These Summer Storms

These Summer Storms is a 2025 contemporary romance novel by Sarah MacLean. When the four Storm siblings are reunited at their family’s island estate in the atmospheric setting of Narragansett Bay for a week-long inheritance game orchestrated by their dead father, they expect confrontation. What they don’t anticipate is a reckoning, as long-buried secrets surface and family loyalties are tested, shattering illusions and opening old wounds. As a storm batters the island, the siblings face the choice to further alienate one another out of self-interest or forge a more meaningful legacy together. The novel explores several themes, including The Need to Reckon With Family History, The Effects of Control and Manipulation, and Familial Identity Versus Personal Autonomy.

Sarah MacLean is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Her debut, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and her works have been translated into more than 25 languages. A passionate advocate for literary freedom and progressive politics, MacLean is a founding board member of Authors Against Book Bans.

This guide is based on the 2025 Ballantine Books e-book edition of These Summer Storms.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, sexual violence, pregnancy termination, and sexual content.

Plot Summary

The Storm family is called together following the death of their patriarch, Franklin Storm, at his estate on Storm Island, located off the coast of Rhode Island. Franklin’s middle daughter, Alice, faces a complicated situation before the family gathering even begins, as she has a one-night stand with Jack Dean, her father’s trusted right-hand man. This personal entanglement becomes even more challenging when Alice discovers the reason for the family reunion. Franklin Storm has orchestrated one final challenge for his family from beyond the grave. His inheritance game has clear but daunting rules: Each family member must spend one week on Storm Island, completing their individually assigned tasks, and only then will they receive their inheritance.

Jack is there to ensure that each family member completes their task. The oldest child, Greta, must break off her decade-long secret affair with Tony, Franklin’s helicopter pilot and bodyguard. Sam, the only son and heir apparent, must do physical labor around the estate and remain silent for apportioned parts of the day. Emily, the youngest, receives a letter but no task. Elisabeth, Franklin’s widow, must say something nice about him each day and tell her children the truth. Alice, who has been estranged from the family for five years after exposing a sexual abuse scandal at Storm Inc., receives no letter, but Jack says her task is to stay on the island, and if she leaves, no one wins.

Trapped on the island within the family compound, the siblings are forced to confront their complex relationships with Franklin and each other. Greta, the eldest, is a tightly wound perfectionist whose loyalty to the family’s business has long masked her unmet desires. Sam, the lone son, struggles with the pressure of being Franklin’s successor and pressure from his wife, Sila, to inherit the money to support her and their two children. Emily is a free spirit, but though she’s forging her path, she remains emotionally connected to her family. In the five years since her banishment, Alice worked as a teacher, began selling her art, and became engaged to Griffin. The family sees her as the only one who has escaped, yet the more time Alice spends on the island, the more she discovers that even in their estrangement, Franklin was orchestrating key parts of her life, hoping that she, not Sam, would take over the company.

Greta, Alice, and Emily help Elisabeth plan Franklin’s memorial service, which will be attended by heads of state, dignitaries, and royalty. However, Elisabeth maintains a cold distance about it all, showing no emotion over Franklin’s death. Sam works on his task list, and Greta dreads hers, as it means the end of her relationship. Alice has no desire to bend to her father’s demands and doesn’t need his money; she wants to leave. However, each of her siblings demands that she stay for their benefit. Meanwhile, she must contend with her growing feelings for Jack. He takes her sailing on Franklin’s boat, and Alice tries to escape by jumping overboard and swimming to a secret beach. Jack jumps in after her, and they share a passionate kiss, confirming that they both want more.

The day of the memorial arrives, and all the guests arrive on the island via helicopter. Elisabeth puts on a show, forcing the siblings to pretend they’re a happy family. Mike Haskins, Storm Inc.’s cofounder, arrives with his wife, Twyla, and Elisabeth is infuriated that Emily invited him. Alice overhears Elisabeth arguing with someone in the sunroom, but is unsure who it is. Jack meets her there, and they share a passionate kiss. Griffin arrives unexpectedly, forcing Alice to reveal that he left her and broke off their engagement. Griffin admits that Jack paid him off to end their relationship. Griffin roughly grabs Alice’s arm, and Jack breaks Griffin’s nose just as Tony arrives to carry him away. Tensions continue to mount as Alice threatens to leave, and Elisabeth forces Greta to complete her task and end her relationship with Tony. Greta crumbles, refusing to stand up to her mom, and Tony leaves.

Sam reveals to Sila that Franklin fired him, so he won’t become CEO of Storm Inc. She leaves the island with their kids. Alice plans to go with Mike and Twyla, but Sam locks her in their father’s vault. She discovers one of her paintings, which she thought had been sold to an art buyer, though Franklin had it all along. Jack frees her from the vault, and they have sex in her father’s office. Jack helps Alice hang her painting over the mantel. Alice stays with Jack in the boathouse as an epic storm approaches the island. The next morning, they realize that someone cut the lines holding all the skiffs, preventing anyone from leaving the island. The storm rages, knocking out the power. To pass the time, the siblings play cards just as they did when they were children. Elisabeth breaks up their party by revealing that Emily is Mike Haskins’s daughter, a product of her affair, and that Greta’s gap year was to conceal an unwanted pregnancy and abortion.

Later, Emily tells Alice that Franklin told her the truth many years ago. He never saw her as anyone’s but his. Nine months earlier, Franklin was sick but didn’t want anyone to know. Emily’s task was to keep his secret. His death may not have been an accident. The storm takes down Franklin’s favorite oak tree and sends it crashing through the office window. Alice’s painting falls to the floor, revealing a hidden envelope containing her letter. In it, Franklin apologizes for their rift and tells her that he sent Jack, his “fixer,” to help. Alice realizes that Franklin was trying to orchestrate their relationship, but Jack insists that what they have is real.

The next day brings the inheritance game to an end. Tony returns, and he and Greta reconcile and leave together. Tony inherits 1% of Storm Inc. At midnight, Jack resigns his position, giving up his reward to prove his love for Alice. Larry Manford from the Storm Inc. board arrives by boat and reads the will. Elisabeth gets the island and house, and each child only receives $1,107, the exact amount Franklin used to start his company. Alice and Jack prepare to leave to begin their life together. Sam will have to get a job, and Emily returns to her life on the mainland with her wife, Claudia. The siblings agree to stay in touch, hoping to return often to the island to create new memories together.