The Summer I Destroyed You

The Summer Series, Book 4

By: Elizabeth O'Roark

Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, JF Harding

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Destroying other people isn't going to make you feel any better.

That suggests you've never destroyed an enemy before. It's actually quite fulfilling.

EMMY

Elliott Springs has small-town values, cobblestone streets, perfect scenery. These are things I don't care about. What I do care about: Revenge. And no matter how compelling I find Liam Doherty—the guy focused on saving Elliott Springs—I'm going to get it.

LIAM

What do you call a woman who wants to destroy everything you love, yet the sight of her sets you on fire? Nemesis or future wife—and since she can't wait to leave California, I guess I know which one she is.

Emerson Hughes wants to be the villain in our town's history, and the more I learn about her past here, the more I understand it.

I wanted to save Elliott Springs.

I think I want to save her even more.

©2024 Elizabeth O'Roark (P)2024 Elizabeth O'Roark

Loved it!

I am loving this series from Elizabeth O'Roark! This one hooked me from page one. the narrators were excellent and performed the story so well. I loved the banter between Emmy and Liam. I flew through this one and cannot wait for more in this world!

Awesome Story & Listen🎧Captivating & Heartfelt!

Wow, what an amazing start to Lisa Suzanne’s “Vegas Heat: The Expansion Team” series, the story hooked me in right from the start and captivated my attention the entire time. It is a sports romance, and the series follows the same couple, Cooper Noah and Gabby Grant, who meet in Vegas. Gabby was out with friends celebrating her twenty-first birthday and Noah, a former professional baseball player, was in Vegas to see a friend about a job opportunity. Noah had injured his elbow, not a career-ending injury since he was all healed, but when his contract was up, he did not get back in the game. His friend, Troy Bodine, the manager of Las Vegas’ new baseball team, offered him a position on the team and he said he will consider it. Back at the hotel, he stopped in the casino to play cards and the night got even better when a gorgeous woman sat at his table. It was her first time playing in a casino and he offered to help her and the two hit it off like no other and instead of going out with her friends she spent the night with him and since he was only in Vegas for thirty-six hours, she spent as much time with him as possible. The chemistry between these two was smoking hot, an insta-love connection despite their twelve year age gap, a connection so strong that he signed the contract to play for the Vegas Heat. I loved how everything played out in this book, the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. This is a fabulous first installment of the series, one that leaves you wanting more, especially after that ending. Lisa Suzanne, thank you for this wonderfully entertaining story and emotional rollercoaster ride  

🎧📚🎧 Aiden Snow and Stephanie Rose did a fabulous job bringing these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were portraying, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role. Snow’s Cooper was swoon worthy and Rose was equally amazing in her role as Gabby, both grasping every aspect of their characters’ personality and they were fabulous performing the roles of the secondary characters too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their performance elevates the story to another level. Thank you for another wonderful listen.

Elizabeth never disappoints!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
💣💣

• enemies to lovers
• small town
• ha falls first
• reverse grumpy x sunshine

ALC REVIEW

Another absolute banger from Elizabeth in addition to being narrated by Samantha Brentmoor, whom I love dearly and the way she embodies Elizabeth’s female characters. JF Harding was the perfect Liam to tie this story together 👏🏼 This story does have some sensitive topics, that I thought were handled with incredible care and extremely relatable feelings and experiences. Emmy is back in her hometown of Elliot Springs to take care of her mother while also on a warpath of revenge to bring down those who created a mockery out of her childhood and were relentless bullies. Liam is the contractor hired to help Emmy with her construction plans, with who she has been texting back and forth with over the course of the initial stages on planning. While she finds Liam incredibly compelling via text, things start off on the wrong foot when they finally meet in person. I love Liam’s determination for his town, but also for Emmy. This man went to bat for her so many times even against herself and really showed her what unfiltered, unconditional love actually is. Emmy is not perfect by any means, and that’s what I loved most about her, she is real, she is hurt, there is life long trauma stemming from her god awful mother and this town that has led her to operate the way she does. I am so glad I got to listen to this book, and will always scream from the rooftops how much I adore Elizabeth and her books.

Beautiful, poignant, and sizzling romance!

This poignant and breathtaking story captured me, pulling me in right from the start and never let go! Emerson (Emmy) Hughes is on a mission when she returns home to Elliot Springs, the small, quaint town where she grew up. She is determined to come in and shatter the lives of those who made her life unbearable. But things are not always as they seem, and she especially learns that from Liam Doherty. She never saw him coming, and he makes her see things differently. Liam loves his town and he wants to save it. But as he sees life through Emmy's eyes, he wants to save this broken woman as well. But Emmy already has events in motion, and plans to leave when she's finished. Will she go through with her original plans or will Liam be enough to change everything?
I love beautifully broken characters that make me fall hard for them as they heal and grow. I loved how O'Roark masterfully weaved this story, slowly revealing Emmy and Liam's past along with heartbreaking secrets that had me completely mesmerized and consumed by this addicting story. Emmy quickly leaps onto the pages and makes you want to root for her even when you don't understand her motivations. Liam is so swoony being sweet and thoughtful one minute and deliciously dirty the next.
Samantha Brentmoor and JF Harding gave flawless performances as they brought these characters and their story to life. I loved their portrayals of Emmy and Liam and they absolutely nail their banter, and their growing emotional connection. They clearly conveying Emmy and Liam's strengths and vulnerabilities as they learn to trust and open up to one another. They conveying so much emotion in their performances, making my heart race from beginning to end.
I absolutely loved every moment of this beautiful, poignant, and sizzling romance!

🔸Elizabeth O’Roark does it again!🙌🏼

🎧Duet narration:
𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐫
& 𝐉𝐅 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
🔘Enemies-to-lovers
🔘Small town
🔘Reverse Grumpy sunshine

☀️⛱️☀️
Emmy Hughes despises her hometown, Elliott Springs, and harbors a burning desire to obliterate it along with the people who tormented her in the past. However, her plans encounter resistance from an unexpected source: Liam Doherty refuses to let her get away with it.

✨Thoughts✨
This is the second time Elizabeth O'Roark has made me love the story's supposed villain. This novel stirred a wide range of relatable emotions, from heart-wrenching to soul-stirring.

🔸It was easy to sympathize with Emmy's thirst for revenge. The town of Elliott Springs had become entwined with her traumatic childhood experience. And despite there being reasons for her to be rotten to the core, she was kind. Even with her grumpy disposition, there was something uniquely endearing about her. As for our MMC, Liam, he was the epitome of the dream man. He was able to be Emmy's friend, able to see beyond all of her walls, and that right there was just too precious!

🎧Let's take a moment to appreciate the exceptional narration by Samantha Brentmoor and JF Harding. Their duet narration effortlessly brings the story to life. They are the perfect team!

🔸Overall, if you are a fan of small-town romance and don't mind a heroine who enjoys a bit of revenge, then this audiobook is an absolute must-listen!

My rating: 5⭐️
Spice level: 3/5🌶️

Very addicting

Emmy’s personality is very strong and Liam is the opposite but their chemistry is off the charts!

Loved this so much!!!

Tropes:
☀️ Enemies to lovers
☀️ Workplace Romance
☀️ He falls first
☀️ Slow burn
☀️ Reverse grumpy x sunshine

Such a fun listen! Samantha Brentmoor and JF Harding did soo well here! I loved this audio so much 🥹 this book evoked so many emotions. I felt so much for Emmy and her trauma. She went through things that no one ever should ever have to go through. Her backstory was so heartbreaking. It was so great to see her take charge, cut off toxic family members and start to heal. I loved seeing Liam come into her life and show her how she deserved to be loved and be that source of sunshine for her! This is part of a series of interconnected stand-alones and I have not read any of the others, I still loved this! I will absolutely need to check out the rest of this series!

Team Emmy!

Emerson "Emmy" Hughes is returning home to Elliott Springs with a plan and she's not about to let anyone get in her way. They tortured and humiliated her as a kid, now she's all too happy to give them a taste of their own bitter medicine by destroying their idyllic little town. Only she doesn’t have a contingency plan for Liam Doherty, the hot home town contractor on one of her Elliot Springs projects that she’s been texting for months. As they work together the attraction between them grows and he shows her over and over that she doesn't have to protect herself from him; that he will fight her demons with her, even if it means sacrificing a dream of his own.

The narration by Samantha Brentmoor and J. F. Harding is outstanding! Samantha brilliantly navigated Emmy's deep-seated pain and vulnerability as well as her vengeful and snarky sarcastic side. J. F. Harding brought out Liam's extremely hot golden retriever energy which was the perfect counter balance to Emmy's sass and sharp angles.

This is the second book in this series where the FMC may seem more villain than hero, but that’s one of the things I love so much about Elizabeth O’Roark’s books. She challenges the conception that women (even fictional ones) should be nice and sweet to be acceptable and worthy of the things they’ve worked hard to accomplish. So while some may see Emmy as vindictive, I adored her from the start. Her struggles hit close to home for me and I loved that Liam accepted and even championed her for everything that she was without ever seeking to change her.

I can’t wait for the next book from Elizabeth!

Angsty and emotional!

Another angsty and emotional read from E O'Roark and I loved every second of it!!! Emmy is one of those heroines that many people love to hate... but I just loved her, and Samantha Brentmoor portrayed her character perfectly!!! She was rough around the edges, had an agenda, and her walls were so high it took the patience and determination of an amazing man like Liam to knock them down. I loved every minute of banter, teasing, sexual tension, and passion between these two characters. And my heart also burst for Emmy and her backstory, the way in which her mom and family treated her, and the pain and distrust she carried with her into adulthood. Her character development is one that will hit you hard. Bravo E O'Roark for tacking a tough subject and making me fall in love with yet another couple from Elliott Springs. I can't wait for what's next but am also sad that this world will be coming to an end! Well done!

She’s Looking For Revenge, He’s Looking For Forever

4.5 ⭐️
2 🔥
Small Town
Workplace Romance
Cinnamon Roll MMC
He Falls First
Grumpy & Sunshine
Great Banter
She’s There For Revenge
She Wants a Good Time
He Wants Forever
Great on Audio! 🎧
⚠️ This book does contain some triggering content. Please check content warnings. ⚠️
I loved this story! This is my first from Elizabeth & it won’t be the last. Her books have been on my TBR for years!! I can’t wait to dive into more of this series and her backlist! This book is book 4 of The Summer Series & with summer quickly approaching, it just felt like the right time to finally pick up this series. ☀️ These books can be read as a standalone. This one was about Emmy & Liam. Emmy is back home in the small town of Elliott Springs for revenge. Where she was relentlessly bullied by everyone in town growing up, including her terrible mother and brother. Emmy is working on buying all the businesses and destroying all the small town families that hurt her. Liam, who also grew up in this town, owns the construction company working on her mother’s house and the businesses Emmy is buying. He is tired of the bachelor life & looking to settle down. They have been in contact via text messages, for business that has lead to some fun banter. Things are a little rough in the beginning, because Emmy is dead set on revenge on everyone in that town. But Liam is dead set on settling down & Emmy is the only one who holds his interest. Can Emmy put aside her revenge and learn to trust again?

Thank you Elizabeth O’Roark & Valentine PR for the ARC!