Running a five-star Cornish hotel should have been Evie Hamilton’s dream job. But restoring it to its former glory will take a miracle. All Evie has is grit and a hoard of unruly staff who love to speculate about her love life. She needs backup, and fast.

Enter Abby Jones. Parachuted in by the hotel’s umbrella company for the summer, Abby thinks Evie could be the best friend she never had. But Abby has her own agenda for being in Cornwall. If her real motives are uncovered, their friendship is going to melt away faster than an ice cream in the summer sun.

Yet Abby’s arrival starts a chain reaction. With the help of a charming chef and a gruff pub owner, they begin to embrace their true selves and the bonds that unite them. But it’s not just the hotel’s five-star reputation that needs rebuilding – Evie and Abby will also have to brave tearing down their lives in order to reshape their futures…

~Standalone~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  Five Star Summer
Series:  Standalone
Author:  Sarah Morgan
Published:  May 5, 2026
Publisher:  Harlequin Trade/MIRA
My Rating:  4 stars

Five-Star Summer is a standalone title that quickly caught my attention and held it throughout Evie and Abby’s story.  Evie is back in Cornwall, now running, or at least temporarily running, a classic hotel there.  Upon arrival, she’s about to learn that the hotel, the pride of the chain, isn’t in as good a condition as it should be, and, perhaps worse, the staff has let a lot of things slide.  The company will send in help in the form of Abby, a woman with secrets, to help Evie bring the hotel back to its former glory… which won’t be a quick challenge; it’s going to take time and determination to turn this place around.  And if both Evie and Abby find a bit of romance during those challenging changes to the hotel, plus finding an instant friendship between them, well, that’s all to the good, right?  Perhaps, if Abby’s secrets don’t destroy that friendship before it can even start.

I enjoyed Five-Star Summer; it’s well-written, engaging, and emotional on several levels.  The secondary characters, especially the hotel staff, made this a delightful romance that felt even more realistic because of their antics.  It’s just as much a story about friendship as it is about romance.  While I loved watching both women find the men of their dreams, it was their growing friendship, even in the most challenging moments, that really won my heart in this story.  If you love a good romance with a side of new friendship added into the mix, then you’d enjoy this one.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon