REVIEW: Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan

Five-Star Summer by Sarah Morgan: Evie Hamilton has worked at the five-star hotel Alexandra, Cornwall for most of her life along side of her father. Recently the general manager Gerald has had a heart attack with surgery. Evie has been made the interim general manager. That had been her dream, but things aren’t going smoothly. The hotel is short staffed which doesn’t help matter. A bigger problem is the long time staff doesn’t seem to want to carry out some of Evie’s needed changes. They have the attitude of “because we’ve always done it this way”. The one bright spot is there is there is a new chef, Luca. All of his dishes, both traditional and new are absolutely delicious. It doesn’t hurt that he is absolutely gorgeous and kind.

There is a big, helpful surprise when Abby Jones arrives from America to help with the hotel for the summer. Evie thinks she is just someone who works for the company that owns all the Alexandra hotels. Evie doesn’t know that the owner, Alexandra, has sent her daughter Abby to observe the running of the hotel. Abby knows that secrecy should help the staff be honest and open with her. Evie has been afraid for a long time that the hotel will be closed and sold. She is torn between applying for a new job in London and working extra hard to make things better with the staff and regular guests.

Evie has been so busy with long hours at work. This has helped her keep from thinking about her past romantic relationship. The new chef seems to be as much interested in Evie as in the continued expansion of the hotel’s cuisine. Can Evie make time and trust someone with her heart? Abby ends up living in the apartment on top of the local pub since there aren’t any extra residences for staff at the hotel right now. The owner of the pub, Tristan, is grumpy when he and Abby first meet. Will Tristan’s attitude warm up once he gets to know Abby better?

The Cornwall setting really makes the story extra special. There is charm and comfort that definitely engage the reader.. There is romance, but family, both blood and found, are central to the novel. Books like this one make me realize why I enjoy summer books so much.

Tropes & Vibes
🌊 Cornish seaside setting
🏨 Five-star hotel
💕 Female friendship
☀️ Summer escape
🍽️ Charming chef
🍺 Gruff pub owner
✨ Fresh starts
❤️ Romantic subplots

FIVE-STAR SUMMER had everything I want from a Sarah Morgan escape: a setting I wanted to step straight into, friendships worth investing in, characters at a crossroads, and just enough romance woven through it all. I especially loved how rebuilding the hotel mirrored Evie and Abby’s own journeys toward figuring out what—and who—they wanted to take with them into their next chapter.

Book Info:

Publication: May 5, 2026 | MIRA |

A joyful, sun‑soaked story of friendship, love, and new beginnings, from USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan—perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Jill Shalvis, and seaside escapes.

Running a five-star Cornish hotel should have been Evie Hamilton’s dream job. But restoring it to its former glory is going to take a miracle. All Evie has is grit, and a hoard of unruly staff who love to speculate about her love life. She needs back-up, and fast.

Enter Abby Jones. Parachuted in by the hotel’s umbrella company for the summer, Abby thinks Evie could be the best friend she never had. But Abby has her own agenda for being in Cornwall. If her real motives are uncovered, their friendship is going to melt away faster than an ice cream in the summer sun.

Yet Abby’s arrival starts a chain reaction. 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. But it’s not just the hotel’s five-star reputation that needs rebuilding – Evie and Abby will also have to brave tearing down their lives in order to reshape their futures…