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Summer Daze
Summer… when hot days, steamy nights, surf, sand and sizzle make that first flush of new love feel dreamlike.
Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
Forget ‘opposites attract’ - book-loving Laila Laughton is done with guys who are nothing like her. So when she comes across the library receipt of a gorgeous bookworm who seems like her perfect match, she’s determined to track him down.
That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
Lila is sick of waiting for the criminally sexy Ben to ask her out, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. But when her attempts to harness the power of voodoo go awry, has she lost him forever?
Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Tom has been out of the dating game for a long time. A very long time. When his internet date makes a sexy request, can he rise to the challenge – or is it just too awkward for words?
Sunny, With A Chance by Laura Greaves
Brydie is moving on from a bad breakup with her adorable dog, Sunny, in their cute country cottage. City boy Leo doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, especially not a hippy artist with a ton of baggage. But Sunny may have other ideas…
Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
Teddy has been an outsider as long as he can remember. With high school finally behind him, does he have the courage to be true to himself with his dream girl by his side – or will school’s seductive Queen Bee lure him away?
Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Tough Private Investigator Scully has landed the case of a probing the disappearance of a celebrity lifestyle guru. She doesn’t need her gorgeous ex, police detective Logan, getting in her way – until her life is at stake.
Relax by the water’s edge and dive into this all new collection of summery short stories by six of Australia’s leading chick lit authors.
Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
Forget ‘opposites attract’ - book-loving Laila Laughton is done with guys who are nothing like her. So when she comes across the library receipt of a gorgeous bookworm who seems like her perfect match, she’s determined to track him down.
That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
Lila is sick of waiting for the criminally sexy Ben to ask her out, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. But when her attempts to harness the power of voodoo go awry, has she lost him forever?
Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Tom has been out of the dating game for a long time. A very long time. When his internet date makes a sexy request, can he rise to the challenge – or is it just too awkward for words?
Sunny, With A Chance by Laura Greaves
Brydie is moving on from a bad breakup with her adorable dog, Sunny, in their cute country cottage. City boy Leo doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, especially not a hippy artist with a ton of baggage. But Sunny may have other ideas…
Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
Teddy has been an outsider as long as he can remember. With high school finally behind him, does he have the courage to be true to himself with his dream girl by his side – or will school’s seductive Queen Bee lure him away?
Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Tough Private Investigator Scully has landed the case of a probing the disappearance of a celebrity lifestyle guru. She doesn’t need her gorgeous ex, police detective Logan, getting in her way – until her life is at stake.
Relax by the water’s edge and dive into this all new collection of summery short stories by six of Australia’s leading chick lit authors.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2016
57 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Carla Caruso
58 books76 followersCarla Caruso was born in Adelaide, Australia, and only ‘escaped’ for three years to work as a magazine journalist and fashion stylist in Sydney.
Previously, she was a gossip columnist and fashion editor at Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser. She has since freelanced for titles including Woman’s Day, That’s Life and Marie Claire.
These days, she writes fiction in between playing mum to twin sons Alessio and Sebastian, making fashion jewellery, and restoring vintage furniture. Oh, plus checking out her online horoscopes, jogging, and devouring trashy TV shows
Find her at @carlacaruso_creative on Instagram.
Previously, she was a gossip columnist and fashion editor at Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser. She has since freelanced for titles including Woman’s Day, That’s Life and Marie Claire.
These days, she writes fiction in between playing mum to twin sons Alessio and Sebastian, making fashion jewellery, and restoring vintage furniture. Oh, plus checking out her online horoscopes, jogging, and devouring trashy TV shows
Find her at @carlacaruso_creative on Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 6, 2016
Loads of fun - but what would I expect when two of my favourite authors are involved in this anthology? I'm a fan of Sarah Belle and Georgina Penney and their two stories made me laugh. Particularly Sarah's That Voodoo That You Do :)
One of the surprise packets for me was Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs. This set a hero with a lazy eye in the atmosphere of late school and peer pressure years. Teddy has taken to wearing a pirate-style eye patch to cover his lazy eye and in this story, he has to make a choice about how he wants to live - whether with the patch, but with regrets; or live true to himself?
Fun reading, unexpected scenarios with the background of summer love. What's not to like?
Plus - in a lot of e-book stores you can find this book for free!
One of the surprise packets for me was Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs. This set a hero with a lazy eye in the atmosphere of late school and peer pressure years. Teddy has taken to wearing a pirate-style eye patch to cover his lazy eye and in this story, he has to make a choice about how he wants to live - whether with the patch, but with regrets; or live true to himself?
Fun reading, unexpected scenarios with the background of summer love. What's not to like?
Plus - in a lot of e-book stores you can find this book for free!
July 3, 2017
Another great light summer read.
Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
A fun start - a library, a cute guy, and a romance. It felt a little forced at the end but still enjoyable.
That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
My favorite. Adorable characters and some silliness that made me laugh out loud.
Sunny, With a Chance by Laura Greaves
Another fun one. I enjoy any story with a dog, and this was no different. Sunny definitely wanted Brydie and Leo to be together.
Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Another cute story, but I was turned off by the whole escapade with the d**k pic. Who does that with someone they've never even met yet?
Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
This one was okay. I wasn't sure where it was going, and it was a bit slow, but the ending was sweet.
Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Not a bad story, actually kind of funny, but felt out of place at the end of fun, summery beach romances. It seemed more focused on the detective part than on the romance part.
Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
A fun start - a library, a cute guy, and a romance. It felt a little forced at the end but still enjoyable.
That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
My favorite. Adorable characters and some silliness that made me laugh out loud.
Sunny, With a Chance by Laura Greaves
Another fun one. I enjoy any story with a dog, and this was no different. Sunny definitely wanted Brydie and Leo to be together.
Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Another cute story, but I was turned off by the whole escapade with the d**k pic. Who does that with someone they've never even met yet?
Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
This one was okay. I wasn't sure where it was going, and it was a bit slow, but the ending was sweet.
Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Not a bad story, actually kind of funny, but felt out of place at the end of fun, summery beach romances. It seemed more focused on the detective part than on the romance part.
May 12, 2018
It was a good poolside read didn’t need to concentrate
February 27, 2020
Samantha Bond’s was so well written and humorous! Perfect short story with a twist of thrill. The rest were hit and miss - especially Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs 😩
January 1, 2022
Short story collection. All totally wonky. Don't think it's my thing really. But I absolutely loved the voodoo doll story.
April 22, 2025
Please see individual stories for review.
July 22, 2016
Review originally posted on my blog on March 8, 2016 on livinglifewithjoy.com
1. Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
Forget ‘opposites attract’ – book-loving Laila Laughton is done with guys who are nothing like her. So when she comes across the library receipt of a gorgeous bookworm who seems like her perfect match, she’s determined to track him down.
My Review: The collection begins with a short story by one of my favorite Australian authors, Carla Caruso. This was a fun flirty short about a young woman named Laila that plans to spend her two week vacation reading chick-lit guilt free. As much as I love the idea of spending time at the beach, I also love curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story. I loved Carla’s reference to feeling like the character had a book hangover, it made the short fresh and relevant and very now. This story had a good message about things not always being as they seem and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
2. That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
Lila is sick of waiting for the criminally sexy Ben to ask her out, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. But when her attempts to harness the power of voodoo go awry, has she lost him forever?
My Review: This was a short about unrequited love between Lila and Ben that had an unexpected and hilarious ending. Lila was a bit nutty to be playing her hand with a Voodo doll, but this short was entertaining and I would definitely read the author’s other works.
3. Sunny, With A Chance by Laura Greaves
Brydie is moving on from a bad breakup with her adorable dog, Sunny, in their cute country cottage. City boy Leo doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, especially not a hippy artist with a ton of baggage. But Sunny may have other ideas…
My Review: This was a cute story about serendipity between Brydie and Leo. I loved the idea that you can’t always be too quick to judge people before you get to know them. I enjoyed the author’s writing and am definitely going to look up her other works.
4. Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Tom has been out of the dating game for a long time. A very long time. When his internet date makes a sexy request, can he rise to the challenge – or is it just too awkward for words?
My Review: This was a humorous short about online dating that took place during a gloomy Scottish summer. Tom and Claire are both trying to keep up with the ‘times’ and are trying to be relevant in today’s dating world. This was good for a laugh and I enjoyed the author’s writing!
5. Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
Teddy has been an outsider as long as he can remember. With high school finally behind him, does he have the courage to be true to himself with his dream girl by his side – or will school’s seductive Queen Bee lure him away?
My Review: This was a sweet short about people overcoming their disabilities and differences. Sometimes it’s easier to hide behind a mask and try to make yourself seem a certain way to be popular and accepted. But at the end of the day, people should realize that the most important person is yourself, and you have to learn to accept yourself the way you are. The people that matter will appreciate you for you and the people that don’t accept you aren’t worth your time. One of the most important things in life is to have genuine people that truly care about you and will stand by your side.
6. Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Tough Private Investigator Scully has landed the case of a lifetime: probing the disappearance of a celebrity lifestyle guru. She doesn’t need her gorgeous ex, police detective Logan, getting in her way – until her life is at stake.
My Review: This short was about a young woman named Gillian that left her job to open her own PI company called X-files investigations. She goes by the nickname Scully and has a penchant for killer heels and Botox. This last one is for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. It had a similar story line filled with crime, humor and strong independent female characters. I enjoyed her writing and would definitely be interested in more.
Overall Impression:
I enjoyed all 6 stories in the Summer Daze collection. Written by a group of talented female writers, this collection is sure to keep you entertained. This had one of my favorite authors, plus 5 authors that are new to me that I’m looking forward to seeing what else they’ve written and will look for new ones that are published in the future. If you’re looking for a fun collection of short entertaining chick-lit stories, this is your ticket right here!
5/5 stars for the collection as a whole
1. Book Boyfriend by Carla Caruso
Forget ‘opposites attract’ – book-loving Laila Laughton is done with guys who are nothing like her. So when she comes across the library receipt of a gorgeous bookworm who seems like her perfect match, she’s determined to track him down.
My Review: The collection begins with a short story by one of my favorite Australian authors, Carla Caruso. This was a fun flirty short about a young woman named Laila that plans to spend her two week vacation reading chick-lit guilt free. As much as I love the idea of spending time at the beach, I also love curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story. I loved Carla’s reference to feeling like the character had a book hangover, it made the short fresh and relevant and very now. This story had a good message about things not always being as they seem and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
2. That Voodoo That You Do by Sarah Belle
Lila is sick of waiting for the criminally sexy Ben to ask her out, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. But when her attempts to harness the power of voodoo go awry, has she lost him forever?
My Review: This was a short about unrequited love between Lila and Ben that had an unexpected and hilarious ending. Lila was a bit nutty to be playing her hand with a Voodo doll, but this short was entertaining and I would definitely read the author’s other works.
3. Sunny, With A Chance by Laura Greaves
Brydie is moving on from a bad breakup with her adorable dog, Sunny, in their cute country cottage. City boy Leo doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, especially not a hippy artist with a ton of baggage. But Sunny may have other ideas…
My Review: This was a cute story about serendipity between Brydie and Leo. I loved the idea that you can’t always be too quick to judge people before you get to know them. I enjoyed the author’s writing and am definitely going to look up her other works.
4. Awkward Chocolates by Georgina Penney
Tom has been out of the dating game for a long time. A very long time. When his internet date makes a sexy request, can he rise to the challenge – or is it just too awkward for words?
My Review: This was a humorous short about online dating that took place during a gloomy Scottish summer. Tom and Claire are both trying to keep up with the ‘times’ and are trying to be relevant in today’s dating world. This was good for a laugh and I enjoyed the author’s writing!
5. Lily and Viv by Vanessa Stubbs
Teddy has been an outsider as long as he can remember. With high school finally behind him, does he have the courage to be true to himself with his dream girl by his side – or will school’s seductive Queen Bee lure him away?
My Review: This was a sweet short about people overcoming their disabilities and differences. Sometimes it’s easier to hide behind a mask and try to make yourself seem a certain way to be popular and accepted. But at the end of the day, people should realize that the most important person is yourself, and you have to learn to accept yourself the way you are. The people that matter will appreciate you for you and the people that don’t accept you aren’t worth your time. One of the most important things in life is to have genuine people that truly care about you and will stand by your side.
6. Killer Heels by Samantha Bond
Tough Private Investigator Scully has landed the case of a lifetime: probing the disappearance of a celebrity lifestyle guru. She doesn’t need her gorgeous ex, police detective Logan, getting in her way – until her life is at stake.
My Review: This short was about a young woman named Gillian that left her job to open her own PI company called X-files investigations. She goes by the nickname Scully and has a penchant for killer heels and Botox. This last one is for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. It had a similar story line filled with crime, humor and strong independent female characters. I enjoyed her writing and would definitely be interested in more.
Overall Impression:
I enjoyed all 6 stories in the Summer Daze collection. Written by a group of talented female writers, this collection is sure to keep you entertained. This had one of my favorite authors, plus 5 authors that are new to me that I’m looking forward to seeing what else they’ve written and will look for new ones that are published in the future. If you’re looking for a fun collection of short entertaining chick-lit stories, this is your ticket right here!
5/5 stars for the collection as a whole
May 10, 2016
A nice mix of stories
There are 6 stories and most of them are OK. I enjoyed sunny with a chance and liv and viv the most and the final story which is more of a detective story was a nice change. This took me half a day of on off reading.
There are 6 stories and most of them are OK. I enjoyed sunny with a chance and liv and viv the most and the final story which is more of a detective story was a nice change. This took me half a day of on off reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews