under 200 pages 🫶🏻

The grief in this book was handled beautifully. The second chance romance was great and I just loved Quinn and Everett! I also really enjoyed seeing all the characters grow as people as the novel progressed and they grew up 🥰

Overall, I loved this book! I highly recommend it 💫

I read this advanced reader copy from NetGalley, and this is my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher ✨

Piper Island here I come!!

I loved this book. It had a nostalgic feeling even though I felt like I missed out on going to the beach for the summer.

I laughed and cried. It is such a good read.

I can't even get my words out 😂. I enjoyed the book—it was a complete 180 from what I would normally read. I'm so glad I read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookcomber Publishing for the ARC of The Summers of Us by Taylor Crooks in exchange for an honest review.

This story had all the ingredients for a nostalgic summer read—found family, a wholesome love story, and the kind of friendships that mark your life in quiet, permanent ways. I really appreciated the structure, especially how by following the main character's age throughout the book helped keep the progression of the timeline clear.

The writing style is lyrical and emotional, and some lines really stood out with their poignancy. There’s definitely a lot of potential here, especially for readers who enjoy reflective coming-of-age stories with that warm, bittersweet summer feeling.

That said, something about it didn’t fully click for me. I found parts of the pacing uneven, and while the connection between Quinn and Everett had its moments, it felt a little underdeveloped for the emotional payoff the story seemed to be reaching for. Some of the dialogue and character interactions felt a bit surface-level, which made it harder for me to stay fully invested in their journeys.

Still, I think this will resonate more deeply with readers closer to Quinn’s age or those who love slow, setting based summer reads. It’s a solid debut, and I’m curious to see what Taylor Crooks writes next!

I really wanted to like this but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. This book seemed like it would be right up my alley and I was honestly quite surprised to find that it wasn’t holding my attention; I couldn’t really get into it despite my attempts to push through and I ended up DNFing a little past the halfway mark.

One of the problems I had is that I didn’t get a good enough sense of the plot. It seemed like most of what was happening on the page was just there to fill space and didn’t actually have any meaning or purpose. I found myself constantly checking to see how many more pages I had left because I wanted to be done and get it all over with, which is not something I typically experience with books, even ones I don’t like. I rarely decide not to finish a book because typically even if I don’t like something, I’m still passionate enough about it to finish so I can better talk about why I had issues with it, but I don’t feel the same way about this book.

There is not much going on and I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. The main character felt especially unmoving and I couldn’t reason with a lot of her behavior and attitude because her reasoning seemed very surface level and flat. I didn’t find myself caring enough about what was going to happen to her and her friends as the story progressed because it didn’t actually feel like it was progressing as so much of the story is spent in the past.

I can’t really say any more since I didn’t finish the book, but I was disappointed and underwhelmed by what I did read.

Thank you, NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I didn’t think I was going to get hooked on a summer romance book like I did with The Summers of Us, but here we are. I was engaged, surprised, and genuinely happy while reading this. It’s the kind of book that sneaks up on you emotionally—in the best way.

Set over nine summers on the fictional Piper Island, the story follows Quinn and her group of friends as they navigate growing up, falling in love, and figuring out who they are. The dual timeline between “then” and “now” adds so much depth to Quinn’s journey, showing how each summer shaped who she becomes by the time they all face their final summer before college.

I related to Quinn so much it was actually scary. The things she felt, the emotions she processed—I’ve been there. She officially lives rent-free in my heart now. I do wish we got to know more about the other characters in the group, but I also think it worked perfectly the way Taylor Crooks gave each of them their own little moment to shine.

Crooks’ writing is smooth and easy to follow, making this the perfect read for a sunny summer day. It’s quick, emotionally resonant, and reads almost like a Taylor Swift song—which earns it bonus points from me. The way friendship, family, and teenage love are captured here feels both nostalgic and real.

Easily one of my favorite reads of 2025.

A surprise debut novel that explores friendship, young love, and what experiences shape us into the people we are as adults. I sincerely appreciated the dual time line that explores the past and the present. IT'S PURE SUMMER NOSTALGIA!!! An absolutely magical story that will remind you of your vacation beach home or childhood summer vacations. If you love stories that explore a second chance at love PLEASE PICK THIS BOOK UP.

What a fantastic ARC read, thank you @netgalley and @taylorcrooksauthor for writing such a wonderful story 🥰

“ Summers at Piper Island weren’t real life,” Quinn tells herself as she prepares to return for her 8th summer. But this summer is different. The ocean, which has gifted her love, memories and friendship is different. Her once vibrant aunt is a shadow of her former self and the colors around Quinn seem dimmed. This is a story about love, loss, friendship and hope. @taylorcrooksauthor does an amazing job at capturing these emotions throughout the story. It made me feel like I was right there with Quinn during this transformative summer. Please pick this book up later this month!!!

🌸⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌸
This book felt like sun-warmed skin, salt-kissed first love, and the kind of summer you wish you could bottle forever.

The Summers of Us was an absolute dream—like a heart-shaped seashell you stumble across at just the right moment. It’s tender and tearful, hopeful and healing, and filled with that golden-hour glow of summer love, lifelong friendship, and learning to let life happen instead of hiding from it.

Quinn Kessler’s story took me right to Piper Island, where the waves hum lullabies and pinky promises feel like forever. Every page was steeped in nostalgia—the kind that makes your chest ache in the best way. Her summers were magical, messy, full of moonlit confessions and soft heartbreak, and it all builds toward one last summer that’s equal parts goodbye and beginning.

And then there’s Everett. Everett Bishop is the boy you meet when you're still figuring out who you are, and love him so fiercely it rewires you. Their love story—told through glances, grief, and late-night beach walks—was so beautifully earned. Bittersweet, slow-burning, and utterly unforgettable.

Taylor Crooks writes with such poetic softness that you can feel the warm sand between your toes and taste the melted ice cream on your lip. The way she captures friendship, growing pains, and learning to say yes to joy—even when it hurts—is truly something special.

I laughed, I cried (more than once), and I closed the book feeling like I’d lived a whole lifetime of summers in just a few hundred pages. The Summers of Us is a hug in book form. A beach read with a beating heart. A reminder that it’s okay to grieve the past and move toward the future with open arms.

If you loved The Summer I Turned Pretty, Every Summer After, or Happy Place, this is your next favorite read. But warning: you will want to write love letters in the sand and send your best friends matching anklets.

☀️💛 Thank you to Taylor Crooks for this soft, shimmering gem of a debut. I’ll be re-reading it every summer.

I enjoyed this book. I really liked how it had past and present chapters so you could see what happened before. I really liked all the characters and I loved how they have been friends for so long. All of the characters were likable but they did have their moments that I was like “really? That’s what your doing” but it worked out it the end. It was a very easy read and I didn’t have to do much thinking. If you want a fun read, check this one out!