Summer Reading
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4.4 • 52 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's new rom-com.
For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who has dyslexia, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.
Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.
An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she’s always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McKinlay's charming latest (after It Happened One Christmas Eve) opens with a meet-cute no reader will forget and blooms into a multifaceted story replete with lovable characters, mouthwatering descriptions of food, and a vicarious vacation to Martha's Vineyard. After up-and-coming Boston chef Samantha Gale is passed over for promotion by a boss who seems more concerned about her gender and her dyslexia than her qualifications, she quits her restaurant job and heads to her family's summer home to spend a month licking her wounds while chaperoning her teenage half-brother. She's not looking for romance, but when she meets Ben Reynolds, she can't ignore their attraction. But Ben is the town's new library director and books are his life, while Sam's severe dyslexia has left her with a lifelong hatred of reading. She's initially worried that this difference will make them incompatible, but Ben's enthusiasm proves infectious, and he soon encourages her to write a cookbook of her own. McKinlay handles Sam's dyslexia with sensitivity and heart, and all editions of the book will be published in "a dyslexic friendly font." The well-developed emotional growth between the protagonists makes their connection feel real. This is a keeper.
Customer Reviews
A Must Read for Summer!
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the very first scene. More than just a simple summer romance read, this story has many different elements: romance, sibling relationships, parent/child relationships, friendship, and of course the topic of dyslexia. Bonuses are a great setting, as well as learning about Portuguese cooking. We learn, right from the beginning of the story, that our main character is dyslexic, a chef, and that her love interest is a librarian. Throughout the story, we learn how Sam has been affected by this condition, her coping mechanisms, etc. I believe that this is the first book I’ve read that has dealt with this topic - it is definitely the first time I’ve encountered it as an issue to come between a couple. It educated me (a lifelong, avid reader) on the topic, and made me think about what it must be like to live with a neurodivergent brain condition. An enjoyable summer read, with some educational material woven in. Definitely recommend!
Fantastic heartwarming read
Wow I fell in love with this story right on the first chapter and right to the last page. Heartwarming characters including Samantha who stays as strong as she can while dealing with her disability and getting more close with her brother Tyler while spending time with him during summer and meeting Ben who works with her best friend Em at a local library. He is definitely my hero as he looks past Samantha’s dyslexic disability and falls in love with her and shows her how to stay strong no matter what happens in her life. Highly recommend and kudos to Jenn McKinlay for this phenomenal heartfelt story. Thank you for letting me read this ARC copy of it.