Throwing Shade

by Karole Cozzo

SPF at the ready… someone’s about to get burned. As a year-round resident of Cape May, New Jersey, Maisie Mundy has grown up loathing the “shoobies” that flood her charming seaside town each summer and treat it like their personal playground. And when it comes to shoobies, there’s none worse than Preston St. James, the arrogant heir to the St. James Development Company, the same company that’s trying to drive Maisie’s grandfather’s beach umbrella company out of town to greenlight their latest downtown project. Maisie is the only person aware of the dire financial situation her grandfather has found himself in, and she’s the only person who can save the shop, peddling rental umbrellas on the beach daily, doing whatever it takes to keep Mundy’s Sundries afloat. When Preston launches a beach delivery app to win a Shark Tank competition at his private school, he gives Maisie a whole new reason to hate him. Immediately, the two become engaged in a battle of rumor-spreading and sabotage that could sink them both. But as Maisie’s best friend Summer points out, hating someone that much takes a lot of passion, and the more time Maisie spends duking it out with Preston, the more that passion starts looking like something else entirely; the more it starts looking like romance. The closer Maisie and Preston become, the more she trusts him with her heart… and her family’s secrets. When Mrs. St. James uses insider information to deliver the final blow to Mundy’s Sundries, Maisie’s convinced their romance was another one of Preston’s tactics, one meant to hurt her and her family at the same time, despite his denial of belying her trust. Was Maisie a fool for ever trusting a St. James, or will her lack of faith in Preston be the real reason she gets burned this summer?

Genres: Young Adult

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2021

About the author

Karole lives outside of Philadelphia, PA with her loving husband, exuberant little girl, and smiley little boy. She adores YA Romance, because it would be awesome if life in general had a requisite feel-good happy ending rule. Vices include obscene Haribo gummy consumption, addiction to Starbucks NF vanilla lattes, and tendency to hoard Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles.

Reviews

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a summery YA rom com, add this to your list (along with Say Yes Summer and Sunkissed).

Maisie helps her elderly grandparents run their beach umbrella rental business in Cape May, NJ. When rich summer resident Preston opens a competing business in an effort to win a Shark Tank-like competition, it's game on between Maisie and Preston.

BUT maybe Preston isn't as bad as he thinks, or as bad as his ambitious developer mom who wants to change the character of this small beach town.

This was a really fun YA contemporary romance. The setting was super-summery to the point that I could feel the sun, taste the ice cream sandwiches, smell the sunscreen. There was a good amount of plot and a sweet romance.

Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Let's be friends on Bookstagram!


Thanks to the author for providing an advance copy for review!

[Moriah Chavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Karole Cozzo’s books, and I was very excited when she asked to send me a copy!

First and foremost, I loved the setting of the novel. It put me in a summer mood, the love to hate relationship between Preston and Maisie the perfect amount of sizzle. She and her best friend made a dynamic pair, and I enjoyed the side romance Summer had with the lifeguard.

There were one or two things that didn’t seem realistic, but it made for a Hallmark-life trance while reading. So—not complaining!

Throwing Shade is the perfect slice of summer romance and bitter rivalry; it will have you itching for your toes in the sand, your very own umbrella to keep you cool.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maise can not stand Preston St.James. She has an undeniable hatred for anything that has to do with him. He is just a rich kid that comes to the shore every summer and struts his money around. When he shows up on her beach, threatening her umbrella business with his better promotion and selling personality, Maise seriously loses it. She is dealing with her grandma's chronic pain, and her grandpa's business heading into foreclosure. Its her job to fix it all and she does her best to try. Then Preston sticks up for her best friend at one of his parties and she wonders if she was all wrong about him.
This was a fast paced, fun read. It gave me definite beach vibes and I was wishing I was on vacation. The characters were so likeable and I really enjoyed each of their stories. Pick up this book on your out of town. It will make any vacation that much better.

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting to read a new Cozzo book feels like the perfect treat—and just in time for summer! I’m thrilled to be able to read one of her stories again, and even better that the summery vibe of Cape Town was the setting of this one (a character in its own right!). Reading this book makes me wish I could visit Cape May myself one day. I don’t know if Peace Pies and the Bread Lady are real but if Cape May has anything like it, well, it sounds a bit like paradise.

I enjoyed reading about Maisie and Preston’s enemies-to-lovers romance develop. The initial fight starts over Maisie trying to keep her grandparents’ beach umbrella company afloat during another busy summer season, but the business it out of date and suffers when pitted against Preston’s app-led summer project of running the same kind of business. Both characters were fun to watch as their relationship changes with each twist and turn. I also love the subplots like BFF Summer trying to overcome her fear of swimming in the ocean and Maisie’s grandmother tackling her pain management.

All in all, a great summer read!

[T.H. Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been far too long since I've read anything by Karole Cozzo, but her latest release, THROWING SHADE, does not disappoint. It's a beach read for young adults and anyone young at heart. Between lighthearted moments are deeper themes about fighting for what you believe in, family bonds, overcoming deep-seated fears, love, and loyalty. And of course, lots of kissing. Her summer before her senior year of high school, Maisie Mundy, works at Mundy's Sundries at the beach, a business selling sunscreen and renting beach chairs and umbrellas, started by her great grandparents and now run by her grandparents. The business is in trouble, but she's determined to turn things around. At least until preppy Preston St. James arrives and decides that his summer econ project will involve a competing business to Mundy's except using cool tech to order items right from the beach. Maisie hates everything about Preston, from the silver spoon he was born with to his attitude as a part-time resident who doesn't appreciate the tiny seaside New Jersey shore town of Cape May for what it really is.

When Preston's mom proposes a new shopping center at the heart of town where Mundy's Sundries is located, Maisie is incensed. How dare these shoobies just show up and try to shove out long-term residents! She decides the best way to fight back is to show Preston all the hidden gems of Cape May that only the true locals know about. Maybe if he can see the charm of quintessential Cape May, he can convince his mom that some things don't need to be modernized. That small businesses are better than huge chains. What she doesn't count on is mutual attraction sparking that leads to so much kissing.

Plot
The plot is two-fold. On one side is the romance between Maisie and Preston and on the other is the fate of Mundy's Sundries. But Maisie's relationship with Preston is so intertwined with the success or failure of her family's business, that the conflict practically writes itself. Cozzo handles both sides of this plot deftly, so that we take neither Maisie's side, nor Preston's, generating the kind of angsty romance that kept me turning the pages. Excellent sub-plotting involves Maisie's BFF, Summer, and her need to overcome a phobia in order to take on a rival.

Characters
Characters are what Cozzo does best and these characters are no exception. All have rich backstories who shape them into fully three-dimensional beings that we root for from the opening pages. There's plenty of humor, lots of warmth, and just the right amount of growth for a satisfying ending.

What I Loved About THROWING SHADE
1. Maisie. She's so devoted to her grandparents who helped raise her, and to their business, it's hard to find fault in almost anything she does to protect them, even when you know she's in the wrong.

2. Preston. He's more than just a privileged preppy boy, and seeing Maisie discover these deeper layers is delicious fun.

3. Summer. I absolutely adore Summer, the badass swimmer and devoted teacher of young Black kids so they feel as comfortable in the water as she does.

4. Grannies on Pot. One of the best scenes is when Maisie's grandma takes too much medical marijuana.

5. Angsty Romance. There's something so visceral about teen love and their inability to grasp that anyone might really love them for who they are that tugs at my heartstrings. Every.single.time.

Bottom Line
A wonderful teen beach read full of humor, young love, and fighting for what matters most.

Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Tonya Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summery YA rom-com! Just right for a day by the pool!

[Jennifer Speas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read with a little bit of angst and a lot of YA swoon. 😍

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My backpack is on my shoulders, covered in seasonal beach tags from this year and year’s past, a towel and a book inside. I am needy, almost desperate, to lay on my towel, feeling the sun warming my back and calves, and get lost in a fictional summer romance.

SPF at the ready…someone’s about to get burned.
Maisie Mundy is a year-round resident of Cape May, New Jersey. She was grown up to loathe the “shoobies” that flood her charming seaside town each summer. When it comes to shoobies, there’s none worse than Preston St. James. The arrogant heir to the St. James Development Company, the same company that’s trying to drive Maisie’s grandfather’s beach umbrella company out of town to greenlight their latest downtown project. Her grandfather's beach umbrella company is not doing too good. Then you add in the mix of Preston’s Shark Tank competition at his private school project about launching a beach delivery app. The two become engaged in a battle of rumor-spreading and sabotage that could sink them both. But with the two hanging out more, feelings start to come out. Will they get burned? Or will only one of the get burned? Or will they walk into the summer sunset together?

This was a fast, quick, summery YA romance book. I wasn’t a complete fan of Maisie, but I did love Preston. I get that Maisie had a lot on her plate, but she didn’t even give Preston a chance or get to know him better when they first met two (or three, I can’t remember) summer’s ago. She was very quick to judge Preston. Overall, this was 3.5 stars for me.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a cute little summery rom-com, then look no further! This book is PACKED with summery feels. Set in the coastal town of Cape May, New Jersey, this book has plenty of beachy scenes, small town feels, cute little shops and restaurants, ice cream pies, and plenty of other summery scenes as well. I loved the vibe of the small town. It sounded like an adorable place.

I would have rated this higher had the main character, Maisie, been just a bit more likable. She was very sweet with her grandparents (I just loved her grandfather!) but was very snotty to Preston for no real reason. She also jumped to conclusions with no foundation which is a pet peeve of mine. I did like her friendship with Summer. They were really good to each other and I like books with female friendships.

The romance was a tad instalovey (especially with her sworn hatred and all) but they were still cute together.


**read for book scavenger hunt - a book with the letters H, E, A, and D in the title**

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throwing Shade was everything I wanted in a summer read. It had beach scenes so perfect you could practically smell the sunscreen. The enemies-to-lovers story set in a small town on the coast made for great poolside reading. I adored the characters, especially Maisie’s grandparents and her best friend Summer (who I hope will have her own book one day!). Oh, and I just learned that Peace Pie is a real place AND they will ship to you even if you don’t live near and location, so I see some delicious ice cream sandwiches in my future…

Overall, Throwing Shade was a fun summer read with characters who worked their way straight into my heart!

[Valerie Sells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read one of Karole Cozzo's books before and had high hopes for this one - I wasn't disappointed! I enjoy her writing style and this new set of characters were all so interesting. Lots going on in this story, from romance to true friendship to family struggles, and in the end, everything is resolved to satisfaction, though there are question marks right up until the last chapter as to how it's all going to work out. I enjoyed it a lot and know I will be re-reading in the future.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seaside townie teen struggles to keep her grandparents' aging beach rental business going after unexpected competition from a summertime tourist entrepreneur. She's a scraper, which is admirable, but man, some of the stuff she does, and conclusions she jumps to, are over the line, so I couldn't be 100% on her side.