All Summer Long


All Summer Long: A San Francisco Romance is the second book in Melody Carlson's Follow Your Heart series, the first book in the series being Once Upon A Summertime: A New York City Romance. Each book in the series is a stand-alone title that just follows the theme of romance in a big city and the main character following her heart. In All Summer Long, we get a typical improbably romance setup: Tia find out she's going to be working with her old teenage crush, who she spent a week with at summer camp nine years ago and immediately falls for him again. But wait ... he's engaged! The book description says:

"Tia Gets a Second Chance at Love When an Old Crush Suddenly Reappears

Tia D'Amico is thrilled to move to San Francisco to help her aunt transform an old luxury yacht into an upscale floating restaurant. What's not to love? Sunset dinner cruises, upscale wedding receptions--the possibilities are endless and far more appetizing than staying in a monotonous job in her Podunk hometown. Besides, some of her best memories are tied to San Francisco--especially the memory of Leo Parker, her crush from a long-ago sailing camp.

When the self same Leo Parker turns out to be the yacht's captain, Tia is floating on air. But will it all come crashing down around her when she discovers his heart belongs to someone else?

Get ready for a romantic summer in San Francisco, where the future glistens brighter than the bay at sunset."

I'd give All Summer Long 3.5 stars - I kept wavering between 3 and 4 when writing this review. On one hand, the plot is completely predictable and totally far-fetched. On the other hand, it delivers on what it promises to be: a lighthearted, easy-to-read romance novel that's absolutely perfect for the summer. This is the perfect book to toss in your beach bag and bring with you on vacation or to the pool. The cover is very pretty and appealing, the story is easy to put down and pick back up again, it's interesting enough to keep turning the pages, and it's fun and romantic. It's not earth-shattering or life-changing and the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but it's a good cute and clean romance novel. This is a "Christian" book, but the only Christian elements are a few mentions of praying for a sick relative and attending church a couple of Sunday mornings. Faith doesn't seem to drive any of the character's actions in any way. I did enjoy reading this book while sitting with my kids at the park on a sunny afternoon. Good clean romance that I'd recommend to anyone who likes a light romance novel.

I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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