My Not So Perfect Summer

by Phoebe MacLeod

Autumn’s summer is off to a smashing start… sort of.

Earlier this year, Autumn’s life looked she had a great relationship with her brilliant teenage daughter Chloe and from September she was all set to be Deputy Head at the London school where she works. And with a pay rise on the cards, she was excited for her and her long-term boyfriend Marc to buy their first home.

But Autumn’s barely opened the estate agent's website when Marc vanishes with half their savings, leaving her no choice but to move into grandma’s rural home in Kent. And things go from bad to worse when Autumn is involved in an accident during the move, leaving the village’s dashing new baker Jake in plaster cast, and making her a local outcast before she’s even unpacked her bags.

Determined to put things right, Autumn offers to help Jake in the bakery over the summer holidays. But as things heat up in the kitchen, Autumn can’t help noticing that Jake is a lot more Paul Hollywood and a lot less Mr Kipling than she originally thought.

Maybe this summer isn’t such a write off after all?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Summer, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance

280 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

Phoebe MacLeod is married and lives just outside Sevenoaks in Kent. She has two grown-up sons at university, and a disobedient dog. She enjoys reading, cooking, playing the piano and walking the dog. She’s also keen on vintage and classic cars and can often be seen behind the wheel of her own classic - a 1928 Ford Model A.

Reviews

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet lil country romance with characters that were easy to like.

I'm notoriously bad at sticking with e-books, but this one was easy enough to hold my attention and allow me to finish it.

I'm not big on romance, but every now and then I don't mind a bit of fluff in my book diet and this just hit the spot nicely. Helps that the title was needed for a group challenge!

This sets up the city girl in the small town after her life is upended, and it's a trope that always works for me. In this instance, I found Autumn really easy to like, because instead of complaining and wallowing she just gets on with things.

The pace was fast and the story did feel like it was rushing moments sometimes - time passed very quickly - but I honestly didn't mind that at all. I wasn't looking for a great amount of depth from these characters, so what I got was enough.

It did feel a little too easy, and things just seemed to fall into place readily, but again, my standards were low so I wasn't too concerned. I was happy to just go along with things.

This ended up being a fun read that kept me invested and entertained. I'd recommend it for readers looking for some light 'chick lit' reading to pass the time.

With thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book seesawed too much for me. I just didn’t think parts were realistic. And I thought the grandmother character was off putting after a while. We do get a HEA though.

Full Review:

I honestly that this book just didn't work truly in the end. We follow 33 year old Autumn who is happily living with her long running partner of 18 years, Marc. Autumn and Marc have a 18 year old daughter named Chloe and though they got together very young (when Autumn became pregnant at 15) they see a light at the end of the tunnel with Autumn's new promotion at work which means they can finally find a place to buy. Things go south though when Marc disappears and leaves a note which results in Autumn and Chloe having to move in with Autumn's mother and realize that the best laid plans of mice and mice often go awry.

I don't know. The romance that Autumn wanted didn't feel organic. Just shoehorned in. And it felt like the last thing she cared about and it just didn't work since there were so many other bigger issues going on. I also thought there was a big hole with regards to Marc. There's no final resolution there in the epilogue. I think there should have been something mentioned.

I will say that MacLeod seems to love 18 months later epilogues that works for me though. I always call BS when there's a HEA after like 2 months.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Autumn and Marc had been high school sweethearts and became a couple early when she became pregnant. Chloe is almost sixteen and Autumn was beginning a new position of Deputy Head at the London school where she taught. She wants to buy a house and move out of the rental flat. Marc puts her off saying that they have to wait until she starts her new job. It's summer and one morning, when she gets up, she notices a letter by the front door addressed to her from Marc. He's gone, leaving behind everything except the clothes on his back, taking half of their savings. He felt trapped and needed to get away. This throws Autumn's and Chloe's life into turmoil. They end up moving in with her mother in rural Kent. The day they arrive, there is an accident and the local baker ends up in the hospital after riding his bike into Autumn's car. Trying to make amends, although it wasn't her fault, she offers to help in the bakery until he can run it himself. What happens next is a summer where both she and Chloe settle into the village. Can they find happiness in their new life?

This is a story of betrayal, family, new beginnings, community and romance. Everyone knows everyone's business in this village, but the gossip is like playing telephone. By the time everyone hears the news, it isn't anything like it was at the start. I really liked Autumn and Chloe. They have a great relationship, and although Chloe is a teenager, she didn't take out her father's abandonment on her mother. She wasn't happy about the move, but she moves on pretty quickly, perhaps because she had just ended a relationship in London. Jake was a character that had been through a lot and was pretty level headed. He was sure that any kind of relationship between him and Autumn had a lot of bumps and roadblocks they would need to get over. I loved Autumn's mom. I wish she had been my mom. She was refreshing, honest and not naïve in the least. As in any small town or village, there are a lot of quirky and eccentric secondary characters that add much to this story. As they all moved forward into a new beginning, I smiled and rooted for them to have a happy ending. The only thing that kept me from giving this one 5 stars is that Autumn moved on pretty quickly after being devastated by Marc's disappearance. An enjoyable story, with great characters, an engaging plot and an uplifting ending. If you enjoy women's fiction, romance and family stories, then I recommend this one to you.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another quick and free kindle read. Read most of this in Richmond Park - my absolute fave place 🦌🌲

I really liked the start of this and the premise, I was like whaaaaat where’d he go?? But as the book went on, it lost me. I wasn’t convinced by the male lead, he never seemed keen on her at all and was full of excuses. (Where the strong confident male lead at??) Autumn was jumping through unrealistic hoops for him, when in reality your trust in people would be 0% after what happened to her.

Not my fave.

[Gemma B-C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was a bit hard to get through, just didn’t have much going for it. No chemistry between the characters and a flat ending.

[Annalise Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick heart warming romance. The pacing is steady, and there was a lot to hold my attention. The small-town charm and quirkiness were really well done. I thought all the town’s people added an extra layer of fabulous entertainment and humour

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I found this book to be quiet fast paced in my opinion.. I DIDNT really feel any emotional connection to either of the characters and I find the 2 mains had almost no chemistry at all.. everything just happened so fast.. they were very cute with each other at times but I just didn’t feel much of anything.

[Paula Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars … solid cheesy romance book but I didn't feel any tension between the main characters… maybe because they’re old idk 🤷‍♀️

[M Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

My Not So Perfect Summer was a cute read by Phoebe Macleod that had took me for a fun ride.

Autumn and her daughter Chloe are left by Marc as he suddenly realizes the life they were building is not the one he wants and have no option but to move back with Autumn’s mother to her sleepy little village. This isn’t a book where you’re tense about a rebuilding of relationships between Autumn and her mother, it just enhanced the overall book. Like a few romances in one story it was a joy to see how everything turns out for our characters.

I did wish the relationship between Autumn and her love interest, Jake, was further explored as I didn’t really get a chance to fully connect with Jake. Despite that I think this is a quick and easy read many will enjoy!

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very cute.

After receiving a promotion that will make her able to buy a home in London, the h is left by her long-term boyfriend*(the father of her 15-year-old daughter) in a brutally selfish way that cost her her job, savings, and apartment.

She needs to re-build her life, something that includes a relocation from London to the country where she ends up living with her wonderfully supportive mom and daughter. She makes all the right decisions and when the boyfriend comes crawling back, she handles it just as she should.

This is charming, light, and sweet. It’s a fairly familiar plot, but this is an enjoyable little escape.

* The h is intelligent and not exactly naïve, but the fact that she didn’t see anything wrong with being in a 15+ year relationship with no commitment made me wonder if she had any friends. Someone should’ve clued her into the fact that he wasn’t committed to her in the truest way.

I know, I know, there are some couples that just don’t believe in marriage blah blah blah perfectly happy blah blah blah blah mutual respect blah blah blah marriage is just a piece of paper blah blah blah, but at least in my world, guys who will not marry you after a decade and a child are not worth having. I said what I said.

[Faye Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audiobook of My (Not-So) Perfect Summer - it spent a bit of time showing what Autumn's normal life is like in central London, before Autumn's long-term boyfriend of 18 years, Marc, unexpectedly leaves her, taking half of their savings with him. This forces Autumn to give up her new promotion, resign from her job, and move herself and her daughter Chloe into her mum's new house in rural Kent. 

When he did up and leave, I felt the shock that Autumn was feeling, even though I knew it was coming from the blurb. It was a massive betrayal, and premeditated to boot. After all of that, the story moved really quickly. Marc leaving his partner and teenage daughter without warning was a pretty harsh plot point, so the pivot to optimistic life-do-over was done really well. I'd say it was just as much about Autumn and her daughter Chloe finding out what they want in their new lives as it was about the new (no-spice) romance with baker Jake. It was a cute and really easy listen that I binged in one listening session on 3x speed.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute one from Phoebe. I like the mother daughter relationship and allowing the daughter to grow. The dad needed someone to punch him. How could he not recognise he was in the wrong and did not deserve to come back wtf. I was fuming

[Linzi Roe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cutesy, easy read but lacked substance. Didn't love the MMC, he was lacking in personality and I just don't feel like we truly got a build up of their "love". It did get me out of my reading slump so I'm grateful for that.

[Rena Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This book was quiet a story, I enjoyed reading it. I love where this book was set in London with a small town feel. The romance of this book was sweet and fun.

[Yasmin Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summer read, worth reading. :)

[Millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good holiday read

[Charlotte Dorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe 3.5 ⭐️’s? it was a cute wholesome little read that was easy and quick. defs not the best book i’ve ever read but it was nice

[Taylor James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Quite light-hearted. Will definitely give more of Phoebe’s books a go in between thrillers!

[Alicia Kirkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but quick and fun with likable characters! Perfect for a lighthearted summer read!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. From the beginning I was pretty hooked and had to know what would happen as it progressed. I'm very happy how it all turned out and the characters were delightful! I loved the FMC and all the little things that happened. It was a cosy read during a difficult time <3

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading book, with a lovely story line.

[paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's cute!

[Megs · Rating 3 out of 5]

audiobook read - cute countryside romance that I have to say was a little cringeworthy and cliche at times. likeable concept with easy to like characters. if I’d have read it a few years ago I would have loved it but I feel as though I’ve read much better romances recently.

[Rah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Autumns life partner up and leaves with half of their life savings, abandoning her and their teenage daughter. They had their child very early in life and it seems it became too much for him and he leaves without a hint or a word. Even though Autumn just received a new job title and a raise, she cannot afford to live in London on her income alone, so her and her daughter move to the country with her mother. She’s lost her love, her job and her home, how much worse can it get?

More of just a story, than a rom com or even rom, Autumn attempts to move onward in a new place after a big hurt. Nice female relationships between three generations of a family. The characters were all okay, they were good but just missing some sort of oomph to get me to fully love them. The timeline was also a little off, was it 6 weeks or 8? And had it been a few months or a year? So the title of the perfect summer was a little confusing. Predictable and just a little slow or my liking.

[Katie Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Arc Review*

Thank you net galley and Pheobe Macleod for letting me read the arc copy.

This was a cute read that had some real life situations mixed in. Autumn and Marc being teen parents and Marc feeling like he missed many opportunities in life raising his child. Autumn having to figure out how she is going to make things financially work and moving back home with her mom.

I enjoyed reading the story plot and loved when she was working in the bakery with Jake. You could see their relationship blossoming. Once she left the bakery though, it was harder to see any connection going on. Despite it moving fast in the end, it was a cute small town bakery rom com and I believe people will enjoy it!

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I’ve never read anything before by this author so as always with a new author to me I never know what to expect. Well in this instance I had nothing to fear as this was an absolute joy to read. My usual go to book genre is crime and psychological thrillers so this one being a romantic comedy was like a breath of fresh air. Right from the very start I could feel myself being pulled into the storyline and throughout the book there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. It’s a bit predictable at times but still a really enjoyable read with a great cast of characters.

[Hannah Killgore · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I want to sincerely thank NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book started off promising but quickly lost its footing. The characters lacked depth and growth. I formed no emotional attachment to them. I wanted to know more about Jake especially. I didn’t really see or feel the characters falling in love which was disappointing. It was a quick, easy read and had SO much potential but fell utterly flat.

[Jes Struckhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book incredibly frustrating. The majority of the book felt like it was on the edge of a good story and we just never got there. The women in the book had such depth and room for a longer more detailed plot but the story abruptly ends and I was unsatisfied. The male love interest in this book had potential but there was not enough time built into their story. I was hoping for more!

[Claire Stastka · Rating 3 out of 5]

husband leaves, wife lives with mom and works at bakery