Zomerschoon--Beauty of Summer

Foreign Endearments #2

by Wendi Dass

When Anna Franklin embarks on a graduate degree in cryptography at Oxford, she anticipates decoding puzzles. Only her studies are a bore, her family is all but nonexistent, and she can’t find a good slice of pizza to save her life. After her beloved advisor has a stroke and she’s assigned to work with cocky post-doc Hendrik Van Der Aart, she wonders if her purpose might be to crack the code on the meaning of her life, not the latest math riddle.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2023

About the author

Wendi Dass is a math professor and author from Charlottesville, Virginia. Her writing interests include literary short stories, flash fiction, and novel-length women’s fiction and romance. Wendi’s short stories have been published in several small journals, including Black Fox Literary and The Ocotillo Review, among others. When she’s not devising deceptively delicious
problems for her students she can be found drafting her latest story.

Reviews

[Rebecca Holliman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genius masters candidate
Dysfunctional family background (cold mother, neglectful father)
Oxford setting
Secret codes
Spy element
On again/off again rocky love relationship




Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The story is immediately engaging and I loved the main characters—although their on again/off again rocky romantic relationship got a little frustrating at times! The espionage element is hinted at but never completely developed or resolved, but the story is intriguing and the characters are compelling. It’s definitely a book I would recommend to readers who enjoy a twisty mystery with an academic element.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really grew on me. I won't lie Anna was really on my nerves in the beginning and I couldn't stand the constant mention of how skinny/tiny/petite she is but I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book. First of all you start to feel so much empathy and compassion once Anna opens up to the reader about her family issues because you get a sense of where her intimacy issues really stem from. It was also incredible to see a book with a female protagonist who is so unashamedly smart and good at what she does. I hadn't previously read much about cryptography and I'm certainly no math genius but I found it all really fascinating! There is romance in this book but I think at the heart it is a story about Anna finding her way and opening up to people.

[Vixen Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! I finished it so fast because I just never wanted to put it down. When Hendrik and Anna first begin interacting, you can definitely feel the annoyance she expresses. When she starts feeling less annoyed and definitely more interested, you can absolutely feel the internal conflict she’s dealing with. There are some pretty heavy sections about family dynamic things, but nothing too rough or talked about in too much detail. My one “issue” was that the way things were finalized felt a little bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the story. Overall, a great read and I’d definitely recommend it. 4/5 stars.

🌙I was provided a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. The opinions are my own.🌙

[Natalie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fast-paced, sweet romance.

Anna is studying at oxford when her adviser falls ill, and she must start to work with Hendrick. As Anna and Hendrcik work together to solve what was thought to be an unsolvable mathematical problem, they inevitably grow closer, and they develop more than friendly feelings.
Anna and Hendrick must decide if their love is worth fighting for or if the risks are too much.

Hendrick was so sweet. I absolutely loved him!! I think Anna was a little misunderstood, and when we see what her family life is like back home in America, it's easy to understand why she is the way she is.
This was a really fun, easy read that i really enjoyed.

[Adriana | nannersreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Wendi Dass and Katie and Brey PA for providing me with an eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
-
Romances set in the world of academia will immediately have my undivided attention 😂 I can’t help it! I said it when reading Love on the Brain and I’ll say it again here: hot nerds doing nerdy shit while falling desperately in love is one of my favorite niches 🗣️ And Zomerschoon didn’t disappoint!
-
While I was annoyed with Anna pretty early on, I grew to appreciate her as a character as her story unraveled. Once you meet her family and begin to understand her as a person, she grows on you pretty quickly. She’s unabashedly smart and incredibly flawed. It did kind of bother me how often Anna’s weight and size were mentioned, but I eventually just started reading past it. I really enjoyed the moments we got to see her mind at work! Did I go on a cryptography Google dive after reading? Maybe 😂
-
I was immediately a goner for prickly Hendrik who was secretly a ball of sunshine 🫠 I enjoyed the slow build of their relationship and how enraptured they could be by their work and each other. Probably, but other aspects of their relationship kept me going.
-
Zomerschoon: Beauty of Summer was a cute read with an interesting backdrop. If you enjoy stories with an academic backdrop and compelling characters, give this book a shot! It is the second book in the Foreign Endearments series, but it can be read separately! It will be officially released on February 22, 2023! It is available for preorder NOW in ebook and paperback format.

[Kim Ligon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Franklin is a cypher-breaking wunderkind pursuing her dream at Oxford when her beloved advisor has a stroke which leaves him in a coma. Now she'll have to work with pale, freckle-faced, Hendrik Van Der Aart. Her best friend, Klara, is enamored of her roomie, Conner, who only shares the rent and is a notorious womanizer. Her relationship with her parents is more academic than loving. Anna is unhappily adrift in a sea of boredom and malaise, unsure of whether she even wants to continue her academic work until...

This story begins deep in the mathematics of cracking ciphers. Don't despair if you aren't a mathematician. Keep reading. You'll be glad you did. As the relationship between Anna and Hendrik grows, the story improves. Sometimes I did find Anna a little whiney and self pitying with a quick temper that let her annoyance with others show, but she's a mathematical genius, so I guess she's entitled to some eccentricities. I did enjoy the glimpse into Oxford life and the trip to the Netherlands.

I had not read the first book in this series but could easily follow the story. I do plan to read it now to fill in the details.

I received an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own, freely given. Pick it up for an enjoyable peek into a growing romance between academics.

[Jahara - Jarjarbindings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calling all you Math wizards, this one is for you!

Blurb: When Anna Franklin embarks on a graduate degree in cryptography at Oxford, she anticipates decoding puzzles. Only her studies are a bore, her family is all but nonexistent, and she can’t find a good slice of pizza to save her life. After her beloved advisor has a stroke and she’s assigned to work with cocky post-doc Hendrik Van Der Aart, she wonders if her purpose might be to crack the code on the meaning of her life, not the latest math riddle.

My thoughts: Guys! I'm in love with this setting! Oxford, and surrounding area, YES! The math riddles were fun to read about and I really enjoyed the characters, they were so easy to relate to and so easy to love! Also.... just in case you ever wonder where the main character keeps their phone, there is no question in this book, as it's mentioned about 10 times she pulls it from her bra, you know, like a real classy lady 🤣 but over all I enjoyed reading this one! Thank you for having me on this team!

I give Zomerschoon - Beauty of Summer by Wendi Dass ⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌟

[Dusti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Franklin is a genius level mathematician, but her personal life is a mess. She's living from one pint to the next and skipping so many classes I'm not sure how she's stayed enrolled at Oxford.

This was a fun quick read about a young genius and her desire to find more in her life, away from the academia that her parents have pushed her whole life.

What I liked:
The jokes were clever
I love puzzles so it was fun to read about expert code crackers
The banter - Anna is pretty blunt and pretty much tells it like it is.

What I didn't like:
Anna is a hot mess express - I even wanted to just clean up her apartment for her, I had a hard time reading about the dirty dishes and underwear on the floor
The lack of tying up loose ends with her family. I felt I wanted more from her father and her relationship

TW: some alcohol use
Spice: none - some kissing but nothing more

Really cute read. Enjoyed it.

[ladybreww · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: romance
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🚫 sweet
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: STEM romance

This book has a sweet love story with a touch of grumpy sunshine and forbidden relationship (student/advisor).

Anna, a cute and quirky math genius finds herself trying to decode a virtually impossible problem with her temporary advisor, after her old advisor had a stroke. Since Cayley is in a coma, Hendrik temporarily takes over the math department at the university. There is obvious chemistry between the two, which must be kept a secret.

Anna felt a bit juvenile for her age (grad student) and handled a few important situations quite immaturely. There were a couple side stories (the manwhore roommate) that I felt didn’t really make a lot of sense and did not add anything to the overall plot. The math and coding went a little over my head but watching Anna and Hendrik work together to uncover ancient mysteries was entertaining.

Overall this was a very low stress, cute read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖My Thoughts📖

I really love a good romance novel, especially one that’s sweet and simple with a dash of humor. That’s what this book was. I kind of felt myself get lost in this one. I’m not sure if it was the fact that it was set in another country, or if it was just that it was so different than the typical romance novels I read, but I just felt like I was whisked away. I’m not a huge math person, so there were points in the book where Anna and Hendrik were talking about math and I had no clue what they were referring to, so those parts were a bit boring for me, but some people may find it interesting. For some reason, for the longest time, I honestly thought that Hendrik was a lot older than Anna, possibly by the way he way described. Overall, this was a sweet book that I rather enjoyed indulging in.

[Jordan Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wendi has done an amazing job of capturing the life of an early 20’s mathematical genius in this book. I loved that Anna wasn’t perfect and was dealing with absentee parents alongside trying to figure out her own path in life.
This was an easy read with enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages.
I struggled a little with the relationships between the characters though. I felt that Anna’s feelings for Hendrik (while I was rooting for them) came out of nowhere and the problems between then could have been easily resolved with basic communication. I also found the side story of her womaniser roommate and best friend could have just as easily been left out.

But aside from those small hiccups I really enjoyed the book

[Gila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zomerschoon - Beauty of Summer is a fun book about a math graduate student who solves her math problems with her advisor at Oxford. She is a whiz at solving problems that took decades for others to decipher. However, in other matters, she is not as good. She has parents that are not always emotionally available and she begins to have very "unmath-like" feelings for her temporary advisor when her original advisor has a life threatening stroke. With very caustic and sharp dialogue, I was alternately laughing and had sadness pangs as the protagonist Anna, tried to navigate her life and decide what it was she really wanted from her career and her life.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 2 in this series and it’s a fast-paced slow-burn romance. Anna's irritation at Henrik during their initial interactions was palpable. As her feelings change, her inner turmoil is evident.

Ana and Henrik have to go through their own internal battles to decide if the relationship is worth the risk. This was exasperating at times. Anna’s family dynamics have had an impact on who she is and this comes out as the story progresses.

Maths and cryptography were interesting subjects that were something I enjoyed and especially with a highly intelligent female main character.

I received an electronic arc for an honest and fair review.

[Rudrashree Makwana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follows the odyssey of two individuals; Anna Franklin and Hendrik. Anna was doing graduation in Cryptography at Oxford. She was covering up for a professor until one day his health got degraded and Anna has to work with Hendrik to solve maths riddles and decoding the mathematical code. Together they were a duo and their chemistry develops as the story progresses. It has a little academic mystery and Anna’s fondness for Italian gelato and pizza was not comparable to anything. While, Anna and Hendrik has some issues but they gets resolved eventually with time. This is a mix of romance and academic mystery.

[Salma Khaled · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a very enjoyable read. I especially liked the parts about how the main character, Anna, was trying to figure out her life; the career she wants, her relationship with her family, and forming bonds with new people. I thought the romance was also really cute. I loved Hendrick so much, especially when the meaning of the title of the book was explained.
There were, however, certain parts where I thought Anna was being a bit annoying or did things that felt out of character or childish. The medical aspects of the book also didn’t make any sense, especially the ending.
Note: This book is a standalone, but there is a book before it that also features Anna Franklin, the main character, and which would be completely spoiled if you read this one first.

[bookendsandtwins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This was a sweet STEAM romance. Anna is scrappy and super smart and just trying to find her place in the world. Hendrik is so sweet and just tries to do the right thing. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but he definitely grew on me.

It was fun to travel to Oxford and the Netherlands with this book!

Thanks to @katieandbreypa and @wendi_dass for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Jodi Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simply amazing! I loved it from start to finish. Anna and Hendrik were such a cute couple! Soulmates in my opinion. They challenged each other but in the end just wanted what was best for each other. I loved it!

The writing and storyline was great! Kept you entertained from the beginning. I loved that Anna got her happy ending. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend checking this book out!

[aliteraryarchivist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zomerschoon Beauty of Summer by @wendi_dass is an emotional journey of self-discovery. Anna is unsure about her life. Arguably some of this issues probably stem from her family and just being burnt out. The plot forces Anna to grow as a character. The story is a little slow at times. I do think it works for the plot. Additionally, the math terminology could be confusing for people who are unfamiliar with math.

Pick up Zomerschoon Beauty of Summer as your next emotional read!!

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good romance story. Loved the chemistry between the two characters Anna and Henrik. I also love the fact that it wasn't just about romance. It also pertains to having to deal with a parent who doesn't show love but at the same time wants to control Anna's career path and academic life. I love the way the author use two characters who are on the same intellectual level. Would highly recommend this book.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a slow burn and I think some of the math terminology got in the way of me enjoying this as much as I had hoped. I give the author credit though for thorough research and great diversity by representing many different countries. While it may not have been for me, someone else is sure to enjoy it.

[Rae’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was adorable! While having a romance undertone leading to a semi predictable plot line (as all romances have) it had a major unique factor with them being mathematicians. As a math lover myself I loved getting to walk through that part of the storyline while still getting drama, romance and a splash of violence.

[Sylwia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zomerschoon is a fun and quirky romance with our FMC who is a cryptographer navigating her growing feelings for her advisor, her family life, and her future. It’s a fast-paced read with lots of math puns, and a shy love interest who always has a blush on his face. If you’re into really cheesy hallmark movies, then I recommend.

[Devons book corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't hate this book, I didn't love it either. I was annoyed with Anna the majority of this book, but did get to the point I could tolerate her. Also, why did we have to keep hearing about her weight and size? What was the point of that? I did like her bluntness though. I can definitely appreciate that. Again, not a horrible story, but I was definitely ready to land the plane and be done.

[Shavonne Belford · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read especially if your into high academic and socially awkward angst and romance

[Ronni Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great combination of mystery, romance and travel. Family dynamics and personal identity were also themes running through this exciting novel. Once you pick it up you won't want to put it down.

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good story set in an academic world centred on mathematics and code breaking.

The aspects I really appreciated were the very authentic fears held by the characters about their careers in academia because these are very really fears that Academics have. There’s a reason “publish or perish” is a much-repeated phrase!

I have not read the first in this series by Dass, but there is enough alluded to in this book that it’s easy to read this one as a stand-alone and infer the gist of the previous book. The FMC here is, obviously, brilliant but having been raised by parents who were, essentially, absent, she’s got some interesting quirks. These mostly serve to make her a more interesting character and make the reader really root for her when it seems that everyone else is putting their career first and their feelings (romantic or otherwise) for her second.

Though there are a couple of times that the story stalls slightly, or doesn’t move on as quickly as it maybe could, there are enough fun and funny bits in this a book that it’s well worth the read (especially if you know the world of academia at all!).

[briethebookishluxen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zomerschoon: Beauty of Summer by @wendi_dass was a fun read!

Blurb: When Anna Franklin embarks on a graduate degree in cryptography at Oxford, she anticipates decoding puzzles. Only her studies are a bore, her family is all but nonexistent, and she can’t find a good slice of pizza to save her life. After her beloved advisor has a stroke and she’s assigned to work with cocky post-doc Hendrik Van Der Aart, she wonders if her purpose might be to crack the code on the meaning of her life, not the latest math riddle.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Loved this story so much, it was so adorable!!! The chemistry between Anna and Hendrik was amazing and I really enjoyed learning about the mathematical riddles that were being solved. Plus most of the book was set in Europe, which was a bonus! Please read this book, just note that it is on the PG-13 side of romance novels. Thank you to @katieandbreypa for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!!! 🥰📚🧮✨ #bookstagram #modern #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #romantic #booknerd #math #nerds #arc #booklover #love #enemiestolovers