Strawberry Summer

Melissa Braden is a favorite of mine and this book was no different. The characters are so believable with a sweet romance. Braden really has her formula down and it shows.

Reviewed by Katherine Smanik

I may be late to the Melissa Brayden party but I'm so glad to be here now. Loved this book, the characters and every single vibe 'Strawberry Summer' was giving out. Definitely recommend.

Reviewed by Monique McTaggart

...This was the second book I read from Melissa, and I fell deeper in love with her writing and stories. It was very sapphic, refreshing, cute, fun and a bit angsty...I LOVED IT...

Reviewed by Sara Lamk

This book fulfilled a few firsts for me: my first book by this author and my first F/F book. Because of that, I went into it with a fair amount of apprehension. I was a little worried that (despite the fact that I’ve had no problem reading M/M books in the past), I would have trouble connecting with the love story, that I would feel left out of it somehow. To be honest, F/F fiction has never really even been on my radar. Then a friend of mine read Strawberry Summer and said it had my name written all over it, and so I decided it was time to check it out.

You guys. This book was a delight. Not only did I completely connect with the love story, but I felt like I had a love story of my own going on with just about every single person in this book. It’s written in a down-to-earth easygoing manner, despite the fact that it packs a few pretty gigantic emotional punches. On top of that, there’s this sort of charismatic wry humor laced within dialogue and observations and I found it completely irresistible.

I loved Maggie and Courtney’s story. I love how it spanned over several years – and we got to experience their romance at every stage. They were adorable together, their banter playful, their exchanges heartfelt, and everything about them completely endearing to me.

It’s possible that I loved Maggie’s family, and all the other residents of Tanner Peak even more than I loved the love story. It felt like a love story within a love story – a different type of love, obviously. But just as touching and meaningful to me as the feelings between Maggie and Courtney.

Overall, this is basically the whole package...some of the moments that literally took my breath away. I did not come away from this book without bruises (and man, sometimes it huuuuurt), but it was absolutely worth the dings to my heart to get to know and spend time with this amazing cast of characters.

Reviewed by Shelly Suhr

Margaret ‘’Maggie’’ Beringer has a troubled past with Courtney Carrington, heiress of Carrington’s retail store. The two were madly in love during their teenage years, yet they parted for a poignant reason. Now, Courtney comes back into Maggie’s little town known as Tanner Peak. Will their love survive the issues of the past or crash once again?

I picked this book on NetGalley as soon as I saw it was a lesbian romance. I had never read one and I think it’s cute; unfortunately, there are not enough of them around without being erotica. Plus, the description of a past love and now they find themselves still in love yet struggling against those past issues is just perfect to me. Of course, I had to request it and I was more than thrilled to see the publisher had granted my request.

There are so many good points about this novel that I don’t know where to start yet I’ll try to do my best! The most prominent one is how much emotional it made me in general and how much I cared about Courtney (mostly) and Maggie. I wanted them to have a happy ending and I could barely put this book down–I yearned to learn what next would happen with them! Another point worth mentioning is how I couldn’t find typos or mistakes of any kind in the writing. That got me quite pleased as many of the ARCs and even some published books are full of them. But not this one so it’s a bonus. The sarcastic and humoristic main character (Maggie) makes for a welcome touch of humour. I have found her humour to be really funny, which made it all the more interesting to read.

I swear this bittersweet romance has got me in for highs and lows (ouch, my poor heart!). I bet it will no doubt do the same to you. The romance is also playful and teasing, which is highly amusing for us. There is a good and cute evolution of Maggie and Courtney’s relationship–it is even adorable, I have to admit. I’d also like to remark that Maggie knows and accepts she’s a lesbian which I love, even though there is a funny scene of her coming out. In fact, I thought this part was plain hilarious! The MC (Maggie) is strong, and the writing is vivid–it comes to life. Some scenes in this novel made me think I was a teenager again with how Maggie was acting in certain flashback chapters. The author, Melissa Brayden, has a knack for making the teens pop and look real on the page. The feelings of high school and popularity were realistic (up to a point where most of the popular kids befriended Maggie) along with a realistic account of life and diverse people in it.

...Do you want to learn something fun? There are some twists in this story! I enjoyed them, actually. There was even one I hadn’t seen coming, which is so rare with me (I always figure out plot twists well in advance). I had to add that the drama is well built-up, a point that I genuinely adored! I’m one for angst in stories (even my own) so I thoroughly enjoyed the drama in this one (I even cried out of sadness AND cuteness overload later on).

The timeline was impeccable and shown to us in a clear manner. I’ll forever be grateful for that. Another point I appreciated is the fun and developed insight into the MC’s thoughts. I just want to say that I loved Courtney Carrington. I know she isn’t the main character, but she is so sweet and caring! I couldn’t help but root for her during all the book. Seriously. Both characters were well-done, of course, but let’s say I prefer Courtney because of her kindness. On another note, there are many events (which reminds me of a good adventure or fantasy book thanks to the action), which is quite surprising in a romance novel (and much appreciated on my part, too). I didn’t find any long, boring parts, which is a relief. Lastly, we get to read about every important character’s life (where they are now and what is their job and relationship status) and the epilogue is a nice follow-up. It is like a neat little bow on top of a present!///

I would love to tell you what types of fans this book is perfect for but this is the first lesbian romance I ever read. However, I can assure you that if you love a good emotional roller coaster ride and cute but poignant romances, Strawberry Summer by Melissa Brayden is for you!...

Reviewed by Catherine Girard-Veilleux