These Summer Storms
A Novel
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4.0 • 769 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From author Sarah MacLean, a razor-sharp, wildly sexy novel about a wealthy New England family’s long-overdue reckoning . . . and the one week that threatens to tear them apart.
“Deliciously impossible to put down.”—Jodi Picoult
“Addictive.”—Ali Hazelwood
“A gripping inheritance drama, wrapped around a swoony summer romance.”—The New York Times Book Review
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, NPR, KIRKUS REVIEWS, LIBRARY JOURNAL
Alice Storm hasn’t been welcome at her family’s magnificent private island off the Rhode Island coast in five years—not since she was cast out and built her life beyond the Storm name, influence, and untold billions. But the shocking death of her larger-than-life father changes everything.
Alice plans to keep her head down, pay her final respects (such as they are), and leave the minute the funeral is over. Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his family a final challenge—an inheritance game designed to upend their world. The rules are clear: spend one week on the island, complete their assigned tasks, and receive the inheritance.
But a whole week on Storm Island is no easy task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting with chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s unyielding arrogance. Her younger sister’s constant analysis of the vibes. Her mother’s cold judgment. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s intriguing and too-handsome second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape unscathed.
A smart and tender story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel explores past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Power, inheritance, and a funeral no one wants to attend. These Summer Storms serves it all up as historical romance author Sarah MacLean trades corsets for coastal couture in her contemporary debut. Alice Storm hasn’t been to her family’s private island since she was exiled five years ago. When she’s dragged back for her estranged tech billionaire father’s funeral, she discovers she’s been lured into a setup: one week, one twisted challenge, one shot at a massive inheritance. And one infuriatingly attractive man she really shouldn’t have hooked up with. What follows is a deliciously tangled cocktail of family dysfunction, high-stakes secrets, and romantic tension that never lets up. Each Storm sibling has their own uniquely sharp edge, and watching Alice navigate them while confronting her own history is pure gold. Pick it up. You won’t want to leave the island either.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Romance novelist MacLean (Knockout) delivers a clever tale of a woman whose life is upended by her late billionaire father's last wishes. Alice Storm, a New York City public school teacher who's estranged from her family, returns to her childhood home in Rhode Island after her father, Franklin, dies in a hang-gliding accident. At the train station in nearby Wickford, she strikes up a conversation with a handsome tattooed stranger and spends the night with him. The next morning, after taking a skiff to the family's private island, she's greeted by her overbearing mother and three siblings, and is shocked to re-encounter the stranger, who turns out to be Jack Dean, Franklin's managing director and fixer, whom her family detests. He's there to give them the terms of their inheritance—a set of tasks each of them must follow if they are to receive any of Franklin's wealth. Alice's directive sounds simple—stay on the island for the whole week—but proves difficult because she and her family despise each other. Though furious that Jack didn't tell her who he was, she slowly falls for him over the course of the week, while bracing for another surprise from Franklin. MacLean sets a brisk pace and seamlessly blends family drama with a winning love story. It's perfect for the beach bag.
Customer Reviews
A Fresh Storm from Sarah MacLean
Sarah MacLean fans, this one’s for you.
These Summer Storms isn’t just a genre shift — it’s a full-on evolution. MacLean trades dukes and ballrooms for a modern family empire built on secrets, power, and one woman’s refusal to stay silent.
Alice Storm is the kind of heroine you root for instantly — flawed, brave, messy, and beautifully human. And the cast? Diverse, lovable, and unforgettable, with LGBTQ characters who feel fully realized and essential to the story.
If you’ve ever wondered what MacLean’s trademark feminist fire looks like in a contemporary setting, this novel is your answer. And honestly? It’s a breath of fresh air.
Twisty, sexy read full of family secrets!
Good characters and relationships- fun to view the world through the eyes of the progeny of a billionaire tech mogul. Some surprises and a great setting.
These Summer Storms
The book was entertaining, but got a bit slow about 2/3 through, and the ending a bit dull. But again, pretty entertaining during much of it.