The Summer Girl;
Grade : B+

This is a fun beach read! It's the third book in the Avalon Bay Series and it stands well on its own. It’s a coming of age story about Cassie Soul, a rising college senior at Briar U, who has come to Avalon Bay to stay for the summer with her Grandma and see the final restoration work of the beautiful Beacon Hotel that was originally owned by her family. She is hoping to enjoy a summer romance and when she meets her neighbor, Tate Bartlett, she thinks he's hot and asks him to be her fling.

Tate is a sailing instructor at a club who dreams of sailing on a long solo trip. When he's not teaching, he helps his dad out at their boat store. He thinks Cassie is gorgeous and funny but wants to just be friends because she doesn’t seem like a girl that would be happy with just a fling and he doesn’t do relationships. He offers to be her wingman and help her find some other guy he approves of. I think he’s my favorite Elle Kennedy male lead. He's a gem and I loved watching him and Cassie become genuine friends.

Cassie’s mom is the villain in the story. If you don't like bullies, be warned, she's very nasty, especially in the way she body shames Cassie. Her father also lives in Avalon with his new wife and twin girls and Cassie is trying to figure out how she fits in with them. Like many a new adult, Cassie is also trying to figure out what happens when she graduates. I really liked both Cassie and Tate.

This book has some spice (It’s Elle Kennedy, after all) and when Tate sees Cassie start to date another guy, he decides he wants to risk it and go out with her. As usual, Kennedy's sex scenes are HOT--there's an especially steamy one between them from their windows that face each other.

We get to see other characters from the Avalon Bay books at the summer’s Annual Beach Games, where teams compete in different events, like water balloon toss, tug of war and sand castle building. Mackenzie from Good Girl Complex invites Cassie to join her team and the games give off wonderful summer vibes. I found myself dreaming of waves and sand as I read this book!

It did take me a little while to get into the story but once I did, it was entertaining and I didn’t want to put it down. There are a few time jumps where I had to look back to see if I missed something and some big twists I didn’t see coming, with lots of family drama, wow! Cassie and Tate’s romance was sweet and they were cute together. This is by far my favorite book in the Avalon Bay series. If you like Kennedy's romances, don't miss this one!

Reviewed by Kayne Spooner
Grade : B+

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : August 23, 2023

Publication Date: 07/2023

Review Tags: Avalon Bay series

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Kayne Spooner

Kayne Spooner is a retired science teacher, dog owner, and proud grandma who lives in beautiful Colorado. While she's an avid reader of all genres, romances have always swept her off her feet. Kayne gravitates toward stories with humor, swoon-worthy love interests, and memorable furry sidekicks, although really, if there's a happy ever after, she's here for it! She loves sharing her passion for books with the romance community and connecting with fellow readers. https://www.instagram.com/kspoonerfish/.
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