Summer Girls
  • Published: 15 July 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593696897
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $45.00

Summer Girls

Formats & editions
Paperback
5 Aug 2025
Hardback
15 Jul 2025
Pre-order from…
The Nile Mighty Ape BookHub Whitcoulls The Warehouse Paper Plus Fishpond Book Hero Unity Books University Book Shop Find Local Retailers

From the author of Some Girls Do comes a YA sapphic romance about two girls from different sides of the tracks.

From the author of Some Girls Do comes a summery sapphic romance about two girls from the same vacation town, whose worlds couldn’t be farther apart.

Cass has a rule about dating summer girls—just say no. Every year, her idyllic beach town is flooded with summer girls, the obnoxious daughters of the rich, who stay in their families’ summer homes, sail their yachts, and generally make things unbearable for townies like Cass.

Birdie is the ultimate summer girl. She’s the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer dad and a social media influencer mom, and this summer Birdie happens to be in big trouble for accidentally crashing her boyfriend’s very expensive car.

Birdie’s punishment is to spend the summer with her father at the beach—but it won’t be a vacation. He’s enlisted the help of Cass, whose dad works for him, to keep Birdie on the straight and narrow, including getting her a job at the public beach where Cass lifeguards.

At first the two despise each other. Birdie doesn’t want a babysitter, and Cass doesn’t want to be one. But as the season heats up, Birdie surprises Cass time and again, and before long both girls can’t help but wonder: Are some rules made to be broken?
  • Published: 15 July 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593696897
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $45.00
Categories:

About the author

JENNIFER DUGAN

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, a geek, and a romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she’d had growing up. She’s the author of the graphic novel Coven, as well as the young adult novels Melt With You, Some Girls Do, Verona Comics, and Hot Dog Girl, which was called “a great, fizzy rom-com” by Entertainment Weekly and “one of the best reads of the year, hands down” by Paste magazine. She lives in upstate New York with her family, their dog, a strange kitten who enjoys wearing sweaters, and an evil cat who is no doubt planning to take over the world.

Also by JENNIFER DUGAN

Full Shift: A Graphic Novel
Playing for Keeps
The Last Girls Standing
Coven: A Graphic Novel
Melt With You
Some Girls Do
Verona Comics
See all

Praise for Summer Girls

Praise for Summer Girls:

* "A continuous page-turner. Aside from the blossoming relationship, Dugan focuses on current issues such as coming out and gentrification. Many young adults will also relate to the worrisome problem of parents recording their children for online content. A reminder that love is always worth the fight." —Booklist, starred review

"The narrative not only chronicles the teens’ slow-burn romance, but also deftly addresses the underlying issues present in their relationship, including wealth, class differences, the privilege of being able to come out on your own terms, and the volatile nature of social media. This fast-paced enemies-to-lovers romance will keep readers turning the pages . . . A summer romance that’s a delightful read in any season." —Kirkus Reviews
"Nuanced discussions of gentrification levied by the girls’ charming romance balance out this sweet and summery beach read." —Publishers Weekly

Praise for Jennifer Dugan:
"Charming . . . Without sacrificing the banter or sincerity that make up this winning romance, Dugan skillfully crafts parallel story lines in which the weight of loss and pressure to succeed haunt the protagonists throughout their everyday lives as they work toward their own futures." —Publishers Weekly, on Playing For Keeps

"[A] voice-driven, absorbing dual narrative . . . Ivy’s and June’s flawed coping strategies clash with their adorable budding romance, propelling them toward gut-wrenching heartbreak and terrifying, necessary, affirming new choices . . . A page-turner that handles heavy topics with wisdom." —Kirkus Reviews, on Playing For Keeps

* “Heartfelt  and thoughtful . . . An entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review, on Some Girls Do

“A smart, heartfelt teen romance . . . Reminds us that everyone's journey is different and can progress at different paces; the real magic happens when love comes before labels and you find someone to join on the journey.” —NPR on Some Girls Do

“A great, fizzy rom-com . . . [Dugan’s] heroine, Lou, is beautifully realized: a complex bisexual woman who finds her desires and expectations challenged by a strangely magical world.” —Entertainment Weekly on Hot Dog Girl

“A hilarious delight. This wonderful romance novel set at a theme park makes for one of the best reads of the year, hands down.” —Paste Magazine on Hot Dog Girl