A 3 Star Book Review: The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck, A Women's Fiction Novel About the Summer of 1977
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
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.
MY REVIEW: ★★★/5
A well-crafted, nostalgic story world set in the summer of 1977, this dual time novel splits the story of four female best friends who call themselves the Four Seasons and the stories of those same girls, now women, focusing on Summer Wilde’s character. Hauck’s voice shines through in this novel, with a matter of fact writing style that comes across mildly sarcastic at times, fitting the teenage angst and tensions of the timeline perfectly.
As the Four Seasons come of age, they face an onslaught of life-changing moments and milestones in their personal lives, their families and their friendship creating various layers of emotion, tension and angst. Hauck delivers these layers in a gripping way that was easy to read yet deeply felt.
WHAT I LOVED:
I enjoyed witnessing this story unfold as secrets were harbored and then revealed, ramping up the drama between the four friends. I also was drawn to the true-crime aspect of a serial killer on the loose, adding a delicious taste of suspense and fear to the story.
The setting was fantastic with lazy summer, small town vibes and townspeople/camp workers as secondary characters who were delightful and memorable.
Additional Thoughts:
The first quarter of the story, I struggled to keep the girls’ names and stories straight as the points of view changed frequently while creating the girls’ backstories. About ⅓ of the way through though, I found a groove and enjoyed the constantly changing POV more.
This story held little faith based elements in the beginning but a large portion near the end. There is a strong and profound message about walking through the desert and knowing God is with you in that season, however Summer rejects God and follows her own selfish desires like so many of us do, making her character extremely relatable. I longed for her redemption and for her to find forgiveness.
That said, this book contains an unexplained apparition/mystical encounter with God, personified as a bell bottom dressed hippie. Readers can interpret that however they would like, but it was not something I enjoyed, finding it to be borderline misleading and bizarre. I felt the author missed an important opportunity to deliver a simple salvation message and demonstrate the act of repentance in a way that is believable, and attainable, for the person who is desperately seeking forgiveness of sins.
Summary:
Overall, a well-written, multi-layered story of lifelong friendship, sisterhood and forgiveness with strong characters. Despite the moments of brokenness and harboring secrets, four young women share a life-giving strength in their bond. A good read for summer and readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction.
Content and Trigger Warnings: Teen pregnancy, divorce
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo Credit: © Emilie Haney, EAH Creative | Image courtesy of Baker Publishing Group
Rachel Hauck (rachelhauck.com) is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She is a double RITA finalist, and a Christy and Carol Award winner. Her book Once Upon a Prince, first in the Royal Wedding series, was filmed for an Original Hallmark movie. A graduate of Ohio State, Rachel lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.
