The phrase "summer reading" usually evokes either an idyllic three months of beach books or a tedious list of classics to be crammed in before the next school year. But for Samantha Gale, the nightmare isn't limited to Dickens and Tolstoy. Because Sam is dyslexic and has struggled with reading her whole life. Now twenty-eight and between chef gigs, she's returned to her childhood home on Martha's Vineyard to plan her second act. On the ferry over, she escapes being hurled on by a frat boy thanks to the gallantry of one Bennett Reynolds. Ben is a swoon-worthy librarian, and Sam would like nothing more than to distract herself with a summer fling. So she lies about her dyslexia and pretends to be Stephen King's biggest fan.
Welcome to Jenn McKinlay's latest, Summer Reading. I've enjoyed many a McKinlay romcom and mystery, but from the foreword, I knew that this book would be special. In it, McKinlay explains what inspired her to write a novel about dyslexia -- and print it in a neurodivergent-friendly font and format to boot:
"Having been an avid reader all my life, I can't imagine not having books and stories to escape into when life gets difficult. But I'd watched up close as several of my family members did not find reading as enjoyable as I did and had to navigate a world that was incredibly unfriendly to those with dyslexia. Books weren't the safe place for them that they were for me, and it made me much more aware of how many people find decoding the written word a challenge." (xi)
As someone who also finds comfort in books, I was instantly sympathetic to anyone who can't seek such refuge. That said, Sam's dyslexia makes her life -- as well as her relationship with Ben -- take on another dimension. A library card-carrying knight in shining armor, Ben accepts Sam for who she is. He even shares his love of books by reading her a romcom that just happens to be McKinlay's own Paris is Always a Good Idea. (How's that for mignon?) But Ben has his own stumbling block: his eccentric artist mother refuses to tell him who his father is. Because her family has lived on the island for generations, Sam is the ideal person to help Ben research his dad's identity. As the two work and play, their bond grows even stronger, leading Sam to hope that it'll last long after Labor Day.
Summer Reading is a refreshing and irresistible romance, all wrapped up in a classic opposites-attract trope.
But then, maybe the reason that opposites attract is that they're not so opposite after all.