The Summer That Changed Everything

by Dani Ryan

A burlesque dancer pretends to be a rich widower for an all-access pass into the belly of the wealthy and privileged for the summer—the Hamptons—and to seek revenge on one billionaire in particular in this romance from #1 Amazon bestselling author Dani Ryan.

He’d never been brought down to his knees by anyone…except her.

Minnie Mills has an intolerance for bratty trust fund babies…especially a privileged Lyons man who turned up his nose at her younger sister. So, one evening when a man walks into the club she works at with a shared axe to grind, she’s intrigued. Even more so when he offers her an opportunity to enter the world of billionaires and egos, all-expenses-paid. On one condition—she spends the summer in the Hamptons, teaching the serial jerk a lesson.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel Lyons is dissatisfied with his role at Lyons Enterprises and wants his father to reconsider him for CEO. Enter Minnie, who his father uses as a bargaining chip. The next thing Nathaniel knows, he’s wagering he is capable of doing what’s right by the family by promising to make the newcomer to the Hamptons his. She’s high society and philanthropic, so together they would be a golden couple and exactly what the Lyons name needs attached to it.

But deceit is a dangerous game, and secrets tend to come out. Even if Minnie and Nathaniel form a genuine connection in the middle of clambakes and yacht rides, the footprints in the sand were already made.

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

#1 Amazon bestselling author duo Dani Ryan is the author of contemporary billionaire romances featuring high-stakes settings and flawed, emotionally relatable characters. When they aren’t penning fictional characters, they are probably with their Iggy, or adding more stunning books to their shelves.

Reviews

[Dani Ryan]

Releasing June 2 <3

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[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This summer novel took place in the Hampton with wealthy, affluent families doing what they do best, socializing, networking and throwing the most lavished parties one could only image.

Enter the FMC, Minnie Mills. Minnie is not rich, not a socialite, nor a philanthropist. She is a dancer, a burlesque dancer as a matter of fact. Minnie is an independent, confident, strong woman with strong bond to her sister, Kitty. When Kitty gets humiliated by a trust fund baby Minnie is not happy and decides to step in, and make things right. She just has to wait for the right time.

So, when she is approached at the club by a man that not only looks but smells of money and has a plan for revenge that pays well, with endless benefits, Minnie couldn’t refuse. Giving her a chance to become one of the elite and live a life she could only dream if she accepted his plan? This gave her the perfect time to make things right as well.

Nathaniel Lyons, the MMC, has a plan of his own- to overthrow the CEO of the family’s company and take the title for himself which he feels he deserves. However, this trust fund baby doesn’t know the secrets and lies that are woven to keep him from just that title.

Nathaniel is self confident, driven, intensely focused, with high emotional control, and an ego that’s off the charts. The Lyons name comes with all the benefits and prestige, that of a billionaires status, and he knows it. He is handsome, suave, very sophisticated, and athletic. He is a polo player and has expensive toys, like a yacht called the Mistress. Nathaniel Lyons has never had a problem getting attention from the opposite sex. Making him one of the sexiest bachelors of his social circles.

This novel has everything you would expect from a contemporary romance. It is well written. The characters are vividly illustrated throughout the book and draws you into their story. I enjoyed not only the twisted tale of deceit and the layers of lies, but seeing Minnie and Nathaniel’s story unfold. What starts out as revenge turns into mutual understanding of life and fate. You watch the HEA build as the two characters spend time together and explore their feeling and desires. This book also includes some of the characters from their Morelli Sisters series, which is an added bonus.

I give this book 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was a great start to my summer collection. If you haven’t preordered or put it on your TBR, do it soon. It’s a must-read! 🔥❤️

Thank you, Dani Ryan, you did not disappoint!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Summer That Changed Everything is a good book overall. The romance and attraction between Nate and Minnie was apparent right away despite their original intentions of wanting to get to know each other. What I struggled with the most while reading was the first half when Minnie befriended Nate's family and friends. The conversations that Minnie had to get closer to Nate's family and friends were a bit dry for my taste, but they did provide context into the kind of person Nate was. I also felt that some of the internal thoughts Minnie had were a bit repetitive when it came to her intentions for getting to know Nate in the first place. Despite this, the second half of the book was so much better, especially when it came to Nate and Minnie actually spending time together. You could tell that both of them genuinely liked each other despite other's impressions of them. I thought that despite the first half of the book, everything came together in the end and truths were revealed in a more civilized manner than what I thought would have happened. The one thing I would have liked to have seen more of was Kitty's role in all of this. Another take away from this book is that you can do everything right to improve your odds of earning what you deserve, but it still won't be enough. At that point, it's just best to take your pride and walk away.

Overall, this book is great for readers who enjoy women seeking revenge only to fall for the person they are seeking revenge on. Highly recommend to readers who enjoy high society, billionaire romance books.

Favorite Quotes:

"Every great family needed a great story and every great story needed a hero and a villain. Subsequently, I was aboard the boat that belonged to the villain."

"She personified something far better than sex or me. She personified opportunity."

"He was the forbidden fruit that I had to wrap my lips around and taste. If I didn't, it felt like I might die."

"I was the type of person who would take a bullet for my man. No questions asked."

Thank you to the author for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A summer romance full of deceit and gossip!

I enjoyed the double deceit on both of their parts. It felt very much like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with her trying to get revenge on him for her sister (and gets some money she desperately needed) while he was vowing to show he could win something (or rather someone) in order to sneak the CEO position out from his brother at the family company. While they both went into it initially with their ulterior motives, they quickly became charmed with one another and it was fun to watch the lines blur.

This was not our first foray with Nate; he was the jerk brother of Red and ex-boyfriend of Jade (my ultimate Dani Ryan girl) from the Morelli Sisters series. I absolutely loved Red and Jade in their book, which meant I hated Nate. I liked getting to see another side of Nate, especially with him actually falling for someone instead of breaking hearts and being a jerk. Getting to see his motives and what caused him to be who he was definitely made me feel bad for the guy and redeemed him a bit.

I enjoyed the deliciously gossipy setting of the Hamptons and all the esteemed families present. I enjoyed seeing and hearing about other Dani Ryan characters from past books I enjoyed, and seeing characters I’m sure are getting their own books soon!

Thank you to Dani Ryan for the eARC! The opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

3.25 stars

[Books_and_coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

⛴️ The Summer that changed everything - ARC Review ⛴️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay but this book was SO addictive 😭 The Hamptons setting, the wealthy elite drama, the tension, the secrets, the revenge plot… I devoured this in one sitting !

First of all, Minnie ? I loved her SO much. She’s confident, sharp, and honestly simply fascinating to follow because she slips into this world of old money and luxury so effortlessly while still staying completely herself. Beneath the glamour and confidence though, there’s also so much heart to her 🥺 I was rooting for her from page one.

And Nate ? Well he’s the kind of MMC you simultaneously want to slap and obsess over. Rich, arrogant, emotionally controlled, convinced he has everything figured out… except he absolutely does not. But seeing the layers slowly peel back? Watching him become softer with Minnie? I ate that up every single time.

And THEIR CHEMISTRY ? The tension was definitely there ! From the banter to the quieter moments on the yacht, everything between them felt so natural and addictive. I especially loved that while the romance was amazing, the story also had so much intrigue woven into it. The twists, the lies, the manipulation, the revenge aspect, it kept me completely hooked !

Thank so much to @authordaniryan and their team for this ARC !

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a messy, addictive, rich-people summer romance and I honestly devoured it 😭✨
Minnie, a burlesque dancer pulled into a revenge scheme, gets dropped straight into Hamptons high society—and the chaos that follows is SO fun to watch unfold. Fake identities, yacht parties, secrets, and billionaire drama? It fully delivered on that indulgent summer read energy.
Minnie was such a standout FMC for me. Confident, adaptable, and completely herself even while navigating a world built on wealth and privilege. And Nate? Arrogant, controlled, emotionally repressed… basically begging to have his entire life disrupted. Watching Minnie slowly chip away at that control was half the fun 😌
The chemistry between them was instant but also layered—what starts as tension and deception slowly turns into something that actually feels real, which made all the drama hit even harder.
The revenge subplot added just enough intrigue to keep everything moving without overshadowing the romance, and the Hamptons setting made it feel extra glamorous and chaotic in the best way.
✨ what to expect ✨
💎 Rich-people drama
🛥️ Yacht parties & summer chaos
🎭 Fake identity
🔥 Enemies-ish to lovers
🖤 Revenge subplot
🌴 Hamptons setting
💋 High tension romance
This is exactly the kind of book that feels like summer in novel form—messy, addictive, and impossible to put down 🌊💖

[Smutty Professor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Summer That Changed Everything was a fabulously messy rich people romance! In this one, Minnie is a burlesque dancer who gets pulled into a revenge scheme that lands her in the middle of Hamptons high society and the Lyons family, where she ends up way too close to Nathaniel Lyons. I loved the fake identity, yacht parties, secrets, and wealthy family drama.

Minnie is confident, smart, and slipped into this world of old money and privilege so naturally and still came across as herself the entire time. Nate was arrogant, emotionally repressed, and way too convinced he had everything under control. The entire time, Minnie was slowly destroying his composure and I completely ate that up. Nom Nom! The chemistry between them was SO good. The tension was there right away, but I really loved the moments where the relationship actually started feeling real underneath all the lies. The Hamptons setting, the revenge plot, and all the billionaire drama, made this such an addictive read for me. It's perfect for summer!

[Kathleen Hoffman]

Minnie is a burlesque dancer who is made an offer she can’t refuse: pose as a wealthy widow in the Hamptons and hook fish Nathaniel. The same Nathaniel who spurned her younger sister. What better way to get revenge? If only it weren’t for Nathaniel… who is also made an offer to catch Minnie and become CEO of his father’s company. Neither is aware of the bargain the other one has made but they may end up winning or losing a whole lot more in the end.

This was just not for me unfortunately. I’m giving up at 43%. I just couldn’t get invested in the characters, was not a fan of the MMC, and couldn’t tell you a lot of what happened in that first 43%. Only that it was like a Hampton’s version of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. I’m not going to rate it, as it may get better, but for me, it just didn’t hit.

Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a romance. I read it in one night. There was a touch of mystery and intrigue, a man who was a complete jerkwad who ended up becoming a decent human, and and alot of summer beachie stuff that had me wishing I vacationed to The Hamptons. I even liked how Minnie was a chameleon, it felt like I was walking on the yatchts with her, dancing with her, and just understood her and what made her tick. The notes on the revenge plot woven throughout made it fun and easy to follow the progress of the story too. Well done! Thank you to the authors Dani Ryan for my advance copy.

[jou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Dani and Ryan, first of all, thank you so much for sending me the arc for this book, I had so much fun.

This book was so “how to lose a guy in 10 days”, which is one of my favorite movies of all times, so I was definitely very entertained.

I loved Minnie, our fmc, she had such a funny but elegant personality, you can’t help but root for her.

And our mmc, Nate, was “hateble” and likeble at the same time, which I think was what Minnie was thinking lol he was very complex, but giving his family you can understand where that came from and I loved his sweet character development.

They had so much chemistry together, and at the end, I liked how they solved the obvious problem between them.

This was an easy and fun read, the writing was so smooth and elegant, it was refreshing. I loved looooved this book.

💜

“You showed me that there are more important things."
"What's that?"
A grin played on my lips. "You."

<3

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great novel! Minnie is a burlesque dancer when her husband Gage is found dead. Vowing revenge, she finds herself on a private yacht with wealthy socialites and isn't sure how to behave or who to suspect. It's one of those great, convoluted stories that have you turning pages faster and faster as there are so many twists you'll be gasping for air! Loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Rachel Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad but I really did not like this book. It kind of just felt all over the place. I almost didn’t finish it but I stayed with it…. Still left me just… confused? I really wanted to love it but I didn’t love the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of the book!

[ashlin.reads]

Full RTC! But I love a good redemption story and this book delivered an amazing one!