Some families we’re born into Some we find for ourselves When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers. The … only way to get answers.
The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.
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DNA testing brought Serenity, Lorelei and Reagan together. Finding out they are sisters and trying to connect the dots on how they came to be, they decided to spend the summer together and work it out together.
That’s where the story begins and we find out all the problems each of them have but in the end they have not only the answer to their questions but a new bond with each other that brings a special kind of HEA.
As my husband is a real ancestry fanatic, the premise of the book is intriguing to me. The book captured my attention, but the ending was not satisfying. Is there a sequel?
This is a book about finding family in unexpected places. It shows that some bonds don’t need a lifetime to happen.
Serenity swabbed her cheek for the DNA site, 23-and-me. She half joked that she would uncover some dark scandal from her family. What she didn’t expect was to find that she has two sisters that she never knew existed. This discovery caused her to question everything about her loving family. She figures meeting these newly found sisters may be the only way she can get answers.
Serenity has always found her peace at the family’s cabin in Lake Tahoe. She invited the other two women to join her and dig into the mystery. It has caused questions for each of them about their family’s and how they were raised.
Reagan comes and has found that she is navigating personal policies about being involved with a person she works closely with in her New York City advertising firm job. Lorelei comes to the cabin and is staring down the collapse of her marriage, thanks to her husband’s affair with her best friend.
All three are at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. They decide to spend the whole Summer together. They each will have time to confront their past paths and try to figure out how they can move forward with the lies and truths they know.
They begin to realize that their futures are much easier to begin with family by your side.
I really enjoyed this book. It is nice to see how the women handle themselves in their separate situations and as half-sisters together. They each figure out their individual paths and how they can support each other as well.
This is a story I’ve been waiting for—one that turns something that is happening all too often in our modern world into a fictional version of “what if?” Brenda Novak tells a wonderful tale of three sisters—each of whom has no idea the other two exist until they do what so many people have done: each takes a DNA test to find their roots.
It’s amazing how tangled some family’s trees can be! This book truly resonated with me because my family has discovered a number of heretofore unknown relatives we had no idea even existed! It’s been a truly fascinating journey, which made Ms. Novak’s story even more meaningful.
In ONE PERFECT SUMMER, she places three sisters, each facing changes in their lives, who decide to meet at a cabin belonging to the family of one of them to get to know each other. Each is anxious to find out their own roots, since the fact the three are siblings means that they must have shared a parent. Serenity has two loving parents—did her father have an affair? Reagan is dealing with issues at work, a father who died when she was young, and a mother she’s never been close to, and Lorelei is facing the possible end of her marriage while wondering about her own origins—as a two year old, she was found wandering alone one night, and has never known any family after a life in a succession of foster homes.
This story is about so much more than merely the search—as in any trip, whether it’s of discovery or distance, the story is more about the journey than the destination. What’s interesting, to me, is the way the sisters recognize the sense of family with women they previously didn’t know even existed, and how the power of that familial bond carries them through the summer.
Definitely a book to make you think, and one that I found both fascinating and engrossing.
I have never read a book with this type of storyline. What an emotional eye opener to find you have siblings you weren’t aware of. The process of locating your real parents while getting used to your new siblings is both heart wrenching and satisfying in this circumstance. Brenda did a wonderful job in taking the reader through what was a rough ride on a windmill, constantly spinning.
Serenity is an author who decides as research for her next book, she’ll do one of those DNA/ancestry tests. She gets the surprise of her life when she discovers she has two half sisters. Keeping it from her parents, the three decide to vacation in Tahoe and get to know each other. I loved how Serenity, Reagan and Lorelei bonded almost immediately. There is something to be said about family, no matter how long you’ve know them. Over the summer they navigate their new found relationship, battle with the men in their lives and try to figure out the mystery of HOW they are related. There hasn’t been a Brenda Novak book I haven’t enjoyed and this one is perfect for the beach!
Great read! Another great book by Brenda Novak. Can already see how it could have spinoffs…. Great story about 3 half sisters that didn’t know they had sisters. Serenity did a DNA test as a research tool for a book she is writing and finds out about the others, Regan is adopted and does it for medical hx, Lorelei is an orphan and knows nothing of her past. The 3 of them get in touch online and decide to meet. The week-long get together leads to 3 months at Serenity’s family retreat in Tahoe. Don’t want to give any spoilers so I’m going to stop there. Be prepared you won’t want to put it down….
Captivating! Such an unique storyline that held my interest from page one. It was dramatic and emotional. At times gut-wrenching for what each of the women were going through. Each had her own difficult scenario to contend with but they pulled their strength to survive from each other. Beautifully written.
I received this copy free from the author and am under no obligation to leave a review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am freely sharing my opinion.
Heart string pulling goodness! With her latest release ONE PERFECT SUMMER Brenda Novak takes us through an emotional journey of family, friendship and love. The mystery and tension are high and the love and support these ladies grow to give each other along their journey is breathtaking. Rich character building, emotional highs and lows and just enough suspense to hold our attention without being over bearing.
When a DNA test taken for three different reasons by three different women lead to them finding out they are half siblings there is sure to be a good story there … and it turns out there are three! Serenity is self-aware and accomplished and takes the test on a lark. Reagan is a self-assured go-getter and takes the test for health purposes. Lorelei has always wondered if she has a family out there and takes the test to see if she can find a place to belong.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a family centered story line with a hint of mystery and lots of subtle romance and drama. When emotions hit each of these three sisters as they embark on the journey of a lifetime to find answers of how they are connected, they learn what being a sister is truly all about as they lean on each other and allow love to surround them. I loved their stories!
What a premise for a story. Finding unknown family through DNA testing and finding out you are not who you thought you were. This was an engrossing read about three women who find out they are sisters and how they develop their relationships with each other. Each seemed to have major issues in their lives but decided to take the time over the summer to figure out how they were related and to create a lasting bond. The story ended differently than I thought it would and confused me some because none of them seemed to be curious about their birth mothers. I thought the neighboring brothers would be a great story themselves and hope there is one for them. Repost of my original review at Amazon.com.
I really enjoyed this Brenda Novak book. The ending was shocking and wasn’t expecting that at all.
Loved the characters in this book. 3 girls do a dna test not knowing that they would find siblings on 23andme.
Touching, caring.
100 Stars!! Just loved this story!
More then just a beach read, this story has depth! Although there is a lot going on in this book it was so easy to follow and enjoy. I love the characters, I think the names Serenity, Reagan and Lorelei and even Finn and Sawyer fit the personalities of them. I loved the DNA in the story, it is such a big thing right now and Brenda Novak handles it so well and it makes the story so interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a great book to read that will hold your attention until the end. I spend all day reading it and I am so sad its finished!
This story is about three women who find out they are half sisters when they didn’t know they had any half sisters. I have heard many stories of this happening to people who take ancestry tests. Many secrets are often revealed! I think that maybe the story should have been about two sisters and all their issues (maybe leave one sister for their own story). I also would have liked to know more of what happened in their lives a year later. Maybe there is a sequel? All in all a good story!
Enjoyed all of the characters in “One Perfect Summer” – each was developed as its own, and then wound around each other. It was interesting to see how the author made the finding of why each were related to each other without having any sordid things occur to make them ‘sisters’. The ending was very well done – these things do happen in our time and was interesting to see how it was approached.
Loved the book……wish the ending was better…..
Ever do a DNA test, for whatever reason? Ever get COMPLETELY unexpected results back? Well when these 3 women from 3 different parts of the country take DNA tests, they find out that they’re 1/2 sisters.
Now, of course it’s a novel, so each of the 3 is facing a tough situation, be it work, romance, marriage or some combination of the above. What better way to deal with everything then to meet at one sister’s family vacation home to try to connect?
Now, these 3 are truly as different as can be, you have a CA Bay Area true crime writer who has just divorced her husband, and had him arrested for a pretty horrible crime. You have an Orlando stay at home mom with a cheating husband, a small child, and way more complications. And a NYC advertising manager who accidentally had an affair and upended her perfect life.
And, by the way, they have no idea how they’re related!
I kept wanting to go to the back of the book to find out what happens, I admit it, but I was good… but it was difficult.
One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak
Chick lit. Sisters who found each other by DNA, two that didn’t know they were adopted. They spend the summer together learning and sharing their lives and loves.
Emotional and moving, the three sisters get to know each other while going through huge changes. They are able to connect and support each other and become true family.
It’s a enchanting story of family love and support. An easy and engaging read.
I would have liked a bit more at the end.
I’m glad it wasn’t a tear jerker.
One Perfect Summer is One Perfect Read.
Three women come together after a DNA test says they are sisters. Two are close in age and the other is two years younger. As they try to figure out whose parents cheated on who, they will discover a lot about themselves and each other along the way.
As the three meet at Serenity’s family cabin in Tahoe for a week, they decide to make it a summer vacation and learn all they can about each other. As each woman has her own troubles in their personal lives, it will be the sisters who pull together to help each other out.
To me, this is one of Brenda Novak’s better stories and I only have one request, I want more of these sisters. More of the guys next door, their love interest in the future and little Lucy. She is just the cutest and says just what is on her mind.
If you are looking for a new author or even a great read, then you should read this one. I loved it. And I loved Erin Bennett as the narrator.
Serenity Alston life has been through hell the past few years after finding out what her now ex-husband had done. Thankfully Serenity has had her wonderful family right by her side along with her ex’s step brother, Sawyer to get through this dilemma. Now that Serenity is trying to get back to her job as a suspense author, she is finding it too hard to write. She decides on a whim to send in a DNA sample to 23andMe to get a better understanding of the process for her writing. She never expected to find that she has two half sisters out there that she never knew about. Enter Lorelei Cipriano and Reagan Sands. The three women decide to head to Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe to spend a week together to get to know each other and see if they can figure out how they are related.
Serenity, Lorelei and Reagan quickly realize that each of them have skeletons in their past that have caused them heartache. As the three of them start trying to figure out the mystery of how they are related, each of them is also trying to navigate through a bad marriage; a pregnancy; and a strong attraction to someone they shouldn’t feel that way about.
One week ends up turning into the whole summer for these three and they end up having a summer they will never forget. Fun memories are created while very surprising secrets are revealed. In the end these three will take you on a journey that you would never have thought when you first start this story.
Overall this was a fun and entertaining story to read. Serenity, Lorelei and Reagan are great characters, and together they go on an even greater mystery. I really enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well especially Finn and Sawyer. This was another fun book from Brenda Novak.