Summer Official

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Opposites attract in this contemporary, sweet, sapphic romance about two girls who reluctantly come together for a summer challenge.

Heaven and Saylor could not be more different. Saylor is bubbly, popular, athletic, and always partnered up. Heaven is grumpy and artistic, prefers her skateboard to people, and has never dated anyone. So no one would believe they’d agree to spend the entire summer together.

Yet, that’s exactly what happened. When Saylor Ford breaks her arm at Basketball camp, distracted by her mom’s internet fame discussing Saylor’s newfound sexuality, she becomes determined not to spend the summer stuck at home with the woman. Her one saving grace is a girl she’s pretty sure can’t stand her but that she finds absolutely irresistible. Heaven Goo-Campbell. Thankfully, Heaven is willing to let Saylor in on her Summer Bingo challenge, but for a price. Saylor has to help Heaven establish a social media page showcasing her art for her future career as a tattoo artist.

They didn’t plan on the intimacy of spending each day together and the deepening feelings that followed. Soon, they become something more than a shared project. But can the girls even have a future together when Saylor is wary of bringing their relationship out into the light—too afraid that her mom’s status as a popular influencer will give Saylor and timid Heaven more attention than they can handle?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Lesbian, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer, Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

After years of meddling in her friends’ love lives, Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance to get her fix. Raised in Southern New Hampshire, Rebekah Weatherspoon now lives in Southern California where she will remain forever because she hates moving.

Her BDSM romance At Her Feet won the Golden Crown Literary Award for erotic lesbian fiction. Her novella FIT (#1 in the FIT Trilogy) won the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Erotica Novella, SATED (#3 in the FIT Trilogy) was nominated for the the Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Digital Erotic Romance and most recently SOUL TO KEEP VSS#3 won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Erotica.

Her 2018 romantic comedy RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny received praise from both Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. You can look for her most recent romantic comedy XENI : A Marriage of Inconvenience now, and a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, A COWBOY TO REMEMBER, late February 2020 from Kensington Books. In the meant time, you can find Rebekah and her books on twitter at @rdotspoon and her website www.rebekahweatherspoon.com,

Reviews

[anzhelika ୨ৎ]

pre-read:
this looks so cute! really excited to read it 🤭

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Rebekah Weatherspoon for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, first of all, this book features one of my favorite lines ever:

"I never regret a cake run. If you're queer, you deserve cake. I feel like that should be a rule..."

I would get this on a t-shirt if I could. Hard agree.

Overall, this is a lovely YA lesbian romance. Sporty Saylor breaks her arm at basketball camp, dooming her to a summer spent with her influencer mom who dominates her life. She turns to Heaven, an acquaintance; through their parents Saylor knows that Heaven's father has created a summer bingo challenge to entertain her (and force her out of her shell). Saylor wants in to avoid her mother. Anxious, artistic Heaven isn't so sure about having a "plus one," until Saylor agrees to help Heaven with the social media required in her quest to be a tattoo artist.

What I loved about this story is that it truly evokes the longing, yearning, and excitement that comes with your first youthful teenage (queer) romance. Truly, this story took me back. It also captures the fear that accompanies falling for the first time, too.

The bigger issue here is Saylor's awful mom, who is pretty horrible with her influencer lifestyle, even using Saylor's coming out by posting about it. Her actions keep Saylor from wanting to truly to commit to anything or anyone. I really felt for this kid!

Perhaps my only hesitation here is that the story wraps up a little too easily (thank goodness Heaven has good parents), but I'll grant that it's a teen romance: we deserve a HEA! I also wish I'd realized there was a first book in this series, featuring some oft mentioned friends, as it would have provided a little context, even though this can definitely stand-alone.

Still, this is a great YA story and a truly thoughtful lesbian romance!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group / G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in return for an unbiased review.

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Teen, Penguin Young Readers Group, & PRH Audio for the ARC ALC, all opinions are my own. :

This was a really cute & quick read/listen! 🥰

I really adored Saylor & Heaven, both secretly crushing on one another and neither thinking the other would be interested 🥹 I loved the development of their friendship, and more, as they spent time together.

I also loved how they were figuring out their paths, which is such a common element of teen years.

I also appreciated the messaging behind what it means to be online - Saylor’s mom is an “influencer” and we can see the impact that has on her children, and how negative the Internet can be when Heaven starts posting her art as well.

🎧 I really enjoyed the narration by Brie Carter & CJ Locks, both fit their characters personalities well.

✦ tropes & stuff:
☀️ summer bingo
🌦 grumpy sunshine
🙃 opposites attract
🎨 artist + athlete
❤️‍🩹 sports injury
🤫 secret crushes
💞 dual 1st person pov

🎧 audio + ebook | ⭐️: 5 | 🌶️: closed door |

📖 Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon
💜: contemporary YA romance (ff)
🎙 narrated by: Brie Carter & CJ Locks

*Connect with Me*
🤍 Instagram 🤍 Blog 🤍

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounding up! very cute, easy reading.

[Jess Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an ARC from NetGalley, to be published April 2026

3.5 Star rounded up

If I was younger this would have been a 5 star 100%

I found this book really refreshing, lately I have been reading a lot of books and finding that the internal thoughts of the characters aren’t matching the age they are supposed to be. With Summer Official I felt like I was really in the 17 year old mindset throughout both Heaven and Saylor’s chapters. It was a great insight into the minds of LGBTQIA teens who are trying to navigate the reality of a first queer relationship in the society we live in currently.

I think the contrasts of the families and the contrast of outside pressures on the two girls was dealt with beautifully and showed the complexities of coming out as well as the complexities of your first love in such great detail that I felt like I was back in that headspace again.

I think this is a wonderful book for YA teens and I highly recommend it to anyone around that age wondering how to deal with their inner emotions.

So grateful to have received this early

[hailey ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the eARC! Always greatly appreciated.

3.75 ⭐️

This book was so cute! I liked the fact that it was a soft, sweet, and acquaintances-to-friends-to-lovers lesbian YA romance with two girls of color (Heaven is mixed with Asian and Black and Saylor is mixed with Black and White). Even though I liked reading about their summer, I wished the romance happened a little sooner than later, and that the bigger conflict happened sooner as well. I felt like the ending was kind of rushed, like I really wanted to see how their summer and fall were going to go but I understand it was supposed to be just the summer. I also feel like I would've liked it a lot more if I was younger, which isn't a slight at all, more so that this book is very YA and I read a lot of new adult and adult sapphic books. Getting to know the characters Heaven and Saylor and slowly start to notice their friendship and then relationship start to build was really fun, I just wish the timeline was a bit longer to experience their relationship more instead of just their friendship. If you're looking for a YA summery sapphic romance that features two young mixed black girls, I'd recommend!

[Justine]

OH MY GOD NEW REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON AND ITS A SAPPHIC ROMANCE!?!?!?!

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saylor's summer plans are ruined when she breaks her arm at basketball camp and is stuck at home with her mega-influencer mother, doomed to be a content creator until school starts again. Heaven's summer is looking a little different. She is preparing to become an intern at a tattoo shop, and is also planning to complete the bingo game her father puts together for her each year. But she's feeling very overwhelmed, even just with the thought of having to post her work on Instagram. When they run into each other at the store, Saylor decides to ambush Heaven and ask if she can tag along on her bingo quest. Saylor gets to avoid her mother, and in return she promises to help Heaven with all the business-related/extroverted stuff she needs to do. Of course, as the summer goes on and they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly and feelings grow.

This was a really sweet sapphic romance by the outstanding Rebekah Weatherspoon. She is better known for her spicier stories, but she really nails the tone in this one. We have mostly good parents, mostly good friends, and mostly good people. After some of the darker books I've read recently, this one was sweetness and light and everything I needed for the beginning of warmer weather.

[Cally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one is very cute, and a great fit for YA readers. I think the way the characters acted and felt, the problems they faced, and solutions were very realistic to teenagers, which is great to see. There's a lot of YA books I've read where the characters act far too old, and this one strikes a great balance.

I particularly loved the way that Heaven and Saylor pined for each other, it was adorable to watch their crushes on each other grow the longer they spent together.

I also enjoyed the idea of the summer bingo assignment, that sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.

My only complaint is that I wish we had gotten to see the reactions from the friends, it teased it at the end and I wish we'd gotten to see the actual reveal.

Overall, a fun and cute sapphic summer read perfect for YA readers. 4.2/5 stars!

[Selena Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. i was in it for the relatively innocent crushing for a little bit and then it was just like…..is this what kid/YA books are coming to? i LOVE that there are options with queer representation, but come ON. the writing itself was far from quality, even for a younger age group. the plot was fine, the bingo was cute, although the conflict with the saylor’s mom was just like…..do we not have bigger fish to fry in this world? idk maybe im too old to judge fairly. on that note, i don’t know if this book knows exactly what its audience is because it was straddling the line between closed-door intimacy and intensely frequent making out. all is fine and well but idk what age group would even mesh with this. also heaven’s home life was quite possibly the most unrealistic thing i have EVER heard. anyways, it was cute and gave me something to read so ill take it.

[Keisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This is an adorable, sapphic opposites attract YA novel. Already having secret crushes on each other, Heaven and Saylor agree to team up and help each other out regarding their respective dilemmas. This includes navigating social anxiety and parental boundaries when it comes to social media. There were bursts of confidence intermingling with insecurities. I loved that the characters acted like actual teenagers.

Characters from Weatherspoon's book 'Her Good Side' make appearances in Summer Official.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC

[Brooke! · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so so so cute!!! if you’re looking for the perfect sapphic romance that just brings you so much joy this is it!!! saylor and heavens bingo challenge is amazing!!! the end of this book was very very full circle to it and i love reading it! make sure to read this when it comes out next month!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved everything Rebekah Weatherspoon has written and her YA books are no exception. I love that her characters are layered and the reader is learning about each person along with the love interest in the book. This story had a really fun plot- unlike anything I have seen done before. I loved the friendships and family dynamics. I rarely read YA romance, but this series is an exception. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was the perfect way to unwind and relax. I couldn’t put it down.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa Marie Tedesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little read! It was great to end the summer with. I enjoyed it very much. It’s nice to find something pretty low stakes and queer these days!

[Emmalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have high expectations for a book written by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Summer Official exceeded them and now I know my expectations weren’t high enough. I fell in love with Saylor and Heaven quickly and enjoyed reading about their developing friendship and romance. This is a lovely slow-burn, introvert/extrovert, acquaintances to lovers romance.

I want to talk about cake in a minute. The book starts with Saylor finding out her mother, a momfluencer, has posted a video crying with joy that Saylor has come out to her. Saylor is so distracted she trips over her own feet and breaks her arm, ending her planned basketball summer camp. Heaven’s summer plans are playing her father’s Summertime Bingo Challenge and getting up the courage to allow herself and her art to be perceived. In a desperate attempt to avoid getting dragged into making content with her mom, Saylor asks Heaven to let her join the Bingo Challenge, and in return, will help her with the social media and socializing. (Saylor also wants to get over her crush on Heaven). Heaven reluctantly agrees, rather concerned that Saylor’s energy will overwhelm her. (And also a little concerned that Saylor might figure out that Heaven’s tummy has butterflies whenever they’re together.) Saylor has the emotional intelligence to know when she needs to give Heaven quiet and space.

Ok. Cake! Now we get to the cake. Saylor confesses that her mother’s video about her coming out made her feel like something had been taken away. Heaven takes Saylor to a store to buy a slice of rainbow cake as a celebration that’s just for her.

We head back out to the parking lot, where Heaven opens the trunk of her car and places my slice of cake in its container on the flat surface. She sticks a candle in, lights it, and then holds it up for me to blow out.

“Happy Pride, you pretty princess. Welcome to the club.”

“Thanks. Should I make a wish?”
“Why not?”

I feel Heaven watching me as I squeeze my eyes shut. It’s silly but I make a wish. I don’t go full delulu and wish for the thing I want at that moment—for Heaven to kiss me. That’s a fanfic wish. Something that will never happen. She’s just tolerating me at the moment. So I go for something a little more practical. I open my eyes and then blow the candle out.

“Congratulations,” Heaven says, handing the slice back. “You’re gay.”

“Thanks. It feels so official now.”

I was already enjoying this book, but this moment is where I fell in love. It shows so much about who the girls are and why they fit together. Weatherspoon beautifully balances the sweet and the serious here. Your average teenager is struggling to establish themselves as a separate person from their parents, but on top of that Saylor feels like her life is being fed to strangers. Heaven hears Saylor’s feelings and buys her a piece of rainbow cake. It’s sweet and fluffy. The girls are funny. But underneath that are some very hurt feelings and some astute care-taking. They are each dealing with some serious issues, but they treat each other with care and kindness.

I received this as an advance reader copy from G. B. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

[kay.grace424 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m honestly not sure how to feel.

All of my thoughts rest on what the target audience is, because it is unclear to me. If the target audience is late middle school, I think this book fits well. If it’s intended for the age of the characters in the story, 17-year-olds/seniors in high school, then this book was written too young for it to fit that demographic. It’s been a few years since I was 17, but I know for a fact that if I read this at that age, I would’ve assumed it was for a younger audience. Which, again, if that’s the target audience, then it fits. It’s just hard to tell.

I read a review that said this accurately depicted what it was like to be 17, and I can’t help but disagree. Again, it’s been a bit since I was 17, but I was definitely having more complex thoughts on the regular than these characters were. Their thoughts were very surface-level, and I felt that they didn’t accurately depict what it’s like to be in the mind of a late teenager. The sentences themselves were pretty clunky as well and often not related to the ones around them, suffering from a lack of natural flow. Hence, I think the target audience might be younger.

In terms of plot, it was fine. The ending wrapped up way quicker than I was expecting, and it was so jarring; all of a sudden, the book was over. There were not really any huge plot points to begin with, except for Saylor’s conflict with her mom, which was resolved very quickly. Generally, this was very low on plot and high on young, teenage-romance vibes.

A message of the book, besides the romance, is the dangers of family vlogging and of being an influencer parent. The reason Saylor gets into bingo in the first place is that, after finding herself stuck at home for the summer, she wants to avoid being forced to be in her mom’s content. I personally am in the camp of considering family vlogging/influencing a form of child abuse, so I could really get behind the main message of the story. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, it’s definitely a conflict or aspect of a story I haven’t really read before, which I found interesting, and provides a unique parent-child conflict. I think that is the book's main unique story idea.

Again, all of my thoughts rest on who the target audience is. If it’s later middle schoolers (12-14), I think this book fits that demographic well and is a cute and lovely sapphic romance between two biracial girls, which could be some amazing representation. If the target audience is the characters' age, I think it will read juvenile, as it did for me. I’ve never felt more aware of not being in the target age demographic of a book than this one. I’d recommend this for children in that younger group, and not really anyone else, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the advanced copy! I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.

I think this book may have been written specifically for me. It is exactly to my tastes. It is absolutely everything I have ever wanted in a YA novel, and I do think if I had read it in my teens instead of my twenties it would have immutably altered my brain chemistry.

For the first few chapters of this book, I wasn't one hundred percent sold on the premise: brooding emo skater girl Heaven teams up with bubbly influencer's daughter Saylor to start her social media for her future tattooing career. It was unique, yes, but I wasn't sure the two leads were going to mesh well as characters. Fortunately, I was wrong. Heaven and Saylor complement each other perfectly. As they grow closer, it becomes more and more obvious they're two sides of the same coin, two halves of one soul. Which seems like a crazy statement to make about a high school romance, but seriously, Rebekah Weatherspoon's writing is so good, so convincing, that I do genuinely believe these teenage girls are meant to be.

Also, I absolutely loved that even though this is a super warm book with a lot of heart, it's not without conflict and it's not super fluffy. There's a few different conflicts: the girls defining their relationship, Saylor's issues with her mother and sisters, Heaven's struggles at gaining exposure as a future tattoo apprentice, both girls reckoning with being mixed race while gaining (sometimes negative) online exposure. The story manages to be grounded and realistic but still comforting without being saccharine.

I also really enjoyed the extended cast and the relationships the girls had with them! Heaven's parents are delightful, quirky, and supportive, Saylor's are complex and flawed but still loving, and their shared friend group is a cast of characters - if the author writes more books set in this universe, I'd love to read them. The skate church, the tattooist culture, the queer joy: I just love it all.

This is one of the best YA books I've ever read, and I cannot wait to read the other books by Rebekah Weatherspoon. If they're half as good as this, they will be fantastic.

[Delaney (flairforfiction) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know what I expected from this book, aside from it being a cute YA f/f contemporary.

It started off really well, with the two characters seriously crushing on each other and thinking it was unrequited. But then it just kind of kept doing that over and over again? I felt like half the book was just the two characters talking about how much they liked each other but not expressing their feelings to one another. And then once they did express their feelings, nothing really happened. The two of them just kind of kept it secret but still went about doing their bingo challenge. There was no real tension or plot imo other than the fact that Saylor’s mom kept bothering them with content creation, but even that wasn’t really handled well to me. It was talked about endlessly, but nothing was really done about it for the majority of the novel. And even when something was done about it, it was handled in like five seconds, so the culmination of it felt so rushed. I just didn’t feel any sense of relief from all that we had to hear about it and wish we could have had more of a resolution or something more from how her mom handled being told she was kind of being too much with her content creation. Even Saylor’s reaction just seemed like a nothing reaction. And the ending even felt kind of abrupt. I didn’t even realize the book was over until I turned the page and was at the acknowledgments. I wish we could have had just something MORE.

Overall, I just felt like this book just sort of went around in circles. It just kept repeating the same things endlessly and I didn’t feel like it really had any plot to follow. It was nice that the girls didn’t really have any big problems between them, as opposed to a big fight or a third act breakup or something, but there didn’t seem to be any storyline because of that. I wish there had been more plot, aside from the bingo challenge, because I was honestly kind of bored with everything. The book itself wasn’t bad, but it just felt just okay. I don’t really feel like I can recommend it though.

[tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Random House for my physical ARC!

Summer Official surrounds Saylor & Heaven through their bingo-filled summer filled with love, friendship and family drama. Saylor breaks her arm and is stuck at home with her mother who is a mega influencer all summer. Saylor has an existing crush on Heaven and is hoping to spend more time with her. Heaven is looking forward to a chill summer where she partakes in her dads bingo game while also growing her tattoo porfolio. Saylor manages to convince Heaven to hang out with her all summer; Saylor will help Heaven complete bingo while also growing her tattoo social media account in exchange for Heaven getting Saylor away from her influencer mother and her millions of follwers. The girls knock out the bingo challenges one by one, while inevitably falling in love with each other. Heaven's upcoming career and passion as a tattoo artist begins to flourish with Saylors help. Saylor gains the courage to confront her mom about no longer wanting to be in her online content anymore. All while they learn to manage their first real wlw relationship.

I think this can be appealing to a young audience who is trying to find themselves or is newly discovering their LGBTQ+ identity. It is a very short and fun romance tailored to a younger audience. It introduces early ways to embark in a relationship with someone of the same sex & how to navigate telling your family while also juggling self love and discovery.

It was a short easy read and I am sure I would've liked something like this when I was younger. I appreciate the representation for the LGBTQ+ community :) Especially for a younger audience this is targetted for which may need help from books like this, to introduce wlw relationships and navigating these things with families

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Sheila. I love this book!

This was a highly anticipated release for me, so I’m actually unbelievably excited that I got to read it early!
Just look at that cover.

Truly the best way to describe this story is just pure, sweet, cute, summery young adult romance.
The atmosphere is just so good here. I feel 16 again. Literally.

This is one of those books that isn’t completely “groundbreaking” or emotional, and it doesn’t make you think a lot. But not in a bad way!
It gave me pretty much exactly what I was hoping to get from it. It’s just fun, you know?
A light and super comforting read for the summertime.

Saylor and Heaven are both adorable.
Genuinely just two nice, unproblematic, and honestly really mature-seeming teenagers. Which I think is definitely a rarity for YA fiction!
I also really liked the underlying message of protecting teens online.
Saylor’s mom is an influencer, basically one of those “mommy bloggers”. And this story addresses the problem of minors being used by adults to gain a following on social media, and some of the ways that it can impact their personal lives and emotional wellbeing.
I can’t believe this is the first time I have encountered this in a book! Seeing how relevant it is in current times.
It gives some good perspective, in a sort of casual way.

This has to get 5 stars from me, considering I can’t think of a single complaint to give.
It’s simple, quick, and cute.
I definitely could have finished this in a single sitting if I’d tried to!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and author Rebekah Weatherspoon for providing me with the eARC of “Summer Official” in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: April 14, 2026

[Natasha P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into Summer Official hoping for a cute YA sapphic romance, and what I got was something that completely stole my heart. From the very first page, I was hooked, and somehow the story just kept getting sweeter, deeper, and more emotionally resonant as it went along. This is that perfect kind of slow burn—soft, yearning, and loaded with just enough angst to make every moment of connection feel earned.
Saylor and Heaven are truly opposites in the best way. Saylor’s bubbly, golden-retriever energy paired with Heaven’s grumpy, artistic, socially anxious introversion creates a dynamic that is powerful. Their relationship unfolds naturally as they spend long summer days together working on Heaven’s art and navigating the messiness of viral fame, identity, and fear of being seen. The tenderness between them? Immaculate. I loved how the romance never rushed itself, instead letting trust, attraction, and vulnerability build page by page.
What really elevates this book is the care poured into its representation. The BIPOC and queer rep is thoughtful and unapologetic, the social anxiety portrayal feels genuine and compassionate, and the body diversity is refreshingly normalized. Add in supportive friends and family, and you’ve got a world that feels warm, safe, and real—without losing emotional stakes.
I adored this story. Truly. I already know this is one I’ll be rereading when I need comfort, softness, and a reminder of how beautiful the world can be.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#SummerOfficial
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the eARC.

I went back and forth on this one the whole time. I’d probably give it a 2 star rating for myself personally, but for its actual audience, a 3 star rating is fair.

The setup is honestly really good. Saylor’s dealing with her mom basically outing her to the internet, breaks her arm, and ends up stuck for the summer with Heaven, who is very much the opposite of her (quiet, grumpy, artist, does not want to deal with people). The forced proximity + athlete x artist dynamic works, and I was into their tension at the start.

But the voice… it’s very YA. Like to the point where some of the dialogue felt overdone and a little unnatural (“what’s popping” type of lines). It pulled me out of scenes that were supposed to feel more grounded.

That said, I do think part of this is just that I’m not really the target audience. This feels aimed more at early high school readers—like 14–15—and I can see it working a lot better there. So it’s not necessarily a writing issue as much as a mismatch for me.

I did like what it was trying to do beyond the romance. The stuff about coming out publicly, being biracial, and especially having a parent who turns your life into content was interesting and felt relevant. I just wish the writing matched the weight of those topics more consistently.

The relationship has its moments but the ending felt rushed. It wraps up really quickly after taking its time getting there.

Overall, super easy to read, and I can see it landing well for a younger YA audience

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for this ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

Saylor has her summer all planned out packed with different summer camps to keep her away from her influencer mother and free from making content but one wrong step on the basketball court leads to a broken arm and a summer back at home. Saylor finds out that her crush, Heaven, will be doing her annual summer bingo and latches on to it as a way to get out of the house. Heaven isn’t sure if she wants to let Saylor join her adventure but when Saylor offers to help Heaven start her art account to start preparing for her tattoo apprenticeship she has no choice but to say yes. Will all the time spent together lead to something more?

This was so cute! I loved how vulnerable Saylor and Heaven get to be with each other in this book. Both of them having things they’re insecure about or wanting to change and together they help each other find confidence in themselves. I really appreciated the commentary of the momfluencer aspect and the need for autonomy for children in an online space. It’s not easy to touch on issues that heavy and still have a book that feels so light and easy but Weatherspoon made it look effortless. Definitely pick up this YA summer romance for the young folks in your life.

[Elysha Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Official follows Saylor and Heaven. After breaking her arm at basketball summer camp, Saylor is desperate to get away from her influencer mother and the constant content creation. Enter Heaven, Saylor’s crush, who’s doing a summer bingo that her father does every year. Saylor asks to join in the bingo game in exchange for helping Heaven with her social media for her tattoo career.

This is a very cute high school sapphic romance. I loved the forced proximity aspect but also how both Saylor and Heaven help each other out.

Saylor is very outgoing but doesn’t want to be the centre of her influencer mom’s social media over the summer. She also doesn’t know how to escape it. On the other hand, there is Heaven who is very introverted and shy but has to start doing social media to get her name out there as a future tattoo artist.

I liked both the girls journey’s throughout the book but especially Heaven’s as she works on getting more confident. I also like both of them dealing with their families and family expectations, albeit in differ ways.

A very sweet and quick sapphic YA romance read.

Thank you to the NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[charmette.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Official is a sapphic YA romance by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Saylor and Heaven are high school students home for the summer, and end up teaming up to complete a summer bingo challenge. Saylor is popular and bubbly, and Heaven is quiet and artistic. Both secretly have a crush on the other, and they have a blast on their adventures together.

This book really felt like a YA novel: the dual narration by Saylor and Heaven are authentically in a teenager’s voice. Their thoughts, observations and banter are truly in a teen’s POV. They are very different from each other, but genuinely love being around each other. As each other’s first love, their feelings are pure and sweet.

Summer Official is all about learning who you are and how you fit into your family and the world. It was a positive portrayal of coming out as a Queer teen and also a commentary on the reality of growing up in the social media spotlight as the daughter of an influencer. I loved how supportive Saylor and Heaven’s families and friends were of them. Saylor and Heaven’s romance is a tender, coming-of-age love story, and it is a fun read.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Carly Molinar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and cozy sapphic summertime romance.

When Saylor has a major sports accident derailing her summer plans, she’ll do anything to avoid her social media content-crazy mother. Even going as far as begging her secret crush for help. When Heaven is reluctant, a mutually beneficial deal is struck, but neither are prepared for what this summer has in store.

This was equal parts sweet and swoony as well as poignant. Marrying together a first love, opposites attract, charming romance with the reality of some of social media’s negative effects and consent surrounding it. Saylor’s loving yet difficult relationship with her mother broke my heart and was so beautifully portrayed. The coming of age aspects of autonomy and independence were captured perfectly.

Both Saylor and Heaven were lovable, dynamic characters who were impossible not to root for. And in the end, between ice cold Baja Blasts, Skate Church, yearning, first kisses, and navigating growing up, we learn the importance of speaking up for yourself and that there’s no shame in asking for help. A truly beautiful journey.

What you’ll get:
•Sapphic YA Romance
•BIPOC MCs
•Opposites Attract
•Grumpy/Sunshine
•Sports Injury
•Social Media Mom Drama
•Secret Crush(es)
•Making a Deal
•Summer Bingo Project
•Forced Proximity

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It has perfect summer vibes. I really appreciated how Heaven was supported by her friends, family, and community. She was given the space grow and be independent while absolutely feeling comfortable telling her parents when things got to be too much. Saylor is great and has a deeply nuanced relationship with her mother. There are hints of the power imbalance and loss of agency that come with having a white influencer mother. I like that the story points this out and has the space for multiple possible futures with Saylor’s relationship with her mother.

All of this was a backdrop to the perfect summer romance—Saylor has had a crush on Heaven for forever. They are connected by their friend group but haven’t really spent time together. That all changes after Saylor breaks her arm at basketball camp and is over spending the summer as a content creator with her mother. She kind of sort of blackmails Heaven into hanging out with her for the summer. They support each other and help each other grow. All of this is done with so much care, even when they mess up.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[CarlysGrowingTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, summertime teen romance! I really enjoyed the special relationship the two FMC's managed to navigate. Heaven and Saylor honestly could not have been more different, and yet they were alike in so many ways.

This book took me right back to the super strong teen emotions I had for my first love, lol. I really feel like the author captured the intense way that first love is felt. The needing to be together every second, the constant wondering what they're doing, etc. While, it did feel pretty Insta love on both ends, it did take a while for them to warm up to share their feelings so in that aspect, it felt very realistic.

Saylor's mom was infuriating. She was meant to be very irritating so the author definitely got across what she meant to. But seeing how oblivious the mother was to what was going on with her kids and their feelings was super frustrating.

The narration on this was absolutely amazing. It has dual narration and I really am glad I didn't even to read because the narrator did a fantastic job.

thank you to Putnam and PRH Audio for the gifted copies.

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super cute summer romance about two biracial lesbians whose social circles overlap due to their best friends dating and how they end up falling for each other.

I adored Heaven in every single chapter. She's exactly the type of girl I'd have been friends with in high school. Saylor was a little annoying at first, but she grew on me by the halfway point. I love the summer bingo challenge idea and how they worked together to cross off squares. And, while there is a part about keeping the relationship secret, it's not due to ANY homophobia!

There are two things keeping this from a full five-star read. One, the writing seems a little on the young side, but these girls are supposed to be 17. 15-year-old me would have devoured it. Two, the ending. It was anticlimactic and super abrupt. I was fully prepared to keep going with the girls, but it just...stopped. Not even an epilogue.

Otherwise, I had a fun time with this book and would absolutely recommend it for teenagers!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review.

[MICHEAL DOANE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer Official by Rebekah Weatherspoon is a contemporary YA sapphic romance that leans into emotional contrast, character chemistry, and modern identity exploration. The core premise,two opposites navigating forced proximity during a structured summer challenge, creates a natural foundation for both romantic tension and personal growth.

The dynamic between Heaven and Saylor is the novel’s central strength. Their differences in personality, social identity, and emotional expression allow the relationship to develop gradually, with tension built through shared space, vulnerability, and conflicting expectations. The inclusion of creative ambition (tattoo artistry and social media presence) also adds a grounded, contemporary layer that reflects current teen culture and digital identity formation.

From a market perspective, the novel fits strongly within the modern YA romance ecosystem, particularly in the LGBTQ+ and sapphic romance segments that thrive on emotional authenticity and character-driven storytelling. Its accessibility, clear trope structure, and summer setting make it well-positioned for seasonal promotion and platform-based discovery.