Good for the Summer

Christmas Island #2

by Emma Davie

Sometimes the road to forever starts with a summer of pretending.

Violet Ross needs a summer getaway, preferably one far away from Vancouver Island, her big, hopelessly nosy family, and the questions she can’t seem to outrun about why, at thirty-three, she’s never had a boyfriend. Cape Breton feels like the perfect reset: her two best friends are there, the coastline is stunning, and it’s an entire country away from her lack of a job and the life she’s not sure how to fix. But while she's running from her problems, Violet runs smack into Finn Campbell, the cocky, smug, roguishly handsome brother of her best friend’s husband-to-be, and suddenly her quiet summer plans don’t stand a chance.

Finn needs a happily-ever-after, or at least someone who believes he’s capable of one. After another heartbreak, he’s hauled himself from Scotland to “the middle of nowhere” Canada for his brother’s wedding–the perfect hero brother with the perfect love story, of course. Tired of being dismissed as a flirt who is perpetually unserious, Finn comes up with a mad idea: Violet will pretend to be his girlfriend for the wedding whirlwind to prove everyone wrong. What starts as a simple deal turns surprisingly easy, as they explore Cape Breton and get swept up in last-minute wedding chaos. But as their “relationship” starts to fool everyone else, Violet and Finn begin to wonder who they're really fooling. And it turns out what’s just “good for the summer” can leave a lasting mark long after the season is over.

272 pages, ebook

Published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[Marlee]

Another excellent read by Emma Davie. She does such a great job at capturing language and location. As a resident Nova Scotian, every vista she paints feels like a place I have been before, even when I haven’t had the privilege to go (but boy, would I love to go to Christmas Island!)

The perfect summer read!

[Noémie]

C'était aussi prévisible que cute. Du bonbon à lire d'une traite. J'ai aussi aimé que ça se passe en Nouvelle Écosse, where I could relate some places.

[Emma Davie]

Oh hi it's me, marking my own book as read haha! Hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to check out Violet's Cape Breton Summer playlist at the end of the book :)

[Barbara Kellyn]

Violet and Finn have no idea how badly they need one another. She’s the go-to fixer of the family, despite her entire life being a fixer-upper by virtue of having lost her job and never finding true love. He’s “a braw lad” mislabeled as a careless playboy who won’t settle down – much to his worried mother’s dismay.

During a whirlwind week of pre-wedding festivities in Cape Breton, they cook up a wild, fake dating scheme (that’s only “good for the summer”) uniting them against everyone’s unfair beliefs about lives. Violet and Finn make it known they’re suddenly a couple, meaning that all those soulful gazes and stolen kisses are just for show, right? Right?

Emma Davie, you’ve done it again! I really thought you couldn’t top the delectable Scottish pudding that is Alistair in Home to Christmas Island, but let’s face it, irresistible Finn, who looks like John-John and spends most of this book SHIRTLESS LADIES, is cut from the same tartan cloth as his dreamy brother. And what can I say about feisty Violet being lovestruck yet remaining true to who she is other than “you go girl!” In fact, all your loveable characters have stolen my heart, and now that I’ve finished reading this second book, I find myself wanting to rent one of Rose’s cottages just to get spend more time with them.

Trust me, readers, if you’re looking for a love story that lingers long after you put it down, there’s definitely something about this one that sticks.

[Sara]

This was a perfect summer romance! I absolutely love reading books set in Canada, and Emma Davie nailed the descriptions and general Canadian-ness perfectly.

The story was adorable. I loved the way that the characters grew and got to knew each other, how Violet's assumptions of Finn changed and how they fell for each other in a realistic way. The lack of lust-turned-love was really refreshing!

The characters were also wonderfully fleshed out and easy to root for. I especially loved Finn's perspective; he was funny and believable. I especially appreciated that all the Scottish characters truly felt Scottish; I could read their dialogue in my head with accents. Not to say that their lines were written phonetically to mimic this, but the word choices and speech patterns were spot on. I recently read a romance set in Ireland and had a hard time buying this element because there was no difference between the way the American and Irish characters spoke. But in Good for the Summer the Scottishness was very present and well executed!

This was a great read, and I'm really hoping a fall romance is next in the cars for this author!

[Parkie]

Absolutely phenomenal book. I don’t think I can articulate what specifically I loved about it, because I loved everything about it!

First of all, fake dating is one of the best tropes in the romance genre and this book did it exceptionally well. Was Finn absolutely delusional when coming up with his scheme? Yes. But MAN did it turn out so good. It had all the hallmarks of what makes this kind of book so good, and makes you squeal with glee and want to scream “Come on you idiots!!! You love each other!!! For the love of god!!!”

And like the authors previous book Home to Christmas Island there’s more to it than just the romance. The main characters are figuring out their lives, and dealing with other issues that felt real and relatable.

I think I need to book a trip to Cape Breton soon.

[Hayley]

Wow, I really enjoyed this. Perfect chemistry between the main characters but, as with the first book, I also loved how flushed out and clearly cherished their respective friendships were. Finn and Violet’s struggles were so relatable (too relatable), but it still managed to make me smile like an idiot the whole way through. Highly recommend!

[Tay Halloran]

A romance that hit so close to home - literally. As a born & raised Cape Bretoner the setting was my favourite part about this book. A must read as soon as I stumbled across it. Thanks for filling my cup, Emma☕️🩷

[J]

I'm sure it deserves a better rating but it's not my personal preference type of book.

[Kailee Smith]

Loved this book! A perfect summer read that makes you want to head to the east coast for the summer 💜

[Gabrielle Silgalis]

Perfect for a summer read!

[Jessica]

3.5 stars

The MMC was great but the FMC was kind of annoying in her refusal to accept anything he said.

[Erin]

3.5 stars. I was in a bit of the a reading slump so both this one and the first one were quick easy reads to get me back into reading! Cute story!

[Mia]

Perfect summer read. Loved the characters and little maritime tidbits scattered throughout.

[Angie Williams]

review to come

[Rowan]

Emma Davie writing magic strikes again! I loveeed this