What do you think?
Rate this book
Summer Girls
From the author of Some Girls Do comes a YA sapphic romance about two girls from different sides of the tracks.
Cass has a rule about dating summer girls鈥攋ust say no. Every year the idyllic beach town Cass's working-class family calls home is flooded with summer girls,听the obnoxious daughters of the rich, who stay in their families' summer homes, sail their yachts, and generally make things unbearable for townies like Cass.
Birdie is the ultimate summer girl. She鈥檚 the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer dad and a social media influencer mom, and this summer Birdie happens to be in big trouble for accidentally crashing her boyfriend's very expensive car.
As punishment, Birdie must spend the summer with her father at the beach鈥攂ut it won't be a vacation. He's enlisted the help of Cass, whose dad works for him, to keep Birdie on the straight and narrow, including getting her a job as a beach parking lot attendant.
As the summer heats up, Cass realizes some rules are made to be broken, and Birdie just might be different from other summer girls. Soon they can't help falling for one another . . . But will the love the two girls have discovered be strong enough to overcome their differences?
Cass has a rule about dating summer girls鈥攋ust say no. Every year the idyllic beach town Cass's working-class family calls home is flooded with summer girls,听the obnoxious daughters of the rich, who stay in their families' summer homes, sail their yachts, and generally make things unbearable for townies like Cass.
Birdie is the ultimate summer girl. She鈥檚 the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer dad and a social media influencer mom, and this summer Birdie happens to be in big trouble for accidentally crashing her boyfriend's very expensive car.
As punishment, Birdie must spend the summer with her father at the beach鈥攂ut it won't be a vacation. He's enlisted the help of Cass, whose dad works for him, to keep Birdie on the straight and narrow, including getting her a job as a beach parking lot attendant.
As the summer heats up, Cass realizes some rules are made to be broken, and Birdie just might be different from other summer girls. Soon they can't help falling for one another . . . But will the love the two girls have discovered be strong enough to overcome their differences?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2025
44 people are currently reading
10853 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Dugan
22听books1,942听followersJennifer Dugan is a writer, geek, and romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she had growing up. In addition to being a young adult novelist, she is also the writer/creator of two indie comics. She lives in New York with her family, dogs, and an evil cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
April 22, 2025
I鈥檓 not sure why exactly, but I find YA romance so purely escapist. Summer Girls was all that I hoped鈥攁 half-real, half-dreamt summery slice of pure queer teen escapism. These kids think they鈥檙e so slick but really they wear their feelings on their sleeves. Their love is big, their drama bigger, and everything all together is real and ridiculous and painful and sweet. And if I can鈥檛 help the feeling that the whole thing was a bit undercooked, somehow鈥攚ell, it would be entirely dishonest to pretend that I actually cared.
May 12, 2025
鈽�3.5 stars!
鈦赌鉃佛煂� august sipped away like a bottle of wine, because you were never mine. Wanted to preface by saying thank you NetGalley for the arc, as well as Penguin YA Group! woo!! another arc that i think would be such a perfect simple read for those who want a summer sapphic rom com :)
鈥漣 don鈥檛 even care. beneath it all they鈥檙e still perfectly warm and inviting, perfectly birdie.鈥�
锝★緹锞燂渐锝★渐锞燂緹锝�
锞熴赌� bridgette 鈥檅irdie鈥� gordan
銆€锞燂渐锝★渐hot take? REALLY liked her throughout this whole novel IDC! she consistently made efforts to be a better person, and yeah she鈥檚 rich girl but she wants to learn?!!! like obviously she鈥檚 a bit ignorant of her privilege, a bit alarmed, but when she learns she LEARNS and wants to help?!! though i wish her townie hate was a bit toned down, i feel like so much of the hate towards her is unfair, and im glad she got her happy ending!
锝★緹锞燂渐锝★渐锞燂緹锝�
锞熴赌� cassandra 鈥榗ass鈥� adler
銆€锞燂渐锝★渐 liked her as well! she was definitely within her rights to be mad at times but鈥� did not like that half her monologue is shitting on birdie at first for a grudge at FIVE YEARS OLD??? like the lack of communication drove me nuts鈥� then her anger towards birdie? i feel like yes it鈥檚 justified to a certain extent, but to constantly blame it on the fact she鈥檚 lower class when it鈥檚 not only that??? like birdie is also closeted huh??? idk her vibe felt very pretentious at times but she was also right other times鈥� idk found her to be just ok! also feel like it鈥檇 make more sense if cass was a poc but!!! just my opinion
romance! it was so cute when they actually were being soft w one another!! more fluff, less pointless problems!!! i feel like most of the book was trying to put them in irritating situations and didn鈥檛 let us enjoy their tenderness for long enough, just short brief moments, nothing that fully encapsulated THEM. also them realizing their feelings for each other felt rushed and a bit jarring from hating one another to suddenly wanting to kiss in like 3 seconds?!! overall, i just wish we saw them understanding one another more rather than hating one another
writing! okay, i think this is where a bit of my problems came from. there were simply TOO MANY pop culture references, the first chapter alone mentioned kardashians and taylor swift like babe please i cant?!! i know birdie鈥檚 an influencer but i feel like it could鈥檝e been done without mentioning tiktok and hashtags and pop culture鈥� it just didn鈥檛 fit and made the writing feel more juvenile than it should be (esp for YA.) i think this would be geared better for a middle grade audience!
plot/characters! i think a lot of the side characters lacked depth and were cartoonishly exaggerated LOL like birdie鈥檚 mom and other rich friends. and then the dads being friends??? so odd? i feel like the whole coalition overshadowed the actual romance, and birdie鈥檚 dad actively gentrifying the city for richer people and being aware and cass鈥檚 dad still being his friend whilst being w the coalition is so confusing LMFAO ?? it never made sense to me but ok!!
辞惫别谤补濒濒鈥�
so overall this was a decent book!!! i did finish it in one sitting & i still adored the romance, it鈥檚 just the writing and the UNFAIR birdie hate鈥� idc!! birdie and cass were def so sweet in their moments, i just wish the book focused more on their romance and building it up rather than shoving them into a strenuous situation that wasn鈥檛 fair on either of them (and didn鈥檛 exactly make sense) LMAO. but still!! i think for a lighter summer read this is vv perfect :)
鈦赌鉃佛煂� august sipped away like a bottle of wine, because you were never mine. Wanted to preface by saying thank you NetGalley for the arc, as well as Penguin YA Group! woo!! another arc that i think would be such a perfect simple read for those who want a summer sapphic rom com :)
鈥漣 don鈥檛 even care. beneath it all they鈥檙e still perfectly warm and inviting, perfectly birdie.鈥�
锝★緹锞燂渐锝★渐锞燂緹锝�
锞熴赌� bridgette 鈥檅irdie鈥� gordan
銆€锞燂渐锝★渐hot take? REALLY liked her throughout this whole novel IDC! she consistently made efforts to be a better person, and yeah she鈥檚 rich girl but she wants to learn?!!! like obviously she鈥檚 a bit ignorant of her privilege, a bit alarmed, but when she learns she LEARNS and wants to help?!! though i wish her townie hate was a bit toned down, i feel like so much of the hate towards her is unfair, and im glad she got her happy ending!
锝★緹锞燂渐锝★渐锞燂緹锝�
锞熴赌� cassandra 鈥榗ass鈥� adler
銆€锞燂渐锝★渐 liked her as well! she was definitely within her rights to be mad at times but鈥� did not like that half her monologue is shitting on birdie at first for a grudge at FIVE YEARS OLD??? like the lack of communication drove me nuts鈥� then her anger towards birdie? i feel like yes it鈥檚 justified to a certain extent, but to constantly blame it on the fact she鈥檚 lower class when it鈥檚 not only that??? like birdie is also closeted huh??? idk her vibe felt very pretentious at times but she was also right other times鈥� idk found her to be just ok! also feel like it鈥檇 make more sense if cass was a poc but!!! just my opinion
romance! it was so cute when they actually were being soft w one another!! more fluff, less pointless problems!!! i feel like most of the book was trying to put them in irritating situations and didn鈥檛 let us enjoy their tenderness for long enough, just short brief moments, nothing that fully encapsulated THEM. also them realizing their feelings for each other felt rushed and a bit jarring from hating one another to suddenly wanting to kiss in like 3 seconds?!! overall, i just wish we saw them understanding one another more rather than hating one another
writing! okay, i think this is where a bit of my problems came from. there were simply TOO MANY pop culture references, the first chapter alone mentioned kardashians and taylor swift like babe please i cant?!! i know birdie鈥檚 an influencer but i feel like it could鈥檝e been done without mentioning tiktok and hashtags and pop culture鈥� it just didn鈥檛 fit and made the writing feel more juvenile than it should be (esp for YA.) i think this would be geared better for a middle grade audience!
plot/characters! i think a lot of the side characters lacked depth and were cartoonishly exaggerated LOL like birdie鈥檚 mom and other rich friends. and then the dads being friends??? so odd? i feel like the whole coalition overshadowed the actual romance, and birdie鈥檚 dad actively gentrifying the city for richer people and being aware and cass鈥檚 dad still being his friend whilst being w the coalition is so confusing LMFAO ?? it never made sense to me but ok!!
辞惫别谤补濒濒鈥�
so overall this was a decent book!!! i did finish it in one sitting & i still adored the romance, it鈥檚 just the writing and the UNFAIR birdie hate鈥� idc!! birdie and cass were def so sweet in their moments, i just wish the book focused more on their romance and building it up rather than shoving them into a strenuous situation that wasn鈥檛 fair on either of them (and didn鈥檛 exactly make sense) LMAO. but still!! i think for a lighter summer read this is vv perfect :)
May 20, 2025
Happy release day!! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC! This was really cute or whatevaaa 馃ス馃ス I will say that at some point it got a bit slow for me but it picked back up and I was engrossed again! The book takes you on birdie and cass鈥� journey, exploring themes of classism, gentrification, the toxicity of influencer family culture, biphobia, and finding oneself and ones integrity, while it simultaneously takes us on the romantic relationship between the main characters, providing the reader with that 2000s romcom feel.
January 28, 2025
NEED THIS NOW. as a gay girlie who was obsessed with summer tourist/locals romance books in middle school and always wished they were sapphic this was made for me.
would do unholy things for an arc of this鈥�
update 1/27/25:
Okay, so funny story... I added that little bit about doing unholy things for an arc this afternoon then, not even 5 minutes later, signed into Netgalley to see if there were any books I was interested in requesting. I was scrolling through the LGBTQ+ category when I came upon Summer Girls. Now, obviously, I've been dying for this book for what feels like ages at this point but I never requested an arc because, frankly, I didn't think I'd get it. However, I thought, you know what? I'll just try to request it. So I clicked on it and lo-and-behold, it was available to read! Talk about timing, am I right?
Anyways, I'm thrilled to have been able to read an arc of this book. I'm mildly (read: completely) obsessed with Jennifer Dugan and all of her books. Some Girls Do, Melt With You, Playing for Keeps... I could keep going but I'll sum it up with I love love love the way she writes YA sapphic books and this was no different.
Minor spoilers from this point on!
Summer Girls is a dual-pov novel, following Birdie -- daughter of an influencer who, after a very public and very messy split from her boyfriend involving cheating and a crashed $200k car, goes to spend the summer with her father in Newport -- and Cass -- a Newport townie who has a rule with her best friend to never get with a summer girl. Oh yeah and her and Birdie's dad work together and they were friends as kids. Juicy!
I adored both of them with my whole heart. Starting with Birdie -- I hadn't realized how big of a role the social media influencer aspect would play and I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's an apt conversation, especially in this day and age as critique of "Mommy Bloggers" has come to an all-time high. Birdie's struggles with her whole life, all the way back to when she was potty-training as a toddler, being broadcast to the internet and her future being scripted for her. I thought this aspect was handled well and treated with care.
As for Cass, she's a lifeguard who lives year-round at the beach and is sick of seeing her friends and neighbors homes bought out from them and turned into overpriced vacation rentals, shoving those she cares about out of town. She's passionate and fiery and stands up for what she believes in. She works with her parents at a coalition to support affordable housing. Their biggest opponent, however? None other than Birdie's father, George, a real estate developer who is also her own father's best friend. I really enjoyed the discussion of how the two manage to coexist despite having wildly different views.
After being sent to Newport, George enlists Cass to keep an eye on Birdie, help her find a job, and keep her out of trouble. The two have a shared history that, despite their intial disdain for each other, eventually bubbles over into something new.
Now, while this book is great -- and 1000% up my alley -- it was not without its flaws. I do wish there was more build-up to their relationship. They hate each other at first, which I loved as I'm always down for enemies/rivals-to-lovers, but it feels like very quickly Birdie is attracted to Cass. I don't mind enemies-to-lovers having moments where they notice how attractive the other is -- that builds tension -- but it seems to very quickly jump into them both liking each other. I wish they had a few more non-hostile encounters because it just felt somewhat unrealistic. I would've liked a slightly slower burn with more build-up. I also don't think the "I had a crush on her as kids" was fully fleshed out enough either, as all we get of their past friendship is Cass thinking about how Birdie wouldn't play with her and Birdie reflecting on not being able to play to make her mom happy. However, I still fully enjoyed their relationship and was rooting for them!
As for the side characters, they were all interesting (I'll be briefer here, I swear, lol). Loved Bentley, of course, liked Six (though, strangely, felt a little bad they only mention his name once? And call him Six to his face? But I guess he said he liked it... LOL), Mitchell was a good antagonist and was at least slightly redeemed by the end in a way that felt deserved, and also enjoyed Ada but... felt like she was not the bestttt friend to Birdie? Maybe that was meant to be intentional but especially in regards to her not being 100% accepting of Birdie being bi when she came out; I thought for sure we'd come back to that, or she'd apologize, or even it'd be revealed that she was weird because she was queer too, but nope. I still liked her, obviously, but I wish either that or her storyline about also trying to please her parents had been more explored to add more depth to her character.
Despite that, I loved the story and the local/vacationer plot. I was happy with the ending and felt it resolved everything that needed to be resolved.
Overall, I am so so glad I was able to read this book early. Middle school me who devoured every summer romance she could get her hands on would have squealed over every cute moment (and let's be real, 20-year-old me was still doing the same). I'm so glad we've finally gotten to a point where sapphic stories can be cute and light and summery. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc!
4 stars!
would do unholy things for an arc of this鈥�
update 1/27/25:
Okay, so funny story... I added that little bit about doing unholy things for an arc this afternoon then, not even 5 minutes later, signed into Netgalley to see if there were any books I was interested in requesting. I was scrolling through the LGBTQ+ category when I came upon Summer Girls. Now, obviously, I've been dying for this book for what feels like ages at this point but I never requested an arc because, frankly, I didn't think I'd get it. However, I thought, you know what? I'll just try to request it. So I clicked on it and lo-and-behold, it was available to read! Talk about timing, am I right?
Anyways, I'm thrilled to have been able to read an arc of this book. I'm mildly (read: completely) obsessed with Jennifer Dugan and all of her books. Some Girls Do, Melt With You, Playing for Keeps... I could keep going but I'll sum it up with I love love love the way she writes YA sapphic books and this was no different.
Minor spoilers from this point on!
Summer Girls is a dual-pov novel, following Birdie -- daughter of an influencer who, after a very public and very messy split from her boyfriend involving cheating and a crashed $200k car, goes to spend the summer with her father in Newport -- and Cass -- a Newport townie who has a rule with her best friend to never get with a summer girl. Oh yeah and her and Birdie's dad work together and they were friends as kids. Juicy!
I adored both of them with my whole heart. Starting with Birdie -- I hadn't realized how big of a role the social media influencer aspect would play and I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's an apt conversation, especially in this day and age as critique of "Mommy Bloggers" has come to an all-time high. Birdie's struggles with her whole life, all the way back to when she was potty-training as a toddler, being broadcast to the internet and her future being scripted for her. I thought this aspect was handled well and treated with care.
As for Cass, she's a lifeguard who lives year-round at the beach and is sick of seeing her friends and neighbors homes bought out from them and turned into overpriced vacation rentals, shoving those she cares about out of town. She's passionate and fiery and stands up for what she believes in. She works with her parents at a coalition to support affordable housing. Their biggest opponent, however? None other than Birdie's father, George, a real estate developer who is also her own father's best friend. I really enjoyed the discussion of how the two manage to coexist despite having wildly different views.
After being sent to Newport, George enlists Cass to keep an eye on Birdie, help her find a job, and keep her out of trouble. The two have a shared history that, despite their intial disdain for each other, eventually bubbles over into something new.
Now, while this book is great -- and 1000% up my alley -- it was not without its flaws. I do wish there was more build-up to their relationship. They hate each other at first, which I loved as I'm always down for enemies/rivals-to-lovers, but it feels like very quickly Birdie is attracted to Cass. I don't mind enemies-to-lovers having moments where they notice how attractive the other is -- that builds tension -- but it seems to very quickly jump into them both liking each other. I wish they had a few more non-hostile encounters because it just felt somewhat unrealistic. I would've liked a slightly slower burn with more build-up. I also don't think the "I had a crush on her as kids" was fully fleshed out enough either, as all we get of their past friendship is Cass thinking about how Birdie wouldn't play with her and Birdie reflecting on not being able to play to make her mom happy. However, I still fully enjoyed their relationship and was rooting for them!
As for the side characters, they were all interesting (I'll be briefer here, I swear, lol). Loved Bentley, of course, liked Six (though, strangely, felt a little bad they only mention his name once? And call him Six to his face? But I guess he said he liked it... LOL), Mitchell was a good antagonist and was at least slightly redeemed by the end in a way that felt deserved, and also enjoyed Ada but... felt like she was not the bestttt friend to Birdie? Maybe that was meant to be intentional but especially in regards to her not being 100% accepting of Birdie being bi when she came out; I thought for sure we'd come back to that, or she'd apologize, or even it'd be revealed that she was weird because she was queer too, but nope. I still liked her, obviously, but I wish either that or her storyline about also trying to please her parents had been more explored to add more depth to her character.
Despite that, I loved the story and the local/vacationer plot. I was happy with the ending and felt it resolved everything that needed to be resolved.
Overall, I am so so glad I was able to read this book early. Middle school me who devoured every summer romance she could get her hands on would have squealed over every cute moment (and let's be real, 20-year-old me was still doing the same). I'm so glad we've finally gotten to a point where sapphic stories can be cute and light and summery. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc!
4 stars!
April 25, 2025
鉁р倞鈥氣亐鉃� 3.88/5 .釔�
very sweet and butterfly-inducing. possibly one of my favorite ya romances, maybe romances in general, actually. fun characters, fuzziest romance scenes, a plot i was truly invested in.
there were two things i didn't like, however. the first being the absolute lack of communication. it felt they were arguing about the same things every chapter, with birdie constantly relapsing into her townie-hate vocabulary and ruining things. which isn't to say cass wasn't also picking a fight repeatedly, but i think she was usually right, so i'm ignoring that. but seriously, it was almost every chapter.
the second thing i didn't like was that the narrative, maybe subconsciously, i don't know, seems to target rich girls more than rich boys. the constant use of "rich bitch" for the girls vs calling the one rich male birdie's "horrible ex" quite literally in the same sentence was... interesting. subtle misogyny always annoys me, even if it's not that deep, i guess.
anyway, i still really loved this, because lesbianism makes me overlook just about anything, but i can't give it four stars.
thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy!
very sweet and butterfly-inducing. possibly one of my favorite ya romances, maybe romances in general, actually. fun characters, fuzziest romance scenes, a plot i was truly invested in.
there were two things i didn't like, however. the first being the absolute lack of communication. it felt they were arguing about the same things every chapter, with birdie constantly relapsing into her townie-hate vocabulary and ruining things. which isn't to say cass wasn't also picking a fight repeatedly, but i think she was usually right, so i'm ignoring that. but seriously, it was almost every chapter.
the second thing i didn't like was that the narrative, maybe subconsciously, i don't know, seems to target rich girls more than rich boys. the constant use of "rich bitch" for the girls vs calling the one rich male birdie's "horrible ex" quite literally in the same sentence was... interesting. subtle misogyny always annoys me, even if it's not that deep, i guess.
anyway, i still really loved this, because lesbianism makes me overlook just about anything, but i can't give it four stars.
thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy!
March 9, 2025
I used to love reading beachy summer YA romances when I was a teen, but because of the industry at the time they were always straight. So I love now how there are queer books that give me nostalgia for the types of romances I read back in the day. Cass and Birdie lead very different lives. Cass is a year round resident of the beach town and works with her family to find affordable housing for people who are being priced out of living there by all the vacation rentals popping up. Meanwhile Birdie is the very wealthy daughter of a mommy blogger/influencer who is being sent to the beach town as punishment for crashing a very expensive car. Will this lead to an opposites attract situation or are there too many obstacles for them to see eye to eye?
Cass and Birdie were both well fleshed out characters and I really enjoyed seeing how they had to learn about each other's lives. I especially liked seeing how Birdie learned about the harm that her father was causing in his job as a real estate developer and how Cass鈥� family was trying to work to combat it. Also, Cass learning about how Birdie was forced by her mother to be part of her influencer content and how what was being shared wasn鈥檛 always her choice was interesting to see. Both characters have great development throughout the book, but I especially enjoyed seeing where Birdie ended up at the conclusion of the story in comparison with the opening.
I also loved seeing how their connection and romance slowly grew throughout the story. There are a lot of rough points that they have to work through, especially because of coming from such different backgrounds. But there are also so many cute and fun, summery moments in addition to the more serious moments. I鈥檇 definitely recommend this for readers who enjoy sapphic YA romances and different sides of the tracks romances.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Cass and Birdie were both well fleshed out characters and I really enjoyed seeing how they had to learn about each other's lives. I especially liked seeing how Birdie learned about the harm that her father was causing in his job as a real estate developer and how Cass鈥� family was trying to work to combat it. Also, Cass learning about how Birdie was forced by her mother to be part of her influencer content and how what was being shared wasn鈥檛 always her choice was interesting to see. Both characters have great development throughout the book, but I especially enjoyed seeing where Birdie ended up at the conclusion of the story in comparison with the opening.
I also loved seeing how their connection and romance slowly grew throughout the story. There are a lot of rough points that they have to work through, especially because of coming from such different backgrounds. But there are also so many cute and fun, summery moments in addition to the more serious moments. I鈥檇 definitely recommend this for readers who enjoy sapphic YA romances and different sides of the tracks romances.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
February 2, 2025
3.5 rounded up
this book was much more than romance, surprisingly there were great conversations of parental emotional abuse, money divide, and coming out and what happens when it doesn't go perfectly. This book was definitely more character driven and they were written so detailed. i really loved how they each had their own ambitions and had more than just the relationship to worry about. i also really loved the summer vibes and how it was set in a coastal town, might need to do a re read in the summer to fully appreciate the 鈥渟ummer girls鈥�. The only part of this book that i didn't love was how fast the romance moved, i really wished there was more growth in the feelings that we see. the epilogue and when birdie and cass first get together are my favorite parts and i really wished there were more moments like that. i feel that there were more fights and resentfulness between them than actual deep connections. honestly i would kill for a sequel of them in college. i really enjoyed the passion that cass had for helping people that birdie also learned from her. also the conversation about social media parents and how it affects their kids was super important and relevant. im glad that it showed how kids are affected by this borderline abuse. the relationships between other characters such as birdie and her dad was a very well written and developed plot line. i am only rating this book 3.5 instead of 4 because i wish i didn't go into it thinking it was all romance, i would have enjoyed it much more if i wasn't waiting for more romantic moments while reading.
this book was much more than romance, surprisingly there were great conversations of parental emotional abuse, money divide, and coming out and what happens when it doesn't go perfectly. This book was definitely more character driven and they were written so detailed. i really loved how they each had their own ambitions and had more than just the relationship to worry about. i also really loved the summer vibes and how it was set in a coastal town, might need to do a re read in the summer to fully appreciate the 鈥渟ummer girls鈥�. The only part of this book that i didn't love was how fast the romance moved, i really wished there was more growth in the feelings that we see. the epilogue and when birdie and cass first get together are my favorite parts and i really wished there were more moments like that. i feel that there were more fights and resentfulness between them than actual deep connections. honestly i would kill for a sequel of them in college. i really enjoyed the passion that cass had for helping people that birdie also learned from her. also the conversation about social media parents and how it affects their kids was super important and relevant. im glad that it showed how kids are affected by this borderline abuse. the relationships between other characters such as birdie and her dad was a very well written and developed plot line. i am only rating this book 3.5 instead of 4 because i wish i didn't go into it thinking it was all romance, i would have enjoyed it much more if i wasn't waiting for more romantic moments while reading.
February 23, 2025
4.5猸愶笍
Thank you netgally for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.
I loooved this book. Who wouldn鈥檛 want a sapphic love story about a rich girl falling in love with her childhood friend and learning so much about herself and what she wants in the process.
This story had me hooked from the beginning. Birdie driving her boyfriends car and accidentally crashing it while finding out he鈥檚 cheating. The perfect start for me. I really liked birdies character arc, from spoiled, annoying and doing whatever she wanted to really caring about Cass and the town.
The only thing I didn鈥檛 really like was how they made it such a big deal for birdie to 鈥渃ome out鈥� even tho she already told everybody she was bi. I understand that for some people it is a big deal but I鈥檝e been out for so long that that didn鈥檛 really resonate with me.
One thing I did really like was how the term 鈥榮ummer girl鈥� was generally a negative term used in the book. That kinda confused me because it鈥檚 the title. But the ending made it perfect.
This is just a wholesome book, perfect to read in summer!
Thank you netgally for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.
I loooved this book. Who wouldn鈥檛 want a sapphic love story about a rich girl falling in love with her childhood friend and learning so much about herself and what she wants in the process.
This story had me hooked from the beginning. Birdie driving her boyfriends car and accidentally crashing it while finding out he鈥檚 cheating. The perfect start for me. I really liked birdies character arc, from spoiled, annoying and doing whatever she wanted to really caring about Cass and the town.
The only thing I didn鈥檛 really like was how they made it such a big deal for birdie to 鈥渃ome out鈥� even tho she already told everybody she was bi. I understand that for some people it is a big deal but I鈥檝e been out for so long that that didn鈥檛 really resonate with me.
One thing I did really like was how the term 鈥榮ummer girl鈥� was generally a negative term used in the book. That kinda confused me because it鈥檚 the title. But the ending made it perfect.
This is just a wholesome book, perfect to read in summer!
May 22, 2025
I love a good Sapphic YA summer romance and this opposites attract slow burn was so much fun!! Birdie is the daughter of a wealthy influencer mom who gets stuck with her former friend and local lifeguard, Cass. Together they realize they might have more in common than at first thought and slowly Birdie comes to embrace her bisexuality even though the pressures of her old life have kept her in the closet. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Becky Albertalli. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
March 27, 2025
Short and sweet! It was enjoyable and just short enough that I didn鈥檛 get bored. I will say that this had some great representation of LGBTQ teens along with the fear of dating a person of the same gender for the first time. I will say though that this book is DEFINITELY YA and is perfect for younger audiences, but if you鈥檙e an adult you may not enjoy as much. Being an older teen myself I did find some of the fights childish but that's probably because the target audience is for younger teens.
April 29, 2025
This was such a well-crafted and refreshing YA read!
I was in the mood for something sweet and low on spice, and this summery novel delivered exactly what I needed. The plot is cute and engaging, the pacing is easy to settle into, and it weaves in some meaningful life lessons without feeling heavy-handed.
It鈥檚 the perfect pick for a cozy afternoon or a sunny day escape鈥攍ighthearted, heartfelt, and totally charming.
I was in the mood for something sweet and low on spice, and this summery novel delivered exactly what I needed. The plot is cute and engaging, the pacing is easy to settle into, and it weaves in some meaningful life lessons without feeling heavy-handed.
It鈥檚 the perfect pick for a cozy afternoon or a sunny day escape鈥攍ighthearted, heartfelt, and totally charming.
April 23, 2025
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*
If you're looking for a very light and extremely cheesy queer read, go check out this book.
I found this romcom too sickly sweet and unrealistic to be enjoyable and I immensely disliked one of the two protagonists, which is why this book didn't work for me. Sorry.
2 stars
If you're looking for a very light and extremely cheesy queer read, go check out this book.
I found this romcom too sickly sweet and unrealistic to be enjoyable and I immensely disliked one of the two protagonists, which is why this book didn't work for me. Sorry.
2 stars
May 22, 2025
Summer Girls by Jennifer Dugan is a fun-in-the-sun YA beach read. Two high school graduates from different worlds spend their last summer before college falling in love and learning some hard life lessons. One, a rich social media influencer named Birdie, gets a dose of reality. Cass, a hard-working, MIT-bound townie, learns a thing or two about making assumptions.
Birdie, as a social media influencer under the thumb of her controlling mother, was an interesting take that I hadn't read before. I enjoyed it. I could more personally relate to the beach-loving townie, Cass, with a distaste for tourists despite the community's reliance on tourist trade.
I liked both characters, especially Birdie's introspection and growth.
I agree with other reviewers: I would have liked to see more moments between the main characters cultivating their relationship on the page. The author did a great job depicting the seaside tourist town鈥擨 felt like I was there on the beach in the salty breeze.
I enjoy most of Dugan's YA novels for their formulaic expectations. They are somewhat predictable, including teen angst, sweet romance, and characters overcoming challenges to earn their happy ending. These novels delightfully fill a need. I will always pick up this author's stories. After a few heavy reads, this was a nice, relaxing book with a sweet love story.
#richgirl/poorgirl #oppositesattract #townie #summergirl #beach #surfing #touristtown #smalltown/bigcity #socialmediainfluencer #lifeguard #birep #thirdactbreakup #epilogue #HEA #YA #nospice #sweet
I received a free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
Birdie, as a social media influencer under the thumb of her controlling mother, was an interesting take that I hadn't read before. I enjoyed it. I could more personally relate to the beach-loving townie, Cass, with a distaste for tourists despite the community's reliance on tourist trade.
I liked both characters, especially Birdie's introspection and growth.
I agree with other reviewers: I would have liked to see more moments between the main characters cultivating their relationship on the page. The author did a great job depicting the seaside tourist town鈥擨 felt like I was there on the beach in the salty breeze.
I enjoy most of Dugan's YA novels for their formulaic expectations. They are somewhat predictable, including teen angst, sweet romance, and characters overcoming challenges to earn their happy ending. These novels delightfully fill a need. I will always pick up this author's stories. After a few heavy reads, this was a nice, relaxing book with a sweet love story.
#richgirl/poorgirl #oppositesattract #townie #summergirl #beach #surfing #touristtown #smalltown/bigcity #socialmediainfluencer #lifeguard #birep #thirdactbreakup #epilogue #HEA #YA #nospice #sweet
I received a free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
February 1, 2025
cute! classic rich privileged influencer discovers reality with her hard working small town childhood bestie who's now her #1 public enemy, eventually falling in love. but times TEN for Birdie. She really did struggle with being stuck in the image her mother molded her as and not knowing who she was outside of it. She does find out though! Happy endings all around.
Casey was a tad bit annoying at first and just overly rude until I remembered what the hell these rich people were taking over their livelihoods they should be more mad. What I don't understand though, is Birdie's dad's character. He's portrayed as one of the "good" rich guys but he's really not doing anything to show it. Troubles of trying to have a "good" rich character 馃槶. The writing was a bit awkward at parts too, or written in a choppy bald way at random intervals throughout the book. Threw off the flow a bit but not terribly unbearable.
Overall sweet, solid, summer sapphic YA read but hey, it's Jennifer Dugan, what else to expect? 3.5/5 Thank you NetGalley + Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Casey was a tad bit annoying at first and just overly rude until I remembered what the hell these rich people were taking over their livelihoods they should be more mad. What I don't understand though, is Birdie's dad's character. He's portrayed as one of the "good" rich guys but he's really not doing anything to show it. Troubles of trying to have a "good" rich character 馃槶. The writing was a bit awkward at parts too, or written in a choppy bald way at random intervals throughout the book. Threw off the flow a bit but not terribly unbearable.
Overall sweet, solid, summer sapphic YA read but hey, it's Jennifer Dugan, what else to expect? 3.5/5 Thank you NetGalley + Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2025
This is an engaging summer read where two people get a second chance at connecting and ultimately fall in love. This read is sweet, fun, speedy, and encompasses often challenging topics with care.
Summer Girls centers around Cass and Birdie, who are stuck together for the summer after Birdie's behavior results in having to spend her summer working, and with Cass essentially having to babysit her. They were friends a long time ago but life happened and they went their separate ways. Now thrown together they have to sift through complex feelings and very different life backgrounds.
We end up with a beautiful story that touches on family structures, class differences, breaking down preconceived notions, and friendships in a beautiful way. If you love Sapphic love stories, this one was a perfect beach read. I especially loved all the side characters in this book. Their relationships with the main characters was heartfelt and gave this an extra special touch!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Summer Girls centers around Cass and Birdie, who are stuck together for the summer after Birdie's behavior results in having to spend her summer working, and with Cass essentially having to babysit her. They were friends a long time ago but life happened and they went their separate ways. Now thrown together they have to sift through complex feelings and very different life backgrounds.
We end up with a beautiful story that touches on family structures, class differences, breaking down preconceived notions, and friendships in a beautiful way. If you love Sapphic love stories, this one was a perfect beach read. I especially loved all the side characters in this book. Their relationships with the main characters was heartfelt and gave this an extra special touch!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
April 25, 2025
2.5/5 ~ Too one-dimensional to be really good.
Birdie is a rich influencer who has to spend the summer in her father's beach house, without social media, can you imagine!? In this beach town, Cass says she's poor but she is actually working class and works at the beach to be able to afford going to university. Cass has to look after Birdie for the summer, in exchange for loads of money from Birdie's father.
They start off hating each other but since they're both hot, they quickly remember they used to have crushes on each other as kids (kids!?) so yeah now they're dating...
The drama comes from the same things over and over and over: Cass and Birdie's differences in wealth. It was their main conflict and it came up so often without ever really getting into real talk. Cass just always says Birdie doesn't understand then storms off. Great communication skills!
Anyways... I'm sure Summer Girls will be enjoyed by some as it's a fast read, sapphic romance that's enjoyable for summer and beach reads.
For me, the characters, the romance and the plot lacked dimension.
thank you to the author and publisher for sending me an e-ARC through NetGalley.
Birdie is a rich influencer who has to spend the summer in her father's beach house, without social media, can you imagine!? In this beach town, Cass says she's poor but she is actually working class and works at the beach to be able to afford going to university. Cass has to look after Birdie for the summer, in exchange for loads of money from Birdie's father.
They start off hating each other but since they're both hot, they quickly remember they used to have crushes on each other as kids (kids!?) so yeah now they're dating...
The drama comes from the same things over and over and over: Cass and Birdie's differences in wealth. It was their main conflict and it came up so often without ever really getting into real talk. Cass just always says Birdie doesn't understand then storms off. Great communication skills!
Anyways... I'm sure Summer Girls will be enjoyed by some as it's a fast read, sapphic romance that's enjoyable for summer and beach reads.
For me, the characters, the romance and the plot lacked dimension.
thank you to the author and publisher for sending me an e-ARC through NetGalley.
May 20, 2025
this was pretty solid!! i wished it had been a little more literary, but i've read dugan's books before so i wasn't necessarily expecting it.
birdie and cass both got over their dislike of each other really fast --- this is NOT enemies to lovers or even rivals to lovers, this is mild annoyance to lovers. i liked cass the most for sure, she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to talk about it.
i did think it was so funny that birdie's dad NEVER stops being an awful landlord. he tries to get a little better I GUESS but even birdie is like "yeah he's still screwing over poor neighborhoods." he still is bad then girl!! i wish we saw him like. actually get better. or at least be less of a huge force in cass & birdie's lives in the epilogue lol.
overall though the romantic moments in this are fun and well written and cass is the best ever <33
birdie and cass both got over their dislike of each other really fast --- this is NOT enemies to lovers or even rivals to lovers, this is mild annoyance to lovers. i liked cass the most for sure, she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to talk about it.
i did think it was so funny that birdie's dad NEVER stops being an awful landlord. he tries to get a little better I GUESS but even birdie is like "yeah he's still screwing over poor neighborhoods." he still is bad then girl!! i wish we saw him like. actually get better. or at least be less of a huge force in cass & birdie's lives in the epilogue lol.
overall though the romantic moments in this are fun and well written and cass is the best ever <33
May 20, 2025
3.75/5
This was a cute romance. I loved the summer vibes and the island/beach setting. It reminded me a little of Instant Karma purely for that鈥攖hough I did enjoy Instant Karma more I think. The romance was cute (when they weren鈥檛 arguing or hating each other lmao ).
The one thing that really brings down the rating for me is that Birdie鈥檚 mom is abusive but it鈥檚 never really addressed. Sure, at points they talk about how controlling she is and it鈥檚 not that she gets a happy ending but it felt like a lot of the time the damage she did to Birdie was just brushed off. I especially didn鈥檛 like that Cass sometimes turned things around on Birdie when she was talking about her mom and what her mom wanted her to do. Overall an enjoyable read, but that part really bugged me.
This was a cute romance. I loved the summer vibes and the island/beach setting. It reminded me a little of Instant Karma purely for that鈥攖hough I did enjoy Instant Karma more I think. The romance was cute (when they weren鈥檛 arguing or hating each other lmao ).
The one thing that really brings down the rating for me is that Birdie鈥檚 mom is abusive but it鈥檚 never really addressed. Sure, at points they talk about how controlling she is and it鈥檚 not that she gets a happy ending but it felt like a lot of the time the damage she did to Birdie was just brushed off. I especially didn鈥檛 like that Cass sometimes turned things around on Birdie when she was talking about her mom and what her mom wanted her to do. Overall an enjoyable read, but that part really bugged me.
February 13, 2025
I honestly could not stop smiling while reading this. This was such a cute summer read that had all the classic tropes: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, class differences, forbidden romance, public announcements of love. I loved the alternating POVs and the increasing gay panic as they realized their feelings for one another. This book made me feel like I was 17 again dating my first girlfriend (stealing kisses at work) and feeling so excited and nervous about everything.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
March 17, 2025
3.5
A lovely light-hearted summer romance!
I had fun with this book, which follows a fun rivals to lovers romance by the beach. Cass and Birdie were fun, contrasting characters who both were dealing with their own family and money-related issues. The forced proximity of these two made them understand each others' circumstances more which I loveeeed. Unfortunately this did feel a bit insta-lovey to me because it seemed to take place over less than the whole summer. But still cute nonetheless.
This was my first Jennifer Dugan book, and I had a lot of fun. thanks to netgalley for the arc!
A lovely light-hearted summer romance!
I had fun with this book, which follows a fun rivals to lovers romance by the beach. Cass and Birdie were fun, contrasting characters who both were dealing with their own family and money-related issues. The forced proximity of these two made them understand each others' circumstances more which I loveeeed. Unfortunately this did feel a bit insta-lovey to me because it seemed to take place over less than the whole summer. But still cute nonetheless.
This was my first Jennifer Dugan book, and I had a lot of fun. thanks to netgalley for the arc!
May 5, 2025
Oooh my heart. I loved this. I love how this author writes flawed and selfish characters and characters with a heart of gold. I love that she pulls out the nuances of people鈥檚 characters and their intentions and doesn鈥檛 make anything appear just as they seem. I love how this explored the idea of privilege and how just having a home, being able to attend school, and have loving parents is a privilege that isn鈥檛 just all about how much money you have. I love that she makes people confront their privilege and their life and their attitudes. I love how she can make the seemingly unloveable lovable and also some characters just downright awful. I loved the setting and the emotional rollercoaster that was this book. I loved this couple and seeing their growth and especially the epilogue.
Note; I listened to the audiobook and it was perfection.
Note; I listened to the audiobook and it was perfection.
May 8, 2025
Jennifer Dugan can always be relied on to write a sweet usually always summery contemporary. I would recommend her books to anybody looking for a good YA contemporary to read in a day or two. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Birdie and Cass were cute and I enjoyed their relationship most of the time. They definitely had their sweet moments that made you want to root for them to work out in the end. I did feel like they were kind of constantly arguing about the same thing over and over again most times though. Going into their relationship they knew there were some big class differences. Cass having to work for everything she has, busting her ass to make the money she has, to get the scholarship she needed to go to college, watching all her friends and their families struggle the same as hers does. While Birdie is a little bit your typical rich girl on the outside. She has had everything handed to her, she comes from wealth and money already. Also she and her mom are big social media influencers and they put mostly their entire life on camera on the internet and she doesn't think much about the cost of her lifestyle at all. They were definitely bound to have some disagreements and fights over that and then just the general "new relationship struggles" issues but I just don't know how productive they were to the plot after about the 3rd time of the same fight. The resolution that happened at the end feels like it could've happened way sooner too. I think the arguing mostly happened because the girls lacked trust in each other because they'd only really been around the other for a month or so. But they were for the most part cute together and I liked them separately too.
Im not totally sure how to feel about Birdie's dad George though? It sounded to me like "Look at all the horrible things he does to the town and the housing market, but he's also one of the good ones because he's not as bad as others who do it" Isn't he still kind of horrible if he never plans to stop doing it? It was confusing to me but not like a dealbreaker. I would have loved to meet some of Cass's other friends and neighbors/community in general though because she definitely seemed to care about what happened to them a great deal and I kind of did too honestly. Summer towns have their charm about them to tourists but its a different kind of magic to those who live there year round. To them its home, and I just wanted to see more of it in general. I think I had a good time with this overall, Its great for the summer upcoming like i've said that all of Jennifer Dugan's books are. Maybe not my absolute favorite story, but out of all her cover's this one might be my favorite. Please never change the cover artist lol.
Birdie and Cass were cute and I enjoyed their relationship most of the time. They definitely had their sweet moments that made you want to root for them to work out in the end. I did feel like they were kind of constantly arguing about the same thing over and over again most times though. Going into their relationship they knew there were some big class differences. Cass having to work for everything she has, busting her ass to make the money she has, to get the scholarship she needed to go to college, watching all her friends and their families struggle the same as hers does. While Birdie is a little bit your typical rich girl on the outside. She has had everything handed to her, she comes from wealth and money already. Also she and her mom are big social media influencers and they put mostly their entire life on camera on the internet and she doesn't think much about the cost of her lifestyle at all. They were definitely bound to have some disagreements and fights over that and then just the general "new relationship struggles" issues but I just don't know how productive they were to the plot after about the 3rd time of the same fight. The resolution that happened at the end feels like it could've happened way sooner too. I think the arguing mostly happened because the girls lacked trust in each other because they'd only really been around the other for a month or so. But they were for the most part cute together and I liked them separately too.
Im not totally sure how to feel about Birdie's dad George though? It sounded to me like "Look at all the horrible things he does to the town and the housing market, but he's also one of the good ones because he's not as bad as others who do it" Isn't he still kind of horrible if he never plans to stop doing it? It was confusing to me but not like a dealbreaker. I would have loved to meet some of Cass's other friends and neighbors/community in general though because she definitely seemed to care about what happened to them a great deal and I kind of did too honestly. Summer towns have their charm about them to tourists but its a different kind of magic to those who live there year round. To them its home, and I just wanted to see more of it in general. I think I had a good time with this overall, Its great for the summer upcoming like i've said that all of Jennifer Dugan's books are. Maybe not my absolute favorite story, but out of all her cover's this one might be my favorite. Please never change the cover artist lol.
May 8, 2025
quick, fun, summery YA contemporary romance
i was expecting a little more but honestly not bad at all
i was expecting a little more but honestly not bad at all
March 15, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an adorable and really wholesome summer romance novel. I thought the chemistry between Birdie and Cass was realistic, however I felt that them knowing and having feelings for each other as kids was kind of a lazy way to speed up the process of their attraction to each other. I would have liked to see them gradually build their relationship overtime as it did feel rather fast. Regardless i thoroughly enjoyed this and I would recommend to anyone that's into summer and wealthy x commoner romances. Overall 3.5 stars.
This was an adorable and really wholesome summer romance novel. I thought the chemistry between Birdie and Cass was realistic, however I felt that them knowing and having feelings for each other as kids was kind of a lazy way to speed up the process of their attraction to each other. I would have liked to see them gradually build their relationship overtime as it did feel rather fast. Regardless i thoroughly enjoyed this and I would recommend to anyone that's into summer and wealthy x commoner romances. Overall 3.5 stars.
April 25, 2025
every single person in this book is a caricature. The relationship wasn鈥檛 super developed and came out of no where and was a bit lazy tbh
April 30, 2025
5/5 猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍 Jennifer Dugan is an auto buy author for me so when I saw this new book with a beautiful cover I just had to read it. I went in with my expectations high and was not disappointed. This book had me experiencing every emotion every page turn; it kept me hooked till the end, not once did I put it down. It was a very cute, heartwarming romance story. I loved it!
鈥� Thank you NetGalley for the arc! 馃
鈥� Thank you NetGalley for the arc! 馃
April 13, 2025
Caution: some spoilers ahead
This YA perfect for summer sapphic romance follows Cass and Birdie as they navigate opposing worlds and reuniting after several years apart. Cass is a townie, a local to the seaside town and part of the struggling working class. Working as a lifeguard every summer comes with its own issues. Mainly annoying tourists and summer girls who鈥檚 rich parents spend the summer in lavious vacation homes, sailing their yachts, and flaunting their privileged lives for all to see. Which is why Cass and her best friend came up with the most important rule of never getting involved with or date a summer girl.
Birdie is your typical definition of a summer girl. Not only is she the daughter of a wealthy real estate father and a social media influencer mom, but she too has her own social media following and gorgeous boyfriend to show off. That is, until she crashes her boyfriend鈥檚 very expensive car and finds out he was cheating on her the very same night. So, as the ultimate punishment for her careless and reckless behavior, her father arranges for Birdie to be babysat by Cass and get a summer job. Since Cass has a decent working relationship with Birdie鈥檚 father and is in desperate need of the cash he is providing, she reluctantly agrees to help out with Birdie as much as she can. Which proves to be alot easier said than done. But to Cass鈥檚 surprise, Birdie seems to be different than she first thought, and the more time they spend together, the more Cass and Birdie realize that their differences can be overcome if they are willing to be brave enough to act on their feelings.
Even though Cass was very stuck in her ways, I enjoyed seeing her grow and learn to accept Birdie despite their economic situations. Understandably Cass was right to be skeptical, but after awhile of going over the same old argument, it became a little annoying. But her passion and work that she and her father did at the coalition to advocate for more affordable housing was really admirable. I like how both her parents and lifeguard friends grounded her and were able to support her in the way that she needed them to. Especially Bentley, who always seemed to know what to do or say when Cass needed it. They had an adorable love/hate, brother/sister friendship. Birdie on the other hand, had a lot more to overcome, therefore I felt more connected to her because of her more genuine growth. Birdie never had any solid role models in her life, so it made sense that she needed to realize a few life lessons and come to terms with her reality. Even though it took a while for her to get there, I really enjoyed seeing her work a job for the first time, learn about the work her father and Cass鈥檚 father do, understand Cass鈥檚 point of view (regarding economic disparity and unfair housing laws), and actually doing something to bring about change.
In terms of the chemistry and relationship between Cass and Birdie, I wish they had spent less time hating each other and more time accepting each other. The quick turn of events from hate to all of the sudden dating felt very rushed, especially for someone like Birdie who isn鈥檛 completely comfortable with her sexuality. The fact that they kept circling back to the same old argument regarding their two different worlds was frustrating. It seemed like Birdie was making more of an effort to get past it than Cass, who constantly used the same jabs to push Birdie away. Once they did get together, I wanted to see more romancing and cute dates, rather than working at the coalition or talking during their work shifts. When Birdie revealed that she used to have a crush on Cass as a kid, we weren't given much detail as to how that came about. Which again, made their quick enemies to lovers moment seem very sudden and not accurately built up. I did however really enjoy the rescue scene and Birdie鈥檚 very public declaration of love speech.
As for side characters, I honestly didn鈥檛 feel much for any of them mainly because they fell extremely flat, or had horrible personalities, or we just didn鈥檛 get to know anything about them. For example, Mitchell was an obvious villain, but we don鈥檛 know much about him. Ada is supposed to be Birdie鈥檚 best friend, but she seemed only concerned about herself or having a good time and then all of the sudden at the end she does a complete 180 and has the nerve to stand up for Birdie. Again we don't really get much of either of their backstories and they both had unlikeable personalities so I could have done without either of them. There also was a lot more potential exploration with Bentley and his crush on six but we only get the basics and its only to serve a purpose of growth for Cass. We get a lot of information about Birdie鈥檚 father (who stays static throughout the entirety of the story) but hardly anything about her mother and how she became so obsessed with fame and being an influencer. It was also confusing how Birdie鈥檚 father and Cass鈥檚 father could be such good friends even though they are both working against each other and have very different beliefs.
Something that I wished would have had more focus on was Birdie and coming to terms with her sexuality. Why was this never talked about or explained in greater detail? Obviously this is a huge part of who she is and yet we don鈥檛 know why she never felt completely comfortable with people knowing she was bi and how affected she was by other people鈥檚 reactions, especially her 鈥渇riends鈥� and family. Even the ending and so called 鈥渃losure鈥� between Birdie and her parents felt very forced and inauthentic. I also had mixed feelings about the epilogue. It kind of wrapped things up too nicely and we hardly found out much about Cass鈥檚 short college experience or current feelings. They both definitely felt very cute and happy with each other, which is what I wish we had more of in the actual story, rather than much of the toxicity that was constantly popping up.
So overall, I loved the summer setting and the insight into the two opposing worlds of Cass and Birdie and their journey towards accepting those parts of each other, but I didn't like the repetitive arguments, lack of side character depth or development, lack of attention to Birdie鈥檚 sexuality, and how rushed Birdie and Cass鈥檚 romantic relationship started.
Thank you NetGalley for the early digital copy for review.
This YA perfect for summer sapphic romance follows Cass and Birdie as they navigate opposing worlds and reuniting after several years apart. Cass is a townie, a local to the seaside town and part of the struggling working class. Working as a lifeguard every summer comes with its own issues. Mainly annoying tourists and summer girls who鈥檚 rich parents spend the summer in lavious vacation homes, sailing their yachts, and flaunting their privileged lives for all to see. Which is why Cass and her best friend came up with the most important rule of never getting involved with or date a summer girl.
Birdie is your typical definition of a summer girl. Not only is she the daughter of a wealthy real estate father and a social media influencer mom, but she too has her own social media following and gorgeous boyfriend to show off. That is, until she crashes her boyfriend鈥檚 very expensive car and finds out he was cheating on her the very same night. So, as the ultimate punishment for her careless and reckless behavior, her father arranges for Birdie to be babysat by Cass and get a summer job. Since Cass has a decent working relationship with Birdie鈥檚 father and is in desperate need of the cash he is providing, she reluctantly agrees to help out with Birdie as much as she can. Which proves to be alot easier said than done. But to Cass鈥檚 surprise, Birdie seems to be different than she first thought, and the more time they spend together, the more Cass and Birdie realize that their differences can be overcome if they are willing to be brave enough to act on their feelings.
Even though Cass was very stuck in her ways, I enjoyed seeing her grow and learn to accept Birdie despite their economic situations. Understandably Cass was right to be skeptical, but after awhile of going over the same old argument, it became a little annoying. But her passion and work that she and her father did at the coalition to advocate for more affordable housing was really admirable. I like how both her parents and lifeguard friends grounded her and were able to support her in the way that she needed them to. Especially Bentley, who always seemed to know what to do or say when Cass needed it. They had an adorable love/hate, brother/sister friendship. Birdie on the other hand, had a lot more to overcome, therefore I felt more connected to her because of her more genuine growth. Birdie never had any solid role models in her life, so it made sense that she needed to realize a few life lessons and come to terms with her reality. Even though it took a while for her to get there, I really enjoyed seeing her work a job for the first time, learn about the work her father and Cass鈥檚 father do, understand Cass鈥檚 point of view (regarding economic disparity and unfair housing laws), and actually doing something to bring about change.
In terms of the chemistry and relationship between Cass and Birdie, I wish they had spent less time hating each other and more time accepting each other. The quick turn of events from hate to all of the sudden dating felt very rushed, especially for someone like Birdie who isn鈥檛 completely comfortable with her sexuality. The fact that they kept circling back to the same old argument regarding their two different worlds was frustrating. It seemed like Birdie was making more of an effort to get past it than Cass, who constantly used the same jabs to push Birdie away. Once they did get together, I wanted to see more romancing and cute dates, rather than working at the coalition or talking during their work shifts. When Birdie revealed that she used to have a crush on Cass as a kid, we weren't given much detail as to how that came about. Which again, made their quick enemies to lovers moment seem very sudden and not accurately built up. I did however really enjoy the rescue scene and Birdie鈥檚 very public declaration of love speech.
As for side characters, I honestly didn鈥檛 feel much for any of them mainly because they fell extremely flat, or had horrible personalities, or we just didn鈥檛 get to know anything about them. For example, Mitchell was an obvious villain, but we don鈥檛 know much about him. Ada is supposed to be Birdie鈥檚 best friend, but she seemed only concerned about herself or having a good time and then all of the sudden at the end she does a complete 180 and has the nerve to stand up for Birdie. Again we don't really get much of either of their backstories and they both had unlikeable personalities so I could have done without either of them. There also was a lot more potential exploration with Bentley and his crush on six but we only get the basics and its only to serve a purpose of growth for Cass. We get a lot of information about Birdie鈥檚 father (who stays static throughout the entirety of the story) but hardly anything about her mother and how she became so obsessed with fame and being an influencer. It was also confusing how Birdie鈥檚 father and Cass鈥檚 father could be such good friends even though they are both working against each other and have very different beliefs.
Something that I wished would have had more focus on was Birdie and coming to terms with her sexuality. Why was this never talked about or explained in greater detail? Obviously this is a huge part of who she is and yet we don鈥檛 know why she never felt completely comfortable with people knowing she was bi and how affected she was by other people鈥檚 reactions, especially her 鈥渇riends鈥� and family. Even the ending and so called 鈥渃losure鈥� between Birdie and her parents felt very forced and inauthentic. I also had mixed feelings about the epilogue. It kind of wrapped things up too nicely and we hardly found out much about Cass鈥檚 short college experience or current feelings. They both definitely felt very cute and happy with each other, which is what I wish we had more of in the actual story, rather than much of the toxicity that was constantly popping up.
So overall, I loved the summer setting and the insight into the two opposing worlds of Cass and Birdie and their journey towards accepting those parts of each other, but I didn't like the repetitive arguments, lack of side character depth or development, lack of attention to Birdie鈥檚 sexuality, and how rushed Birdie and Cass鈥檚 romantic relationship started.
Thank you NetGalley for the early digital copy for review.
March 9, 2025
Gay, summery, and littered with drama.
I live for it, I guess鈥�?
PLOT SUMMARY:
Birdie is the daughter of wealthy influencer, Verity Gordon and shrewd businessman George Gordon, who capitalize on their daughter鈥檚 life by capturing it constantly on camera. But after a disastrous livestream reveals how messed up her life truly is, Birdie is shipped off to live in her father鈥檚 villa and be watched over by her salty former friend, Cass. As Birdie starts to live out her summer in a way she never imagined, her feelings for Cass begin to surface, as do her reservations about forever living in the spotlight.
But is their relationship doomed to be a summer fling? Or will their love win out in the end?
PLOT REVIEW:
So鈥� This is a very dramatic plotline.
I loved the summery vibes of it all, and I鈥檓 ALWAYS down for some drama. But this was a bit much. The amount of miscommunication between Cass and Birdie is truly staggering and, oftentimes, extremely annoying.
Not to mention that the whole rich girl finding herself after being shipped off to an island is a plot I have seen more than once. There was nothing truly original about it, but that鈥檚 shockingly something I enjoyed. I was just able to turn off my brain and submerge myself in sun, waves, and unnecessary drama that made me feel like I was going insane.
Not to mention that this is a sapphic romance, which already gives it a high rating in my books.
But this book did seem quite messy in certain areas. For one, we have no true closure between Birdie and her mother, or her father, for that matter. Technically, everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow, but it rang hollow.
Birdie鈥檚 struggle with her sexuality also felt only half explored throughout this book. As someone who identifies as a lesbian and had to do a lot of soul-searching to reach this label, I love reading about people finding themselves.
But it never felt like Birdie did that. She never truly resolved WHY everyone around her reacted to her bisexuality in such a strange manner. I wanted more exploration into this subject, but that, unfortunately, just never happened.
CHARACTERS:
While the plot rang a bit hollow for me, the characters weren鈥檛 doing much better. I liked Bridie significantly more than I liked Cass, and that just feels so odd to me.
The main reason for this, though, is because Cass judges Birdie so harshly for everything she does. Even when they resolve their troubles, she still finds problems to poke at. And while I understand her reasoning for this, I still found her extremely annoying throughout the novel.
Birdie, I felt more neutral on. She makes a lot of mistakes, but is always quick to try and correct them.
Considering everyone else, they fell flat. Verity Gordon has no substance and is purely there to be a villain. George is horrible and has no character growth, yet we鈥檙e expected to imagine he does.
No, thank you.
Birdie鈥檚 friend is also a very dull character who I disliked immensely for no real reason.
I don鈥檛 even know, don鈥檛 ask.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Mindless reading, but it鈥檚 gay, so I鈥檓 not too mad about it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC!
I live for it, I guess鈥�?
PLOT SUMMARY:
Birdie is the daughter of wealthy influencer, Verity Gordon and shrewd businessman George Gordon, who capitalize on their daughter鈥檚 life by capturing it constantly on camera. But after a disastrous livestream reveals how messed up her life truly is, Birdie is shipped off to live in her father鈥檚 villa and be watched over by her salty former friend, Cass. As Birdie starts to live out her summer in a way she never imagined, her feelings for Cass begin to surface, as do her reservations about forever living in the spotlight.
But is their relationship doomed to be a summer fling? Or will their love win out in the end?
PLOT REVIEW:
So鈥� This is a very dramatic plotline.
I loved the summery vibes of it all, and I鈥檓 ALWAYS down for some drama. But this was a bit much. The amount of miscommunication between Cass and Birdie is truly staggering and, oftentimes, extremely annoying.
Not to mention that the whole rich girl finding herself after being shipped off to an island is a plot I have seen more than once. There was nothing truly original about it, but that鈥檚 shockingly something I enjoyed. I was just able to turn off my brain and submerge myself in sun, waves, and unnecessary drama that made me feel like I was going insane.
Not to mention that this is a sapphic romance, which already gives it a high rating in my books.
But this book did seem quite messy in certain areas. For one, we have no true closure between Birdie and her mother, or her father, for that matter. Technically, everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow, but it rang hollow.
Birdie鈥檚 struggle with her sexuality also felt only half explored throughout this book. As someone who identifies as a lesbian and had to do a lot of soul-searching to reach this label, I love reading about people finding themselves.
But it never felt like Birdie did that. She never truly resolved WHY everyone around her reacted to her bisexuality in such a strange manner. I wanted more exploration into this subject, but that, unfortunately, just never happened.
CHARACTERS:
While the plot rang a bit hollow for me, the characters weren鈥檛 doing much better. I liked Bridie significantly more than I liked Cass, and that just feels so odd to me.
The main reason for this, though, is because Cass judges Birdie so harshly for everything she does. Even when they resolve their troubles, she still finds problems to poke at. And while I understand her reasoning for this, I still found her extremely annoying throughout the novel.
Birdie, I felt more neutral on. She makes a lot of mistakes, but is always quick to try and correct them.
Considering everyone else, they fell flat. Verity Gordon has no substance and is purely there to be a villain. George is horrible and has no character growth, yet we鈥檙e expected to imagine he does.
No, thank you.
Birdie鈥檚 friend is also a very dull character who I disliked immensely for no real reason.
I don鈥檛 even know, don鈥檛 ask.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Mindless reading, but it鈥檚 gay, so I鈥檓 not too mad about it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC!
April 13, 2025
Rating: 3.5/5
I recieved an ARC copy from a 欧宝娱乐 giveaway and this is an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!
I will admit, this is the first YA book I鈥檝e read in a hot minute, so I may be more opinionated.
Summer Girls is a sapphic, YA beach adventure about two girls who fall in love. Birdie is a vlog mom victim who is the toeing the line of enjoying the work and hating her life. Spoiled Birdie has a harrowing moment on livestream where she simultaneously crashes her boyfriend鈥檚 expensive car and finds out he鈥檚 cheating on her. This gets her sent to her dad鈥檚 beach house for the summer, with the threat of her trust fund hanging over her head and the requirement that Birdie get a *gasp* summer job. She gets assigned a 鈥榖abysitter鈥� who is the daughter of Birdie鈥檚 dad鈥檚 friend (confusing right?). Cass is the same age as Birdie and she absolutely despises the rich summer girls who pull up to the island with their rich cars and bad beach etiquette. As Birdie and Cass spend more time together, they realize maybe they don鈥檛 hate each other that much. Birdie also learns that maybe there鈥檚 more to her dad than she ever realized.
Summer Girls offers an in depth commentary on the privilege of rich girls and the struggles of being yourself. Cass and Birdie getting to know each other is a fantastic example of opposites attract. It shows that it鈥檚 important to learn new perspectives and in doing so, learn more about yourself.
I feel like the author did handle topics of coming out, personal identity, and emotional growth very well. However, I was not a huge fan of the conflict resolution between the characters. Many reactions were immature and definitely solvable with better communication. I understand that was part of the plot but it felt more frustrating to me than plot propelling. The relationship between the two characters also seemed to increase in intensity quite quickly. I think pacing could鈥檝e been better, but overall it was an enjoyable read. It did lag towards the middle but the ending was decent. Also pet peeve, too many exclamation marks.
For those who are fans of a good YA sapphic romance, I鈥檇 say this could be your cup of tea! It鈥檚 a fun, fast paced read, barely over 300 pages. It鈥檚 chock full of summer vibes, and tells a compelling story about loving, accepting, and standing up for yourself. Thank you again to Penguin Random House, 欧宝娱乐, and Jennifer Dugan for this limited ARC copy!
I recieved an ARC copy from a 欧宝娱乐 giveaway and this is an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity!
I will admit, this is the first YA book I鈥檝e read in a hot minute, so I may be more opinionated.
Summer Girls is a sapphic, YA beach adventure about two girls who fall in love. Birdie is a vlog mom victim who is the toeing the line of enjoying the work and hating her life. Spoiled Birdie has a harrowing moment on livestream where she simultaneously crashes her boyfriend鈥檚 expensive car and finds out he鈥檚 cheating on her. This gets her sent to her dad鈥檚 beach house for the summer, with the threat of her trust fund hanging over her head and the requirement that Birdie get a *gasp* summer job. She gets assigned a 鈥榖abysitter鈥� who is the daughter of Birdie鈥檚 dad鈥檚 friend (confusing right?). Cass is the same age as Birdie and she absolutely despises the rich summer girls who pull up to the island with their rich cars and bad beach etiquette. As Birdie and Cass spend more time together, they realize maybe they don鈥檛 hate each other that much. Birdie also learns that maybe there鈥檚 more to her dad than she ever realized.
Summer Girls offers an in depth commentary on the privilege of rich girls and the struggles of being yourself. Cass and Birdie getting to know each other is a fantastic example of opposites attract. It shows that it鈥檚 important to learn new perspectives and in doing so, learn more about yourself.
I feel like the author did handle topics of coming out, personal identity, and emotional growth very well. However, I was not a huge fan of the conflict resolution between the characters. Many reactions were immature and definitely solvable with better communication. I understand that was part of the plot but it felt more frustrating to me than plot propelling. The relationship between the two characters also seemed to increase in intensity quite quickly. I think pacing could鈥檝e been better, but overall it was an enjoyable read. It did lag towards the middle but the ending was decent. Also pet peeve, too many exclamation marks.
For those who are fans of a good YA sapphic romance, I鈥檇 say this could be your cup of tea! It鈥檚 a fun, fast paced read, barely over 300 pages. It鈥檚 chock full of summer vibes, and tells a compelling story about loving, accepting, and standing up for yourself. Thank you again to Penguin Random House, 欧宝娱乐, and Jennifer Dugan for this limited ARC copy!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.