Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: HQ Stories
Publication date: 21st May 2026
Content warnings: estranged family

“Changing the future starts with a single step…”

I love Sarah Morgan’s Christmas books and after being challenged to take a chance on Sarah’s new summer read by HQ Stories, I now want to buy every other summery book she’s written and read them back to back! I did read last year’s summer book, A Secret Escape, so I’m not a completely newbie, but I just loved this. I started it by the poolside in Tenerife, and I can confirm it is the most gloriously uplifting beach read and you need it in your life. I’m so happy to be sharing my review for Brave New Summer by Sarah Morgan!

About the book

Evie is the acting general manager of The Alexandra hotel in picturesque Cornwall, but she feels trapped in a life defined by others’ expectations. Just as she contemplates a fresh start, Abby arrives, sent undercover by the hotel’s owner to assess the staff and operations. But Abby is navigating her own struggles and longs to break free from the shadow of her mother.

As the two women forge an unexpected friendship, they confront their fears and the threat of change looming over them. 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. Will they find the strength to reshape their futures, or will the weight of the past hold them back?

The beginning

There was so much about this book that I connected with straight away; the witty, instantly loveable characters, the humour, the hotel setting at the coast, all of it. But it’s just something Sarah Morgan always seems to do well and I already had high hopes that this would be the beach read of the year! We meet Evie, acting general manager at The Alexandra hotel in Cornwall. She’s in desperate need of a new start knowing the hotel she’s worked at for eight years of her life is crumbling. The staff she works with don’t seem to have any interest in changing things for the better. Instead, they prefer to keep things familiar, as they’d always been, which would soon drive the hotel into the ground. Evie needed to work somewhere thriving before she lost her sanity, and seeing a job at a luxurious London hotel seems to be the career progression she’s craving. The staff at The Alexandra were wonderful people, but change was needed. And fast. Already, these characters were fully formed and a delight to read about, and I would have happily jumped into the pages there and then!

“Evie hated people who lied. Ironically, so did Abby. And yet, here she was… It was too late to unravel it now. She just had to hope that her skills at subterfuge improved.”

I really loved Evie’s colleague at the hotel, Donna, someone who makes it her mission to get her a man, to help her to live a bit after she’d been so buried under work. She was hilarious and that fun friend that everyone needs in their life. I could also sense that Luca, the hotel’s new chef, would play a crucial part. He’d already turned the hotel’s restaurant around and he was an exceptional chef. He seemed the cheeky type as things developed and he was definitely good for the hotel… could he be good for Evie too? As well as Evie’s perspective, we also have Abby’s – she works for The Alexandra chain of hotels in the US and is tasked with joining the Cornwall staff undercover to work out why they are under performing and how they can get things back to how they should be. There is also a third perspective, Alexandra herself, Abby’s mother and the big boss. There are so many reasons why she won’t sell the hotel, despite a generous offer. The place holds memories, good and bad, and she isn’t willing to let it go. These three women were already perfectly developed, so complex in an endearing kind of way. I couldn’t wait to get to know them more!

The middle

As soon as Abby arrives in Cornwall and meets Evie, they hit it off. They’re on the same wavelength and I got such a wonderful feel when the two interacted with one another. I felt on edge that Abby was essentially lying about who she was though. Would she slip up properly? Would it be a big bloody disaster? There are a couple of instances where she almost does just that and I hoped it wouldn’t cause a rift between her and these people she would soon call friends. I’ve always loved Sarah’s description, and how The Alexandra, Cornwall is described transported me there immediately. It was gorgeous, and I soon felt gutted that it was a fictional place. I would have loved to have experienced it myself! Relationships between characters were so wonderful and Evie seems to have so many positive ones. Everyone loves her. But my favourite relationship had to be the one she experienced with Luca. After one dinner together, their chemistry was off the charts. I loved how they interacted, their banter and conversation flowed so naturally. I had such high hopes for them!

“What did she want? She had no idea. It wasn’t a question she asked herself. But she was asking it now.”

Abby had come to Cornwall solely on business. To improve the hotel, to learn more about the people and to report back to HQ about her findings. But her time here was becoming much more than that. She was forging friendships, getting comfortable, and she loved the hotel. One of the things I adore the most about Sarah’s books is just how real everything feels, how vivid and gorgeous her description is. But there are also intriguing backstories, secrets spanning centuries, memories forgotten as life gets in the way. I was so interested in Alexandra’s past, her attachment to the Cornwall hotel. I knew we were going to uncover it all eventually! But as everything was going so well for Abby, a wild night and a voicemail to her mother reveals all to a listening Tristan, the barman at the local and someone Abby had grown so fond of in her time here. He tells her to tell Evie the truth about why she was here… or he will. Feelings are hurt, but there are also realisations, and so many positives from a crappy situation. I could tell this was a turning point for the hotel!

The end

This was where real change started to happen – I could feel it! Evie has to step up and be the boss, the person everyone listened to, and she made sure of it. Her friendship with Abby had taken a hit, but I was certain it could be repaired. As much as I loved the friendships in this book, I was left a little let down by the romantic relationship building. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the chemistry between Evie and Luca as well as Abby and Tristan, but we don’t see very much of their developing relationships. One minute, they’re flirting, the next, they’re referencing spending the night! I mean, where are the in-between bits that we all love, the beautifully written build up of getting to that point?! I remember thinking the same about another of this author’s books, but maybe it is just a me thing. Saying all that, I couldn’t get enough of both couples and I loved seeing the two women happy. We slowly see all of the hotel changes come into play, and the staff really stepped up their game to provide a service like no other. But would it all be enough to save their beloved hotel?

“She’d never seen her mother this way before. She’d never guessed how much was going on beneath the surface. How much she’d had to deal with. How had she managed it all? How had she built the life she’d built from the rubble of her past?”

There were so many surprises towards the ending, one of which being Abby’s mother arriving in Cornwall unannounced! It was great piecing together her past and it was surprisingly heartwarming considering the circumstances. We see Abby and her mother finally having the loving mother/daughter connection after she’s been stuck in businesswoman mode for most of her life, and how Abby and Evie’s lives were intertwined without them even knowing was so incredibly moving. The ending chapters were so full of joy, making amends and looking ahead, and with new experiences on the horizon for everyone. Sarah’s books always leave you feeling wonderful and satisfied with the outcome for all the characters you’ve grown to love, and this book is no exception. If you’re more of an autumn/winter reader and want to try something a little different this summer, this book is it. I think this is the book that’s made me want to try every other summery read Sarah has written! Let me know if you have any other summery recs, or if you have a favourite Sarah Morgan book – I’d love to know!

Overall thoughts

Brave New Summer swept me away to Cornwall and captivated me with its beautiful coastline and colourful characters, another of those books I’m genuinely gutted to have finished. There is something really special about Sarah Morgan’s books, and after reading and loving her Christmassy books for a few years now, I’ve very quickly grown to love her summery reads too. (Thanks for the challenge, HQ Stories!) Evie is the acting general manager of The Alexandra, Cornwall, a hotel that is underperforming with staff that aren’t keen on change. Yet as she applies for a new job at a luxurious London hotel, somewhere she could thrive, Abby arrives, sent undercover to assess the staff and operations. With Abby navigating struggles of her own and the pair striking an unexpected friendship, things start to change, with themselves, and the hotel. They confront fears, embrace change, meet incredible people, and it seems that’s the perfect recipe for success and happiness.

It sounds cliché, but these characters felt like friends to me by the end. I loved Evie and Abby, and was so engrossed in the separate lives they lived, as well as the bond they had when they were together. The author’s rich description had me living and breathing the Cornish coast, meeting its people, experiencing every day alongside Evie, Abby and Alexandra, Abby’s mother. I loved the themes of second chances, found family, new and exciting relationships and braving the storms of life, and the POVs from these three very different women had me feeling so moved and so hopeful for what came next. A beautiful story that will tug at your heart and have you feeling grateful for everything and everyone you have in your life!

Huge thanks to the author, Sarah Morgan, and the wonderful team at HQ Stories for my gorgeous proof! You can order your own copy of Brave New Summer right now on Amazon* or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Sarah on Instagram for more updates!

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for your support!

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