Allison’s Book Report: “These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean

I know summer is over and it’s October — aka “spooky season” — but I propose we normalize reading so-called “beach reads” year-round. Who’s with me?

If you love a rich-family-in-crisis drama with a side of scorching romance, have I got a book for you.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean dives into the dysfunctional world of the ultra-wealthy Storm family after their eccentric, manipulative patriarch, Franklin Storm, drops dead. Alice Storm, the middle daughter, has been blissfully estranged for five years. She built a life far away from the family’s Rhode Island private island and their billions after a huge falling out with Franklin. Alice just wants to show up for the funeral, keep her head down and leave immediately.

But Franklin, being the controlling type of father and human he was, had other plans. His will reveals a final, massive twist: an inheritance game designed to make his family confront their secrets — and humiliate them a bit.

The rules are clear: the whole family — Alice, her tightly wound older sister, Greta, their arrogant brother, Sam, and free-spirited younger sister, Emily — must stay on the island for one chaotic week and complete their assigned tasks, or no one gets a dime.

The island is instantly a pressure cooker of old resentments, sibling rivalries and shocking reveals. Greta’s got a secret love affair, Sam’s constantly mansplaining and their mother is, as always, cold and judgmental.

Adding fuel to the fire is Jack Dean, Franklin’s enigmatic, super-handsome second-in-command. Alice had a hot, accidental one-night stand with him right before she arrived on the island, not realizing he was the family’s new warden. Jack is the one running the inheritance game, watching their every move and totally upending Alice’s calm, independent life.

As the days tick by and a brutal summer storm batters the coast, the family is forced to face their messy pasts and the truth about their father. The challenges are deeply personal, pushing the siblings to choose between their own self-interest and their shattered family bond.

These Summer Storms is a clever, compulsively readable story about grief, reckoning and the intense power of family, wrapped up with a swoony, slow-burn romance between Alice and Jack. Think “Succession” meets a beach read with a seriously sexy heartbeat.

Pro tip: I actually listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by my favorite audiobook reader, Julia Whelan — a real treat.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. And don’t forget to pop over to my Instagram, @allison.the.reader, for more book recommendations and book-related fun!