Book Review: Five-Star Summer
Take a trip behind-the-scenes of an elegant hotel in dramatically gorgeous Cornwall, England with Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan.
Evie Hamilton is the current general manager of an amazing hotel with a lot of potential that is staring down closure. No one is taking her new leadership role seriously, since the entire hotel staff, and the cute Cornish village, have all known and loved her since she was a baby. While she loves the town community, she could use some help updating the hotel. And she would like a chance to go on a date with the sexy Italian chef, Luca, without alerting the town gossips.
Abby Jones’ entire life has revolved around living up to her business-mogul, single mother’s high standards. So of course she agrees when her mom asks her to go undercover to the place where she was born, even if she doesn’t want to lie by omission about who she is, the daughter of the hotel group’s owner. Abby is desperate to find out more about the place where her mother grew up and met her father, a story she knows almost nothing about. She is ready to discover more about her past and prove herself in her career to her mother. However, her best-laid plans might go awry if she discovers friendship and even love, rather than a job promotion, on the beaches of Cornwall.
When Abby arrives at the hotel, Evie breathes a sigh of relief that someone capable is there to help her. Together, can they save the hotel from financial ruin and predatory developers? The two young women feel an instant bond, but can their friendship survive their secrets from the past?
My Thoughts
I love a multiple-POV summer romance set in a beachside town. I really enjoyed Abby and Evie’s characters. They realistically had to balance their goals and careers, love lives, and friendship along with their emotional journeys. I didn’t get bored with any of the POVs, and there were two satisfying love-story plot lines as well as revelations from the past that weren’t too predictable. If you are packing books for a vacation or staycation, and you enjoy your romance leaning toward women’s fiction and beachside towns in England, then you will enjoy Five-Star Summer!
I have read several books by Sarah Morgan and reliably enjoyed them. The Book Club Hotel might be one of my favorite books of hers, but I enjoyed Five-Star Summer even more.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan will be published in the United States on May 5, 2026.
