Problematic Summer Romance

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (2025) is a contemporary age-gap romance that follows 23-year-old Maya and 38-year-old Conor on their journey to find love despite their age difference, expectations, and past trauma. The novel was an instant New York Times bestseller, alongside Hazelwood’s other popular titles The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically. In addition to being a bestselling romance author, Hazelwood is also a neuroscientist, and her books feature women in STEM to highlight the struggles women face in male-dominated workplaces. 

This guide is based on the 2025 Berkley Romance e-book first edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of cursing, sexual content, and emotional abuse.

Plot Summary

Problematic Summer Romance is told from the perspective of 23-year-old Maya Killgore. The book is mainly set in the town of Taormina, Sicily, but it contains flashback chapters to events from the previous three years in Scotland and Texas. In the present, Maya prepares for a week in Sicily for her brother Eli’s destination wedding, where Maya will see 38-year-old Conor Harkness—her brother’s best friend and the man she’s been in love with for three years. Years before the story, Maya went to live with Eli after the deaths of her parents. At the time, Conor occasionally helped Eli cope with suddenly being a parental figure, but he barely knew Maya and was unaware that she graduated high school early and moved to Europe.

In the flashback chapters, Maya calls Eli when her boyfriend cheats on her with her roommate and then blames her for getting angry. Since Eli is on a flight, Maya reaches Conor—Eli’s business partner—who is shocked to realize Maya’s an adult now. As the son of a millionaire and the owner of the fastest growing biotech firm in the world, Conor’s resources allowed him to go to Maya’s aid, which sparks an attraction between them. When Maya tries to escalate the attraction because they are both adults, Conor stops her, citing their age difference and his relationship with Eli as deterrents. Conor is equally attracted to her but feels it is irresponsible to start a romantic relationship with her. Realizing she’ll lose him if she pushes, Maya backs off, and the two stay friends.

Over the next two and a half years, Maya and Conor talk on the phone almost daily and share everything about their lives and selves. Ten months before the present-day primary narrative, Conor breaks off his friendship with Maya. He’s seeing someone else and doesn’t want his girlfriend to get the wrong impression about his relationship with Maya. When Maya realizes she’ll be stuck at a villa with Eli’s wedding party (including Conor), she resolves to keep things casual. However, when Conor continuously makes biting remarks about her age, Maya decides to find out how he really feels about her so they can either get together or move on.

The wedding party includes Conor’s now ex-girlfriend who still has feelings for him, as well as a beautiful blonde woman who seems oddly intimate with him. When everyone but Maya, Conor, and his ex-girlfriend get food poisoning the first night, the three have a tourist day, which is awkward. Maya bails, figuring she can let Conor and his ex-girlfriend get back together. Later, Conor makes it clear he has no feelings for his ex-girlfriend. Emboldened, Maya flirts with him. She’s sure he’s still attracted to her, but she can’t make him admit it. Maya also faces increasing questions about whether she will take an industry job in California or an academic fellowship with MIT.

When Maya learns the attractive blonde is Conor’s stepmother, she realizes that part of Conor’s objections to an age-gap romance stems from trauma: His father used and seduced younger women. Maya is determined to prove she’s different and that Conor doesn’t need to fear that kind of power imbalance. When she finally taunts him into coming to her room by pretending to text a guy she just met, Conor can’t help but get close to her. He offers her pleasure but refuses to take any of his own, which becomes a pattern as the wedding draws closer.

Maya is again distracted from her pursuit of Conor when the nearby Mount Etna erupts, shutting down travel into and out of Sicily. As Eli scrambles to figure out what to do, tensions increase. It’s soon revealed that Maya turned down both career opportunities to stay in Texas and teach. She’s terrified Eli will be disappointed. To her surprise, Eli and the others are supportive, which makes Maya feel better about going after what she wants. Later that night, she goes to Conor’s room. They make love, but Conor refuses to let himself orgasm. Maya unloads her frustration on him. She understands that he struggles with feelings because he was raised by a narcissistic father who took advantage of people, but Maya is tired of trying to demonstrate her feelings to Conor.

The next day, Eli and his fiancée decide to elope, as the rest of their guests can’t fly in for the wedding. They ask Maya and Conor to witness. After Eli and his new wife return to the villa, Conor kisses Maya and apologizes for keeping her at a distance. He has loved her all along and realized everything she said about his father was true. The two enjoy the rest of their time in Sicily. When they return to Texas, they move in together, and the book ends with their engagement and genuine acceptance of their love for each other.