The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)
A fake summer fling between a stand-in girlfriend and a handsome business heir becomes way too real in this glittering new romance by USA Today bestselling author Kristina Forest.
Noelle Lewis doesn’t have time for long walks on the beach, brunch with the girls, or summer vacations. She’s too busy saving up to go back to college. After recently getting laid off from her bookseller job, her main gig is now serving as a “stand-in” bridesmaid, which doesn’t pay enough for the upcoming semester’s tuition. But then the perfect, if not unconventional, opportunity arises…
Jeremiah Smith II, grandson of the founder of Smith’s Sweets—a well-known baked goods company—once lived a life of frivolity. Since his grandfather’s death, Jeremiah’s tried to clean up his act, but it’s hard to focus when his family requests that he join them at their summer house in Heart Beach, New Jersey, where his most painful memory lies. To avoid going there, Jeremiah claims he already has plans with his girlfriend, and of course, his family tells him to bring her. The problem? Jeremiah doesn’t have a girlfriend.
After a chance meeting, Noelle and Jeremiah come to an agreement. He’ll hire her to be his stand-in girlfriend for the weekend, and she’ll use that money toward her tuition. She figures it will be quick, easy money, but as it turns out, Jeremiah’s family is lovely, and Jeremiah is even lovelier. Soon, a weekend agreement turns into an entire summer, and Noelle and Jeremiah will have to keep their hearts in check, or else it’s sink or swim for them both.
Noelle Lewis doesn’t have time for long walks on the beach, brunch with the girls, or summer vacations. She’s too busy saving up to go back to college. After recently getting laid off from her bookseller job, her main gig is now serving as a “stand-in” bridesmaid, which doesn’t pay enough for the upcoming semester’s tuition. But then the perfect, if not unconventional, opportunity arises…
Jeremiah Smith II, grandson of the founder of Smith’s Sweets—a well-known baked goods company—once lived a life of frivolity. Since his grandfather’s death, Jeremiah’s tried to clean up his act, but it’s hard to focus when his family requests that he join them at their summer house in Heart Beach, New Jersey, where his most painful memory lies. To avoid going there, Jeremiah claims he already has plans with his girlfriend, and of course, his family tells him to bring her. The problem? Jeremiah doesn’t have a girlfriend.
After a chance meeting, Noelle and Jeremiah come to an agreement. He’ll hire her to be his stand-in girlfriend for the weekend, and she’ll use that money toward her tuition. She figures it will be quick, easy money, but as it turns out, Jeremiah’s family is lovely, and Jeremiah is even lovelier. Soon, a weekend agreement turns into an entire summer, and Noelle and Jeremiah will have to keep their hearts in check, or else it’s sink or swim for them both.
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Community Reviews
This book had all of the fluff that you’d expect from a cutesy, fun beach romance novel. A real escapist story.
This was a super sweet read that I buddy read with my daughter and sister. We all really enjoyed it.
One of the things I loved most was the lifestyle of Jeremiah's wealthy, luxurious family. They were living the life I aspire to: money, power, family closeness, prestige and generosity! I loved the scenes where they were spending quality time together and reestablishing their bond and new normal following "Pops" death. I love that there are still stories that show families that actually like each other!!
The sights and sounds of Heartbeach were so ideal and descriptive that it's somewhere I would absolutely love to visit! It gave me "Forever" (netflix series) vibes.
Noelle and Jeremiah were the sweetest match! They fit so perfectly together, just naturally connecting and I could see them hand in hang, looking like they were meant to be. I LOVED LOVED their nighttime book discussions and how she would read to him before bed! So tender & intimate! I love reading to my honey, seeing him relaxing to the sound of my voice brings me so much joy! I also loved the small, thoughtful romantic gestures from Jeremiah such as bringing Noelle beautiful flowers and remembering things she'd shared with him!
I loved the characters and how they dealt with their struggles. They were so endearing, relatable and easy to root for! Even Ceasar the pale pink hairless cat was a super fun addition.
Now, in true me fashion I have to also share some minor things I didn't quite like. I felt they had too many missed moments. Moments where they were getting closer but would pull back. I understand it was a fake dating relationship, but at some point, they needed to let themselves go, and it took a little longer to reach that point. I also wanted more "unpaid" moments. I wanted them to be so hungry to see each other that they couldn't wait until the weekend to pretend for family. I wanted a casual Tuesday afternoon sporadic encounter!
I also wish she had expounded on the one on one times they spent together, not just the family weekends. It's the "in-between" that I wanted more of! This is the first book of the new series and I'm excited to see what comes next...Amara and Danny??
I really enjoyed the fresh new voices of the audiobooks! J.Y. Kora and Lawrence Baldwin made the story so easy to fall into, and they really embodied the heart and soul of the characters. J.Y. surprised me with her light voices for the girls and deep baritone tones for the men.
The ending left me with a big cheesey grin on my face! I love the inclusion, support and encouragement of the entire family in a blooming relationship!! Kristina delivered a fresh and flirty summer romance full of sweetness and all the things we love about summer & love. Great job girlfriend!
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