☀️🍎 Summer in the City 🍎☀️

• Alex Aster

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Happy release day to Summer in the City! I was so lucky to receive an ARC of this one and I LOVED reading it outside on the first sunny day of the year ☀️

This is a really fun summer romance read, perfect for reading by the beach or in the sun. (Sun is basically a prerequisite for this book, you need the summer vibe). It’s lighthearted, perfectly unrealistic in the vein of all my favourite romcoms, and I sped through it.

I really liked Elle as a main character. I have to admit, she was a bit pick-me and cliched at certain times – wears exclusively sweats and a messy, coffee-fuelled writer… sound familiar? But honestly I don’t have an issue with this and can’t complain too much because it was really fun to be in her head, and I definitely saw some of Alex Aster’s personality shining through.

I also loved the screenwriting element – a niche interest of mine is reading books about writers. I liked how Elle’s profession took centre-stage in her own story.

Speaking of their respective professions… I’m not a fan of the billionaire trope that this book contains. I don’t necessarily like the power imbalance and dynamics that automatically come along with that trope, and the extravagant gifts and acts of service really make me cringe. This book was no different, which is probably why it’s three rather than four stars. That may definitely be more personal taste – it’s just not something that floats my boat!

Overall, if you’re a fan of any of those classic 90s to early-2000s romcoms set in New York City (When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days), I’d recommend this as it has the same flavour. I love stories where the setting feels almost like a character and this was definitely one of those.

Have you read Summer in the City yet? How does it compare to Aster’s fantasy trilogy Lightlark?