The Summer Girl: An Avalon Bay Novel

Elle Kennedy

Jul 2023 · Avalon Bay Book 3 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin

About this eBook

Elle Kennedy's next spicy and emotional romance in the blockbuster Avalon Bay series.

College student Cassie Soul hasn’t spent an entire summer in Avalon Bay in years, not since her parents divorced and her mother spitefully whisked her away to Boston. Now that her grandmother is selling the boardwalk hotel that’s been in their family for five decades, Cassie returns to the quaint beach town to spend time with family, ring in her twenty-first birthday...and maybe find herself a summer fling.

On her first night in town, she finds the perfect candidate: Tate Bartlett, Avalon Bay’s fun-loving golden boy.

Tate, sailing instructor and lovable player, is no stranger to flings. In fact, he’s always down for a good time. But the moment he meets Cassie, he knows she’s not the girl you play games with. Cassie is gorgeous, hilarious, and, frankly, the coolest person he’s ever met. The last thing he wants to do is risk breaking her heart, and so he reluctantly puts her in the friend-zone...only to realize he made a huge mistake. Soon, his attraction to Cassie becomes impossible to ignore. He wants that fling now. Big-time.

And maybe even something more.

As Cassie and Tate walk the line between friends and lovers, they’re about to discover that their situation is the least complicated part of this equation. Because Avalon Bay is full of secrets—and their relationship might not survive when those secrets come to light.

Ratings and reviews

This is my first book by Elle Kennedy, but it won't be my last. I loved Cassie's internal monologue as she progressed from awkward and unsure to being a confident young woman. Tate was a little bit cocky but also sweet and I loved his relationship with his parents. The story contains plenty of family drama on all sides, sentimentality, and the romance between Tate & Cassie is both steamy and sweet. I'll definitely be reading the rest in this series, and look for this author in the future.

The Summer Girl is a perfect summer read. I fell into this story quickly and didn't want to put the book down. I hit a little bit of a hiccup when Tate was first backing off because of his fear of feelings, but stuck with this book and am so happy I did. The Summer Girl is such a complex, multi-layered story with the romance being just one aspect. Each of their families play critical roles in this story, and I felt very invested to see how things were going to wind up.

Okay, that took a turn and gave me a big sucker punch in the feels! But before that, this was a sweet and sexy story with the awkward girl and the player boy. Attracted to each other but building a friendship first. She has baggage, he has confidence, and they have a lot of fun together. They had a great dynamic, they had awesome chemistry, and they had genuine reactions. That made that turn all the more painful when it happened, but that also made the changes in their lives

About the author

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ELLE KENNEDY grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and is the author of more than forty romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, including the international bestselling Off-Campus and Briar U series.