THE SUMMER GIRLFRIEND

Two people have to decide whether they want their fake summer fling to turn into the real deal.

Jeremiah Smith II, grandson of the founder of Smith’s Sweets, has been ghosting his family. Ever since his grandfather died two years ago, Jeremiah can’t shake their last conversation at the family summer home in Heart Beach, New Jersey—in which his grandfather told him to clean up his act so he could take over the family business one day. When Jeremiah’s mother demands he show his face in Heart Beach, he makes up a girlfriend as his excuse for avoiding everyone—and then his mom invites his girlfriend to tag along. Now Jeremiah has to find someone to help him sell the lie. Enter Noelle Lewis, who’s been working several jobs to save up money to go back to college, but has just been laid off from her gig as a bookseller. When Noelle tells Jeremiah about the work she does as a stand-in bridesmaid, it sparks an idea: If Noelle pretends to be Jeremiah’s girlfriend for the weekend, he can pay her what she needs to cover tuition for the next semester. The only problem is that they’re already harboring a genuine attraction for each other, and as soon as Noelle meets Jeremiah’s family, it becomes harder for them to remember that this is just a temporary arrangement. Very quickly, one weekend turns into an entire summer, and soon Noelle and Jeremiah are starting to consider abandoning their fake relationship in favor of the real thing. Forest’s latest romance is built on an irresistible premise, and the Heart Beach summer setting provides a relaxing, lived-in immersion for the reader, but the secondary relationships war with the main romance for the story’s emotional center. While Jeremiah’s desire to live up to his grandfather’s expectations and repair his relationship with his family are part of his own necessary growth, it’s hard not to want Jeremiah and Noelle’s journey as a couple to be even more spotlighted.

This refreshing summer read has surprisingly emotional depths.