I did not know how I was going to like this book since it was told in 4 POVs and in dual setting (20 years apart)-somethings these moving parts are a bit much. But overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

It releases at the end of June and is considered a contemporary Christian fiction. It follows 4 friends as they attempt to have the best summer of their lives at a summer camp for kids in no where Oklahoma. Each of the girls come to camp with secrets as they have just graduated high school and are planning to go off to college. The book also brings the reader into present day-where the 4 friends are no longer friends.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was a departure from my usual thrillers and mysteries, it did have some twists and surprises in it. I love the it inspires and is loosely filled with messages of faith. The best parts though are the relationships. The relationships of friends, family, romances. It covers it all and intertwines then seamlessly. The characters are rich and flawed just like real human beings. I came to love them all. The setting is almost another character in the book. I could almost feel the humidity, and smell the great food. I definitely felt like I could hear the music. This book will make you laugh, cry, and will definitely surprise you as it did me. I highly recommend it. Thank you to the publisher for the free copy.

They called themselves the Seasons, Spring Duval, Summer Wilde, Autumn Childe, and Margaret Snowden (aka Snow). Twelve years after forming a friendship in kindergarten, the girls planned to celebrate the summer between high school and college with an epic adventure.

But one thoughtless prank sent them to face a judge and a choice that would ruin the best summer of their lives—pick up trash along the Florida highways for a summer, or act as counselors at Camp Tumbleweed in nowhere, Oklahoma. The girls choose Oklahoma; after all, Summer’s mom directs the camp and agrees to act as their parole officer. If they’re together, they can redeem the summer. Can’t they?

Each of them holds a secret that has the power to fundamentally change the way they see each other and their futures.

Twenty Years Later

The unbreakable friendship of the four seasons takes a hit during that unforgettable summer in Tumbleweed. A murderer on the loose, resentment and circumstances rupture the fabric of their lives.

Can the four seasons reunite, forgive, forget, and move beyond their pain and suffering? Will the first 12 years of friendship counterbalance the 20 years of silence? Only a miracle can bring them together again.

What I Loved About This Book

Growing up, I didn’t have strong bonds with female friends. We moved a lot, making it difficult to form lasting friendships. This peak into the lives of four friends forever moved me in ways I didn’t anticipate.

As in most of her books, Hauck uses a touch of magical realism to help one character through a particularly difficult time in her life. Modern critics call it magical realism, and Christians call it divine intervention.

Whatever the case, the message rings clear—friendships between humans must model the friendship Jesus wants with us. He wants us to lavishly release the come-as-you-are-kind-of-grace we all too often grip with our fists into a hurting world. We must match our forgiveness of the wrongs others do to the forgiveness God liberally bestows upon us. Otherwise, our friendships don’t count for much.

I really enjoyed this book! The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is there are 4 main characters named, Summer, Spring, Autumn (also called Fall) and Snow. They call themselves, The Four Seasons and I personally found it a little difficult following each of their stories and remembering which girl was which. I liked the duel time frame of 1977 and 1997. It’s very much a summer read with a large part of it taking place at a summer camp.

This story is literally breathtaking. You will hold your breath. You will laugh - out loud. You will cry. You will actually want to turn the pages faster than you can read! The plot ebbs and flows like gentle waves in the Gulf of Mexico. The characters are loveable and frustrating, and completely relateable. Nostalgia with a touch of today makes for a perfect story!! (As a side note : I received this book from the publisher and was not expected to leave a positive review. But I did. It was a phenomenal ride!!)

What an awesome book to introduce me to this author! This was my first book of Rachel Hauck’s and I’m so glad it was, The Best Summer of Our Lives was such a fun little read, and I was so desperate to know what happened on the dock that I ended up reading the majority of this book in one sitting. I luckily received an ARC of this book, and at the ideal time of year too! I read this book just as summer was beginning and it was the perfect read to give me that summer feeling that I needed to launch me into June. When I first started the book, I was wondering how this story could hook a reader, but I found that out for myself just a couple of chapters later. The dual timeline had me begging to find out what could of changed between the time the girls were at summer camp and the present, and when I found out I was not disappointed.

The Best Summer of Our Lives is a contemporary, christian novel and follows four best friends, the seasons, twenty years ago in the summer of ‘77, and the present in 1997. That summer was supposed to be the best one of Summer Wilde’s life, the plan was to be living it up with her best friends: Spring, Autumn and Snow, but when a prank wrong and the girls get caught, they find themselves on a bus to camp tumbleweed to begin working away their summer as a punishment. The girls arrive, expecting to work as camp counselors for eight weeks and teach some kids to swim, what they don’t expect is secrets, lies and fallout. Now, twenty years later, after Summer’s band leaves her once again, she finds herself returning to Tumbleweed, a place she vowed that she would never return, to find herself, a voice to follow, and gain back what it was she lost all of those years ago.

This definitely wasn’t my usual go to read but this doesn’t mean I was disappointed! I found myself relating to so many of these girls traits, and couldn’t help but hope that things would eventually turn out their way. Whilst I thought the ending was a little convenient, I’m still happy that this book ended the way that it did. The writing was awesome and there were so many gorgeous quotes, and the characters were so well constructed I almost felt as though they were real. As I said before, this was an awesome introduction to this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bethany House Publishers and Rachel Hauck for sending me an E-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was okay. I found the four points of view and three characters all starting with the same letter (Spring, Summer and Snow) difficult to follow at times. Especially because two of them were very similar.

The story started off strong and I liked the premise of the summer camp but overall this fell flat for me.

And honestly had I know this was a Christian focused book I wouldn’t have picked it up. As someone who is pro-abortion I didn’t appreciate the subliminal anti-abortion overall message that was thrown in or the God storyline.

I understand this book was not meant for me and hopefully this review helps others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Best Summer of Our Lives, by Rachel Hauck, may be my favorite book of the year so far. This coming-of-age story gave me all the feels and brought back memories of that season in my own life. I loved the Four Seasons—Summer, Autumn, Snow (Winter), Spring, and then Baby Season, Greta. The raw, real relationships they had spoke to my heart and had me remembering my own friendships from high school.

This book diverges from some of Rachel Hauck’s recent stories, but it is just as compelling.

Set in 1977 in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma, and 1997 in Tallahassee, Florida (and other locales), this story spans a twenty-year period in the lives of four best friends.

After committing a college prank gone wrong, Summer, Autumn, Snow, and Spring are sentenced to community service at a summer camp for girls in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma. These four friends’ plans for the best summer of their lives are sidelined after their prank, but they adjust their expectations. All seems to go well for a while, but life unwinds and relationships are tested because each girl comes bearing a secret. The question is, will their secrets bond them together or tear them apart?

Rachel Hauck does an amazing job crafting a genuine setting in Oklahoma. The town of Tumbleweed becomes its own character. The secondary characters in both timelines feel authentic.

I loved how this story shared a view of friendship at its best . . . and at its worst. The Four Seasons were young women trying to figure out life and how to move forward when everything they thought was true went sideways.

This story made me smile and ugly-cry. I could be friends with each of these characters.

I loved the themes of family, how brokenness can be healed, understanding our true identity, and the beauty of friendships that weave throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book; it is a great option for an engrossing summer read. If you enjoy genuine, flawed characters, a story of redemption and friendship, you will love this story. This book will leave you thinking and with a sigh of satisfaction when you turn the final page.

***Many thanks to the publisher, Bethany House, and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Rachel Hauck’s The Best Summer of Our Lives takes us on an emotional journey with Summer Wilde and her three best friends. With secrets, dual timelines, well-rounded characters, and the vivid setting of Camp Tumbleweed, the real story unfolds within each chapter’s different POVs. The memorable chapter headings lightened the mood of this compelling coming of age story that, although quite different than Hauck’s other captivating books, still blends a message of hope, faith, love, and redemption as we journey through different seasons of our lives.

I received a complimentary digital ARC from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley for my honest review.

I was so excited to be on the launch team for Rachel Hauck’s new book, The Best Summer of Our Lives. I’ve loved every book of hers I have read, both split-timeline and contemporary romance. Though this book had a different “feel” than the previous books I’ve read, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

This story followed four friends, The Four Seasons, so named because they are each named after a season. You’ll meet Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Snow. The story takes place in two different timelines: 1977 when the girls are high school graduates and serving as counselors at a camp in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma, and 1997, after they have grown up and drifted apart. The point of view switches between each of the girls/women and the two different timelines, though the majority of the story takes place in 1977.

As you read the story you learn that each girl has a secret that they haven’t shared with their best friends. The story slowly unfolds between both timelines, uncovering the secrets and seeing how their relationship has changed, as they spend their time at camp. While at camp there is also the addition of Baby Season, a girl named Greta from camp who they make an honorary Season, and who plays an important role in their lives.

We see how decisions in the past have affected their futures, and wonder if they will be able to reconcile. We see the importance of love and forgiveness and being truthful. We see the importance of surrendering our lives to Jesus. Here is a quote that really spoke to me, “Boy, you don’t think much of someone who has the name Almighty, do you? I think He’s a bit more creative than Sunday morning for twenty or thirty minutes, Summer. He gifted you. He called you. He’ll make a way for you. Yet you think you’re the only one who can hold the reins.”

As the author has done in previous books, there is a spiritual character who comes first to Summer, but then to the other young ladies. They hear this character who I believe is meant to be the Holy Spirit or Jesus speak to them, and they even see him. I admit, sometimes having these type of characters confuses me. But I see how the author is bringing God into the characters’ lives in a tangible way.

I only gave The Best Summer of Our Lives four stars because I did find it more difficult to read this novel than I did the author’s previous books. Having four different points of view in two separate timelines had them a bit jumbled in my head, and I had trouble figuring out which girl was which. And it took me longer to get into the book than her other books.

I was only four years old in 1977, so I don’t have many memories on the 70’s, but I really enjoyed all the references to the 70’s, including music artists and songs. I especially loved when I recognized some of the chapter titles as song titles. Then I learned that all of the chapter titles are song names, the majority of which released in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Rachel Hauck’s books, dual timeline stories, coming of age stories, and/or women’s fiction.

The Best Summer of Our Lives

A must read modern Christian fiction about friendship, secrets, and the fears of growing up.

While I prefer clean reads, I’m still pretty picky about my Christian fiction. My expectations are as high as any other read (with the exclusion of comedy, that feels important to note for some reason 🤣). I need a well rounded story with depth, realistic characters, and an intriguing plot line. The Best Summer of Our Lives blew it out of the water.

Based around a summer camp with four friends and two timelines we learn the past isn’t always best left in the past.

I loved this story and it had the perfect summer vibes.

Christian Rep
Content- Off page murder

This is definitely a summer read! Four girls on the brink of adulthood and have their sights on college and rooming together as they start the next chapter of their lives. But one not so smart prank has them all having to do community service over the summer. Goodbye to their European trip and the best summer of their lives. Allowed to complete their service as counselors as a camp in Oklahoma, the four head west and camp shows they that they maybe really didn't know each other as well as they thought and that everyone has secrets. Told through the various girls, as well as life after camp, twenty years later. The story slowly unfolds until you find out what really happened during the last Truth Session at camp and what put them on the paths they are on twenty years later and how those secrets changed things. I really enjoyed this novel, the storyline and it brought back memories from camp and high school and does show how quickly things can change. All four characters had different personalities and I love how the author wound their names to draw out more depth within the story. I also enjoyed that she added some true crime that was happening at the time and what that would have caused. This is a good summer read for all ages. Thank you to the author for the free novel and allowing me to be part of the launch team. I look forward to more by her. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Ready for a fun read? Think The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants mixed with The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. This story tracks the lives of four friends who meet in childhood and swear allegiance, like the four musketeers. The references to the 80s are spot-on, making the story a trip down memory lane for the reader. I'm not used to reading books with multiple points of view, so it took some concentration to remember which details went with which character, but once I had that settled, the story sucked me in. As someone who enjoyed that kind of friendship in middle and high school (and still does), this story was emotional for me. Rachel caught the ability girls have to flash from upset with each other back to being best friends perfectly. Watching God work in all four lives was rewarding. This story will hang around in your mind for quite a while after you turn the last page.

Secrets from the past can rise again at any time. In this emotional story, the characters need to learn to deal with decisions made long ago. Friendships, music, tragic events, love, and more bring this story to life. Good read. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. No review was required.

With her signature compelling storytelling, Rachel Hauck writes a coming of age story about 4 best friends, "the Four Seasons" Summer Wilde and her friends Spring, Autumn, and Snow in what they hope to be the best summer of their lives.

I could not stop turning pages. This is a story of friendship and secrets, add in complicated family dynamics, loss, love, and desert seasons in their lives. A captivating story that takes you on a journey of discovery right along with the Four Seasons. So hang onto your hats and enjoy 4 points of view in two different decades; 1977 and 1997. Now twenty years later, the women look back on that summer that everything changed for them.

You're not going to want to miss this!

Thank you to Bethany House and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.

It's been a while I read a book by Rachel Hauck.
My heart was in my mouth as I was reading the story. Very captivating.

Beautiful story, interesting characters that captured my emotions.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a captivating read. The themes of friendship and secrets made this one hard to put down. The secrets kept me guessing and there were at least two jaw drop moments for me within the story. I really felt like I was part of the story, it pulled me in that much. There is really just a beautiful storytelling element to this book, and I truly enjoyed it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and I was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

The summer of 77 looks to be the best one yet for four friends the summer after their senior year, even after a stunt derails their plans for Europe and they wind up helping to run a summer camp. But secrets threaten their friendship, and still reverberate 20 years later. Interesting storyline and good reflection of the era, though a little "out there" spiritually.

I received a ARC from the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. I dual time story about Spring, Summer, Autumn and Snow. They became friends in kindergarden. They were known as the four seasons. They planned on being in each other's lives forever. This is a story of coming of age as well as secrets. I loved this amazing book.

I am so glad I read this book! The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck is a raw, beautiful, coming-of-age Christian contemporary story. The story is dual-timeline, taking place primarily in 1977, with glimpses of 1997. 20 years. 4 best friends. Many secrets. Encounters with Jesus. I really enjoyed learning all about the 4 seasons friend group and look forward to reading more of Rachel's books in the future, as this was my first read by her. 4 stars!

This book is following 4 women - the 4 seasons as they're known - Summer, Autumn, Spring and Snow. We are following their journey right out of high-school as they're forced to become camp counselors during the Summer of '77 in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma because of a prank they pulled in high school. Little do they know, this summer will bring many eye opening events, truths to the surface and walks with God. We see each girl's perspective as they go through this new camp experience. Then we have the 1997 timeline, 20 years later, and you know for some reason early on, the girls had a falling out. We get bits and pieces of where each woman is in their life 20 years later and quickly get back into the '77 timeline to see what happened during that summer that got them to where they are today.

My favorite part of this story was the ending. I have a hard time with multiple POV stories personally, so I struggled keeping everyone together at first, but once I was about half way through the story, I was really interested in their stories and their personal lives. There was a lot of family drama but what I liked was we end up with an underlying faith element that touches your heart in the end. I did tear up with the last sentence and the author's note. Rachel reminds us in her author's note to always go to Jesus in the desert times - cling to Him. Even when you don't or you are running away in hard times, He is always with you. This story reminds us of that and I really appreciated it in the end. I think many people will be impacted by the way Rachel interweaved the faith in this story.

Our side characters were also really nice - Greta was so precious and the Levi was my favorite of the male roles. Overall, I am so glad I read this book as it is a gentle, spiritual reminder to run to Jesus in those tough times in life. Thank you to Baker Publishing, Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a copy to honestly read and review. I will be discussing this book in a reading vlog and reading wrap up on my YouTube channel, BookLoverAmanda at the end of May.

*Content Warnings* This book is overall clean, but has a VERY BRIEF mention of 3 young girls who were kidnapped, raped and killed at another camp. We also have some discussions surrounding sex before marriage, adultery, teenage pregnancy and dealing with divorce.