Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan (Review by Aura Johnson)

Rating: 4.5/5

 The book follows a woman, Ali, in her late thirties, whose husband decides he wants a divorce, on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, no less. They are amicable, and though he is a somewhat involved father to their children, Ali still has to take care of mostly everything, along with enduring her husband’s verbal put downs. Her days are spent organizing other people’s homes, while hers looks opposite of anything she advises her clients, bookkeeping for her friend Frannie’s diner, and taking care of her children, all in her ex-husband’s dirty sweatpants. Until one summer day she decides to take off her wedding ring, put on more public-appropriate pants, and walk her dog in the park, who…ends up marking his territory right on a very handsome stranger Ethan’s shoe.

As she starts spending more time with Ethan due to unexpected link in their lives, Ali becomes more confident, speaks up against her soon to be ex-husband, and tries out new experiences, such as skateboarding, that make her feel like a carefree teenager again. Her life becomes more whole, filled with laughs, happiness, well behaved kids, and joy. But as the summer approaches the end, and the handsome Ethan has to leave town, most likely not to return for a long time, will Ali be able to let him go?

This was very much an easy beach read and Ethan is so wholesome, I very much enjoyed reading about Ali and him. The story was relatable in many ways, as people navigate certain things in their lives, including divorces, multiple children, babysitting, parents, neighbors, new hobbies, sacrifices for family, etc. All of that was very well captured in the novel and I found it to be a very nice story. Life after divorce can be tough, especially if one of the spouses does not always agree with the other, but that does not mean that a strong connection with someone else cannot be found again, and I do think that this book captures such perfectly.