[ARC Review] The Sky in Summer by Leslie Pike

Van Lyon first met Layla in kindergarten, their friendship culminating in a little non-PG show and tell in the janitor's closet. But then Layla moved away. Now, thirty plus years later, Layla is back in Montana, divorced with teenaged twins. Both Layla and Van are in very different places in their lives: Layla is a single mom running her own staging business. Van is very much a playboy, looking forward to relocating to Paris in a few months where a whole new crop of women will surely faun all over him. But then Van and Layla run into each other, and their friendship reignites. But with undeniable chemistry, their "friendship" is about to become a whole lot more. 

When I first started reading The Sky in Summer, I initially thought I wasn't going to be able to stand Van. He was such a player; multiple characters even refer to him as a "f*ckboy." Those are not my type of love interests, so I started off thinking this was going to be a hard book to get through. Luckily, all it took for Van to turn himself around was the love (or the thought of love) of a good woman. As soon as Layla and Van started hanging out, you could immediately see the changes starting to happen in Van. At first, they were subtle but the gestures just got bigger the more Van realized he only wanted Layla. The shift from player to one-woman man actually happened quicker than I expected them to, but I guess when you know you've found the one, you know. Layla was a strong example of a single mother balancing work and raising kids, though it was almost heartbreaking the number of times she put her own happiness and emotional wellbeing last in order to make sure the men in her life - her twins and Van - were living their best lives. 

I loved all the characters in The Sky in Summer. This is part of an interconnected series, but Pike does give you enough information about the other members of the Lyon family to easily read this one as a standalone. Even if you haven't read any of the other Lyon family books, there was a great amount of history and references to their own stories. It's safe to say, if you haven't read the other Lyon stories you will want to after reading Van and Layla's book. 

The Sky in Summer was a touching, moving story about embracing what you love and being there for the ones you care for. As Van and Layla demonstrate, keeping your feelings to yourself - and assuming you know how others feel - only makes things harder on everyone. 

I loved how heartfelt Layla and Van's story felt, but there was also no shortage of steam between the two. These two former kindergarten crushes definitely had chemistry in spades as adults. So, if you're looking for a touching story about family and love, but still want some spice, I definitely recommend the newest Lyon family story, The Sky in Summer.

A huge thank you to Grey's Promotions for providing an advanced review copy of The Sky in Summer!

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Release date: 11/18/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Grey's Promotions