Summer Tides: Small Town Neurodivergent Inspirational Romance

by Catherine Zanone Todd

In the stillness of summer, grace begins to bloom.
When wedding planner Lily Harper steps in to save a small-town ceremony, she expects tight timelines and color palettes…not the quiet firefighter who challenges her carefully ordered world.

Drawn together by duty and divided by their pasts, Lily and Caleb must learn that sometimes healing doesn’t come through control, but through courage, compassion, and grace.

At Hyacinth Lake, where sunsets shimmer and hearts find rest, two people discover that love, like summer itself, can be both gentle and wild, still and transforming.

In the quiet of Hyacinth Lake, love listens deeper, heals softer, and shines brighter. Grab book 1, Summer Tides, a second chance romance with neurodivergence acceptance.

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2025

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, clean read. Thank you for allowing me to read your book for my honest review. This book is about a neurodivergent wedding planner. She is very analytical and everything has to be planned out, timers set, so she can meet the next deadline. She is very successful in her business and everyone wants her to plan their wedding. She is requested to help with Lois’s wedding and plan it within a month. Of course she is not interested in such a short time frame but ends up doing it. She meets handsome brother firefighter and slowly lets him into her world. They hit it off after a rocky start and the wedding planner is able to overcome so many obstacles in the wedding due to her timed schedule. I’m sorry I forget the names as I read it a few days ago and needed to leave my review. Thank you for allowing me to read!

[ChriseBee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Summer Tides. It's a clean, sweet romance with neurodivergent representation in Lily, the wedding planner who is hired to save the day. I really liked her and the dual relationship she had with Gretchen. Lily doesn't expect Caleb, the firefighter brother of the bride-to-be, to butt heads with her. Caleb made me laugh because I felt for the guy. I enjoyed their interactions as they learned to understand and work with each other.

This story kept my interest from start to finish. The author dealt with their issues beautifully. Caleb's supportive actions were touching. I didn't want the book to end so soon, but I was happy with how Lily and Caleb addressed their concerns and feelings eventually.

Thanks to Catherine Zanone Todd for writing this sweet story and sending me an ARC. It was fun and made me smile. I eagerly await book 2 of the Hyacinth Lake series.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fabulously sweet story of love finding two people who didn’t think it was in their future. Mark and Lily ‘s connection felt natural and easy. He was so supportive of her and understood the way she worked even if it sometimes seemed to go against the grain. So often I thought these two would sabotage themselves but I was thrilled to see them finally stop resisting and come together.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked all the traits and quirks she deals with in her life, how it made her feel very real and how it made the story really great. It was beautiful to see that despite her struggles she could bring out the best in him. How they complimented each other and worked out their struggles together was nice.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good romance featuring a neurodivergent main character. I enjoyed this book very much. Especially how the male main character showed so much patience with her after learning of her difficulties. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by bookfunnel.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had great representation of a FMC who is neurodivergent. I loved how it portrayed her having put in place tools to help her function. The MMC accepted her for who she was and didn’t try to change her.

[Jennifer Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that Lily was neurodivergent and that Caleb did not want to change her and respected her. It needs to be that way more often in the real world and we all would find love.

[Donna Kale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story!

[Malgorzata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet, inspirational novel which shows struggles of a neurodivergent person. The characters are authentic and likeable, the plot is interesting.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved the storyline! Lily might be one of my favorites! This was amazing!

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a nice cute story, was a nice break from dark romance/spicy books.
Enjoyed the banter between the fmc and mmc.