It took me over a month to finish this book as I needed to walk away from it several times. The MC, Sara experienced a horrific and traumatic event in her life. Because of what Sara experienced she moved away for seven years. Her perpetrator experienced his own fate after being found guilty for his crime. What he didn't know was that there was. child that was conceived as a result of the assualt.

Sara returns home because her father experienced his own life struggles afterthe passing of his wife. He only communicated one way. This was one technique the author used that I did not care for. There were other sections that I could not wrap myself around and became difficult for me to believe.

In an effort to not include spoilers, I will say I believe this book was heavy on the themes of forgiveness, love, family; I wish there was an opportunity to experience the main character go through more realistic level of healing. Also, I became a bit overwhelmed by the multiple conflicts; I felt like the conflicts and subplots were in competition.

Otherwise, the author did a good job and I am interested in readin more out of her catalog.

One Summer in Savannah follows Sara as she returns home to see about her ill Father. A sexual assault 8 years prior resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. Upon returning she becomes connected to Jacob, the twin brother of the person who assaulted her. This story covers many layers of pain, hurt, betrayal; but ultimately focuses on love and the importance of honesty and forgiveness. Highly recommend this book for those that enjoy a multilayer story.

The authors note at the beginning of the book is so incredibly well said and sensitive, and it provides aspect into a story so there’s no questions about uncertainty of trigger warnings.

I didn't really know what to expect from this story when I first started it but by the end I was completely attached an emotionally involved in the development and future of these characters.
This book is so poetically well written. There is so much emotion within the conversation, within the text, that is seemingly impossible to not talk about while writing a review for this book.

A lot of the story centres around the idea of forgiveness and overcoming personal trials and tribulations in order to forgive someone so that you yourself can move on with your life an this story put that into perspective in the most literal way. it's emotional, i found myself tearing up often.
The author did such an incredible job creating an intricate background to ensure that there were no plot holes in the storyline and this really added to the overall emotional enjoyment of the story itself.
Sarah's emotional journey hello how she reflects on the past and moves forward to the future is not something you can turn a blind eye to. The distrust, apprehension, forgiveness, and trust that she experiences throughout this book in regards to her daughter Alana, her father her abuser and her new interest Jacob - is an incredible journey that I cannot put into words.
Tara Shelton Harris has done an incredible job taking an incredibly hard situation and laying it all out for us as Sarah, our main character, picks up each piece to heal in ways that provides a new look at the life she has lived and the one she is living.

Favourite Quotes:
“She pushes all her chips to the centre of the table. She is all in. And in that moment I know that I love her”
“I have reached my destination. I am exactly where I want to be”

This one had it all- almost too much! Tragedy but uplifting. Well written. I enjoyed the story and the character as well as the pacing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Sara was raped 9 years earlier by Daniel Wyler, son of a wealthy family, who is now in jail for the crime. Sara left town and had her daughter, Alana. Alana inherited her father's traits, and is a genius at math. Sara's dad is ill, and his companion has called Sara to have her return home. She does reluctantly, as she has never told the Wylers about Alana.
Sara's dad, Hosea, owns a bookstore. Jacob has been helping renovate it. Sara finds out that Jacob is David Wyler, twin brother of Daniel. She wants to hate him. However, through her father's love of poetry, and Alana's need for family, she slowly lets Jacob into her life.
This is a tale of forgiveness and love.

Beautiful concept for showcasing forgiveness and how perspective (should) change with time. No a poetry fan, so felt limited in my understanding of Hosea and his thoughts. Endeared to the romance between Jacob and Sara - intrigued by Birdie and Daniel - and in awe of Alana practically being Naomi reincarnated. The author did well, I enjoyed but I think the concept could’ve been delivered more seamlessly and in less pages. 3 stars.

I thought this was a wonderful book. Although it deals with some difficult subject matter, it is handled well and Harris shows the reader how different relationships are affected by a violent act. The characters are memorable and the dialogue realistic. I really got absorbed into this story and cried several times while reading it. I highly recommend it!

I was skeptical about this book when I first came across the description. However, I was more curious than I was skeptical. As it turned out, I struggled with this book. Forgiveness is undoubtedly difficult. It can be difficult to speak about openly and to genuinely forgive. Which brings us to this book, where the lead character, Sara, is a victim of sexual assault and her attacker is from a prominent family. Sara has a child, as a result and has raised her in secret, until she has to return to Savannah due to her father's illness. In Savannah, Sara has developed a relationship with her attacker's identical twin brother, Jacob, agrees to keep her daughter's existence a secret.

While stories of forgiveness can be inspirational, this one was just difficult to accept. It was just too unbelievable in my opinion, and could not get past that.

Sarah left Savannah after conceiving a baby when she was sexually assaulted by a rich boy in town. She thought she would never return but then she gets a call that her dad is sick and she doesn't think twice. Sarah has to face the fact that she may not be able to keep her daughter a secret like she always planned, and maybe that could actually be a good thing.

This book is so powerful, and an amazing and beautiful debut novel. Sarah is living her life trapped in the pain of what happened to her and afraid of the future for her daughter. I loved reading how she processed what she had been through and began to let go. Her journey was so healing. I love her daughter Alana, and her dad and stepmom's characters so much. Alana is fierce and unbelievably smart and trusting that the people around her have her best interest at heart. Sarah's father, a bookstore owner no less! speaks in poetry only and is such a deep and intriguing person. And Jacob. Carrying guilt for something he didn't even do and trying to make amends. The story is sad, heartbreaking, inspiring and so beautiful.

Such a wonderful book. I loved the narration of the audiobook, and the storyline. Will definitely read more from this author.

One Summer in Savannah is a heartwrenching, thought-provoking family saga about overcoming trauma, resilience, and forgiveness. Without revealing spoilers, I'll just say there were a couple of aspects of the book that I struggled with.

Whew this one was tough. I don't know that I would've made the same decisions as Sara if I were in her place. But I'll never know.

This story is beautiful written, even though the subjects are on the heavier side. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.

The intricacies of this story... the complexity of the characters... the setting (which is dear to my heart)... this is a book that you'll be glad you spent the time with! This book explores forgiveness and growth in ways that surprised me and really made me think. A moving, beautifully told story.

This book required me to suspend belief a little too much. The subject matter is heavy. Sexual assault resulting in pregnancy is hard to read about but I just couldn't buy that the woman could develop a relationship with her attacker's identical twin brother. And the father only speaking in poetry pushed me over the edge. The potential is definitely there and I look forward to giving this author's future books a try.

A poignant and touching tale of trauma, unconditional love between a mother and daughter, and a poignant touching love story as we follow the journey of Sara, raped years ago and raising the daughter Alana that came from that incident, only to encounter her rapist’s twin brother Jacob when she relocates back to her hometown to care for her aging father. Lyrical writing from this debut author and powerful reflections on the nature of grace, I look forward to reading more from this author. If you’re someone who craves more than plot from your reading, this is one that provides lots to think about as it explores the fragility of human emotions and the idea that people can move beyond trauma to a reintegration and wholeness through understanding and forgiveness.

Terah Shelton Harris writing is fluid, descriptive, and well developed. Her words cut deep into my soul, weaving deeply rooted pain into a beautiful story. Bravo!

Thank you sourcebooks landmark for the eARC of this book! This is a viscerally complex story amid a beautiful setting, rich with interesting characters. Ultimately, I did struggle with the concept a bit in terms of believability of the plot, and it became distracting. A well written book that ended up missing the mark.

Book Review: One Summer in Savannah
Stars: 3 x 5
Author: Terah Shelton Harris @terahsharris
Publisher: Source Books @sourcebooks
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC

Sarah Lancaster and her daughter Alana live a quiet life in Maine.
Sarah is from Savannah but left there years ago after a brutal sexual assault.
Sarah is a poet and lyricist and her daughter is pretty much a math genious. Sarah and Alana are living a wonderful life when Sarah receives news that her father is ill.
He has a brain bleed and she needs to heads home to Savannah to say goodbye.

Jacob is also back in Savannah. Jacob had testified at his twin brother’s trial for assaulting Sarah. His testimony help put his brother David in jail. Because of this his relationship with his family is not so great.

Sarah stays to help her Dad at his book store and this allows him to get to know his granddaughter. During this time Sarah runs into Jacob and their two worlds collide.
Jacob soon realizes that Alana is his brother David’s son.

Sarah and Jacob both have to deal with the past and learn forgiveness. Slowly Sarah and Jacob start to become closer and they will learn love is greater than all.

The author writes about a difficult subject which was hard to read about at times.
The subject of rape, resentfulness along with forgiveness is hard for any woman. This was a well written story. The one problem I did have was the relationship between Sarah and Jacob as Jacob is his brother’s identical twin. I had to come to the realization much like Sarah did that just because two people look alike they are very often different.

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This was a very difficult read, I think, for personal reasons. I'd had high hopes but soon realized this was going to be a personal struggle. I just couldn't imagine the struggle to separate what you see with the physical instinct I would think your body would have (whether you want it to or not). But I did like the characters and the story otherwise. I can see the potential here and will look for more from this author, this one just hit me personally and put me in a tough spot to enjoy it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book