Summerween: Halloween Town, Book 1

Halloween Town #1

by Joss Wood, To Be Announced (Narrator)

'I loved this… Its Gilmore Girls meets Halloween… I had such a fun time, I want to live in Halloween Town! Kept me entertained… I read it in one day.' ★★★★★ Welcome to Solstice Springs … where it’s Halloween year-round, pink skeletons wear beachwear, and the town's biggest debate is whether the ghosts are real or just good for business.

Wren Dunlop's summer plan was

Hide from viral infamy ✓Drink rosé by the lake ✓Avoid all men forever ✓ Too bad her godmother (part-time witch and full-time Mayor) has other ideas.

Now Wren's teaching dance for the Summerween spectacular, in a studio that might be haunted, and trying very hard not to notice the mysterious new guy in town, Dane Trafford.

Between bonfire wishes and midnight confessions, fairy lights and watermelon jack-o-lanterns, Wren and Dane might just discover that Solstice Springs’ real magic isn't supernatural…



Friends to loversForced proximityHalloween in summerSmall-town setting Readers LOVE Summerween! 'THIS!!! THIS!!! THIS!!!! This book is where it's at!' ★★★★★

'I’m totally for summerween this year. I’m getting my pink flamingo and paddling pool as we speak' ★★★★★

'What a fun freaking book! Can we find this town in real life?' ★★★★★

'Summerween feels like someone trapped 'Gilmore Girls', 'Halloweentown', and a deeply horny summer vacation inside a pumpkin spice margarita shaker and just started free-pouring … this place got me immediately' ★★★★

'Spooky, flirty, cozy, and fun! I wanna move to this town' ★★★★

'I've already recommended to all my witchy friends' ★★★★★

'Watermelon jack-o-lanterns, skeletons in Hawaiian shirts, and Halloween all year round. I loved every minute of it' ★★★★

'This book surprised me in the best possible way' ★★★★

'Completely stole my heart' ★★★★

'I wanted to pack my bags and move to Solstice Springs' ★★★★

'This hit all the vibes for me' ★★★★★

'Cozy chaos is my jam, and this book is absolutely packed with it!' ★★★★★

'Just like a pumpkin spice latte, a hint of spice but very cozy and comforting' ★★★★★

'The vibes were immaculate ... I finished this book wanting to decorate my house with skeletons while eating watermelon' ★★★★

Genres: Romance, Halloween, Summer, Autumn, Fantasy, Audiobook, Cozy

Audible Audio

Published July 16, 2026

About the author

Joss Wood loves books and travelling— especially to the wild places of Southern Africa and, well, anywhere.

She’s a wife, a mom to two teenagers, and is bossed around by two cats and a Great Dane X the size of a baby cow. After a career in local economic development, she now writes full time.


Be sure to follow Joss on BookBub for the latest on my releases https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joss-...

Reviews

[niki ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

౨ৎꨄ︎ 2 stars

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i won’t lie that i’m quite disappointed. i was super excited to finally start this book, but the expectations weren’t met at all. and mostly, it didn’t fulfill what i was looking forward the most - the summerween vibes.

the plot itself isn’t necessary bad and the characters are quite good and i definitely enjoyed learning more about them. what isn’t executed well are the changes of povs. the book might be told from third pov, but the changes in the chapters are often confusing. and also the chapters are so long for no reason. definitely should have been split into several more and the story’s flow would be much better.

i’m also not a fan of the romance. whilst there is chemistry, i failed to see that much of a bond for the drama to unfold towards the end of the book. for me, it mostly felt like friends with benefits rather than it leading somewhere else.

lastly, the paranormal addition was fun yet i couldn’t stand silas. lost potential to add spark with the ghosts and their povs by making one of the main characters so insufferable.

i will see if i will be returning to the halloween town in the future...

────୨ৎ────

౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: so glad i got this arc, because the weather is now so bad here after the heatwave, this is literally a perfect read now! hoping it’s good hehe

[ari ⁠♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing just didn’t work for me and the insta lust was an immediate turnoff. They were already lusting after each other through a car window before they’d even properly met🫪

There were also so many characters, but none of them felt distinctive enough for me to care who was who.

Such a shame because the cover is absolutely adorable

[mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and cozy and meant for the girlies who make halloween their entire personality (aka me)

if you love a book like the pumpkin spice cafe or things we never got over or the vibes of books like that, you'll enjoy this!! the setting is so much fun but so are all the characters, main and side and otherwise. there were definitely parts where i found myself getting a little bored, but that happens to me in most cozy-style books so that's more of a me thing.

thank you to netgalley + the publisher for an arc!

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Paranormal Friends to Lovers Romance, and this is the first book in the Halloween Town series. This book is a great start to a new series, and I enjoyed all the characters. I do wish the ghosts characters were a bigger part of the book, but I loved them. This was a fun read. I found the Halloween stuff throughout this book so cute and fun. The ending was cute. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[BookishKB · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎃☀️ Summerween ☀️🎃

📖 Bookish Thoughts

This was such a fun and cozy romance! I adore magical realism and this book was filled with it. I am already itching for book two!

4.5 Stars!

🍉 What to Expect
• Friends to Lovers
• Forced Proximity
• Small Town Romance
• Halloween All Year
• Cozy Romance
• Magical Town
_ _ _ _

📅 Pub Date: July 16, 2026
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Nadieh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 100th book of 2026!! 🎃✨️ Honestly, loved the vibes, but the chapters were way too long and I didn't really vibe with the writing style. Probably will continue this series tho.

[greta ❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

How do I give this 0 stars

This book was truly awful. Not at all what I want from a Summerween book, written poorly, and the romance was legitimately disgusting and off putting (just the way the mmc was). I didn’t care about any of the conflicts in this book, her dance studio, the ghosts, none of it was interesting. the way the romance ended was atrocious, crimes against humanity. the fact that she has three more books in this series lined up frightens me, bc this one should’ve gone straight to the cutting room floor.

spoilery thoughts below

- the fmc hates ghosts and spends most of the book complaining, which just isn’t the vibe i want for a summerween book
- the man’s main conflict is if he should stop being a trauma surgeon and become a family practice doctor, as if those are one to one and you can easily swap between all medical professions
- the way the man thinks about the fmc is just so pervy? it’s really gross
- the fmc begs the mmc to pick me choose me love me instead of flying back to serve as an emergency surgeon after an earthquake??? she’s so upset that her feelings don’t take priority over a natural disaster???
- AND THEN HE DOES! HE CHOOSES HER OVER HELPING WITH THE DISASTER RESPONSE
- also the smut language is really gross (use of the word milking 🤢)


thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

[Missyreadsromantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summerween is like if the Dream Harbor series took place in a Halloween equivalent of Meghan Quinn’s Kringletown. I.e. it was made for me.

It’s a sweet romance between Wren, a professional dancer/choreographer who’s returned to her quirky hometown for the summer, and Dane, a trauma surgeon on a break to combat his burnout.

Solace Springs (AKA Halloween Town) attracts tourists with its year round spooky charm and rumored hauntings. I had no trouble picturing a New England village teeming with watermelon jack-o-lanterns and bikini-clad skeletons.

While the setting is a character in its own right, I enjoyed the colorful residents and Wren’s friends too. And the meddling ghosts incorporate a cute paranormal element!

Don’t let the cover fool you though… The story starts out pretty light, but the couple does have to deal with their baggage, adding emotional weight as it unfolds. Dane’s job, especially, is a lot.

Overall, I had a good time and have already added the next two books in the series to my TBR!

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.

[Kayla W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed advance copy received from Netgalley.

This was a really good book with a fantastic, engaging plot that built up as a nice slow burn. The dual growth was excellent; told through multiple points of view, both the main male and female characters were actively finding themselves. Each carried a complex history of their own, but they beautifully worked on their individual selves while developing their romantic relationship. The atmospheric setting was also incredible, weaving in town history with a spooky ghost aspect.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advance copy to read and review

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summerween is just the cutest, quirky and fun read! And just enough sweet and spicy too! And the ghosts, oh the ghosts, naughty, oh so naughty, and yet I loved them. That was just exactly the story I needed and I enjoyed it lots and cannot wait to visit Halloween Town again.

[Ginny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved the cover and was hoping it would match the vibe of the book…

Wren is a professional choreographer and just wanted to escape her normal life for a few weeks. She visits her hometown where Halloween is all year-round, hoping to relax and unwind but her godmother has other ideas. And then there is this cute new guy in town…

I wanted to like this book so bad because in theory it has everything I like: small town romance, ghosts, Halloween themed setting, but it just didn’t work.
The writing was just not for me. It was repetitive and bland. Also every time I was invested in a scene, it just cut off and skipped to a week later which made it hard for me to care.

The Insta love was a miss for me. They were lusting after each other the second they laid eyes on each other but that’s about as deep as their relationship got. Both Wren and Dane had one big struggle and they just kept running around in circles without any growth.
The third act break up was brutal!! Honestly I wouldn’t have forgiven Dane and he definitely didn’t redeem himself.

On a positive note: I absolutely loved the chapters from the ghosts POV and would have loved to read more of that. Same goes for the Summerween festivities.
I wished this book would have leaned more into the spooky supernatural side (which is hard to do when the FMC doesn’t believe in the supernatural)

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not long ago I read a book set in a town that celebrated Christmas all year round. This time? Halloween all year round. Safe to say I was immediately sold on the setting.

Halloween Town was such a fun place to visit. The spooky-but-cozy atmosphere, the quirky residents (we get a bit of PNR too, yay!) and the year-round Halloween celebrations made this the perfect palate cleanser after several darker horror and thriller reads.

Wren and Dane had great chemistry and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Yes, there was a bit of insta-attraction, but it worked well enough for me and fit the overall cozy, feel-good vibe of the story.

My biggest issue was the dialogue and point-of-view transitions. The story shifts between the main characters and the paranormal side of the town, and at times those transitions felt so abrupt that I had to stop for a second and work out whose perspective I was reading.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of the communication between the characters. They're adults, yet several conflicts could have been resolved with one honest conversation instead of assumptions and misunderstandings. That's a trope I personally struggle with, and it kept me from becoming completely invested in the romance.

That said, I still had a lovely time with this book. The Halloween vibes absolutely delivered, the romance was sweet, and the cozy atmosphere made it such an enjoyable read.

And... I may or may not already be reading book two. (Jokin`.... I'm 40% in lol :D)

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this book.

https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...

[NarniaLoverQuinn]

Pick me, choose me, love me

[GraceyBookster]

DNF at 35%
Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. The cover and premise of Summerween had me so intrigued. It looked like the perfect summerween book to read, fun and quirky, however it just didn’t grab me. I found the chapters too long, often split up into 3 parts per chapter (why not just split them into 3 different chapters?) - this made it a chore to get through and made me lose interest quickly. The different POV was also confusing at times and would have been easier to follow if they were simply labelled ‘Wren’ or ‘Dane’. Throwing the ghosts into the mix made it even more difficult to follow! Not only did we get a bit of an info dump regarding their backgrounds , one ghost in particular was described in 4 different ways e.g Captain Blackwood, Blackwood, Silas Blackwood and Silas all within a few paragraphs of each other! I would have understood this were it another character calling him these names but this was just in the descriptions of the character. This again made it confusing to follow and I was confused as to who was who. The ghost observations and commentaries I initially thought was going to be a cute end of each chapter, however this wasn’t the case as they were all over the place so it felt disjointed and inconsistent.

I’m really sad to not have continued but I sadly got very bored and felt there was too much repetition. I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for this eARC. I confirm that this review is honest and thoughts are my own.

[Rmplift, Rachel Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

As much as I wanted to love this, it ended up being a disappointing read. I absolutely loved the concept of a Halloween Town-inspired romance, but the execution fell flat for me.

One of my biggest issues was that the POV switches weren't clearly labeled, which made the story unnecessarily difficult to follow. On top of that, the writing felt disjointed and scattered, making it hard to stay immersed in the story. The plot also seemed to plateau very early on, leaving little momentum to keep me invested.

Overall, the premise had so much potential, but the confusing structure and uneven writing prevented it from fully delivering.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and the author for this ARC. I can confirm that my review and comments are all my own.

Here’s what I liked about this book:

* The setting of the story in Halloweentown was perfect for me. It gave all the cosy vibes and reminded me of a cross between Gilmore Girls, Practical Magic and The Good Witch;
*The community feeling you get when living in a small town.

Unfortunately, here’s what I didn’t like about this book:

* The chapters were so long! In addition, each chapter was broken up into several sections, so I don’t know why the author didn’t just make the chapters shorter?
* There was no slow burn between the FMC, Wren and the MMC, Dale, so I didn’t feel a strong chemistry between the characters;
* For some reason I wasn’t invested in any of the characters, and Dane often gave me the ick!
* I thought that the ghosts would add a comedic value to the story but they didn’t. In fact, I’m not totally sure they were really necessary to the plot.

They were a couple of other things that I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I won’t say what they were as I don’t want to spoil the story for others.

I really wanted to love this book and I am disappointed having read it. As an autumn girlie, the cover and the vibes were spot on but I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy this one. Sorry.

[Amy Capener · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars and that’s for the cover lol. It was an easy read but that was because… there wasn’t much going on. The fmc annoyed me towards the end. I hated the ghosts pov every time, Silas was shite and I think the author could’ve done a lot better with that. There wasn’t actually much Summerween vibes at all. The chapters were also so long and flitted between THREE povs in a single chapter 😐 gutted it wasn’t what I’d hoped it’d be! Came out my slump for this 😂

[Kayla_Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. It was so fun and cute!

[Brogan Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming combination of Halloween Town, Ghosts and Gilmore Girls, Summerween is the perfect summer read if you’re craving the spooky season.

Joss Wood helps you escape to Solstice Springs: a town so obsessed with Halloween it decided to spread spooky holiday cheer during the summer, too. I loved H-Town so so much and the fun quirky characters so reminded me of Gilmore Girls in the best way. It was whacky and magical and felt like I place I’d very much like to visit. It was like a character in its own right.

And I loved the romance! It was a delightful slow-burn with plenty of yearning, sizzling tension and near kisses. On top of all that, it was sweet. We have our FMC Wren Dunlop, a professional dancer/choreographer who’s returned to H-Town for the summer after a disastrous romance and our MMC Dane Trafford, a trauma surgeon on a break to help recover from burnout and PTSD. I really enjoyed their easy banter, the way, even though they each had been unlucky with love and relationships, trusted each other and felt very suited for one another. They each had complicated pasts and face several set-backs and dilemmas throughout, they worked through them together.

And the one thing I didn’t expect Joss Wood to include was the interfering ghostly residents of H-Town. It instantly made me think of Ghosts (tv series). The 1920s dancer, the solider, the Reverand, the biker girl, and the grandmother - they were so fun! Meddling in the living residents’s business, haunting shops, and scrutinising the romance between Wren and Dane. I loved it and really just made the this book feel so unique.

It was the best wholesome time and I’m excited to read the rest of the series. Especially Poppy’s book (who is Wren’s best friend!) Can’t wait to return to Solstice Springs very soon.

Thank you to OneMoreChapter for this ARC!

Summerween is out 16th July - be sure to check it out!

[Olivia Diopere · Rating 2 out of 5]

Best wel teleurgesteld, de cover was veelbelovend maar eigenlijk kwamen er zo weinig Halloween elementen terug in het boek. Het bracht me totaal niet in de juiste setting. Daarnaast waren de 2 hoofdpersonages ook al verliefd vanaf het eerste moment dat ze elkaar zagen, dit ging echt wel veel te snel en zonder enige connectie… Hun verhaallijnen konden me ook niet echt boeien. Ik heb me voor dit boek zeker laten baseren op de titel en de cover want ik ben al helemaal in de spooky vibes, maar het verhaal heeft de verwachtingen absoluut niet kunnen inlossen. Zonde, want het concept kon iets heel leuks gegeven hebben. Schrijfstijl was ook echt maar heel matig. Al bij al dus niet meteen een aanrader.

[chey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

this book had moments where i began to really like it and the vibes, but then one of the weird sexist ghosts would appear or one of the main characters would say something annoying/gross. i can't tell you how many times i said "ew" while listening to this, maybe katie can. listening to this while crafting with her is probably the reason for that half star. it was a fun time for that purpose and we laughed a lot. it wasn't awful and i'm sure there are some people out there who would enjoy it far more than i did.

[Jade Roush · Rating 5 out of 5]

A town that celebrates Halloween all year round? Count me in!🎃
I loved this book so much that I ended up finishing it during my readathon with some of my book besties! The different perspectives between Wren, Dane and the ghosts of that town was such a good mix that I couldn’t ask for more. If you need a good summer romance but also an easy introduction to fall reading this is the one for you. I definitely will be reading the next 4!👻

[Allyson Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 a cute little festive book to really get you in the Halloween spirit! A bit of a slow start but then picked up!

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

With there being just over a month of Summerween left I couldn't resist the first in Wood's Halloween Town series.

I tandemed the audio with the e-book for the full immersive experience. It was cute, cozy, and there was so much fun to be had in Solstice Springs'.

The characters - both human and ghost - were likeable, quirky, and the romance sweet with a pinch of spice.

And the Halloween vibes were everything. Spooktacular! 👻

Enjoyably entertaining.

[Bookishgirl75 🍁📚❄️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

Immersively read and loved the audio .

Absolutely loved this . It was so much more than I was expecting , it was a really good story and lots of funny moments and I adored the characters , loved the spice
🌶️🌶️ and absolutely loved the paranormal aspect with the ghosts especially Silas, made me tear up . What I wasn’t expecting was a more serious tone to the story for both main characters towards the end and it was really interesting and touching to read in such a lighthearted story, and that made me tear up for the 2nd time . If you loved the film Doc Hollywood with MJ Fox then this is for you wifh all the fun and vibes of a small town with a little sprinkling of paranormal . This is far from being another silly cheesy seasonal book, this is really worth reading.

[Alana]

As a Halloween lover and huge fan of the Halloweentown movie I was so excited for this! Overall, I enjoyed the Summerween vibes this brought to the table but the rest just didn't work out for me. There were A LOT of characters and POV'S between Dane, Wren, and the ghosts that constantly switched with no warning or indication of whose POV we were moving on to. I also felt like I didn't connect with the characters that much which left me struggling to get through this. Despite that I do plan on picking up the next book in the series because I really did enjoy the cozy, charming vibes of the town- maybe this set of characters just weren't the ones to win me over.

Thank you Harper Collins for an advanced reading copy!

[readbylyndsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review 💛☀️✨


This is a cozy, summerween romance set in a whacky town with some very colourful side characters. I loved the vibes of this one, It’s very much giving 90’s vibes! This is the perfect, lighthearted read that I’d imagine taking to a lake house/cabin in the woods.

I enjoyed the different POVs but because there were quite a few, I found myself getting a little confused here and there. I read this whole thing in two sittings, it’s just a really easy-breezy romance, the two MC’s have trauma/negative experiences in their pasts and you can tell how that shapes them into who they are today which I really appreciated. There is PTSD representation in this book, which is so important. 

Overall, this was very enjoyable and definitely something I’d recommend to anyone looking for an easy, fun romance with characters who have depth and a fun seasonal setting that’s a little bit more than your typical *summer* romance! <3

[⋆⭒˚.⋆ Kacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like I’ve said before, if I’m going to leave a bad review, I at least owe to the author to read the book in its entirety first. Lemme just say…wow… I was this close 🤏🏻 to picking up a pack of Marlboro reds to take the edge off.

So how did I feel while reading this? At first I was hopeful, mainly because of the cover. It was the best part. I’m a sucker for anything cute and anything Halloween. 🎃 by page 10 I was bored. By page 40 I was annoyed and decided I didn’t like it. Everything after that was pure irritation. If I was a 5 year old boy I would have angry peed on everything, but I’m 32 and a woman so I didn’t do that.

Random thoughts:
- there are cringy (but enjoyable) stories, and then there is cringy WRITING. This was the latter.
- POV’s are a plus for me. How the POV “chapters” were set up made absolutely no sense though.
-the chapters with Silas and his lady ghost friends? That could have been very cool, but this did not make the cut.
-unless it was because I was zoning off (because I wanted to be done so badly), there were times when I felt like I was dropped off in the middle of something. No context. No explanation on how we got there. Nothing.
-there was somehow so much going on while nothing was actually happening all at the same damn time.
-this book felt like it was written by somebody who forgot to take their ADHD medication, and I can’t elaborate any further on that.

Joss Wood, girl… if you see this👁️👄👁️ the potential is there, buried beneath whatever the fuck this was.

[Howard Iske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! If you’re a fan of the Dream Harbor series, then you’ve hit the jackpot here. I was a little worried going into it that it wasn’t going to truly capture the vibes of Summerween, but I had nothing to worry about.

Both Wren and Dane we’re fantastic main characters. They both came to the table with complex emotions that were well explored. Even though they fell for each other upon first sight, their relationship was a slow burn that ultimately played out wonderfully. As great as they were, they weren’t my favorite characters. That would be a three-way tie between Luna (the eclectic mayor and Wren’s godmother) and Marigold and Earl (the hilarious couple who own Spirited Grounds, the town’s coffee shop). This was a book where the side characters almost stole the show! They were hilarious!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it just happens to be the first book in this new series. I’m officially hooked and I can’t wait to start the next installment during spooky season.

[Verelien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voor mij was dit een heerlijke zomerse smalltown romance met halloween vibes.

Het speelt zich af in het excentrieke stadje Halloween town met een net zo excentrieke burgemeester. Ik vond de karakters, het dorpje en de geesten erg leuk! Wat ik helemaal top vond was dat we ook hoofdstukken vanuit de geesten lezen!

Ik vind het een aanrader voor de halloween en summerween liefhebbers, al moet je wel van insta love houden.