No surprise to anyone who knows me, but I love reality television specifically romance shows. I also know, surprised, considering how many romance novels I read.

I don’t understand why this book is rated 3.2 stars, and I suspect it is because the people reading it are not fans of reality TV. Because this is such a well done written rendition of reality TV show, and it is an utter delight.

It is not spicy, but it is really intimate in a heartwarming way. I enjoy the behind-the-scenes of show making, I already knew a bit about how manufactured everything is, but now I can better understand just how emotional and messy those shows get considering the contestants are exhausted & have likely filmed repeats of any major non-candid scene.

It is rare that I read a romance novel where the couple faces struggles, and I am rooting for both of them. Go Declan. Go Oliver!

I can’t remember the last time I binged a book in one sitting—I was LOCKED IN. The plot of this book is so similar to one of my favourite fanfics that I just ate it up😅

Oliver and Declan had my heart. The stolen glances and moments between them had me kicking my feet. But I do wish we got more on page moments between them as their relationship developed. However, I did eat up every crumb the author provided👀

I really enjoyed the peak at the behind the scenes of the reality show, it really showed just how set up and fake everything is and reminded me why I don’t watch shows like love island😂 It was super fun to read though!

I requested and received an aARC of Summer of Love by Lily Easton via NetGalley. Declan King, a professional boxer, joins the cast of the UK's top reality show Summer of Love at his best friend Chloe's suggestion. When Chloe drops out of the competition, Declan's plan begins to crumble. And when he finds himself most attracted to fellow male contestant, Oliver Wright, the whole thing goes up in smoke. Oliver is a ballet dancer competing for the prize money so that he can move to New York to win back his ex-girlfriend. But when his on-screen friendship with Declan leads to a behind-the-scenes kiss, things become much more complicated than either man anticipated.

Love reality television, love romance, love when those worlds collide in such a fun way. I didn’t necessarily feel an immediate attachment to either Declan or Oliver, but I was able to see positive qualities in both men. What delighted me, however, was the novel’s premise and the interesting cast of characters on Summer of Love who I enjoyed getting to know while I read the novel. There’s a lot of humor in the book, making it the perfect sort of light, summer romance read. There were couples I rooted for and contestants I rooted again which really this book an exciting experience.

I really liked Oliver and Declan individually. Oliver is a very sweet character, and it was impossible not to pity him after learning the details of his breakup with Sophie prior to joining the cast of the show. I also really enjoyed Declan’s backstory, even if he was a bit more difficult to cheer on during the story due to his own self-destructive behavior. I enjoyed the way their relationship developed, but I couldn’t help but wish they spent more time connecting on the page.

3.5⭐️

I won’t lie’ the premise sounded so good and I love MM romances so I wanted to give this one a shot. I did enjoy the relationship between our two main characters (Declan and Oliver)! I also thought the setting was unique because I haven’t read many books about reality shows similar to this concept. That is pretty much where my enjoyable list of things end… The side characters didn’t have enough depth to them so I felt like I never truly connected with them. To some degree, the characters all seemed to blur together aside from our main couple. The writing was solid and the only bad thing about it was the singular quotation mark use (whatever it’s called) but that’s a more personal preference than anything.

Straight reality tv show but two male contestants fall in for each other. A perfect chance for a funny plot with a secret relationship but sadly this story was disappointing. Overall I was bored with the storyline and the premise of the reality tv show. All the side characters were basically the same person with no personality. The two main characters did have a bit more life about them but they still managed to be boring. I do adore the cover of this book but sadly I didn’t enjoy this.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Canelo publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect reality dating romance novel. I loved all the characters and it reminded me so much of watching reality tv with my friends, but this time we got to see the behind the scenes drama!

What really stood out to me about this book is that it did reality tv right. It wasn’t just a secondary plot and it wasn’t smooth sailing. Like reality tv there was drama (both curated and real), high emotions, but also silly challenges and activities.

The relationship was very compelling to me and was handled well and as realistically as a reality tv behind the scenes romance can be. I also loved the side friendships and other characters, they were all able to work well together to get the story moving.

This book was surprisingly emotional and in some cases deep, playing around with the idea if reality tv is exploitative, while still keeping a light tone, I applaud the author for handling this issue in a nuanced way.

The best summer read! I would highly recommend it.

An appealing cover and the prospect of lounging around with a summer romance was what initially drew me to this book. However not being a massive fan of “Love Island” I was a little unsure what to expect. A social commentary on the vacuousness of reality TV, or just another vehicle on which to hang another MM romance? Well it was a little bit of both.

Although this is badged as a romance I would probably say it’s more of a light touch romance… much like the show itself. It does however give you a glimpse into how orchestrated and rigged these types of shows are… less “reality TV” more overly produced “unreality drama”. And I’m guessing that if you are a fan of these programmes this may just be right up your street as it very much feels like the literary version of these shows. If you’re not, then I think you might struggle with this.

The premise is about a closeted gay boxer who, for some reason not adequately explained, decides to go on a reality TV show very similar to Love Island, where heterosexual couples act like eight-year-olds in a school yard, trying to figure out who fancies who. And much like eight-year-olds, conversations never stray too far from the school yard antics they get up to. Over the weeks the show is on air, the couples are whittled down one by one as the competition plays out against the public and the producers’ scrutinising eyes.

One of the problems when writing a book with so many contestants as main characters, is that you need to make them all distinct enough so the reader can easily follow them. Sadly they were all written in quite a bland way and their characters merged into one another. When they were first introduced we did get a tiny précis of each character but then the authors left us to our own devices so we had to work out who was who just from the insipid dialogue that followed. With very little wit or colour to their dialogue, it became a little dull to read after a while. Maybe this was intentional and really did reflect what the people on these shows are like. People who just love to talk about themselves so much you can’t get past their Instagram projections. But the end result made for quite a boring read. But that needn’t have been the case. You’ve only to read Alison Cochrun’s “The Charm Offensive” or Alexis Hall’s “Winner Bakes All” series to see how this can be done so much better, especially when writing a book that’s being marketed alongside books like these. And that is my big problem with this book. It really isn’t as entertaining as the Charm Offensive, or as intelligent as Red White and Royal Blue. It isn’t as clever as it could have been, nor does it offer anything more than you would get from watching the TV show itself. There’s very little new ground being broken here, which is a shame as this could have been so much more. There are small glimpses where the authors dig a little deeper into the characters minds or questions some of the less ethical practices involved in putting a show like this together, but not enough of note.

Now that’s not to say that you won’t enjoy this book. It’s very light, has very little real angst, and is quite easy to pick up and put down. It may be the perfect summer read for some. One that you can dip in and out of in between dipping in and out of the pool. And if you like TV shows similar to this, then you may be more forgiving of the shallowness of its emotional depth. In some respects I feel this might have been a better book had the two main characters been heterosexual. That would’ve made the secrecy of their relationship that bit more interesting than the one presented here.

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

On a Love Island styled show, boxer Declan enter in the hope of increasing his followers of social media and have an easy time. All is thrown away however when ballet Oliver sits next to him on the plane to the villa. Playing to the cameras for the perfect shot will only satisfy the audience for so long, will they choose to stay honest to themselves? Or play to win.

I was searching for a quick and easy romance after my last read and this was the perfect book for that. Although the writing and plot it’s anything out of this world, it is still a really lovely story showing many different loves.

This book is stocked with all the perfect tropes, sharing a bed, secret romance, and also found family amongst some of the contestants. I would have wished for the ending to be a little different but still really enjoyed the book.

This would definitely work better for fans of reality TV than it did for me. I’ve never seen the shows this is clearly inspired by, and the book doesn’t really explain mechanics of coupling up, sharing beds, or anything.

The premise was really promising and appealing to me, but the execution just didn’t take it far enough. There were only a couple of scenes where the leads were off-camera and could be their real selves, which made it hard to invest in the romance or even understand what parts of their connection were genuine.

Don’t expect a fluffy bi awakening story, it was maybe half a sentence, practically nonexistent. It left me unsure of where the character even stood.

It’s not that this kind of story can’t go deep—The Charm Offensive is proof that a queer romance on a reality show can absolutely have weight and impact. This just didn’t hit that mark for me.

That said, it’s a super easy, breezy read. I got through it in just a couple of sittings, and if you’re into this type of tv show you might really enjoy it as a light beach read. But for me, it didn’t do anything meaningful with the setup, and I probably wouldn’t pick up anything else by this author.

I loved the premise of this one since I'm a big fan of love island and reality tv in general and have always hoped for a bromance turned secret romance. I really liked the chemistry between Declan and Oliver and wish we got to see more of them fall for each other on the page. The inevitable break up drama just came way too soon and would've loved to see them sneaking around on the show having more cute moments. I didn't really care about any of the side couples and didn't really bother trying to keep straight who was with who.

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

Two men enter a straight reality TV dating show not looking for love but to win the prize money or stay in the public eye. So it’s definitely a surprise when they start falling for each other. Can Declan and Oliver keep their feelings for each other under wraps so they still have a shot at winning? Or will everything blow up in their faces?

This was a very quick and breezy read. I liked both Declan and Oliver as characters and it was interesting to see the ways they were able to connect with one another while trying to not let the cameras see anything. It was also fun to see which of the side characters could tell that there was more than met the eye with the two of them. In addition to their romance I enjoyed their personal journeys they were having with their careers and what they wanted as an outcome of being on the show.

While I did find a lot to like about the book it also didn’t completely work for me. I felt like it took way too long for Declan and Oliver to start connecting with one another. There was so much going on with all the different romances happening on the show that it stole focus from the actual romance of the book. Also, I was hoping for more in the end with it showing them finally getting together. It felt a bit anticlimactic.

Summer of Love didn’t become a new favorite for me, but it was still a fast, fun, and cute read. If you’re on the lookout for a low/no steam queer romance or a reality show romance then give this one a try.

Cute but not exactly my cup of tea! The setting was interesting but non exactly for me.
The characters were likeable, the plot eye catching.
Even if i didn't love it i recommend reading it.

this was a fun, quick & easy read that i basically read in one sitting over the course of a few hours. it is definitely one for fans of reality tv, especially love island, given its getaway and coupling up format. i liked the dual POVs (plus occasional third POV) because it gave us a chance to see the story from both characters perspectives, rather than one of them being relegated to love interest. as someone who is NOT a reality tv fun i actually enjoyed seeing the activities and challenges and goings-on inside the villa, i surprisingly enjoyed the side characters, who were very fun, and thought the ending was cute!

i just don't think this really hit all the marks for me. there wasn't enough depth to the story where i really cared about any of the main characters, and i do feel like we were cheated out of seeing the relationship development between oliver and declan (it felt quite antagonistic for the first few chapters, and then suddenly they were best mates?) i wish we had seen more of that on-page, to build a connection with them. overall i think this will be a cute summer romance but don't go into it expecting too much.

I love books about trashy reality shows, so I really wanted to love this. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. The setup was great, but I never got much of a sense of either of the MCs (especially Oliver)—and the supporting characters were entirely a blur. I didn't feel as if I saw the MCs fall for each other, and then once the show was over, their problems resolved too quickly/easily. It kept seeming to me as if the authors had an amazing book in their heads, but it didn't make it to the page. I do hope the authors will keep writing, though—I think with some more development, they could do great things.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for approving my request to read an arc of this book

The authors definitely delivered a fun read with this book. It follows closeted boxer Declan and ballet dancer Oliver as they embark on a whirlwind of an experience when they’re accepted on to a straight reality dating show. The pair clash at first, but soon find that other emotions might be behind those feelings of jealousy, and soon neither can ignore the spark between them. But with the stress and exhaustion that the show brings, as well as drama being flung their way, it definitely isn’t an easy ride. But one thing I really enjoyed about this book in particular, was that any time I was bracing myself for the typical drama or betrayal, the authors chose a different route and I hold so much respect to them for that.
The cast of characters was very enjoyable and entertaining, and Oliver and Declan’s feelings and fears of their relationship being exposed were also written so realistically. Overall a very good book! Four and a half stars.

This was such a fun fastpaced story. In a weird twist, I liked most of the contestants and I really liked getting to know them and seeing what beeing on a reality show did for them. I didn't really feel the love story until nearly the end but it was cute!

gay love island? sign me the fuck up

i couldn't help but wonder, is declan tommy fury?

this was fun to read, like i was giggling the entire time, but i also love reality tv so i could understand how people who don't enjoy that trash might not be partial to this book

i liked the format, in the sense that not only do you read about the what-is-happening in the island, but you also get interviews and behind the scenes, which made it more enjoyable. however, it is true that because their supposedly romance was happening off camera, it sometimes felt like we weren't there with the main characters, so it felt difficult to sometimes understand how their relationship was advancing

i also appreciated getting a few chapters from the producers point-of-view, to really show—even if it should be obvious by now— how much of a roll production pays on shows like this and how much of fake scenario it is

what i absolutely loved was them clearly stating that the reason they were on the show was obviously not for love, because if i'm really looking for love, i won't go to a dating show so that everyone can make decisions about my live and judge me

i must confess though i did quite enhoy the individual growth of both main chacarcters, specially declan

anyway, if you're looking for a low angst, easy read, you should definitely read summer of love.
thank you to NG, Lily Easton—authors katherine and madeline— and Canelo Piblishing for the oportunity to read this book in exchange of my honest opinion

2.5 stars


I wish this one had worked better for me!! The concept is FANTASTIC, but the execution didn't quite work for me. I love my romance to be full of tension & character work, and this one didn't quite stick the landing for me. For being a forbidden romance, there wasn't a ton of tension around the leads not being able to get together, let alone tension from chemistry. The secondary characters were also really flat, which wasn't to my taste. I wish we could've seen how this story would go with 1-2 more rounds of edits!

I definitely would like to try something from this author again in the future. This is their debut, and I think they have a lot of potential!

When boxer Declan goes on a reality show a la Love Island at the convincing of his friend, he’s doing so to ensure the world’s interest in him, while he recuperates from injury. The world thinks he’s looking for love (boy meets girl on reality show, falls in love and all that). But that’s highly unlikely for Declan, given he is gay but few people know it, and he’s up for playing his part. Oliver a ballet dancer (supposedly straight) enters the house as well, and it’s apparent from the first moments Oliver is the one in Declan’s sights.

I’ve really enjoyed these types of books before featuring a reality element and the fun authors can have with the different character contestants. Sadly, this book fell a little flat quite early due to a lack of developed characters that struggled to translate off the page and a lack of chemistry between the two main characters. Challenges were uninteresting and inconsequential and there was very little on-page investment in building the relationship. I get it happening away from the cameras to an extent but the reader doesn’t have to imagine it - I for one wanted to see it, even if it wasn’t for the show. Further there was fade to black intimacy (which doesn’t bother me on the least usually but I felt posed a further barrier to this couple’s connection.

Overall, I think this was a case of opportunities missed with this book, and I was a tad disappointed. It is a reasonably quick read however, and this might appeal to some for that alone.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me the opportunity to read it ahead of release through Netgalley

Thank you Canelo and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Declan is a a famous boxer who recently sustained an injury and is taking a break from boxing. His best friend talked him into applying for Summer of Love the reality dating competition where men and women find love. Just one problem, he’s gay. Oliver only applied for the show to hopefully win and get the money to move to New York so he can get back with his ex-girlfriend who he’s had been with for 8 years. The two get off to a rocky start with each other. There’s an instant attraction for Declan but he doesn’t and Oliver is straight, right? Oliver can’t figure out what Declan’s problem is. But also what is it about Declan? He can’t stop being aware of him. As the two go from enemies to friends their connection seems to grow. But on a show where they are supposed to be finding their female loves can real love blossom? And can the two open themselves up to finding real love? I have to be honest I don’t get reality TV, I don’t know why anyone would want to watch fake drama that’s supposed to be real. That being said when it came to the couples being eliminated decoupling I felt all the tension and anxiety that is realistic to how it feels to watching a tv competition show! I enjoyed both Declan and Oliver and many of the other contestants as well! Lily Easton’s Summer of Love is a fast paced, compelling, romantic, and incredibly charming read!