Summer in the City Book Review
Check out my review of Summer in the City by Alex Aster, a steamy rom-com featuring a movie screenwriter and the wealthy tech bro that takes her by surprise.
Alex Aster is not a new-to-me author, I really enjoyed her previous book Powerless and I follow her on Instagram.
When she started promoting her shift in genres summer romance Summer in the City, I couldn't look away from that gorgeous cover.
A fun romantic comedy set in New York?? YES, please. I'm obsessed with the Big Apple as the backdrop for a romcom.
But did this one live up to her hype?
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Summer in the City
Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer.
In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford (floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline views, and a new coffee shop to haunt included). It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor” Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. It’s been a lovers-to-enemies situation ever since.
When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes her enemy/twisted muse might just be the key to finishing her screenplay... if she can stand being around her polar opposite. She writes anonymously, and he’s on the cover of every business magazine. He frequents fancy red carpeted events, and she doesn’t like leaving her emotional support five block radius.
One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city.
Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise.
Until it isn’t.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Insanely Wealthy Romantic Lead Meets Mostly Broke Romantic Lead: Modern day Cinderella. A prince charming that swoops in and spoils our heroine rotten? I find that hard to resist. It's not about the money, it's about the creative ways he uses it to show her his affection.
- Whirlwind Romance in NYC: My favorite scenes were their tours of NYC hotspots while dating. I'm ready to book my ticket pronto.
- Interesting Commentary on Success and Fame: Elle's career is still in early stages. I loved watching her work towards her own definition of success despite the opportunity to just take her prince charming up on his advances and have all her financial concerns erased.
- Favorite Quote: "I go to bed wondering how I let my life get so boring--and when I started noticing." I found this sentiment to ring quite true and I remember feeling like that in my younger days. It sets up a fun kick-start to finding new adventures in the story.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
I read romances featuring 20-something characters all the time and I love them. This was the first one that made me feel . . . old. I can't quite put my finger on it, but so much of this romance was just totally and completely unrelatable to the point it felt slow to start.
It definitely picked up about 60% through and I really enjoyed the ending. But it took some time for me to warm up to the characters.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️: Summer in the City rates a Level 4 on my spicy books rating scale. The romance is very much open door and detailed but supports the plot.
Romantic Tropes
Summer in the City is an enemies to lovers romance. You can read more about romance subgenres here.
It also takes advantage of the pretend relationship romantic trope.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Summer in the City four stars on my star rating scale. It was hard to get going but once I did I fell in love with this NYC romance. The ending paid off in a big way and I feel like there was some pretty epic character growth on both sides.
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