This month I’ve decided to read three books from the ’26 in 26’ challenge and I’ve already finished the first one! It’s Alex Aster’s Summer in the City and what a book that’s been.

Summer in the City is Alex’ first Romance novel. You know when authors sometimes switch genre and the book in the new genre, they’ve written is just not it? Alex has been known for Lightlark which is a Young Adult / Fantasy novel. Since releasing this book she also ventured to the New Adult genre and she just doesn’t disappoint. It’s like she can write anything and whatever rolls onto those pages is instant best seller. Let’s dive in to this book now, shall we?

Elle can be described as the perfect hermit, not leaving the house if it isn’t necessary wearing comfortable clothes and just Netflix and Chill. But this is her last night in New York and her best friend Penelope wanted her to go clubbing. Having made a deal to just stay for an hour but that second hour came and went and Elle just wants to go home. Not enjoying herself, she walks to the bathroom for some peace and quiet only to see a huge line. One bathroom? How can a club only have one bathroom? Someone talked to her and once she looks up, she sees this bulk of a man, so very handsome – he kind of looks like a bouncer; the alcohol and the fact she’ll be long gone by morning makes her bold. Dragging this man into a stairwell for a make out session but once the sentence ‘What can I do, or buy to take you to mine?’ has her outraged. She isn’t someone that can be bought! When she runs out of the stairwell and right into waiting Penelope, questioning why she’s just came out of the stairwell, the man appears. YOU WERE MAKING OUT WITH PARKER WARREN?!

Two years in LA and Elle is going back to the city she hates, New York. House sitting for her sister while renovations are taking place on the sixtieth floor of some skyscraper. Having some very good screenplays to her name, she’s here not only to house sit. She has three months to write a Romcom that has to play out in NY summer and has six of the most popular places in NY in them, but writers block has struck hard.

In the middle of the night a fire alarm starts blaring, everyone needs to vacate the building and the elevators are not to be used. Picking up her phone and her most prized possession, her laptop; Elle walks to the stairs and hesitates surely, it’s a fake alarm and not worth walking sixty flights of stairs for?  But then a man appears and not just a man, it’s Parker F.cking Warren. Residing on the same floor, oh the hatred Elle has for this man.

It becomes clear that Parker is in some way her twisted muse, her hatred for this man fuels her work and something actually appears on screen. They make a deal – being Parker’s fake girlfriend for the summer and he’ll show her the places she needs to go. Being Parker’s girlfriend even if it’s just a fake one, she needs to attend parties, meet his friends and go to high society gigs. Her screenplays have always been written in anonymity, so people don’t know her and she is quite happy with that.

But things are about to change, living in the spotlight because you’re a billionaire’s girlfriend, a billionaire that is setting to sell his company for 10 billion dollars. He’ll be hounded by press. They’ll be looking into her. That deep hatred she felt for Parker slowly fades to longing, Parker taking her places and turning out to be the opposite of what she thought. Elle has been called an Island by Penelope because she held of contact and social events and now, this summer, she’s been making friends that could last her a lifetime and finally puts her heart out there even though it can shatter at the end of summer.

This book was lovely – The spice was spicy but only at the last 20% of the book.

I’m giving it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars!