The Best Summer of Our Lives
By Rachel Hauck
Pub Date June 27
Bethany
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I recommend this book if you love the 70’s, summer camp, and Christian Fiction.
The only negative I have is that 4 POVs made it a tad confusing.
4 stars

A super unique coming of age story from Hauck. Having four POVs did make the book a tad confusing at times and it took me a little while to get all the girls straight, but it was an enjoyable read.

four friends from 1977 reunite in 1997, very sweet story of friendship and how it effects you. I love Rachel Hauck books.

“The Best Summer of Our Lives” has all the elements of a perfect summer read for me. You will hear me say it time and time again. My favorites are it actually taking place during the summer months, having water front scenes, and a dual timeline to tell the tale. The added element of conversation about walking with God while the characters are coming of age made it that much sweeter.

I’ve read several books by Rachel Hauck, and though I enjoyed this story, it was not among my favorites.

I know this was an ARC, but are both Summer and Autumn supposed to have the surname Wilde? Are they related?

I received this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review. 3-1/2 stars.

Don’t we all think we have it together when we leave high school… These friends certainly do, although they haven’t seen each other in decades, they do come together, and secrets revealed… I love this book!

I adored this story! It gave perfect summer vibes and also magical realism. It was also a beautiful story of friendship and how we change throughout the seasons of our lives.

I was so excited to start reading this one.
From the moment I read the description I knew I was going to love it.

The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck is a beautifully written novel of friendship and found family.
A cozy novel full of charm and heart that’s perfect vacation reading.
Celebration of healing, new beginnings and friendship
A beautifully poignant reminder that we are never too young to find a good place to stand nor too old to start over.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bethany House for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES by RACHEL HAUCK THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES by RACHEL HAUCK is a coming od age novel in which we follow four inseparable “besties”, starting in 1977 when they graduate high school, and then again in 1997, when they are in their late thirties. We see how they are affected by Camp Tumbleweed, where they are sent to do community service , by their parents and of course by one another. Will the Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Snow, keep their promise of remaining friends forever?…..
There are devasrtang secrets that come out on Truth Night, uncovering jealousy and fear. There ia also a strong Christian message of forgiveness and redemption, especially with Summer’s encounter with The Preacher. The author takes a deep look into friendships and relationships, both familial and romantic, and I found the book enjoyable and inspirational.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

The Best Summer of Our Lives took me back to my many summers spent at camp as a camper and counselor and the wonderful God encounters I had there. I have read many of Rachel Hauck's books, and this one exceeded my expectations. The story was told in the differing perspectives of the four main characters (the Four Seasons) and hopped back and forth between 1977 and 1997. Multiple coming of age themes were woven throughout this story, making it relatable for a wide range of people. I always love Hauck's little details that are seen in many of her novels (chapters named after song titles and characters from previous stories). Overall, I very much enjoyed this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Three stars for the first book I have read of Hauck's. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. The cover and title drew me in. I wanted to know more about the summer in the title! The book was full of characters and stories from different eras. Multiple points of view. Sometimes I found it a bit much but I stuck with it and was pleased with the outcome.

The Best Summer of Our Lives is a coming-of-age /women's fiction with all the "Summer of '69" (but '77) vibes. It was totally different from anything I'd read of Hauck's before, yet with the spiritual elements that were very much familiar and what I've come to expect from her.
It follows four besties fresh out of high school, each hiding their own secrets and fears for the future, as they carry out court-ordered community service as camp counselors. Now twenty years later, the girls-turned-women look back on that summer as the time that everything changed for them.

Between having four POVs and two eras... It was more to keep up with than I generally prefer. I hate to admit it, but I kept having to stop and try to remember what I knew about each of the girls when their POV came up because I especially had trouble keeping two of them separate in my mind, despite their different storylines.
With the grown-up perspective coloring what is unfolding in the 1977 timeline, it felt like a trainwreck waiting to happen for much of the book. I think that's what ultimately made it a four instead of five star for me. This is a good book, with good encounters with the Lord, and a great cast of characters (although I could see that they fell into types), but it didn't have the five star power of some of my favorites by this author.
It did have Jeremiah Gonda though. So, maybe 4.5 stars then. 😉 #jeremiahgonda4eva
But if you love the seventies, love the summer camp scene, and love how Hauck writes spiritual encounters, you'll probably want to escape into this story.

I read an eCopy provided by the publisher and Netgalley so I could write an honest review. All opinions are my own!

3.5 stars

The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck felt a lot like Now and Then, the movie. Four teenage girls that were best friends, but then one summer, everything fell apart. The story takes place in 1977 and 1997. As a reader, we see the summer of ’77 and learn from each girl what happened that summer and how they dealt with it. The characters were realistic and hurting. I did enjoy how well Hauck dived into the characters and their personal tragedies. Each character stood apart from the next teenager. I loved how they had a common path, but when the reality came, they wanted different paths. I went to summer camp one summer, so I vaguely remember that experience. It was not life changing for me. It was the summer after 4th grade at a local church camp. The plot moved along nicely, but at times, I really wanted to know what was the issue that shoved them apart, so it took Hauck a while to dive into that aspect of the novel. I know she probably did that on purpose. A way to string the readers along and keep the tension tight throughout the entire story. Hauck does a good job at creating the mystical, yet spiritual element into majority of her stories lately. I enjoyed the Preacher aspect and how he affected Summer. I would like to know, personally, how Preacher affected her since the summer of ’77. Overall, The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck had great characterization, but the plot was not the greatest or best written story by Hauck. I have loved majority of her books.

I received a complimentary copy of The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

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.

This was such a wholesome, lovely read, delving into the seasons of our lives, the season for friendship, for romance, for living. It was full of the innocence of childhood, and of growing up, of decisions made and paths not explored.

I think most people will be able to relate on some level to the difficulties faced by the group of friends in this book, once so close, now scattered by life.

An interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Wow! Wow! What a fun book to read! I was so glad that I seen this book!
I felt like I was a girl back in my own camp days again. Brought back so many memories, emotions and the fun we used to have!
Though I never made any close friends like the girls did in this novel but still I had fun. I sometimes wish I could go back to those days because that's where I found Jesus! He became my best friend and I still have Him to this day!
I thought Summer was pretty cool as a girl. Always bossy and adventurous.
I found myself rooting for her throughout the novel. Her fear was unwarranted but I understand.
Fear can get the best of us sometimes.
Nothing in life is sure. Or in my biggest opinion fair.
Life is always changing as Summer and the four seasons are soon going to discover.
Here's a favorite quote
"Treasure your friends." "You're lucky to have them." Life has a way of changing at any moment. "
My most favorite quote of all
“There it is, Spring. Right there, that’s it,” Autumn said. “The force more
powerful than a tornado, hurricane, nor’easter, and blizzard.”
Love is more powerful than anything you could ever experience in a lifetime!
Yes, I stayed up late because I wanted to see how the Four Seasons story turned out. I wasn't disappointed at all!
It's funny how you can make friends with the characters in a book. That's exactly what happened to me with this one.
Coming of age stories are quickly becoming my favorite reads this summer for some reason and this book definitely flies first on my list of favorites!
Summer, Autumn, Snow, Spring and Greta will melt your hearts and leave you thinking about them long after this story is over! I was sad to see this story end!
Hauck has made me a forever fangirl.
5 stars for some excellent writing and leaving the imagination to be desired for lots of fun and expectations!
I can't wait until the print copy comes out so I can add this book on my favorite shelf of books!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own!