Book Review: Booked for Summer by Kathryn Freeman

Title: Booked for Summer
Author: Kathryn Freeman
Pages: 383
Publication Date: April 30, 2025
Publisher: One More Chapter
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Synopsis:

When book lover Jade Taylor applies to manage the Little Bay Book Shack on Nantucket Island over the summer, the last thing she needs is the distraction of billionaire resort owner, Liam Haven.

But things take an unexpected turn when Liam becomes Jade’s boss – a man who only reads contracts for pleasure…

In a bid to save the bookshop from being absorbed into the Haven resort, Jade is determined to teach Liam that there’s more to life than acquiring real estate. And if she can make him realise happily ever afters do exist, might she be able to save the island’s bookshop in the process?

LINKS: Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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My Thoughts on Booked for Summer:

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked some of the characters, but I didn’t love the MMC as much as I wanted to, and the romance wasn’t my favorite. Let’s start with what I liked. The setting was fantastic, and I could easily visualize the beauty of Nantucket. It’s actually an island not too far from me, and I thought the author did a great job of describing it. I would love to visit the bookstore on the wharf and meet some of these interesting people!

Jade has such a vivacious and charming personality, that it’s easy to see why she’s so easily accepted into the Nantucket community. She is an underestimated woman, and I think she’s been underestimated for so long that she actually underestimates herself. I like how she grows and becomes more confident and self-assured over the course of the story. I also really liked some of the secondary characters, especially Liam’s grandmother and a few of his employees. Unfortunately, I didn’t like Liam.

I love a good grumpy-sunshine romance, but Liam was too grumpy for my taste, and I felt like some of the things he said and did were just downright mean. He did not treat Jade or his employees well, and his disinterested, cold manner was offputting. He did have a redemption arc, and he did change, but it wasn’t really enough for me. I felt like he needed to grovel way more than he did. Luckily for him, Jade is wayyyy more understanding and patient than I am.

There was also a LOT of talk about Jade’s boobs, and it got really repetitive. It felt like every single person she met stared at her chest or implied that she was a dumb blonde. It was cliche and cringy to me. Even Liam falls victim to this, and it makes it feel like he is more sexually attracted to her than anything. It took time to see him connect to her on a deeper level, but the constant references to her body were too much.

I also felt like her family was kind of passive-aggressive with her, and though her sister was called out on it, her parents weren’t. I did like that they treated her differently in person and how the sister reacted when confronted with her behavior, but they were not very nice to her, and it didn’t feel consistent with their previous conversations.

Overall, this was just an ok read for me. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it either, which is a bummer because I usually love Freeman’s romances.

• enemies to lovers
• grumpy-sunshine
• found family

I was born in Wallingford, England and have spent most of my life living in a village outside Windsor. A former pharmacist, former pharmaceutical industry employee I’m now a self-employed medical writer who also loves to write romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…

I’ve two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to bother buying a card again this year (yes, he does) so the romance in my life is all in my head. Then again, my husband’s unstinting support of my career change goes to prove that love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes can come in many disguises.

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