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In New York City, there are some industries that close down on Friday afternoons. The executives take that time time to head to their houses in the Hamptons, and those who can’t afford a summer house just get the afternoon off to enjoy. Sawyer is new to the city, working as an editorial assistant while her fiancé Charles is working in a law office. Charles has to work long hours in order to move up in the firm, but Sawyer’s office closes down on Fridays, leaving her at loose ends. She doesn’t really have any work friends, and her best friend from college is teaching in Asia for a while.

Sawyer finds a quiet park where she can eat her lunch while reading manuscripts. She loves editing and wants to move up in the company, but her evenings are long, and those Friday afternoons are even longer. At a work function for Charles’s law firm, Sawyer meets another couple. Kendra also works long hours at the firm, but her boyfriend Nick works at an ad agency, so he gets those long Friday afternoons off too. After an awkward first meeting, Sawyer and Nick start chatting through emails and then dialup AOL messaging. Sawyer mentions she’s interested in doing some touristy things for her Friday afternoons. Nick, a lifelong New Yorker, is resistant, but then he decides to help Sawyer learn how to enjoy the city like a native.

During their Friday afternoons and hot dogs and drinks, Sawyer finds that she finally has a friend to talk to about her issues with her job and how she’s started writing some poetry and short stories again. Nick shares stories of growing up in the city as the son of immigrants and talks about his music. Sometimes they talk about how they think Charles and Kendra may be having an affair, and sometimes they just enjoy the day.

But as the days heat up and those Friday afternoons melt into long evenings, Sawyer starts to wonder if it really is Charles who is having the affair, or if it’s her?

Summer Fridays is a gentle romance that’s also about finding yourself, figuring out what you want, and learning to use your voice. Sawyer is a strong voice in this story, going from a young college graduate to a confident woman making her own decisions in her relationships and in her work. With charming scenes that bring to mind You’ve Got Mail and a special kind of luck, this story is a reminder of what’s most important in life.

I loved Summer Fridays. Although I don’t work at a place that offers Friday afternoons off in the summer (so aspirational though!), I can imagine the freedom that it would bring. I can feel the heat of the city, taste those hot dogs (mustard only for me), and remember the possibility of that time of life. The more time I spent with Sawyer and Nick, the more I liked them as individuals, and the more I was rooting for them to find each other in the end. This novel has all the ingredients for a lovely summer romance, and they all come together like a refreshing Sea Breeze.

Egalleys for Summer Fridays were provided by Dutton through NetGalley, with many thanks.