Hot Summer

April 15, 2024
In this inclusive, pop-culture-forward romance, Everhart (Wanderlust) sends her heroine into the world of reality television. Cas Morgan works for Friday, a popular dating app. When she’s not running the app’s in-person events, she’s watching Hot Summer, a Love Island–esque British reality dating show about gorgeous people looking for love in a Cypriot villa. Then Cas’s boss announces that Friday has landed an organic marketing deal with Hot Summer and offers Cas a promotion if she appears on the show and makes it to the finals. Cas heads to Cyprus for an eight-week, high-stakes vacation with at least nine other people. Cas, who is bisexual and whose fiancée recently left her at the altar, is looking for career advancement, not love—but she feels an unexpected connection to Ada, a fellow bisexual woman. The two grow closer, but what will happen when Ada learns Cas’s true reasons for appearing on the show? Everhart has a light touch with both plotting and prose, and her heroines’ bisexuality is refreshingly unsensationalized. Meanwhile, the supporting characters—especially obnoxious contestant Brad, a mansplainer with a short temper—feel impressively real. This is one to throw in the beach bag.

May 1, 2024

A guilty-pleasure dating show becomes the site of a sweet and hot queer love story in Everhart's (Wanderlust) latest. Dating-app employee Cas Morgan ends up on a Love Island-esque show, Hot Summer, ostensibly to find romance; in actuality, Cas is on the show to give a boost to her employer and her career. This plan gets upended, though, when Cas meets fellow contestant Ada. Ada actually is on the show to find a meaningful relationship, which scares the commitment-averse Cas, but as she finds herself falling for Ada and becoming friends with fellow contestants, Cas's motivations for staying on the show begin to change. The majority of the book takes place in the confines of the show, so while Cas and Ada's slow-burn romance is an ever-present plotline, other over-the-top reality TV shenanigans take center stage at points, including increasingly ridiculous challenges, fighting between contestants, and one particularly awful guy. A cute secondary romance between two other contestants brings the warm fuzzies when things get serious, ensuring that the book never strays too far from its beach-read vibe. VERDICT Reality TV fans will swoon over this well-crafted, entertaining contemporary romance.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2024
All's fair in love and reality TV when Cas Morgan lands a role on a popular dating competition show. For Cas, dating is a full-time job. She works for a popular dating app called Friday, where she hosts singles mixers and club events for those seeking a relationship. But after five years, all Cas really wants is something, well, boring for a change--a stable 9-to-5 with an actual desk and no more drunken work nights. But when Cas is called into her boss' office with the promise of a promotion, she's surprised to learn that her professional life is about to get even wilder. Cas must compete on the popular dating program Hot Summer and gain the audience's trust without letting the rest of the cast reveal Friday's ultimate goal--to create a lucrative brand partnership with the show. All Cas has to do is lounge around in a bikini and maintain a surface-level amount of charm to get her to the finale, and then she'll become the head of Friday's newest marketing integration team. But once Cas arrives at the beautiful Cyprus villa she'll call home for the next two months, she meets Ada Hall and her plans of avoiding any romantic connections crumble. Gorgeous redhead Ada is an instant fan favorite while Cas finds herself teetering on the verge of elimination each week. And yet, the only time Cas can truly be herself on the show is with Ada, a fact that makes her more and more likable to both the audience and Ada herself. Will Cas be able to win the hearts of Ada and Hot Summer fans, or will her secret leave her burned? Everhart's romance is made of reality TV dreams: juicy gossip, hot hookups, and drama, drama, drama. Cas and Ada are the fan-made stars of Hot Summer's very own Hot Gay Summer, and their chemistry is both refreshing and steaming off the pages. With reality TV theatrics and a heartfelt queer romance, this is a can't-miss book. Love Islandmeets its match in this steamy summer romance.

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