One Southern Summer was the perfect palate cleanser between all my thrillers. I read this one over the long weekend and really enjoyed it.

This is a very fun summer read!
A story about second chances and forgiveness.
Just a feel good summer read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, let's look at that gorgeous cover. Don't you want to have a seat on that front porch and take in the view? I can practically taste the lemonade!
The book is set in Camellia, Alabama and the town itself is its own character, as Southern small towns often are. And it's an intergenerational story, featuring main character Avery's lovingly meddlesome grandmother Maribelle quite prominently. Even before chapter one opens, Avery's life is turned upside down, and I loved the journey that author Heidi McCahan too readers on to fulfill the redemption story in this one!

The main characters in One Southern Summer are likable and believable. Author Heidi McCahan tackles the tough topic of human trafficking with truth and sensitivity. I find this author's writing style to flow well and be easy to read. There were a couple of plot points that I found very implausible though and that detracted from the story .
I received a complimentary copy through NetGalley and am sharing my opinion.

This was a sweet second-chance romance featuring a newly single mom and her childhood best friend.

When Avery's life seems to fall to pieces after the betrayal by her husband and their business partner, she heads back home, feeling defeated. Yet her childhood best friend Cole helps make the return a bit sweeter as she regains her feet and finds new purpose in life.

Her meddling grandmother decides it's time to push "these two kids" together since they're both a bit too slow off the mark for her tastes and she wants to see them properly settled with one another before she's gone. But her meddling causes more problems than it solves.

As Avery tries to figure out what she wants (not what everyone else wants) for her life, she's faced with a lot of new things to learn, about herself and what's truly important in life. But she blossoms as she begins to make sense of things, making it an enjoyable book to read.

Thank you to Heidi McCahan, Harlequin, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I enjoyed this sweet book. It had a nice flow to it. Avery and Cole were great characters. Avery is a single mom, back home after a nasty & public divorce. Cole has been her friend forever and always loved her from afar (unbeknownst to her). They end up working together because her grandmother gave a substantial donation to Cole's foundation for trafficked women with the stipulation that he hire Avery. As you can imagine, this looms over Cole & he has a hard time with the secret. Highly recommend reading to see how it all plays out.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy, & I am leaving a review voluntarily

I love a southern fiction book however this book fell flat for me in many areas. I felt like Avery was “stuck” after her divorce, which I completely understand but then she felt “stuck” for most of the rest of the book too. I felt like the book dealt with so many weighty issues…affair, divorce, kidnapping and murder of Coles sister (not told in detail), human trafficking, fame/celebrity/social media… It really just felt like a lot. There was a meddling grandma that I had to keep reminding myself was the mother of Avery’s deadbeat dad. Just so much to keep track of. I spent most of the book trying to keep track of all the complex relationships and situations.

Thank you Net galley and Harlequin for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved reading this book! It's so well written and full of emotions. It deals with real life problems and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. I highly recommend this book!
I received a complimentary copy from HARLEQUIN via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

One Southern Summer is a sweet, clean romance which at times is hard to find in todays day and age. This was a new author for me, and I really did enjoy reading this book. I love when a book can pull my emotions out that's what I look for in a book. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I am a sucker for a summer small town romance. Unfortunately, this book was just not it for me. The book moved at a slower pace and was very predictable.

I stopped reading around %88 the book was just to predictable for me. She find out a secret about her husband and ends up divorced so she goes back home. An old crush ahs interest in her … DNF


**************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley for my honest opinion. ********************

A read that has twists and turns that keep you guessing on where the story will go. From a divorce, to going back home and trying to start your life over in the town where you were running away from. A read that is a great story and hope that there will be more, as in a series.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I am leaving a review by my own choice.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC!

This book was okay. It was a bit boring for me, and the characters were quite flat. I wasn't drawn to the story and it was a skimmer for me. I'm sure it will find its audience, especially with readers who identify with southern culture!

Avery returns to her hometown with her two children after her marriage breaks down. love the setting and the characters.

I loved this slow burn second chance romance between Avery, a recent divorcee and Cole, the hometown friend she left behind ten years back in order to marry Pax, now her ex. There were some real surprises in this book and plenty of twists to make the reader think. (no spoilers) I hope that this will become a series starter with more stories about Avery’s sisters. I think this book would make a great book club choice and would generate lots of conversation with different points of view. It was a real page turner for me and I enjoyed reading it. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

This one has so much to love about it. A young mother returns home to her parents' home in a small southern town, having lost her marriage and the home improvement show she starred in with her husband. As small towns can be, Avery’s is somewhat gossipy and judgmental. Finding her footing and building a new life present their own challenges.

Cole Whitaker has always had a thing for Avery, and now that she's back in town, he plans to be there for her, hoping to turn their friendship into something more. He sees the girl he once knew and the woman she has become.

This one slowed my reading down with its lengthy and repetitive narrative, but it has a sweet charm and a delightful quirkiness that brought me back into the story. Heartfelt, emotional, and uplifting, this story of second chances and new beginnings should be a hit with lovers of women's fiction and southern small-town romance.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy.

Another amazing book by Heidi McCahan! This book will pull at all your emotions. The depth of the main characters of Cole, Avery and her family is unbelievable. So many twists and unexpected happenings keep you engrossed till the very last word.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5645213541

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4269114398

Such a fun summer read! I loved the references to Auburn University (my alma mater), the sweet characters, and yes, even the drama. The grandmother and her circle of friends had me laughing. And I appreciate the topic of helping human trafficking survivors, as this is so necessary. Thank you for the opportunity to read and to review! A solid 4.5 stars for me.

Bless your heart is a familiar southern saying that doesn’t mean what most think. While I don’t read that saying in this book, it’s cadence is found within the Alabama setting, a worried supportive family, a feisty interfering matriarch, a love her from afar friend, and a young mother who has more than her fair share of troubles.
I empathized with Avery mostly with the effects of a traumatic divorce and being left at square one along with all the gossip of a small town.
I thought Pax got off lightly. He gallivanted around while Avery incurred the responsibilities and care for their two children. Even after things okayed out, I still don’t like him, I think McCahen should have made him a Bama graduate to add fuel to his own incineration.
It was a pleasant read and things turn out well, which I was happy to see. But there are many bumps in the road.

My first reaction: Several boxes checked - set in Alabama (although a fictitious town), main male character an Auburn graduate, author's first name same as my daughter. As some reviewers have said, it has a Hope Floats feel to it. The romantic line in the story was well developed.

However, after getting a little further into it, I realized that it deals with difficult, sensitive topics such as the reason for the divorce, human trafficking, and abandonment due to addiction. I feel these issues were included to develop the plot but were not necessary nor developed well. I was unprepared for this and felt it marred an otherwise light easy read.

A copy was provided for my review but all opinions are my own.