Initial Impressions
Summer in the City by Alex Aster had all the ingredients of a great romcom, a big city backdrop, a billionaire love interest, a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and just enough tropey chaos to get you invested. And to be fair, I was invested… until I wasn’t.
This is one of those reads that starts strong but slowly loses its footing. Somewhere between Elle’s constant defensiveness and a third-act breakup that felt more frustrating than earned, the magic wore off. There’s no denying Alex Aster knows how to keep pages turning, but the emotional payoff didn’t quite land, especially when the main character doesn’t feel like someone you want to root for.
Tropes
- Fake dating
- Billionaire romance
- Forced proximity
- He falls first
- Enemies to lovers
Spoiler-Free Summary
Elle is a 27-year-old screenwriter battling a brutal case of writer’s block. She returns to NYC for the summer to house-sit her sister’s apartment and hopefully find some creative inspiration. The last thing she expects? Her new neighbor is Parker Warren, billionaire tech CEO and the guy she shared a heated moment with two years ago… a moment that ended with him saying the wrong thing and left her holding a grudge ever since.
What starts as awkward tension soon turns into an arrangement: Elle agrees to be Parker’s fake girlfriend to help improve his public image during a major business deal, and in return, he offers to help her experience the city where her screenplay is set. As their lives begin to overlap, those old sparks aren’t so easy to ignore.
It’s romcom catnip. But the follow-through doesn’t quite deliver.
Want to read it for yourself? Grab Summer in the City here 📚💘🗽
What Worked
Parker Warren, Billionaire Done Right
Let’s give credit where it’s due. Parker is exactly what a billionaire book boyfriend should be. Thoughtful, hilarious, a little over-the-top in that indulgent way, but never in a gross or arrogant way. He buys Elle’s favorite coffee shop chain. He rents out landmarks. He’s all-in, and it’s honestly hard not to love him for it.
Unlike the usual grumpy CEO trope, Parker is refreshingly open, emotionally available, and has clear depth. He carries his own emotional weight and doesn’t try to fix Elle with money, even though that’s often how his gestures are received.
The NYC Atmosphere
If you’re a sucker for summer in the city vibes, this book delivers. Aster brings New York to life with coffee shops, early morning runs, and skyline views. The setting becomes its own character, and for some readers, that’s half the appeal. It’s a nice break from the endless string of small-town romances currently flooding the genre.
Slow Burn with Momentum
The relationship pacing actually works. It’s not instant attraction with no substance. There’s tension, build-up, and just enough vulnerability shared between Elle and Parker to feel believable… at first.
What Didn’t Work
Elle as a Main Character
This is where the book lost me. Elle is the type of FMC who seems built for conflict. She’s not just guarded, she’s needlessly combative. Every sweet thing Parker does is met with suspicion, annoyance, or worse. Her reactions to his wealth border on immature, especially since she entered the arrangement with her eyes open.
Instead of growth, we get a cycle of self-sabotage, hypocrisy, and insecurity. And by the time she starts to soften, it’s too little, too late. You’re left wondering what Parker sees in her that’s worth all the effort.
Third-Act Breakup
If there was one moment that killed the book for me, it was the second major breakup in Chapter 30. After a rocky buildup, this choice just felt excessive. One big fallout was already enough, the extra dose of drama pushed things from emotional to exhausting. It made Elle’s character arc even harder to invest in.
Overly Self-Aware Writing
The book leans so heavily into tropes that it almost starts to parody them. There’s a wink-wink energy that gets distracting, especially when paired with dialogue that doesn’t always ring true. A little self-awareness is fun, but too much starts to feel like the book is afraid to be sincere.
Characters
Elle Leon
Elle is a 27-year-old screenwriter who writes under an alias and prefers it that way. She’s built a quiet career off-camera, crafting stories for the big screen while keeping her own life at arm’s length. At 5’4″ (notably a foot shorter than Parker, even in heels), she’s quick-witted, emotionally closed off, and borderline allergic to attention.
She dresses for comfort, not aesthetics, think loose tees, worn-in jeans, hair pulled back when she remembers to bother. Her features are striking in an understated way: high cheekbones, long dark hair. She overthinks everything, keeps people at a distance, and guards her independence like it’s life or death.
By the time we meet her, Elle’s stuck, creatively, emotionally, and otherwise. What she needs is a reason to let herself feel something again. What she wants is harder to figure out.
Parker Warren
Parker is a 29-year-old tech billionaire with a carefully controlled life and no real idea what to do when someone challenges it. He stands at 6’4″, all lean muscle and sharp lines, with green eyes that hold more behind them than he tends to admit. His suits are custom, his smile is disarming, and his presence fills a room without effort.
Money is second nature to him, not something he uses to show off, but the only way he’s ever known how to give. Grand gestures are his default, not his strategy. He’s blunt, quick with dry humor, and easier to read than he thinks he is once the surface cracks.
For all his wealth, Parker isn’t cold or calculating. He’s just a guy who’s spent too long being useful to everyone but himself, until Elle walks back into his life and makes him want something real.
Spicy Chapter List
“I didn’t fall in love with a version of you, Elle,” he says. “I fell in love with every you.”
Alex Aster, Summer in the City
- Chapter 19 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 26 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 27 🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 29 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 32 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Final Thoughts
Summer in the City had all the right elements: a dreamy setting, an irresistible male lead, and romance tropes readers love. But it stumbles on character development and emotional resonance. If you’re in it for the fluff and the city vibes, you’ll probably enjoy the ride. But if you need a strong, likable heroine and believable growth to feel truly satisfied, this one may leave you frustrated.
Summer in the City
Would I recommend it?
Only if you’re here for Parker. This is a love story where one half of the couple carries most of the emotional weight. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s a fun, fast read. But if you’re expecting depth and balance? Proceed with caution.
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