One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak
Publisher & Release: Mira, April 7, 2020
Time and setting: Present Day, Nevada
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Length: 464 Pages
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Some families we’re born into
Some we find for ourselves
When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.
The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.
Some we find for ourselves
When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.
The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-perfect-summer-brenda-novak
Add to Goodreads & BookBub:
Vikki’s Musings
I’ve awaited the release of this book for quite some time, and once it was out, I downloaded it. I listened to the audio version of One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak. I have been a fan of Ms. Novak for years and love her books, no matter which genre she chooses for her latest story. Whether it’s a romance, small town USA, a thriller or mystery, or in this case, women’s fiction, I’m confident it will be fantastic! One Perfect Summer is another well written book with enthralling characters and an original storyline.
This book follows three sisters who have just found each other. There is a mystery to be solved. The half-sisters set out to find out who their father may have been. Since they established their connection through DNA testing, they have very few clues as to the identity.
I thoroughly enjoyed their journey. It’s a difficult task to develop the stories of three main characters and fully flesh them out. The talented Ms. Novak does this with finesse. I became vested in all three women.
There is a romantic arche in this book, but it is by no means the central focus. It’s a story of three women facing their lives with many unanswered questions where each must face their future and ones that look so different than what they had expected.
Serenity is searching for the clue that would explain how these other two women are related to her. She has an established family and doesn’t want to approach them until she has more information. It is Serenity’s love interest that is the strongest. I enjoyed that aspect of the story and wanted her to find a happy ending!
Reagan is interested in finding out if the man her mother told her was hers or if it was someone else too, but she’s drawn to her sisters since she’s been raised as an only child to a career driven woman. She’s lived trying to make her mother proud so is driven by her career, but that’s being blown apart by a very reckless decision that changes the direction of her life. Reagan’s situation makes it difficult to focus on love, but I suspect we may see her love story play out in another book. At least I hope Ms. Novak will do that!
Lorelei is searching for a bond with family since she ended up in the system as a foster child, never being part of a family. She’s also suffering from betrayal will not only impact her life, but her young daughter’s as well and wants to do the right thing for her. While Lorelei is attracted to their next-door neighbor, she’s not at a place in her life to focus on love. I again hope, Lorelei will have a book with the rest of her story!
I mentioned that I listened to the audio version. Erin Bennett is the narrator, and this is the first book I’ve listened to with her as the narrator, but it will not be the last. She does an amazing job of emoting the feelings of the characters and gives each a unique voice.
If you enjoy a novel that is about family and sisters bonding, with a mystery to solve, and compelling characters, then you will love One Perfect Summer as much as I did. If you haven’t read books by the talented Ms. Novak, then I suggest this amazing story is a good place to start. You will quickly become addicted to her fantastic world. She is truly a multifaceted author, writing in several genres. Happy reading and listening!
Author Bio:
It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.
“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”
However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.
“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”
Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors.
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking — she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!
Social Media:
Website: https://brendanovak.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brenda_novak
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorbrendanovak/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bnauthor/
