Dell Books Archives - The Litertarian

Fake it until you make it. Good advice, right? Maybe not always.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver Book Cover

Kate Elliot was an actress as a young woman. Now, after a divorce, she reaches out to her old agency in a last-ditch effort to get a job to support herself. Turns out his son has taken over the agency, and he has an idea for her she never could have anticipated: be the face of a book written by another author who doesn’t wish to be connected to the work in any way. She’s not a ghostwriter, she’s just the ghost. It’s odd, but she’s desperate, so she agrees. With the help of her agent, Charlie they begin crafting a whole persona, and when it comes time to launch the book, she’s got tour appearances, radio, and tv interviews to navigate. But it’ll be fine, she’s an actress, after all. And Charlie is there to make sure she’s okay every step of the way. But why does it still feel uncomfortable?

I’m not sure I even understand the premise of this book. It’s explained in full, but does it actually make sense? Why would a publishing house go through all this dang trouble to sell a book they’re sure will sell anyway? It is inherently risky and they’re kind of asking for it to blow up in their face. For me, the dishonesty of it just niggled at me through the whole thing.

That being said, I did enjoy the romance of it. Charlie is a man written by a woman, for sure. He’s protective and sultry and never says the wrong thing. There are a few really swoon-worthy moments. It’s not a straight-forward thing though (it never is). There are plenty of hurdles that stand between them in a way that reminded me a little bit of Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan or The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center.

Overall it is an easy entertaining read, but nothing about it really stood out to me as being exceptional. I’m glad I read it, but I probably won’t go back to reread it, so I gave it three stars.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Slow Burn Summer
Author:: Josie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Random House Ballantine | Dell
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 11h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: June 10th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Perfect Rom-Com | Melissa Ferguson
Yin Yang Love Song | Lauren King Jessen
Yours Truly | Abby Jimenez
The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center

Are you craving a sweet romance that will leave you with a big goofy smile? The Cheat Sheet series by Sarah Adams delivers on a low-stakes, pure bliss experience that serves as a perfect palette cleanser if you’ve been reading heavier things and need a little break. Did I mention there are sports? Because there’s just something about a good sports romance, amiright?

The Cheat Sheet

Bree and Nathan have been friends since high school. Both serious athletes, they take up running together to keep up their fitness. They stay fast friends through high school, until Bree has an accident that leaves her unable to continue her sport (ballet), and Nathan is off to college. They lose touch awhile, until they end up in the same town where Bree runs a dance studio & Nathan is a professional quarterback. They reconnect and take up their habit of running again, and it becomes a sacred tradition. All this time they’ve each harbored a secret crush on the other they are too afraid to pursue, because their friendship is such an integral part of their lives. But now, for the first time since they met, each of them are single at the same time, and Nathan doesn’t want to let the opportunity slip through his fingers. With the help of his friends, they create a cheat sheet of romantic ‘plays’ to try to woo the girl of his dreams.

The Rule Book

Being a sports agent has been Nora’s dream for as long as she can remember. Finally, in an industry dominated by men, she gets her chance to succeed – except her new (first) client is the one-who-got-away in college, (Nathan’s teammate) Derek Pender. She broke his heart, and now he’s out to punish her awhile before he drops her and gets a new agent – obviously there is a conflict of interest. Only thing is, Nora’s great at her job. In order to be professional, they make a set of ground rules to follow. But being near each other stirs up a lot of feelings, and after growing up a little more, they can recognize their own mistakes from the past. Will they be able to move forward as a team? Or will they need to part ways, for good this time?

Of the two, I rated The Cheat Sheet higher. Without giving anything away, The Rule Book used tropes that were a little too far-fetched to work well for me. The Cheat Sheet was so sweet and romantic, and I was just rooting for the two of them to be together. It was very low-stakes, and the only thing that bothered me was Bree’s inner monologue occasionally being a little too obnoxious. The Rule Book is a little more complex. Nora’s career is very much on the line, and Derek is holding onto a lot of anger from the past. The romance itself felt maybe more realistic (because of the complexity), but overall I just didn’t like it as much. They both have that Sarah Adams lighthearted tone, and while there is conflict, she never leaves you sweating for long.

They certainly fall into the romantic comedy umbrella. Plenty of antics ensue in both books of quirky situations the characters get themselves into that usually ultimately add to the romance. I found myself smiling so often while reading, and I honestly didn’t want to put them down!

The Cheat Sheet is completely spice free, and honestly? I didn’t even miss it. However, The Rule Book does have a dash of it. Both stories stand out to me as simply hopelessly romantic, not particularly sexy.

I like this series because I think it’s great for younger romance readers, and those who prefer less spice. Sometimes it’s nice to have something light and quick and enjoyable to read just for the joy of it. I’m learning Sarah Adams is a great place to turn to for that. I think When in Rome is still my favorite Sarah Adams book I’ve read though! It’s a celebrity small-town romance *swoon*.

Details

Title:: The Cheat Sheet (The Cheat Sheet #1)
Author:: Sarah Adams
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Dell Books
Length:: 306 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 57m
Audiobook Narrator:: Renee Dorian & Teddy Hamilton
Audiobook Publisher:: Dreamscape Media
Published:: August 17th, 2021
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Title:: The Rule Book (The Cheat Sheet #2)
Author:: Sarah Adams
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Dell Books
Length:: 356 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 50m
Audiobook Narrator:: Hathaway Lee & Will Damron
Audiobook Publisher:: Random House Audio
Published:: April 2nd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars