Library Loans

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Summer in the City by Alex Aster
Published by William Morrow on March 25, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Aster comes her adult debut novel Summer in the City—a swoony, fast-paced rom-com set in New York City in which a screenwriter and a sexy tech CEO go from lovers to enemies and back to lovers again…

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.

When Elle returns to NYC for inspiration, she is reunited with a man from her past who she was not very fond of. But Elle and Parker realize that a sort-of relationship could be mutually beneficial for both of them. Elle would be Parker's date, distracting the masses from the sale of his company, while Parker helped Elle explore the New York as she writes her screen play during their summer in the city.

I will start with what I was not that fond - the conflict. Aster definitely worked hard to get me to buy into Elle's fierce independence and her need to earn her own way and whatnot. I could understand it to a certain extent, but there was this point where I was furious with her. I swear! If I didn't trust that Aster was writing genre romance, I would have tossed the book out the window.

But, this was not a deal breaker for me because I loved just about everything else about this story. As a native New Yorker, I adored the setting, and it was worked into this tale so well. The city wasn't just a backdrop, it was an active part of Elle and Parker's summer adventures, and it was wonderful touring the town.

I cannot say I have read many billionaire romances, but I can understand the draw. First, you had a hero with so much money, that amazing outings were always possible. Add to that a heroine with a very flexible work schedule, and I was had a grand time living my best life with these two.

I know I mentioned that Elle frustrated me a bit, but I really did like her. She had a great sense of humor and was very witty with some killer quirks. Those creatives never fail to draw me in, but she had also made herself an island. She had reasons, but I wanted her to forget all that and allow herself to be swept up in this bubble with Parker because she deserved to be happy.

And Parker was a prince among men. My first impression of him was not great, but he earned his way into my heart with how sweet and charming he was, the way he noticed the little things, all his kind gestures, and how he kind of wore his heart on his sleeve. He was just looking for someone who saw him and not all those dollar signs. It was exciting that he and Elle were given a second shot to act upon their attraction and allow a true friendship to grow between them.

Overall: I reveled in my summer in the city with these two as they explored and fell in love.

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There's Something About Merry by Codi Hall
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 6, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Curl up this Christmas with a fun, festive romcom full of Christmas tree farm shenanigans and a romance between an outdoorsy single dad and the kind, ambitious, Christmas-loving neighbor he can't stop thinking about.

A guarded single dad. A woman scared to love. Clark Griffin and Merry Winters are determined to be friends and nothing more. But they've been anonymously flirting with each other online, and with a little Christmas magic and the help of a precocious kid, these two might just get their one wish this year.

I loved Nick & Noel's story so much and was excited to be back in this world.

Older sister Merry had had a rough year. After a string of terrible relationships, she was single by choice and figuring out a lot about herself. Feeling comfortable with where she was, she decided to dip her toe back into the dating pool. I was happy to see her find someone as sweet and caring as Clark.

Clark was a single dad who had been on his own since his son's birth. He had been singularly focused on being the best parent he could be, wanting to be the kind of parent he always wished he had. He and Merry shared a flirtation back when they were teens, but it never went anywhere. Fast forward a decade or so, and they seem almost perfect for each other.

It was a pleasure watching these two fall in love. They were both so deserving of someone who would care for them properly, scars and all. I had so much fun with them as they got to know each other and celebrated the holidays. Right before this book, I had finished a rather dark and bleak short story set. I needed something fun and sweet to get me out of that post book funk, and this really did the job.

One of the strongest elements of this series are the characters with the Winters family standing above them all. They have such a great dynamic, and there is nothing like being surrounded by so much love and affection. It was especially lovely the way they embraced Clark and his son as their own. Jace was lucky to have Clark as a dad who was doting and present, as Clark never had that. It really touched me to see Clark find that type of familial love in the Winterses.

Overall, this was another fabulous trip back to Mistletoe that was filled with fun, festivities, and lots of love.

Favorite NYC landmark?
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