Book Review: The Summer Hideaway - An Uplifting Feel-Good Summer Romance by Jenny Hale

How I Found It

I wanted to get back into reading romance books, specifically in the genre that I write. Needing more variety, I planned to read other romance novels slightly outside the clean romance genre.

I started with Jenny Hale's The Summer Hideaway, an uplifting feel-good summer romance. Strangely, I don't remember exactly how I came across her book. I think I may have been searching for clean titles on Amazon. Whatever the case, I saw the title and description and thought it sounded like a great summer romance book to dive into.

I purchased the book on May 11th, 2026. I started reading it on May 22nd and finished June 20th. It took a month to read 289 pages. I'm slow at times, but during this particular read, other factors were at work—like reading another book simultaneously and taking three to four days off from reading. That had nothing to do with the summer romance itself; I was just enthralled by something else at the time. You know, that shiny new object syndrome.

What It's About

Alice Emerson and her best friend Sasha Miller decided to open an ice cream shop on the beach in the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks held special meaning for Alice because of her relationship with her grandfather. She spent every summer with him fishing on the dock, listening to his words of wisdom while eating a bowl of ice cream.

After a disappointing breakup with her boyfriend, Alice needed a change for herself and her son, Henry. She inherited the bike shop from her grandfather and was in the process of selling it until she realized her best friend also needed a change. They decided to live above the shop, and the idea came to Alice to turn the bike shop into an ice cream shop. On their journey, they met Melly and became fast friends with her. Soon, Alice found herself attracted to Jack Murphy, a handsome guy who reminded her of a young boy from her summer visits to the Outer Banks—setting the stage for this summer romance.

What I Loved/Didn't Love

Though it took me a month to read this summer romance, it wasn't boring. It was good—not great, just interesting. I loved the camaraderie between Alice and Sasha. Their friendship was the cornerstone of the book. Then Melly came on board. Though she wasn't in the novel much, I knew she had a connection—spoiler alert—to Alice. I liked how the girls rallied around Melly in her time of need, even though they barely knew her. And I loved how Sasha pushed Alice to give love a try again, while Alice was equally patient with Sasha as she battled her own love life and disappointment.

What I didn't care for as much was Alice's son, Henry. He didn't sound like a five-year-old boy; instead, he sounded much more mature. Though there's nothing wrong with portraying kids as older, his voice seemed out of place at times. But besides that, everything moved as it should in this summer romance. The romance itself was secondary to the story, which was exactly right. The big reveal played out beautifully, and I even shed a few tears. It was definitely a feel-good summer romance, and it came at just the right time.

Themes

Family dynamics, sisterhood, friendship, found family, sibling dynamics, and summer romance.

Who Would Enjoy It

If you enjoy uplifting summer romance stories that revolve around sisterhood and friendship with no bickering or blaming, then this novel is just for you.

My Rating

4 out of 5 stars

I gave this summer romance four stars. I was on the fence at 3.5 stars, but I bumped it up because I really enjoyed how the big reveal was presented.

👉 You can find the book HERE if you're interested.