The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest is a fake dating romance with a Jersey shore beach setting and strong family and friendship themes! Let’s discuss!
The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
The Summer Girlfriend is my first romance by Kristina Forrest but will not be my last!
I LOVE a good fake dating romance book, and I really enjoyed reading The Summer Girlfriend shortly after Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan because they had similar premises:
- Girlfriend for hire
- Rich guy trying to navigate family expectations and a family business
- Dreamy summer setting (Jersey shore vs. Rhode Island)
- Just a hint of Pretty Woman (shopping sprees to dress for the part)
- Family dynamics
Noelle, the main character in Summer Girlfriend, had to temporarily drop out of college and is working part-time at a bookstore while she gets her life back on track. Her other gig: bridesmaid for hire. She serves as a paid no-drama bestie for busy brides.
One day, Jeremiah Smith (part of the legendary Smith Sweets, a homegrown Black business that makes cookies to die for) walks into the bookstore to get a birthday present for his sister. They get to talking, she explains her bridesmaid gig, and he has a genius idea: Noelle will pose as the imaginary girlfriend he told his family he had.
Of course, fake feelings become real.
Not only does Noelle fall for “Miah,” but for his whole family, still grieving the loss of their patriarch, Jeremiah’s grandfather.
The Summer Girlfriend is the perfect summer romance!
It had enough stakes to keep me interested, but not so much drama that it stressed me out. Noelle and Jeremiah were such relatable characters, both trying to find themselves career-wise.
The Jersey Shore setting was sublime. I don’t know if Heart Beach was based on a real location. There is a traditionally Black (originally segregated) beach there, but Heart Beach also reminded me of Oak Bluffs in Nantucket. And it looks like there will be a second book (hopefully based on Jeremiah’s horror novel-loving sister, Amara!)
The Summer Girlfriend had:
- A fun fake dating romance premise
- Jersey Shore location
- Themes of family, grief, and finding yourself
- Medium spice with several open door scenes
- Publication date: June 9 2026 by Berkley. Thanks so much to them for the advance review copy.
The Summer Girlfriend is perfect for:
- Readers who can’t get enough of the fake dating romance trope (me!)
- Those who love romances that incorporate family relationships and friendships (me!)
If you’ve read The Summer Girlfriend, tell me your thoughts in comments!
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!
