Yes—especially if you enjoy spicy, forbidden age-gap romance. Early reader reception is very strong: Goodreads currently shows 4.84/5 from 19 ratings, with readers praising the chemistry, tension, character development, and spice. A few readers felt the ending was rushed, though.
My verdict: ⭐ 4.5/5
🔥 Spice: 5/5
💔 Angst: 3.5/5
🚩 Forbidden/possessive romance: 5/5
📚 Plot: 4/5
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erica Jade |
| Genre | Contemporary/forbidden romance, Billionaires & Millionaires Romance, Mafia Romance |
| Published | June 9, 2026 |
| Length | 436 pages (paperback) |
| Main characters | Skye & Dominic |
| Tropes | Age gap • best friend’s dad • forbidden romance • forced proximity • possessive/commanding MMC • BDSM/dom-sub |
| Spice | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Series | First book in an interconnected series |
The book is currently listed at 436 pages in paperback, and it was published on June 9, 2026.
Skye is a college student under serious financial pressure after her father abandons her family. Desperate to help her mother and younger brother, she makes a life-changing decision: she auctions off her virginity.
The winning bidder is Dominic—older, wealthy, commanding, and exactly the kind of man Skye finds impossible to ignore.
There’s just one problem.
He’s her best friend’s father.
When Skye arrives in California expecting an ordinary summer with her best friend, she discovers she’ll be staying under Dominic’s roof. Now they’re trapped in a summer of forced proximity, stolen moments, forbidden attraction, and secrets—while both try to resist something that’s becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.
If you like Nicole Fox-style books, particularly obsessive/possessive men, taboo romance, big age gaps, and very high spice, this is probably a good pick for you.
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Romance/Chemistry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pacing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Emotional Impact | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐
This rating fits especially well with the reader reception: the book’s strongest points are the Skye/Dominic chemistry, emotional connection, character depth, and forbidden-romance tension. The main criticism that appears in some reviews is that the ending feels a little rushed, which makes your 4⭐ pacing score reasonable.
Final rating: ⭐ 4.5/5 — addictive, emotional, steamy, and chemistry-heavy.
Based on the book itself and the reader reception available so far, this is a very strong pick for readers who want forbidden romance, a significant age gap, dominant/possessive energy, and high spice—but still want the relationship to develop emotionally. Goodreads currently has it at about 4.8/5, with most reviews landing at 4.5–5 stars.
The biggest weaknesses are pacing and the ending.
So if you’re looking for an extremely slow-burn romance with a meticulously developed plot, this probably won’t completely satisfy you.
Skye is vulnerable without being helpless. She’s dealing with serious family and financial pressure, yet she still has ambition and a developing sense of independence.
One particularly interesting part of her arc is discovering what she actually wants, rather than simply doing what circumstances demand of her.
Dominic is very much the fantasy-romance dominant older man: wealthy, confident, controlling, possessive, and intimidating—but noticeably softer around Skye.
What makes him work is the contrast between his controlled personality and how much Skye disrupts that control.
Harper’s friendship with Skye is surprisingly important. Their relationship gives the forbidden romance genuine consequences rather than making the “best friend’s dad” trope feel like a label pasted onto the story.
Readers have also highlighted the secondary characters and their chemistry as one of the things that makes the book feel like the beginning of a larger interconnected series.
Chemistry: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is where the book really shines.
The attraction between Skye and Dominic is immediate, but the romance doesn’t jump straight from attraction to relationship. A lot of the appeal comes from the fact that they repeatedly have reasons not to act on what they’re feeling.
Their dynamic combines:
forbidden attraction → forced proximity → temptation → power exchange → emotional attachment
The age gap and Dominic’s authority create a strong power imbalance, which is deliberately part of the fantasy. The story also explores Skye discovering her submissive side and Dominic’s dominant nature.
What I particularly like about the dynamic is that the emotional connection exists outside the bedroom too. Readers have noted that they share interests and develop a genuine connection rather than functioning solely as a spicy pairing.
Major tropes include:
The combination of best friend’s dad + age gap + forced proximity + Dom/sub is really the book’s selling point.
This is very spicy.
Expect:
The book’s own premise centers on Skye auctioning her virginity, so sexual/transactional themes are central to the setup, rather than being a minor subplot.
Content note: The story also involves family financial hardship, parental abandonment, and a heroine carrying significant responsibility for her family.
If you don’t enjoy large age gaps or dominant/submissive dynamics, this probably isn’t the right romance for you.
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The book is generally easy to binge. The forbidden attraction and constant tension make it difficult to put down.
The downside is that the story sometimes prioritizes romantic momentum over slower plot development.
Some readers loved that fast, addictive quality; one negative review specifically criticized the feeling of a rushed plot and repetition.
So I’d describe the pacing as:
Fast, addictive, occasionally rushed.
The writing itself is accessible and very romance-focused, with plenty of dialogue, banter, emotional scenes, and explicit tension.
The ending works, but it’s probably the weakest part of the book.
Without giving anything away: some developments toward the end happen faster than they ideally should, including time jumps that move the story forward without always giving the reader the emotional payoff they might expect.
That doesn’t make the ending bad—it just makes it feel less satisfying than the excellent chemistry leading up to it.
The upside is that this is the beginning of an interconnected series, so the supporting characters clearly leave room for more stories.
Ending score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read it if you enjoy:
Especially recommended if you like Nicole Fox-style dark/possessive romance but want something that leans more heavily into the forbidden-romance fantasy than outright dark romance.
You may want to skip it if you dislike:
And if you’re primarily a plot-first reader, the heavy emphasis on chemistry and spice may not work for you.
If what you loved was forbidden + age gap + dominant MMC + high spice, I’d look toward:
Closest match for the specific trope combination: Birthday Girl.
Closest match for the spice: Praise or Your Dad Will Do.
Not exactly. It has taboo/forbidden and possessive elements, but it’s better described as a very spicy contemporary forbidden romance than a genuinely dark romance.
Very. Possessiveness and control are major parts of his character and the romantic fantasy.
Moderately. There’s plenty of buildup and tension, but the overall book isn’t an ultra-slow-burn romance.
Yes. Very much so. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Yes. The relationship develops an emotional component, and multiple readers specifically praised the connection between Skye and Dominic outside the bedroom.
It’s presented as the first book in an interconnected series, with supporting characters setting up future stories.
The paperback edition is listed at 436 pages; a digital edition is listed at 352 pages, so length varies by edition.
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Romance/Chemistry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pacing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Emotional Impact | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Spice | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
The bottom line: The Summer We Lie succeeds because Skye and Dominic’s chemistry is ridiculously strong, and the forbidden setup gives their romance genuine tension. It’s emotional, extremely spicy, addictive, and character-driven enough to be more than just an excuse for steamy scenes.
Its main weakness is that the final stretch feels a little rushed, preventing it from reaching a full 5 stars.
If your favorite ingredients are “older possessive man + best friend’s dad + forbidden romance + forced proximity + insane chemistry + lots of spice,” put this one on your TBR. 🔥📖
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