We’re in the thick of summer now! That July heat is hitting, and we’re ready to cool down. If you’re heading to the beach soon, then we strongly recommend bringing Sally Blakely’s new contemporary romance, Summer People, with you!
Summer People follows a group of friends who vacation at the same beach house on the California coast every summer. They all make a pact to not date within the friend group, which is easier said than done for Sutton and Everett. What started as a casual hookup turns into an annual secret fling. That is, until the night their friend group and well-kept secret fall apart.
We couldn’t put down Sally Blakely’s new novel, and we know you won’t want to either. Here are three reasons why Summer People should be your next beach read!
Book Overview: Summer People
Content warnings: parental neglect and abandonment, divorce, cheating, drinking, mention of alcoholism
Summary: After graduating college, five friends make a pact. Every summer, they’ll meet for one week at the same beach house on the California coast to relive the golden days of college. There’s just one rule: no dating within the group.
Simple enough, except Everett and Sutton already broke the rule before summer even began…and couldn’t seem to stop. What started as a one-time fling turned into an annual habit neither of them could quit, until the night everything fell apart.
Five years later, Sutton has no interest in seeing Everett ever again. Until one of their friends, newly divorced and looking for an escape, calls everyone back to the beach house. She expects awkward silences and forced smiles, but nothing could prepare her for Everett—still infuriating, still magnetic, and still capable of unraveling her with a single glance.
As the week stretches on and every re-lived tradition, shared meal and outing bring a flood of sun-soaked memories that feed the spark between her and Everett, Sutton begins to wonder if the promise that broke them apart was worth keeping in the first place…and if breaking it again will ruin the delicate balance their friend group has finally started to reclaim.
We Get Dual Narratives
For starters, Summer People gets told in dual narratives that alternate between chapters. We catch glimpses of Sutton 10 years in the past all the way up to the present. After college graduation, her friend group makes a pact to return to the same beach house every summer for a week. And each summer gives us a look into the development of Sutton and Everett’s secret fling. We know that something happened that disbanded the friend group for five years, but we don’t find out until the last few chapters.
Sutton & Everett’s Chemistry
Another reason why Summer People should be your next beach read is the chemistry. Sparks fly between Sutton and Everett as soon as they meet. It’s not something that either of them can let go pf easily. Over the years, they spend two blissful extra days at the beach without the rest of their friends. And even after five years of not seeing one another, we can tell they still care. Their bickering and jabs at each other turn into bantering and heartfelt conversations. It was a delight to read their romance!
The Summer Backdrop
Finally, we can’t resist a lovely summer novel like Summer People. Something about the season makes us want to fall in love. And this book helps us do just that alongside Sutton and her friends. Longer days mean more time to relax on the beach, surf some waves, hop around different bars, and go to outdoor movie nights. This book has the essence of our summer feelings, and we can’t get enough. Add in the California backdrop, and it becomes even more of a movie.
Summer People by Sally Blakely brings together everything we love about the summer—beaches, hangouts, and romance—and weaves it into the perfect beach read!
Summer People by Sally Blakely comes out July 7th, and you can order a copy of it here!
What do you think of Sally Blakely’s new romance? Are you adding Summer People to your list of beach reads? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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