The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck Reviewed

 

About the book:

Title: The Best Summer of Our Lives

Author: Rachel Hauck

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romantic Fiction (Coming of Age)

Twenty years ago, the summer of '77 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer Wilde's life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow--the Four Seasons--had big plans.

But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, "Nowhere," Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. All four of them arrived with hidden secrets and buried fears, and the events that unfolded in those two months forever altered their friendships, their lives, and their futures.

Now, thirtysomething, Summer is at a crossroads. When her latest girl band leaves her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she never wanted to see again. It's a place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love's voice.

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My Thoughts

First, I have to say that I loved the prank and though it went horribly wrong I thought it was the best idea ever. Yes, that's the oneriness in me. 

In a dual-time format, Ms. Hauck tells a coming-of-age story of the Seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Snow. Young girls who, met in kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. After their prank at the end of high school at the FSU pool, they are sent packing from Florida to Oklahoma to serve as camp counselors. I went to college from Florida to Oklahoma and agonized with them as they sat on a bus to their summer destiny.

Hauck writes this story in four POVs spanning two decades with all of the angst and tension that comes with teen girlfriends and growing up. Add in all the secrets that come out at camp in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma and you are sure to have a fire or two.

This book is definitely different from her royal wedding series. Yet, I was completely and utterly captivated by Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Snow; with the addition of Baby Season, who's added to the group from their time at camp. She was the only character I didn't jive with. I wished for another season so she wasn't referred to as Baby Season.

Bottom Line: This is the absolute best summer book read! It is full of friendships both good and bad. Ms. Hauck in a very clever and yet perfect way adds in spiritual thread that is not overdone or unnoticeable. I loved how she used the character of "the preacher." I highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Rachel Hauck

 

New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Rachel Hauck writes from sunny central Florida. A RITA finalist and winner of Romantic Times Inspirational Novel of the Year, and Career Achievement Award, she writes vivid characters dealing with real-life issues. Readers have fallen in love with the quaint and loveable small town of Hearts Bend, TN introduced in the NYT bestselling The Wedding Dress which launched her Wedding Collection novels.

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