Many thanks to @kwharvey and @simon.audio for the #gifted books.  

 

Full of nostalgia and completely heartwarming.  

 

Some books just ooze summer… that “surrounded by your favorite people, porch sitting, sweet tea drinking, watching the fireflies dance in the yard” kind of feeling… and KWH’s newest book does exactly that while reminding me why I long for summer all year long.

 

I never went to camp.  To be honest, I’ve never been a “bunkbed, sleep in nature” kind of gal.  The mosquitos.  The inescapable heat and humidity.  Blah.  

 

Yet Harvey painted a picture of sun kissed days full of friendship and comradery that I wanted to be a part of, mosquitoes and bunkbeds be damned!  How is it that I felt such a deep longing for a time/place I never experience?  It’s safe to say that Harvey wields quite the book magic!

 

At its heart, this is a tale of sisterhood.  Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart have one of those tried-and-true bonds forged through years of seeing each other through their best and worst.  They are the embodiment of chosen family.  

 

Harvey created this triumvirate fully authentic and so genuine that I struggled to decide if I wanted to be a part of their circle or reach out to my own “framily” (family + friend).  Honestly, the answer is both.  

 

While the friendship bond takes centerstage, the romance isn’t to be missed.  Second chance isn’t normally my favorite trope, but I was fully on board with Daphne and Huff finding their way back together.  It was a wholly unique family dynamic (Daphne, baby-daddy, son + Huff) that I didn’t know I needed.  

 

The theme of forgiveness runs throughout the story.  From broken family dynamics to lies and deceit to meddling in other people’s business (Lanier!!!) to past failures.  This book reminds that there’s no great gift to others or self than true forgiveness.   

 

This book was just the feel good read I need.  It tugged at my heartstrings and left me uplifted.  Throw this one in your pool bag for the perfect light summer read.  

 

🎧 This was a book I want to lose myself in, and the cast narration by Jennifer Jill Araya, Reena Dutt, and Jackie Sanders made that easy to do.  The three distinct voices amplified the three points of views, and accentuated that southern dynamic running through the pages.