In Love with Summer Romance

Synopsis of Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan: Still reeling from the death of her mother, Ali is newly separated from her husband and trying to sort out the chaos of her life while holding everything together for her three kids. When a new man shows up in her life, she figures a summer fling wouldn’t be so bad. But she didn’t count on what came next.

I’m still trying to figure out words to say about this book. I fell in love with it: the characters (have I ever loved book characters more than Ali and Ethan?), the setting, the heart on every page. There are lots of books about grief, but this one was so tender and poignant, and the love story was astonishingly perfect. I was giddy with excitement for them, and I felt every emotion alongside them. Ms. Monaghan doesn’t write spicy scenes, but she brings you back exactly to the first days of a new love, then the moments when you realized this new love was going to grow, and the tiny things that let you know you were seen and treasured. The way she wove love and loss and grief together was exquisite, just like any one of our good, hard, messy, imperfect-but-kind-of-perfect lives. 

It’s a book about grief, remembering who you are, and taking the important risks in loving others, even when you know you can’t keep them forever. This book felt so healing, so full of love and light and the happiness that comes from knowing who you are and learning how that fits with someone else. I devoured it and am only sad that Annabel Monaghan can’t write another one tomorrow.

***Also, the book opens with oatmeal chocolate cookies, Ali’s mom’s recipe, which Ms. Monaghan posted on Instagram right before the book was published. I had no idea what the significance of the recipe was when I saw it, but I saved it and made the cookies that night. They were so delicious that I’ve already made a second batch. In every single thing, she gets the details exactly right.