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The Boys of Ocean Beach #1
Summer's Kiss
Summer Barnes is on the run.
From her disastrous senior year of high-school.
From the mountain of secrets she’s been keeping.
She thought she could escape by running to the beach.
That a little bit of sun and sand would soothe her wounded soul.
She has no idea that four local beach bums will be the ones to make it all better.
Is Summer prepared to open her heart or will the past keep her from taking the chance?
From her disastrous senior year of high-school.
From the mountain of secrets she’s been keeping.
She thought she could escape by running to the beach.
That a little bit of sun and sand would soothe her wounded soul.
She has no idea that four local beach bums will be the ones to make it all better.
Is Summer prepared to open her heart or will the past keep her from taking the chance?
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2023
692 people are currently reading
2089 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
February 27, 2019
DNF 71%
This book just isn’t for me. The reason I am DNFing it is because I don’t care about the characters or plot, I feel like the RH romance is subpar, and, at the end of the day, I realized that I can completely walk away from this book and I don’t have even an inkling to pick it back up. That is not the feeling I want to have when I read a book. I feel like the author is rushing the story in places that she shouldn’t be (like the romance) and slowing parts down that she shouldn’t be (like the investigation that her mom is doing for her book).
This book was originally published as a regular romance (with just one love interest) and I can definitely see evidence of that in the way that the book is written. Certain love interests just feel thrown in there and the MC falls for them magically overnight. I need more substance to my romances then what this book has which is ultimately the main reason I am dropping it. At the end of everything, I just don’t care if the characters end up together or not and that is not how I should be feeling as a character driven/emotional reader.
This book just isn’t for me. The reason I am DNFing it is because I don’t care about the characters or plot, I feel like the RH romance is subpar, and, at the end of the day, I realized that I can completely walk away from this book and I don’t have even an inkling to pick it back up. That is not the feeling I want to have when I read a book. I feel like the author is rushing the story in places that she shouldn’t be (like the romance) and slowing parts down that she shouldn’t be (like the investigation that her mom is doing for her book).
This book was originally published as a regular romance (with just one love interest) and I can definitely see evidence of that in the way that the book is written. Certain love interests just feel thrown in there and the MC falls for them magically overnight. I need more substance to my romances then what this book has which is ultimately the main reason I am dropping it. At the end of everything, I just don’t care if the characters end up together or not and that is not how I should be feeling as a character driven/emotional reader.
June 18, 2021
This book was ... okay. I won't be reading the next one in the series though.
Summer just graduated high school and is supposed to go on a trip to France, but instead decides to join her mom on her trip to Ocean Beach while she investigates a serial killer for a true crime novel she is writing. Trying to hide from her problems, Summer attempts to keep herself distanced from everyone and just enjoy her summer, but instead ends up getting close to a long lost cousin that she never knew existed and four local boys.
So, the story was decent enough, but where it lost me was the boys - Justin, Whit, Nick, and Pete - had some pact about not getting involved with anyone and making sure nothing held them back in Ocean Beach so they can have a life outside of the small beach town. Cool. Then Summer comes along and that all changes; however, it is never explained why she changed it. We just have to assume she is special for some reason but are never really given an explanation. I mean, she gets close to each of the guys (kind of?) but it's nothing groundbreaking... she hangs out with Justin while he works, Nick tags along with her and her mom on their investigation, her and Pete sit with each other while everyone is off swimming, and her and Whit hang out on the beach. In those interactions, somehow they all fall madly (more like mildly) in like ..nope not love.. just like. So, why does this mild affection warrant them all changing life plans for one another? NO CLUE.
I dunno.. I kind of wish there was more to explain WHY the pact changed and why they all changed their plans for each other. Maybe if there was more relationship building? or a relationship in general? Outside of them occasionally referring to Summer as "our girl," there really isn't much that makes them more than just friends with her (well, there were some kisses and vague "romantic" encounters).
This book just left me wanting more I guess?
Summer just graduated high school and is supposed to go on a trip to France, but instead decides to join her mom on her trip to Ocean Beach while she investigates a serial killer for a true crime novel she is writing. Trying to hide from her problems, Summer attempts to keep herself distanced from everyone and just enjoy her summer, but instead ends up getting close to a long lost cousin that she never knew existed and four local boys.
So, the story was decent enough, but where it lost me was the boys - Justin, Whit, Nick, and Pete - had some pact about not getting involved with anyone and making sure nothing held them back in Ocean Beach so they can have a life outside of the small beach town. Cool. Then Summer comes along and that all changes; however, it is never explained why she changed it. We just have to assume she is special for some reason but are never really given an explanation. I mean, she gets close to each of the guys (kind of?) but it's nothing groundbreaking... she hangs out with Justin while he works, Nick tags along with her and her mom on their investigation, her and Pete sit with each other while everyone is off swimming, and her and Whit hang out on the beach. In those interactions, somehow they all fall madly (more like mildly) in like ..nope not love.. just like. So, why does this mild affection warrant them all changing life plans for one another? NO CLUE.
I dunno.. I kind of wish there was more to explain WHY the pact changed and why they all changed their plans for each other. Maybe if there was more relationship building? or a relationship in general? Outside of them occasionally referring to Summer as "our girl," there really isn't much that makes them more than just friends with her (well, there were some kisses and vague "romantic" encounters).
This book just left me wanting more I guess?
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February 18, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/18/2019)! 🎁
Blurb:
Summer Barnes is on the run.
From her disastrous senior year of high-school.
From the mountain of secrets she’s been keeping.
*
She thought she could escape by running to the beach.
That a little bit of sun and sand would soothe her wounded soul.
She has no idea that four local beach bums will be the ones to make it all better.
Is Summer prepared to open her heart or will the past keep her from taking the chance?
Blurb:
Summer Barnes is on the run.
From her disastrous senior year of high-school.
From the mountain of secrets she’s been keeping.
*
She thought she could escape by running to the beach.
That a little bit of sun and sand would soothe her wounded soul.
She has no idea that four local beach bums will be the ones to make it all better.
Is Summer prepared to open her heart or will the past keep her from taking the chance?
July 6, 2023
Got this as a free kindle book, and it’s honestly pretty bad. First, did anyone read it before publishing?! Mine had so many typos. Like “think” instead of “thing” and “four girls and one guy” instead of “four guys and one girl” A lot of problematic descriptions like “bad side of town” and other descriptions of places looking “shabby” or “sketchy”. I don’t even mind that the story was unrealistic or absurd because it’s fiction. I actually like the non-traditional relationship. The problem is the writing just got worse as you kept reading. I pretty much sped read the last half of the book.
August 18, 2023
okay. i liked the whole ‘beach town for the summer’ vibe don’t get me wrong but I CANNOT get behind this ‘4 boyfriends’ things I just can’t. I know it’s an unlikely scenario and I respect her for going for something new, but it was too ridiculous and weird for me. like what four bsfs even who are fully secure and confident in themselves would want to all date the same girl?! and the whole taking it in turns to go on dates with her and fuck her is just so weird 😭 and the fact that when she’s been with or is with one of them and then comes across another or all of them how she just sticks with that one and it’s like she’s not even with any of the others but like i get separating them but how are they all just watching this? 😫 I just don’t understand and summer being like ‘my boys’ and falling for them ALL like NO BABE shut up!
I really wanted this book to end with her choosing one of them cos I could get behind her testing the waters with all of them and then choosing ONE a bit more easily but no she had to have them all.
girl needs to be woken up and so do those boys tbh, like how do you think this is going to be sustainable?!
I really wanted this book to end with her choosing one of them cos I could get behind her testing the waters with all of them and then choosing ONE a bit more easily but no she had to have them all.
girl needs to be woken up and so do those boys tbh, like how do you think this is going to be sustainable?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2018
Not just your standard typos.
She's with one person then he's called another name. Other typos are forgivable. But not this. And the story itself is weak. I didn't realize it was the same author as the Heaven series. Also sub par. I won't be reading no 2 in either. This is not this author's strong suite. Smexy stuff is a yawn. Characters are not developed. And I don't ask for much with these escape reads.
She's with one person then he's called another name. Other typos are forgivable. But not this. And the story itself is weak. I didn't realize it was the same author as the Heaven series. Also sub par. I won't be reading no 2 in either. This is not this author's strong suite. Smexy stuff is a yawn. Characters are not developed. And I don't ask for much with these escape reads.
June 18, 2024
Amazing Summer story!
Loved this book by Angel....I'm already a huge fan but somehow missed this one. I loved how Summer had a story, she's loved and protected and the boys truly care. 5+ stars from me.
Loved this book by Angel....I'm already a huge fan but somehow missed this one. I loved how Summer had a story, she's loved and protected and the boys truly care. 5+ stars from me.
August 10, 2018
Great read!
This is just beautiful. I fell in love with the characters, the place, the descriptions, everything. I love the slow pace in this, I tend to prefer faster paced books but I felt like the slow pace worked perfectly here. I also loved that the romance was interspersed with mystery. I just love a good mystery and this one was very well done.
This next part contains slight spoilers.
The only reason it's not getting five stars is that there was a couple consistency errors that threw me off. When Julia is first introduced, Summer says she started writing professionally when she was eight and that she'd written over twenty books. Later Julia talks about how after seventeen books it was time for a change, referencing her decision to work on this particular book. So, is it just that she didn't publish some of those other books? Also when talking about the divorce Summer says that her dad left when she was eight and Julia already had four books published. So, is it just that she wasn't popular yet? Or that she didn't have a traditional publisher? She said her dad didn't like being with someone famous, so that makes me think her books were already popular, so it's weird that Summer originally said she didn't start writing until she was eight. There was a few grammar errors here and there, but nothing too major.
I was also confused as to how Mason got her address. And there was never any closure with her friends back home. I think if the consistency issues were fixed, and maybe some of those things were answered, then it would definitely be five stars. All in all still a great read with lovable characters.
This is just beautiful. I fell in love with the characters, the place, the descriptions, everything. I love the slow pace in this, I tend to prefer faster paced books but I felt like the slow pace worked perfectly here. I also loved that the romance was interspersed with mystery. I just love a good mystery and this one was very well done.
This next part contains slight spoilers.
The only reason it's not getting five stars is that there was a couple consistency errors that threw me off. When Julia is first introduced, Summer says she started writing professionally when she was eight and that she'd written over twenty books. Later Julia talks about how after seventeen books it was time for a change, referencing her decision to work on this particular book. So, is it just that she didn't publish some of those other books? Also when talking about the divorce Summer says that her dad left when she was eight and Julia already had four books published. So, is it just that she wasn't popular yet? Or that she didn't have a traditional publisher? She said her dad didn't like being with someone famous, so that makes me think her books were already popular, so it's weird that Summer originally said she didn't start writing until she was eight. There was a few grammar errors here and there, but nothing too major.
I was also confused as to how Mason got her address. And there was never any closure with her friends back home. I think if the consistency issues were fixed, and maybe some of those things were answered, then it would definitely be five stars. All in all still a great read with lovable characters.
September 25, 2024
Okay so I had this shelved on my kindle as YA…this is definitely not YA! I read the version with the pink flowery cover, apparently the other cover said “reverse harem” on it 🙃 boy was I confused and surprised hahaha! Definitely not what I was expecting.
As I read it, I kept expecting her to choose one man in particular but I don’t know if that’s because of my mindset going into it or because the romance with that character was more flushed out (or maybe a mix of them both).
It was a super short read for how much was going on and The Pact made no sense to me and honestly had nothing to do with the plot? Could’ve been left out or phrased better to make it pertinent. Why did a pact of no serious relationships turn into a reverse harem? 🤣🤣🤣
Bro idk I never read this genre so maybe this is just me, but I didn’t think it was believable at all that these four best friends were just fine sharing a girlfriend?? Like what is that what reverse harems usually are? So anyway, this book was not for me but I did have fun reading about 75% when I still thought it was going to be a Sophie’s Choice™️
As I read it, I kept expecting her to choose one man in particular but I don’t know if that’s because of my mindset going into it or because the romance with that character was more flushed out (or maybe a mix of them both).
It was a super short read for how much was going on and The Pact made no sense to me and honestly had nothing to do with the plot? Could’ve been left out or phrased better to make it pertinent. Why did a pact of no serious relationships turn into a reverse harem? 🤣🤣🤣
Bro idk I never read this genre so maybe this is just me, but I didn’t think it was believable at all that these four best friends were just fine sharing a girlfriend?? Like what is that what reverse harems usually are? So anyway, this book was not for me but I did have fun reading about 75% when I still thought it was going to be a Sophie’s Choice™️
July 7, 2025
DNF at 60%
“i’ve not yet kissed him”… girl ur not collecting these men like fucking pokémon’s??
There’s a right way to write an RH romance and this was absolutely not it, the FMC(yes i forgot her name) came off like a desperate whore rather than adventurous or whatever. Horrible.
All the men were boring and practically the same.
Why did no one call out Mason as a predator?? Hello you just found out your daughter was in a long term relationship with her TWENTY FOUR year old teacher and you just say “aww it okay we all make mistakes😘”, HUH!! This probably started when she was 16/17 and yet no one talks about it. How weird.
I did like all the ocean scenes tho, summer romances should have that more.
“i’ve not yet kissed him”… girl ur not collecting these men like fucking pokémon’s??
There’s a right way to write an RH romance and this was absolutely not it, the FMC(yes i forgot her name) came off like a desperate whore rather than adventurous or whatever. Horrible.
All the men were boring and practically the same.
Why did no one call out Mason as a predator?? Hello you just found out your daughter was in a long term relationship with her TWENTY FOUR year old teacher and you just say “aww it okay we all make mistakes😘”, HUH!! This probably started when she was 16/17 and yet no one talks about it. How weird.
I did like all the ocean scenes tho, summer romances should have that more.
August 17, 2018
I absolutely loved this book!!
There aren't too many contemporary reverse harem books out there, and it is always amazing to see them done.
This one being no different.
I was hooked by the first page.
I just kept reading until I finished.
This ends where you can be satisfied, but it is also open-ended.
There will be a second, and I'm curious to see what will happen.
What obstacles they will face.
I even loved the back story to this book.
Or should I call it the secondary story?
Not sure.
But the reason the Mom chose to go to Ocean Beach in the first place is interesting and intriguing.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing more about her story when she was younger.
I highly recommend reading this story.
It was fabulous.
There aren't too many contemporary reverse harem books out there, and it is always amazing to see them done.
This one being no different.
I was hooked by the first page.
I just kept reading until I finished.
This ends where you can be satisfied, but it is also open-ended.
There will be a second, and I'm curious to see what will happen.
What obstacles they will face.
I even loved the back story to this book.
Or should I call it the secondary story?
Not sure.
But the reason the Mom chose to go to Ocean Beach in the first place is interesting and intriguing.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing more about her story when she was younger.
I highly recommend reading this story.
It was fabulous.
September 8, 2023
Die Story war kinda cute mit so Sommer Beach vibes und der Part mit der Mutter Bissl interesting.
Aber die Love Story irgendwie weird. Zu wenig 🌶️🔥 spice. Das ganze ✨wir lassen es langsam angehen ✨ no Thank you 🫸🏻
Einmal haben sie einfach nur im Nachhinein angedeutet das sie Sex hatten OHNE IRGENDWAS ZU BESCHREIBEN.
Und ne Fucking Duschszene in der sie ihren Bikini an hat und er sie aus der Dusche schickt damit er seine Hose ausziehen kann.
Wenn ich nicht für den✨ spice ✨ hier gewesen wäre, wäre es wahrscheinlich eine mittelmäßige bis okay Love Story. Aber so ist es irgendwie ein weirdes zwischen Ding.
Aber die Love Story irgendwie weird. Zu wenig 🌶️🔥 spice. Das ganze ✨wir lassen es langsam angehen ✨ no Thank you 🫸🏻
Einmal haben sie einfach nur im Nachhinein angedeutet das sie Sex hatten OHNE IRGENDWAS ZU BESCHREIBEN.
Und ne Fucking Duschszene in der sie ihren Bikini an hat und er sie aus der Dusche schickt damit er seine Hose ausziehen kann.
Wenn ich nicht für den✨ spice ✨ hier gewesen wäre, wäre es wahrscheinlich eine mittelmäßige bis okay Love Story. Aber so ist es irgendwie ein weirdes zwischen Ding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2024
3.75⭐️ Adorei a vibe de verão deste livro. Adorei que se passasse num parque de campismo, porque para mim muitos verões foram passados em parques de campismo. Achei diferente e inovador.
Gostei muito dos personagens e dinâmicas. Há também um plot de meio que mistério, porque a mãe da personagem principal escreve livros sobre serial killers, e aqui ela está a fazer pesquisa para o próximo livro. Achei mesmo interessante!
Genuinamente a única coisa que não gostei foi o reverse harem. Não que tenha algo contra isso, mas acho que não estava a contar, e por isso fui apanhada desprevenida, e preferia que o fim tivesse sido outro.
Mas é fofo e perfeito para ler nesta altura!
Gostei muito dos personagens e dinâmicas. Há também um plot de meio que mistério, porque a mãe da personagem principal escreve livros sobre serial killers, e aqui ela está a fazer pesquisa para o próximo livro. Achei mesmo interessante!
Genuinamente a única coisa que não gostei foi o reverse harem. Não que tenha algo contra isso, mas acho que não estava a contar, e por isso fui apanhada desprevenida, e preferia que o fim tivesse sido outro.
Mas é fofo e perfeito para ler nesta altura!
April 30, 2023
Gawwwwwwwd, slow snail burn but at least there was SOME burn...
So many errors in the worse places.
You know what I'm talking about...you're just getting into it and then the author fucks up the story so badly that you lose interest.
I am tempted to read.book two. I mean, I own it, so why not right?
I just hope it picks up a little.
So many errors in the worse places.
You know what I'm talking about...you're just getting into it and then the author fucks up the story so badly that you lose interest.
I am tempted to read.book two. I mean, I own it, so why not right?
I just hope it picks up a little.
July 8, 2019
Fun read!
This was a fun little read that involves the beach, the summer and four hot guys. But it also had a good story line that I couldn’t stop reading. Definitely will check out the next book.
This was a fun little read that involves the beach, the summer and four hot guys. But it also had a good story line that I couldn’t stop reading. Definitely will check out the next book.
July 2, 2023
My biggest complaint is that the author only really took the time to develop the relationship between the fmc and only one of the guys. Justin and Summer made me invested, but it seemed her relationships with the other guys were forced and had too few interaction support them.
August 8, 2023
Got this for free on Amazon. The writing wasn’t that great, the relationships felt very surface level but I guess it was okay for what it was. There were a lot of errors in the story, it would jump from on person and then all of a sudden the name would change and some sentences would be missing words or be incomplete. I’ll still be reading the sequel because I am curious as to what happens
July 2, 2023
Þæginleg að lesa, skemmtileg og smá spicy, myndi kalla þetta rómó spicy. Ætla pottó að lesa næstu bók líka
June 29, 2025
all the summer vibes. easy beachy and spicy. 🏄♂️🥰
March 2, 2025
2⭐️ I liked the serial killer vibes, didn’t like the teacher/student vibes AT ALL, didn’t like the FMC hoe vibes either. No group of 4 boys would be okay with that situation. Like wtf girl, I guess get it🤷🏼♀️
July 3, 2025
You can read my review of Summer's Kiss on my blog, here: https://thepaperworlds.blogspot.com/2....
This is a spoiler-free review!
I downloaded this from a Stuff Your Kindle day a long time ago, and now that the weather has decided to lighten up, I figured I needed to make a dent in my summer romance TBR. I do not read too much reverse haram or why choose romance books, but this one definitely took me by surprise. I thought that Summer would be drawn to one boy and the rest would become somewhat of background characters, but that is certainly not the case for this new adult romance. To be honest, I did not even realize it was a reveres harem - I thought she would pick one boy after multiple books and a five-way love triangle (love pentagon?). Personally, if I found out a group of described beach bums only hooked up with girls in the summer and had a pact, I would be running for the hills.
The boys - Justin, Whit, Pete, and Nick - are a little... forgettable. There was never a moment where I found myself more drawn to one of them and they were all pretty subpar in my eyes. You could easily tell that this book must have originally been written for Summer to end up with one single romantic interest, given the amount of page time one of the boys receives compared to the others. Lawson definitely should have done some more revisions with her editor since you almost start rooting for the other boys to just disappear and let Summer and who I imagine the original love interest was to go off into the sunset together.
Summer's relationship with all of the boys is mostly on an individual basis - they are not really a "group" so to speak. She basically has four boyfriends but the boyfriends aren't boyfriends with each other, if that makes sense. I wish the author either stuck with the reverse harem trope or abandoned it, as it feels half-finished and not enough time was dedicated to develop their relationship as a full group. Outside of just being around one another, the boys really do not have a ton of interaction on page, and readers are basically only shown each boy having their little moments with Summer alone.
I think this would have worked a lot better if this was not a new adult/high school romance but rather a college romance - they all seem very immature, and considering Summer's most recent relationship, it definitely would have benefited from some maturity. The side plot with her author mother was interesting, but for a romance book, it took up a lot of page space when the author could have been deepening the relationship between Summer, Whit, Pete, Justin, and Nick. I will probably finish this series if I need something quick to read, but if you are looking for a fast read with lots of PG-13 moments, this could be the series for you. Much like the Summer Unplugged series by Amy Sparling, this romance book plays it safe when it comes to the actual romance portion of the plot.
You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads (maddymartinelli), Instagram (@thepaperworlds), Twitter (@thepaperworlds), and following this blog in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!
July 31, 2018
Summer is supposed to be in France for the summer on a trip she has looked forward to for years. Instead, she's living with her mother in a trailer by the beach while her mother works on her latest book. Summer is there escaping, hiding. Her year ended with embarrassment and heartbreak and now all she wants to do is hide and maybe enjoy the sun and sand. Instead, she meets previously unknown family, meets four local boys she could see herself falling for, and has to decide if she can risk her heart again.
Summer's Kiss was originally released as Serial Summer, a one on one romance. Angel worked her magic and this wonderful contemporary RH was born. This book was ALWAYS meant to be an RH. Four locals, Justin, Pete Whit, and Nick infamous in that small-town way. All good looking, likable, well known by the rest of the town's inhabitants. These boys do not plan on sticking around, however. Once they all graduate, they have plans that do not include the local dream of getting married, starting a family, and staying put. They have bigger futures in mind and have made a pact not to get involved with any girl that could keep them from leaving. Then along comes Summer. She is only there for the summer. With her bruised heart, her fragile ego, and lack of trust, she has walls in place to keep anyone from getting close, especially local beach bums. But like a hurricane hitting the beach, Summer impacts each one of the guys leaving a permanent mark. She feels for the guys too but it's just not that easy. Her vulnerability, her past mistakes, her fears make her such a realistic character. The RH relationship is handled so naturally, so perfectly. Angel writes contemporary RH better than anyone at this point. It's completely believable. The campground and beach are so authentic I feel transported at times. Maybe because I am also a Southerner I realize just how perfectly Angel captures these settings. Then when you add in the surrounding characters, Anita and Bobby, Summer's mom, Richard, and Sugar, you have a well-rounded, genuine cast.
There are multiple storylines occurring simultaneously in this book. Summer's mother's book, the research and mystery surrounding it; the estranged family elements, Summer's trauma from school, and of course, Summer and the guys. There is so much character growth from the teens and adults alike. A lovely combination of the everyday and drama, peaceful times and angst. It all blends together to make for a wonderfully entertaining read. I definitely want more Boys of Ocean Beach. I look forward to seeing what happens when summer ends, when they're all separated at different schools, when real life comes between them. I know Angel will come up with another compelling chapter in their lives!
Summer's Kiss was originally released as Serial Summer, a one on one romance. Angel worked her magic and this wonderful contemporary RH was born. This book was ALWAYS meant to be an RH. Four locals, Justin, Pete Whit, and Nick infamous in that small-town way. All good looking, likable, well known by the rest of the town's inhabitants. These boys do not plan on sticking around, however. Once they all graduate, they have plans that do not include the local dream of getting married, starting a family, and staying put. They have bigger futures in mind and have made a pact not to get involved with any girl that could keep them from leaving. Then along comes Summer. She is only there for the summer. With her bruised heart, her fragile ego, and lack of trust, she has walls in place to keep anyone from getting close, especially local beach bums. But like a hurricane hitting the beach, Summer impacts each one of the guys leaving a permanent mark. She feels for the guys too but it's just not that easy. Her vulnerability, her past mistakes, her fears make her such a realistic character. The RH relationship is handled so naturally, so perfectly. Angel writes contemporary RH better than anyone at this point. It's completely believable. The campground and beach are so authentic I feel transported at times. Maybe because I am also a Southerner I realize just how perfectly Angel captures these settings. Then when you add in the surrounding characters, Anita and Bobby, Summer's mom, Richard, and Sugar, you have a well-rounded, genuine cast.
There are multiple storylines occurring simultaneously in this book. Summer's mother's book, the research and mystery surrounding it; the estranged family elements, Summer's trauma from school, and of course, Summer and the guys. There is so much character growth from the teens and adults alike. A lovely combination of the everyday and drama, peaceful times and angst. It all blends together to make for a wonderfully entertaining read. I definitely want more Boys of Ocean Beach. I look forward to seeing what happens when summer ends, when they're all separated at different schools, when real life comes between them. I know Angel will come up with another compelling chapter in their lives!
June 24, 2025
I originally got this book for free during one of the stuff your kindle days i never expect Pulitzer Prize winning writing with these books but i try to look for a decent book in a sea overdone self publishing (nothing wrong with self published books a lot of the times they're published in quantity not quality and i know a lot of series that aren’t self published also have the issue but its less common and traditionally published books usually have better editing). I didn't realize i had read multiple other books by the author until about half way through i will definitely say this book is much less spicy then her other books which i have enjoyed.
the book itself in my personal opinion gave the same vibes as a safe haven setting or a last song setting i did picture the main character as early 2010’s Miley Cyrus because it does seem like a role she would've played back then. The book itself though the writing was very Wattpad very post 2010’s theres really nothing to special about it at times it can be very frustrating because its very much to descriptive giving unnecessary information things like this tend to happen in all of the authors books something happens and they explain something that is apart of everyday like for what i can only this is word count, specifically in this book Summers phone vibrates so she explains to the audience that means some one is calling her, like just answer the phone i don't need that information. The first 10 to 15% of the book is mainly spent world building as a whole which is a bit to much for me it was overpowering the main story to the point i didn't know what the story was until well over 20%. The author also doesn’t introduce that the book is multi romance in a good way she focus’s much to hard on one guy at a time.
I did ultimately like this book it didn't really feel like a chore to read which is good the story itself was much better then i thought it would be overall it wasnt very spicy which was slightly disappointing to me but overall the story was decent i could really picture it as a movie in a very Nicholas sparks way.
the book itself in my personal opinion gave the same vibes as a safe haven setting or a last song setting i did picture the main character as early 2010’s Miley Cyrus because it does seem like a role she would've played back then. The book itself though the writing was very Wattpad very post 2010’s theres really nothing to special about it at times it can be very frustrating because its very much to descriptive giving unnecessary information things like this tend to happen in all of the authors books something happens and they explain something that is apart of everyday like for what i can only this is word count, specifically in this book Summers phone vibrates so she explains to the audience that means some one is calling her, like just answer the phone i don't need that information. The first 10 to 15% of the book is mainly spent world building as a whole which is a bit to much for me it was overpowering the main story to the point i didn't know what the story was until well over 20%. The author also doesn’t introduce that the book is multi romance in a good way she focus’s much to hard on one guy at a time.
I did ultimately like this book it didn't really feel like a chore to read which is good the story itself was much better then i thought it would be overall it wasnt very spicy which was slightly disappointing to me but overall the story was decent i could really picture it as a movie in a very Nicholas sparks way.
August 14, 2018
Almost perfect
There were a couple of points where the edits from a traditional romance to a reverse harem didn't go smoothly like when there is a reference to four girls one guy. The relationships developed a little fast. The whole story takes place in a little over a month, but RH is fraught with this. Overall though it's a good main story, Summer is a little whiney, but an expected reaction considering the circumstances, just don't expect a strong heroine. There are two interesting sub story's in Summer's mom and the book she is writing. I Googled the book's topic when it first appeared and I think it really in handed the story knowing just how creepy it was. Overall I loved this except for two of the story lines that were bad enough to knock off a star.
Spoilers:
Justin's whole thing about cheating and violence and blaming Summer. Summer didn't know Mason had a fiance and she didn't continue a relationship with him once she knew. Mason was the cheater not Summer. She also didn't ask for Mason to come down and throw her in the water at night or for Whit to get in a fight with him. For Justin to blame her as though she was the cheater and some how responsible for the violence made my skin crawl.
Second, I didn't like that the book ended with Whit still headed to the Citadel, something that is giving him panic attacks. That sends the wrong message and some adult in his life or his friends should be telling him he has other options not that he has to go because it's tradition. That's horrible and frankly abusive.
There were a couple of points where the edits from a traditional romance to a reverse harem didn't go smoothly like when there is a reference to four girls one guy. The relationships developed a little fast. The whole story takes place in a little over a month, but RH is fraught with this. Overall though it's a good main story, Summer is a little whiney, but an expected reaction considering the circumstances, just don't expect a strong heroine. There are two interesting sub story's in Summer's mom and the book she is writing. I Googled the book's topic when it first appeared and I think it really in handed the story knowing just how creepy it was. Overall I loved this except for two of the story lines that were bad enough to knock off a star.
Spoilers:
Justin's whole thing about cheating and violence and blaming Summer. Summer didn't know Mason had a fiance and she didn't continue a relationship with him once she knew. Mason was the cheater not Summer. She also didn't ask for Mason to come down and throw her in the water at night or for Whit to get in a fight with him. For Justin to blame her as though she was the cheater and some how responsible for the violence made my skin crawl.
Second, I didn't like that the book ended with Whit still headed to the Citadel, something that is giving him panic attacks. That sends the wrong message and some adult in his life or his friends should be telling him he has other options not that he has to go because it's tradition. That's horrible and frankly abusive.
August 2, 2018
Summer’s Kiss (The Boys of Ocean Beach) is the new work by author Angel Lawson. I have long been a fan of her books, and this one did not disappoint. Angel has the wonderful talent of drawing readers in with strong characters and compelling storylines and this book does the same with the story of Summer Barnes and her time in Ocean Beach. The character of Summer is trying to escape from the events in her life by tagging along on her mother’s research trip to South Carolina. Little does she know that Summer know that she will find something better instead. She meets the Ocean Beach boys, Justin, Whit, Nick, and Pete and it blooms from friendship into a true relationship that jumps off the pages and draws the reader in to their world. When Summer’s past comes to Ocean Beach, she learns the depth of her feelings for the guys and the guys for her. The relationship among them is heartbreakingly beautiful at times and supportive and uplifting at others. The character of Summer, in particular, resonated with me in that as she is discovering family that she didn’t know existed, deals with things from her past, and grows closer to the men in her life, she deals with them in a way that is realistic and strong at the same time. Instead of letting the events crush her, she makes it through and comes out stronger in the end. I truly enjoyed reading this book and hope that Angel will continue this story with future editions.
August 19, 2018
This definitely was a summer read - it had that typical feel to it, and I'm not saying that in a bad way.
The idea behind the story was nice and I liked quite a few of the plot lines here, but the execution did not quite manage to pull it all off, some things were lacking.
We did not really get to know the guys and their personalities all that well. Honestly, the only way I could tell them apart was by their names. Because of the lack of knowledge we had of them, believing in any sort of connection between the guys and Summer was, to say the least, a struggle. To me their "connection" just came out of nowhere - a spur of the moment thing, that never really felt solid enough.
Some of the characters decisions and actions confused me and left me questioning their motives. And the behaviors of people in general in this book was hard to believe in. I mean, you want me to believe that absolutely no one, not a single person ever acted weird of said even remotely rude thing about the type of relationship Summer had with the guys? Not their parents, not the relatives, not the people around. Not even the other jealous girls or boys? Really? And none of the people in said relationship ever struggle or question their arrangement? Give me a break.
In the end, the book was okey, but could've been better with more work and common sense put into it. I had a nice enough time reading it, but I will not come back for any follow ups.
The idea behind the story was nice and I liked quite a few of the plot lines here, but the execution did not quite manage to pull it all off, some things were lacking.
We did not really get to know the guys and their personalities all that well. Honestly, the only way I could tell them apart was by their names. Because of the lack of knowledge we had of them, believing in any sort of connection between the guys and Summer was, to say the least, a struggle. To me their "connection" just came out of nowhere - a spur of the moment thing, that never really felt solid enough.
Some of the characters decisions and actions confused me and left me questioning their motives. And the behaviors of people in general in this book was hard to believe in. I mean, you want me to believe that absolutely no one, not a single person ever acted weird of said even remotely rude thing about the type of relationship Summer had with the guys? Not their parents, not the relatives, not the people around. Not even the other jealous girls or boys? Really? And none of the people in said relationship ever struggle or question their arrangement? Give me a break.
In the end, the book was okey, but could've been better with more work and common sense put into it. I had a nice enough time reading it, but I will not come back for any follow ups.
September 18, 2018
I sincerely don’t know why this was in a YA genre and not Erotica. Or isn’t there such of thing as YA Erotica? I have read Reverse Harlem books but not like this.
Trust me I love a lead Girl that is up to giving a second lead a chance even other secondary characters, but when it has some meaning to it. Maybe if Summer would of have a fling with each guy on different summers I wouldn’t of felt she was so easy (I write easy to not write other words)
I love a lead girl that is not sucked in love with the lead, a LMC that is a douchebag or for whatever reason has the lead girl suffering. But like this didn’t feel right. I’m not going to lie and say I won’t read the second book because I do want to know what happens to all the characters. But for me just felt like the writer wanted the lead to date/be with every type of male lead we seen in other books. She just missed writing about the lead messing around with someone’s daddy.
I’m not just here bashing the author because I did like her writing style but I guess I didn’t feel connected so much with the romance going on. Maybe I needed more emotion because sharing and not caring is not love. You can care and share without it being physical.
PS maybe I’m wrong about what Erotica is but for me is just sex or physical connection and not so many emotions involve.
Trust me I love a lead Girl that is up to giving a second lead a chance even other secondary characters, but when it has some meaning to it. Maybe if Summer would of have a fling with each guy on different summers I wouldn’t of felt she was so easy (I write easy to not write other words)
I love a lead girl that is not sucked in love with the lead, a LMC that is a douchebag or for whatever reason has the lead girl suffering. But like this didn’t feel right. I’m not going to lie and say I won’t read the second book because I do want to know what happens to all the characters. But for me just felt like the writer wanted the lead to date/be with every type of male lead we seen in other books. She just missed writing about the lead messing around with someone’s daddy.
I’m not just here bashing the author because I did like her writing style but I guess I didn’t feel connected so much with the romance going on. Maybe I needed more emotion because sharing and not caring is not love. You can care and share without it being physical.
PS maybe I’m wrong about what Erotica is but for me is just sex or physical connection and not so many emotions involve.
July 17, 2023
✨Stuff Your Kindle Day Book✨
This book was so laughably cliche.
Summer escapes her life by joining her mom on a summer to her old hometown. She decides to not go to France because of her scum bag ex-boyfriend. She ends up hitting it off with four, yes four, guys and breaks their “pact” to not get serious. Meanwhile there’s a subplot of figuring out her mom was almost killed by a serial killer in the area back in the day. And even though Summer chose not to go to France because of a boy, she ended up STILL NOT GOING TO FRANCE but now because of FOUR boys.
…. What?
I have never read character regression like this before lollll. She got more dumb as the summer went on.
This book was very vague with a lot of dumb ocean metaphors. Of course she was scared of the ocean the entire time until the end. 🙄
From what I’ve researched, this book was supposed to have just 1 love interest but then was changed to a reverse harem… it should’ve stayed as a 1 love interest. You can clearly tell that’s how the book was written.
And my last thing I wanted to point out is that this group of four boys sent 1 of them to go have sex with Summer to send her off to France which ultimately led her to changing her mind…. How freaking stupid is that? Can we say ✨manipulation✨ ???
Pass on this.
This book was so laughably cliche.
Summer escapes her life by joining her mom on a summer to her old hometown. She decides to not go to France because of her scum bag ex-boyfriend. She ends up hitting it off with four, yes four, guys and breaks their “pact” to not get serious. Meanwhile there’s a subplot of figuring out her mom was almost killed by a serial killer in the area back in the day. And even though Summer chose not to go to France because of a boy, she ended up STILL NOT GOING TO FRANCE but now because of FOUR boys.
…. What?
I have never read character regression like this before lollll. She got more dumb as the summer went on.
This book was very vague with a lot of dumb ocean metaphors. Of course she was scared of the ocean the entire time until the end. 🙄
From what I’ve researched, this book was supposed to have just 1 love interest but then was changed to a reverse harem… it should’ve stayed as a 1 love interest. You can clearly tell that’s how the book was written.
And my last thing I wanted to point out is that this group of four boys sent 1 of them to go have sex with Summer to send her off to France which ultimately led her to changing her mind…. How freaking stupid is that? Can we say ✨manipulation✨ ???
Pass on this.
August 26, 2018
In a word, Summer's Kiss was perfect. The whole story was truly everything you could want in a NA contemporary romance. There was an incredible story, that just draws you in. There was budding romance, sweet yet fierce. And there was a hint of a darker side, forbidden relationships, broken pasts, unexpected danger, and uncertainty. This book is really the whole package.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters, all of them. Not just Summer; not just Justin, Nick, Pete, and Whit. All of them. Anita, Julia, and all the rest of the side characters. They all had their own personalities, their own stories. Lawson has done a wonderful job of creating realistic, relatable characters. The characters become the story, and their world comes to life off the page. It's incredible.
There's nothing I would change about this book. From the start, I was completely enthralled in the story. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down, and I read the entire story in one sitting. Probably not *my* best idea seeing as I'm writing this at 3 am, but here we are, that's just how brilliant and spellbinding this book really was. A must read for sure.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters, all of them. Not just Summer; not just Justin, Nick, Pete, and Whit. All of them. Anita, Julia, and all the rest of the side characters. They all had their own personalities, their own stories. Lawson has done a wonderful job of creating realistic, relatable characters. The characters become the story, and their world comes to life off the page. It's incredible.
There's nothing I would change about this book. From the start, I was completely enthralled in the story. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down, and I read the entire story in one sitting. Probably not *my* best idea seeing as I'm writing this at 3 am, but here we are, that's just how brilliant and spellbinding this book really was. A must read for sure.
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