This one had some great aspects to it and fell flat on others. I loved the characters and their development throughout the book. I enjoyed the books setting and the mystery of the book. However it was really slow in parts and I felt like the conclusion of the mystery was really odd. It just didn't feel fitting with the rest of the book. Overall I enjoyed the story but it didn't quite live up to my hopes.

If you are looking for a total escapist read that will suck you in and distract you for a bit then this is one you might want to pick up. I've had a complicated relationship with Brenda Novak - I always like her writing but sometimes her characters or her story lines have a bit too much ick for me. I feel like the stars aligned for this one. Not only was Novak's fast paced pull you in writing present but I liked the characters and the plot had me hooked.



The three sisters have PROBLEMS. Like really dreadful no easy answer problems. Each has their own personal decisions to make and consequences to face as well as figuring out who they are to each other and just how they're related. The latter mystery did fall to the side quite a bit as the sisters got to know each other but I was perfectly okay with that as I was just as invested in the sisters' relationship as I was with figuring out how they were connected. The ending isn't all nicely wrapped up with a bow but it was satisfying and I was sad to see the last of the characters.



This was a book I read curled up in the living room with all kinds of stuff happening around me because I just wanted to read a little more. And it was a book I finished about 1AM because I just wanted to see how it ended! It was a welcome bit of distraction and an enjoyable read.

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak is a contemporary novel that was not only infused with a bit of romance which one would expect but also a bit of mystery as to how the characters came to be related. The story changes the point of view among the main characters to tell their stories all throughout the read.

Serenity Alston is a writer who has been going through a bit of a slump since she had learned of her husband’s guilt in a crime and he had gone to jail. Trying to get back into her work and on with her life she had sent her DNA off to a testing site on a whim to see how the process worked for a possible novel and much to her astonishment she learned she had two half sisters out in the world.

Coming from a wealthy and loving family Serenity had no clue what to think of her results so she invited Lorelei and Reagan to her family’s cabin in Lake Tahoe in order for all three to get answers. Just as with Serenity and her problems with her husband Lorelei and Reagan each have their own issues they bring in with them so the three sisters decide to spend the summer together looking to unravel the mystery of their relationship with each other and their lives.

Brenda Novak is another author that I have come to rely on enjoying when I pick up another new read from her. I know with over at least fifty books on the market that she is one well established author that I can count on wonderful writing and a fun story and One Perfect Summer was no exception. I found the family ties angle quite fascinating and enjoyed getting to know each of the ladies and their widely different personalities and lives. Definitely recommend checking this one out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

3 women take DNA tests which determine they're related and the story begins. I enjoyed the building story but all the suppositions about how this could have happened seem drawn out to me. It makes more sense to just ask the parents. Also, when the reason is resolved it was done so quickly it seemed anti-climatic. The whole book was leading up to the reveal of this information, and it didn't fit any of the possible scenarios Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei discussed. Not up to the par I have come to expect from Brenda Novak, but still an interesting read. 3.5 stars is my rating.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a fun read! Especially since I just did an Ancestry DNA test. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I always enjoy Brenda Novak's books. The book was long and a bit slow in parts but overall a good read.

I love a good novel that keeps you guessing to the very end! Brenda Novak did just that with her book One Perfect Summer. Keep reading to learn why this should be on your summer reading list!

Three women, in different parts of the country, take a DNA test and learned that they were related as half-sisters. After getting to know one another, they decide to meet at a family cabin in Lake Tahoe. The setting is beautiful, but the girls get off to somewhat of a rough start.

Given that perfect opportunity presents itself for all three women, they decide to stay for the summer and get to know each other. The way the author weaves their stories together, the way that each character is fully and uniquely their own person, keeps you riveted to the book.

In the end, a wonderful fourth character, a WOW! ending and a story that puts tears in your eyes and a smile on your face, you will be glad that you had this book on your list.

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she's raised $2.5 million.

This book is a beautifully written exploration into the thoughts and feelings of three women following the discovery that they are related.

When Serenity Alston takes a DNA test mainly for a laugh but also to assist with her latest book research, she finds out that she has two half-sisters, namely Reagan Sands and Lorelei Cipriano. Intrigued, all have questions about their ancestry parentage and heritage, so the three decide to spend some time getting to know each other better and searching for answers, and head off to Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. As they navigate through their personal difficulties, including romantic politics at work and Lorelei's collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives.

Brenda Novak’s skills as an author are second to none. One Perfect Summer is written from the perspectives of the three half-sisters and their feelings are explored with intelligence and sophistication. The author has a relaxed writing-style which I found very befitting to the story. The complex relationships that exist within families and between siblings in particular, were wonderfully and intricately examined and the power of this book was brilliantly executed so that, at times, it took my breath away. One Perfect Summer was moving and absorbing and it is well worth picking up a copy.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from HARLEQUIN - MIRA (U.S. and Canada) via Negalley. This review is my unbiased opinion.

"We missed out on growing up together, but maybe we were meant to find each other at this particular stage of our lives."

This is a bit different book from others I've read by author Novak. I would consider this book to be Women's Fiction rather than straight Romance, as other stories of hers I've read have been. Don't get me wrong. There is romance intertwined throughout this story but it's not the main focus.

Three women, after taking DNA tests, discover they are half-sisters - something none of them realized previously. They decide to meet up with each other and try to figure out how they came to be related.

All of the sisters have been going through major upheaval in their lives lately and meeting at a cabin near Lake Tahoe gives each of them a chance to reevaluate their lives, besides meeting their sisters.

The story is a bit convoluted at times and the ending is different than I might have expected but I enjoyed reading about all three women, their problems, and possible solutions.

I've always enjoyed Novak's books in the past and I recommend this one.

I received this book from Harlequin Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I'm embarrassed to say that until One Perfect Summer, I have never read anything by Brenda Novak. Shocked at that fact, I'm so very glad to now have discovered her storytelling. With a fascinating plot driving the storyline, the drama is inevitable. You hear about DNA results unearthing and exposing family secrets. The secret that comes to light for strangers Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei, serves to bring this vastly different woman together, to give them each a new sense of belonging. But coming together will mean each of these women will experience fear, loss, and hope.

I found myself deeply caught up in their predicaments. Novak created very interesting and diverse stories for each woman. When the three come together, they are in vastly different places in their lives, and although there were good reasons they might feel resentment or erect walls between them, they gave each other support unlike any they had known. I felt drawn to each of them for different reasons. I felt a lot of empathy for Lorelie's situation, well, maybe anger is a better word for it, and I loved how she evolved and how she came out on the other side of things. When the truth of their parentage is shared, it is a doozy! Each woman gains closure and the birth of new family connections.

This is a fantastic read that I think most readers of contemporary romance or domestic fiction would themselves caught up in. Novaks' writing is impeccable with realistic reactions and great dialogue. 5 Stars and recommendation!

I really like Brenda Novak and her writing style. I enjoyed this book. It had everything bad that could happen to people happen which made it a little over the top (pedophile, adultery, separations, major accidents, love, etc) but I liked the book as the book was easy to read and it really just transported you into a different life. I do hope there is another book that comes out to really flesh out what happens next with the characters but I liked it. Received this book as an ARC and I am giving my review freely.

This an incredibly well crafted book. I loved the suspense of it all and I found it impossible to put this book down. I did find the ending predictable but the story as a whole was so enthralling that I didn't even mind.

A DNA test and Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei become half sisters.
They come together in a cabin in Lake Tahoe to get to know each other while their lives start to come apart. They each have different upbringings from foster to single parent to a total family. They search for clues in how they are related. Each sister is different from each other in the lives that they lead. They each find strengths from within to keep it together. They provide support to one another thus strengthening their bond.
Loved the story in its telling of consequences of action.
The story started at a good pace but the ending seemed rushed.

I loved this book!! Great story!! Love this author's books!! Received this book from harlequin-Mira ( U.S. and canda) from netgally!!

Serenity Alston submitted her DNA to 23andme, she discovers two half-sisters she never knew existed and questions about her family. Her new sister Reagan is in the middle of a complicated office romance and Lorelei's marriage is collapsing. The three women retreat to Serenity's family cabin at Lake Tahoe for the summer to figure out what happened in the past and how to move forward.

We have the different perspectives of the three sisters as they meet and process their conflicts. All three are at a crossroads, and having sisters to help them through has really made a difference. Serenity has other younger sisters, but they were caught up in their own problems. Reagan and Lorelei are eager to know more about how she grew up, what her life was like before they all got together, and help her however they can. Because their lives had all been so very different, they also have different perspectives and offer them up to the other women to help.

It's a summer of self-discovery as well as a sisterhood, and women supporting women through terrible times is a great theme in this novel.

This is a unique take on using a DNA testing system to find out more than what genetic markers you might have for hereditary traits. These ladies have come across one another at quite a critical point in their lives, you would think it was almost fate and not a DNA test that brought them together.

Each lady is going through something quite different yet something almost relatable, except maybe Serenity. Coming to the cabin was Serenity’s idea so of course we start of with her in the book. I did love her as a character, she does come off as the stronger of the three sisters, but she is just as vulnerable. She instantly takes to Lorelei’s daughter which is super sweet. It’s also nice how the whole way through the book she is worried that anything she discovers may upset her younger siblings that she already has. That just shows how already compassionate she is.

Reagan while a corporate woman looking all sophisticated and posh really seemed naive. I do like how she stood up for her sisters when needed and became their backbone when needed. Some of her decisions made me not like her so much, she was not my favorite sister. That may just be personal preference for me though. She of course was spending her time building bonds and helping her sisters and those parts I absolutely loved.

Lorelei had such a complicated life I’m surprised she didn’t have her own book. The crap shoot back home she was coming from wow, that’s just horrible. Her daughter really made it so much easier to read her parts and yet harder sometimes. I would say her character is the one that evolves the most throughout the book, she really grows. She also makes decisions I don’t agree with, but she also makes tons I do agree with. I cried more with Lorelei’s character than any other character.

All of the romantic interests in this book get a thumbs up for sure. There were some points on this book where it did drag just a little bit but honestly there was so much to fit in such a small book, I can see why there was some information dumped into some spots. I have loved all of Brenda Novak’s books and this wasn’t any different, I would suggest it for sure.

A DNA test will put three strangers now half sisters together for the summer. Serenity invites Reagan and Lorelie to her family cabin in Lake Tahoe, to figure out the mystery of how they are connected. Each sister comes to the cabin with personal challenges in their own lives, but with the new found sisterhood they will come out stronger.

I read this book in one day, I had such a hard time putting down. Wonderful characters with each of their own struggles but are supportive to each other. Loved the descriptive writing of the surroundings, makes you feel like you were right there. Interesting neighbors of three brothers that are also going through their own changes. I highly recommend this wonderful women's fiction story.

Serenity, a writer has just discovered through a DNA test that she has two half sisters. She contacted them and through social media have kept in touch. Serenity now has invited her two half sisters to her remote cabin in Lake Tahoe so they can get to know each other and figure out how they are related.

Reagan is ready to meet her two half sisters. She is an only child raised by her mother after her father passed away when she was small. She is reeling from an office affair she had, and this is the perfect time for her to disappear.

Lorelei and her daughter Lucy are on their way to meet her half sisters. Lorelei was found wandering a street when she was two years old and has no idea who either of her parents are. Her marriage is falling apart, she has lost her best friend in the process and she is looking forward to having a chance to take a breath and gather her thoughts.

As these three women gather together in a cabin, they soon find out they will become not only friends, but a treasured support system as they try to figure out the next steps in their lives and how they are related.

I loved this story and how the author Brenda Novak developed each character. She keeps you in suspense as the women slowly unravel the mystery of their births. I couldn’t put this book down! It was a fabulous read. Thank you to Brenda Novak, Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review.

True crime writer Serenity Alston submits an ancestry DNA test as research for her writing. Imagine her surprise when the test reveals she has two half sisters she never knew about. Serenity, Lorelei, and Reagan agree to meet at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. The three women are strangers to each other, but not only do they resemble each other, they each have complicated love lives they are trying to work through. Each wants to know how they could have sisters they didn’t know existed, how it happened, and wonder if it’s too late for them to become true sisters.

I absolutely loved the dynamics between the half sisters of Lorelei, Reagan, and Serenity. Each of these women are dealing with life challenges and trying to respect the new found relationships they have as sisters. The relationships between the sisters were wonderful as well the understanding and acceptance behind the secrets of them all being half sisters.

Ms. Novak did an amazing job of describing the setting and the characters in a way that makes them come to life. I was interested in what would happen next for each of sisters and was completely engaged in the story from the very beginning. We are exposed to seeing things from each woman’s point of view which helped us to better know each of them.

Overall, I enjoyed reading One Perfect Summer and recommend it to other readers. I will say that it was an engaging story despite having struggled with parts of the story and that there are still some unanswered questions at the end.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I like Ms Novak books and this one was no exception.
An engrossing and entertaining plot, a cast of fleshed out and likeable characters, a lovely setting.
I think it's an engrossing and entertaining read that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Boy, when Brenda Novak sits down to write a Women’s fiction novel, she knocks it out of the ball park! I loved this story of 3 half sisters, found through DNA tests, and finding fulfilling relationships with each other. Their strength shown through as each sister had her issues to deal with, finding that dealing with them with ones you love, makes the journey that much more palatable. I enjoyed the outside relationships they each forged and although this was not a romance, it gave each sister more depth. I found this to be an entirely satisfying read!