The Summer Deal: A Novel

Written by Jill Shalvis

Narrated by Erin Mallon

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes a friends-to-frenemies-to-lovers story… Add in a few secrets. Shake. Stir. Then read on a lazy summer day at the beach…

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She's fierce, tough, and she’s keeping more than one bombshell of a secret from Brynn -- her long-time frenemy.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey's best friend, Eli, renewing her childhood crush. The good news: he’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. The bad news: when he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have real connections, possibly love, and a future—if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062897848

Jill Shalvis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis is the award winning author of over three dozen romance novels. Visit www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and a daily blog chronicling her I-Love-Lucy attempts at having it all; the writing, the kids, a life …

Reviews for The Summer Deal

[Xixteel Serratos López · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I feel that how the characters are thrown together and how the story is knit in the beginning is a little forced and accelerated. Nonetheless I really liked how human the characters are, which is something that makes the story good and quite worth reading it. I didn’t like how much of a coward and egoistical is Kinsley even at the end though and how easily she was forgiven by the others, nor how easy it’s solved the “not tell my problems to the people I love” problem of Brin and how she shows more annoyance sometimes to her mothers than love. Despite that the end is cute and as always the element of the dog in Jill Shalvis’s books is quite the charm, so I recommend this book as the idea of the plot is interesting and quite original.

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This ia a great interesting storyline with characters that keep your Interest . have to say you will love Eli. The story is well written with likeable characters. You have people who had long crushesas kids who met at summer camp. I love how she cuts away for the reads out of the summer camp journal. A good way to tie the past in. Brynn ran into Eli at the candy machine at the hospital. You need to read to see why they were there. You have Kinsey who was the mean girl at summer camp. Kinsey is Eli's best friend...Not girlfriend. This book takes place in Windstone a small town. You have the issues of friends as family, and then family and you have an enemy who turns out to be a blood relative. It is amazing what the invent of DNA testing has done. The narration is great and keeps your interest. I loved this book. Enjoy!

[grgenius_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though part of a series, this story works completely as a stand alone, allowing the reader to revisit Wildstone, but with a new set of characters. We've got Brynn (who is simply a sweetheart...with a bad track record), Kinsey (frenemy from childhood with severe bad luck of her own), Eli (*sigh*...~sparkly eyes~), Max (you gotta love him, seriously...he's really got a kind heart to go with the smirky attitude), Mini (whom I adore!), and several other fantastically memorable characters that I'll leave for you to discover. Their lives intertwine from childhood to current times and in some very unexpected ways, but at the heart of it all is forgiveness, kindness, togetherness, that chance to let someone else in even when you didn't think you wanted to because you were afraid and too scared to admit it. (Sounds like several things we could really use about now, right?) They may seem like an oddball crew from the outside, but once you start looking within, you can see how well they all truly fit.

All in all, another wonderful read! I love how Ms. Shalvis allows readers into the lives of her characters in such a personal way, and yet it never feels intrusive. I also love how she handles all the feels she throws at us, from unknown crushes to sibling love; giving us the full spectrum, from spice to nice.


**copy received for review; opinions are my own

[samantha71020 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It kind of feels strange to be writing my thoughts on The Summer Deal when there is snow on the ground but that's what happens when you fall behind on reviews. I started the year off reading and enjoying Almost Just Friends which is the 4th book in the Wildstone series by Jill Shalvis (this is book five). I really enjoyed that one so was excited to pick this one up - and it was just as delightful as I had hoped. This is one of those books where I just loved each and every one of the characters (even when they acted in ways that frustrated me). They all just felt so real with their worries, imperfections, and hopes. There is a lot going on in this book which made for a fast paced read. I was constantly wondering when and how Brynn would find out that she had a half sister - and that it was Kinsey (not a spoiler - it's in the summary of the book). I also adored Brynn's two moms. The parts of this book where they were involved had me grinning the entire time. I loved the romance and chemistry that was building between Brynn and Eli. But what I really loved the most about this book was Kinsey and her not a relationship with Dek (it's been a few months so correct me if I'm misremembering his name). I LOVED these two together so much, and all I wanted was for them to figure out their relationship and for Kinsey to finally let him into her life all of the way. Ugh! It was just so good and despite the fact that Brynn and Eli were both really great - these other two were the ones I was rooting for the most. There were a lot of serious moments in this one so make sure you check out the content warnings. My one and only complaint was the lack of communication at times between the characters kind of made me crazy at points. That being said, I really enjoyed this one overall and cannot wait to read more of the books in this series. I believe there is a new one coming out in January and I will be all over it!Overall, this is a series and book that I couldn't help but enjoy. It was the perfect change of pace between the mysteries and thrillers that I normally pick up. There is just something about the way that Jill Shalvis writes characters that I cannot seem to get enough of. I love watching the characters work through their issues and find love with one another. It's delightful! I would recommend this book to fans of romance (especially contemporary romance) and also those readers who enjoy women's fiction. Recommended!Bottom Line: A delightful read with characters that I still haven't forgotten about months later!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. Honest thoughts are my own.CW: Organ failure, illness, abusive relationships

[shazjhb · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Terrible. Repeat of a whole paragraph within a chapter. Too boring.

[theyodamom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A sweet summer romance with flaws. The MC's deal with troubled family issues, bad relationships, life and death. There were parts that flowed well and some that were a bit cheesy and unbelievable. The cheese developed more towards the end. It started out really well for me I really liked where it was going. But, the love was too easy, too fast, to unrealistically understanding. These girls were horrible to the men and the men were all, it's okay I'm here for you no matter what...I really wished they got a backbone and said NO. Bottom line: Fun-ish mindless read, no deep thoughts involved, no real connection to the unreal characters.

[asheley-627878 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brynn Turner and Kinsey Davis have known each other since they were little kids. Their relationship has always been contentious and volatile at best. The girls attended the same summer camp year after year, and they never got along…then one summer, Kinsey stopped coming to camp. That’s when summer camp became fun for Brynn because there was no more bullying from Kinsey.Now their paths have crossed again, years later. They become reluctant roommates, sharing a house with brothers Eli and Max. Eli has been Kinsey’s best friend for her entire life. Max is Eli’s brother. This is the story about how they all learned to get along and love one another as family.I’m leaving a lot out because I don’t want to be spoilery, but you should know that I loved The Summer Deal. Jill Shalvis does what I completely expected her to go: create a cast of characters that I love, that I wish I knew in real life, that I ended up falling completely for even though Kinsey does her very best to be unlikable. The story features the evolving relationship between Brynn and Kinsey in a way that moves forward from the present, but also includes snippets from both girls’ journals since the year they first met. This way, I was able to see that living together and moving on from their difficult past was something they were working on and I was able to see exactly how and why things were so hard for them to get along as children. I didn’t really love their path to reconciliation and friendship, because there was enough push-and-pull and secrecy to make it feel a little stressful. BUT I appreciate that it must have been hard for them and I like the way it all ended. Truthfully, I still don’t really know if I really like Kinsey all that much but I appreciate where they ended up.Both girls have romances. Brynn’s romance is sweet in that her love interest is interesting and genuinely fantastic, and he’s a guy that has crushed on her for years. Kinsey’s romance is sweet in that her love interest must be the most patient man in the entire world. He sees the best in her even when she isn’t being nice to him at all. The evolution of Kinsey’s romantic relationship was as chaotic as her relationship with Brynn, to be honest. But both guys are pretty irresistible, which is another thing I love about every Jill Shalvis book. I love the way the romances ended up.There is humor too. And a dog! And sunshine and water sports and great banter. I inhaled this book here at my house, but I had serious beach and poolside vibes while I was reading! I completely recommend taking this one outside or on vacation if you can. This book is technically the fifth book in the Wildstone Series, but it reads perfectly fine as a standalone.I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you, William Morrow Books!

[lorikboyd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I requested this book because of the cover, it’s beautiful and screams SUMMER! I knew of the author but had never read any of her books. Write up was intriguing. What a pleasant surprise! Loved the characters and their development. So much baggage for this group ... enemies to frenemies to much more. I can hold a grudge (ask my husband) so I could relate to Brynn. I’m quite familiar with dialysis (sister was on dialysis for years) so I could relate to Kinsey. I loved that Ms. Shalvis puts a modern spin on family and the family we choose. There were no great surprises in this story, but it flowed well. Just realized this is #5 of a series, but I read as a stand-alone with no issues. A easy, fast-paced romantic read for these dark times with a very important underlying message ... testing isn’t painful. Be the Match...you can save a life. I would definitely read this author again. Thanks to Ms. Shalvis, Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about making friends and keeping them as well finding love. Brynn and Kinsey could not be more different. Yet, at the same time they shared a common bond. They just did not know what it was or how deep it would go until the situation called for it. Eli may be the love interest but he is more than just a handsome face. He cares and protects Kinsey like a sister. So, when Brynn comes into the picture as much as he likes her; he does watch out for Kinsey. Luckily, it is Brynn who needs Kinsey and Eli as much as they need her. The Summer Deal is a sweet read with engaging characters and humor. Although, when you add in a dash of Eli's brother, Max to the picture and you get a book that needs to be included in your summer reading plans.

[amym3317 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5After the breakup of a disastrous relationship Brynn Turner is returning home to Wildstone to regroup. She's about had it was her life imploding and wants to focus on getting on track, whatever that means. Basically, she wants to stop blindly trusting people that turn around and take advantage of her. So, she's thrown for a loop when one of the first people she runs into is her childhood crush Eli. Unfortunately Eli was best friends with Brynn's childhood arch-nemisis Kinsey Davis. It looks like not much has changed in that department. Eli and Kinsey are still friends, and Kinsey is as rude as ever.What Brynn doesn't know is that Kinsey has been battling serious health issues for her entire life, and it makes her keep everyone at arm's length because Kinsey knows her situation could take a turn for the worse sooner rather than later, and she can't bear to think of those she loves and cares about in pain. Because, yes, Kinsey does have quite a few people who fit that bill including Brynn. Although the reason for Kinsey's skewed loyalty towards Brynn comes with secrets of its own. Secrets that everyone but Brynn seems to be aware of, which makes things difficult when Eli and Brynn start falling for one another.I've really enjoyed Jill Shalvis's Wildstone series. Particularly with The Summer Deal I stopped and paused and ruminated on the different sibling relationships that have been front and center throughout the entire series thus far, and I have to really give it to Jill Shalvis with showing so many different facets of the family dynamic.The Summer Deal was bit different for me because while I was drawn into the story, and while there are specific individual moments where everything seems to kind of magically fit together in such a way of a perfect read, I didn't feel like I connected with the characters all that well. And I didn't feel the punch of the various revelations experienced throughout the story, mainly on Brynn's part. But I wanted to so badly.I don't know if there was too much going on between Kinsey, Brynn, and Eli's characters each getting their own points of view throughout that no one could stand out or if it's that fact that readers are aware of what's going on so it's like we're just waiting for Brynn to catch up with everyone else. I think there's no real element of surprise for the readers, instead we're waiting for Brynn's reactions.Regardless, I still found myself compulsively reading the book. Honestly, I felt like it was one of the more sensual books that's I've read by Jill Shalvis. There's not a lot in the way of sex. It's not completely fade-to-black, but we're not getting minute details, but what we do get, and what is done really well in both of the highlighted romances in the story, is this complete sense of connection.Kinsey learning that she doesn't have to fear love and attachment just because her future is unknown and Brynn learning that her past mistakes in love don't mean that she should give up on forming attachments. These are the moments of perfection within the story.Of course there is the bonding between Kinsey and Brynn which I loved seeing develop and, honestly, could have used so much more of because I always love when two characters start out as opposites, but slowly realize they are more alike than previously thought, and that's exactly Kinsey and Brynn.Overall, not my favorite of the Wildstone series, but also a very enjoyable read. I cannot wait to go back again.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I have been a fan of Jill Shalvis's books since I picked up one of her books a few years ago. I haven't read all of her books yet but I have kept up with all of her more recent releases. This book might be my favorite out of those I have read. I had such a great time with this book and found it really hard to put down. This book is the fifth book in the Wildstone series but each of the books in the series read as stand-alone novels so you can feel free to jump into the series anywhere. I was taken by the cast of characters in this story right away. Brynn is going back home to her two moms in Wildstone after being taken advantage of by her boyfriend. Kinsey has lived with major health problems for a long time and feels like she has an expiration date so she avoids making connections with the exception of Eli. Eli has been Kinsey's best friend since they were kids. He has had plenty of his own issues but he watches out for Kinsey even though they are just friends. Brynn, Kinsey, and Eli all went to summer camp together and some of their memories of each other are less than pleasant.All of the characters in this book felt very authentic to me. Brynn's entire life was turned upside down but she working to put things back together. I loved her two moms but understood her desire to be out on her own. Kinsey has been dealing with some pretty big health issues for years and I thought that she had a pretty good attitude about everything. Eli has been through a lot of things in his life but he still wants to take care of those that he is close to. This book did a lot of things really well. I love the romance between Brynn and Eli and thought that they were great together. I was thrilled that we got a second romance in this book with Kinsey and Beck and I thought that their story was really well done. The relationship between Kinsey and Brynn was really pivotal to the book. I enjoyed seeing them open up and start to trust each other. I thought that getting a glimpse of how they saw each other as kids through their journal entries added a lot to the story.I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought that it was a very well done story with a great cast of characters that focused on a variety of relationships. I cannot wait to read more from Jill Shalvis!I won an advanced review copy of this book from William Morrow Paperbacks through a giveaway on Goodreads.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the fifth book in this series, but I had no problems reading this as a stand-alone book. The characters are well developed and grow immensely throughout the book. Ms. Shalvis tackles some rough issues in this novel, including organ transplants -which I felt was unique in a romance novel. The Summer Deal is an excellent beach read. It is a fast read, and it does keep you engrossed.There are two romances in this novel going on at the same time, each one unique. However, I have several issues with this book. One deals with the fact that these people are close to being thirty years old, and they act more as if they were still teenagers. The other issue I have is that the sisters (even the 'bitchy one) are written in a manner that is just too sweet and treacly.All in all, I wasn't disappointed in this novel, I wanted a beach read, and that is precisely what I got!*ARC provided by the publisher.