Book Review: Burnout Summer

Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez is for the lovers of the friends-to-lovers trope and those who are in the midst of their quarter-life crisis. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes; add in a refreshing, salty, breezy Rhode Island setting and a MMC wearing glasses and I’m sold.

Camille graduated from college four years ago, but she can’t stop comparing herself to the overachievers in her college friend group. After losing her job, she has a meltdown requiring bail, and one of her best friends from college, Danny, drives all the way from Rhode Island to DC to pick her up. He offers her a place to stay for free, with him, in the spare room, and even offers her a job at the restaurant he owns and runs.

Cam is in her own head a lot, so she doesn’t seem very appreciative of this whole set up, which was annoying at times (for this reader). Finally, Camille starts to see Danny in a new light, instead of as the unambitious fun-loving burnout of their friend group. Danny encourages her to pursue her original dream; not writing marketing copy for corporate America, but writing a novel.

The beach air works wonders for Cam and soon she is inspired to work on her book. The tension between Cam and Danny is delicious, but when I say it is a slow-burn, I mean it; so slow it is driving 15 in a 65 mph zone. There was a lot of miscommunication trope, but to be honest, I will forgive a lot for a friends-to-lovers summer beach romance with a golden retriever MMC.

My Thoughts

Some of Cam’s conflicts will be most relatable to people in their 20s and early 30s. As a 40-something, I wanted to shake her at times and tell her that other people’s opinions don’t matter as much as you think they do, and your true friends will always cheer you on when you find the love of your life.

One of her central conflicts is being willing to work a job that looks good on paper and chasing that to the detriment of the rest of her life. Also I kept getting offended on behalf of Danny, who was kind, empathetic, successful, and extremely patient, but Cam seemed to look down on his job and life, just because he wasn’t earning six figures in corporate America. For me, that was the most frustrating part of the book.

Overall, if you are in need of a small-town romance, beach read, friends to lovers romance to help you through your quarter-life crisis, Burnout Summer is for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.