The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay
The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay is a forced proximity, rivals to lovers romance set in the Outer Banks in summer. This one has summery romance written all over it!
Review of The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay
The Summer Share was not at all what I expected, but in a good way.
“Van life” content creator Hannah is still grieving the loss of her grandfather, when she learns that he’s willed her his house on the Outer Banks. But when she arrives, there’s an annoying guy there named Simon, who insists that the house was left to him by his grandfather.
After a fair amount of speculation (were they related?) and bickering, they learn that their grandfathers co-owned the house and willed it to both of them. They must live there for two months, then make a joint decision about whether to sell the house and split the proceeds, or have one of them buy the other out.
The Summer Share was heavy on rivalry, banter, and shenanigans and a bit lighter on plot. There are plenty of old house mishaps and arguing.
The spice level in The Summer Share was definitely on the steamy level, with explicit open door scenes. There was two family-related subplots that I won’t spoil but both were very emotional.
This was my first Jenn McKinley book, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, so if you’ve read her books, fill me in down in the comments!
The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay had:
- A charming summer in the Outer Banks setting.
- A loose enemies to lovers plot (they don’t stay rivals for long)
- A surprise subplot I wasn’t expecting.
- A mischievous Great Dane named Dude
- Publication date: May 26 2026 by Berkley Romance. Thanks so much to them for the advance review copy.
The Summer Share is perfect For:
- Readers who love some spicy summer scenes!
- Readers who enjoy stories with strong family relationships – I often find these in Southern-set romances, and I enjoy it!
My Master Post on New Summer Romance Books for 2026 has ALL the top summer romance books you need to know about. Be sure to check it out and download my ultimate Summer Romance Reading Guide!
I also have two summer quizzes for you to take, my Find Your Perfect Summer Trope Quiz and my Choose Your Summer Romance Adventure Quiz. Take them both and get book recommendations based on your answers!
- My Master Summer Romance 2026 Post – all the summer books in one place!
- My Find Your Summer Adventure quiz!
- Grab My Summer Romance Reading Guide with a checklist of ALL the summer romances I could find, plus a bingo card, a coloring reading tracker and more!
