As an adoptee, I was searching for my biological family's information for years but my file was sealed. I eventually got some information and was able to get more via Google and started communicating with one of my half-sisters. We agreed to do a DNA test which proved we are half-sisters, so when I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it.

I really enjoyed reading the stories of Lorelei, Reagan and Serenity and how they met and worked through each of the issues they were dealing with at the time. For a bulk of the book, they couldn't figure out the common denominator between the 3 of them...but they eventually do.

It is a romance book, which is not my preferred genre but it was a very good read. ( )

This book originally caught my interest because there is a gynecologist in a town near me who chose to use his own semen for several AI cases. That led to situations similar to the one in this book. I've wondered how people deal with a surprise of this nature when having DNA testing done. In the case of this book, only one of the ladies was really hoping to locate family. All 3 ladies came from different backgrounds and experiences which made their initial encounters difficult. It was nice to see them work out their sibling relationships. I would have liked more resolution than this book provided, but I can understand why it's left somewhat open-ended. You know the sisters will have their relationship and everything else is open to interpretation. ( )

I was completely in love with this story when it started and was enjoying learning more around all three of the sisters. Each brought a different story and I was excited to see how everything would unfold.

The middle was just too dragged out and the ending was too rushed for me. I did not like how everything unfolded and wanted more to how the sisters find out how they are related. Even if the ending was not as rushed and we got more around that part of the story where they find everything out it would have wrapped up better. It all felt too unfinished in the end. ( )

In One Perfect Summer, author Brenda Novak transports the reader to Lake Tahoe, California, to follow the summer of change for new-found half-sisters Serenity Alston, Reagan Sands, and Lorelei Cipriano.

Serenity Alston is a true-crime writer who took a 23andMe DNA test while doing some research for a book that she was writing. The test results surprised Serenity, it revealed that she has two half-sisters born within two years of each other. Serenity already had her life turned upside down when her ex-husband Sean was sentenced to prison for five years, so the DNA test results just added more stress to her life.

Reagan Sands is an only child and NYC ad executive, who was in love with her married boss Drew, who worked his way through her defenses, and they had a one-time sexual encounter in the office, which led her to stress out about being able to continue working at the ad agency after the indiscretion.

Lorelei Cipriano is a married stay-at-home mom of four year old daughter, Lucy. Lorelei had a rough childhood being shuffled around in foster care in Florida. Lorelei is having martial issues with her husband Mark after finding out that he cheated on her with her best friend, Francine. Mark wants to work through their marital issues, but Lorelei wants to escape from her issues for a bit, before deciding what she wants to do with her marriage.

Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei plan to meet up at Serenity's family cabin in Lake Tahoe, and figure out the mystery of how they are related. The newly discovered half-sisters are all at a crossroads in their lives, and the summer spent together in Lake Tahoe will take them on a journey that will give them a chance to bond, help them make choices and decisions in their private lives, re-discover themselves, and learn the meaning of love, friendship, family, and moving forward with their lives.

In One Perfect Summer, author Brenda Novak easily captivates her readers' attention with this beautifully written tale through a seamless and flowing storyline, and characters who draw you into their lives with a strong emotional pull, along with their complexities, flaws, fears, heartaches, heartbreaks, and longheld secrets.

One Perfect Summer is a wonderful story that engages the reader to follow along as this summer of change will bring plenty of drama, emotions, and trials and tribulations for Serenity, Reagan, and Lorelei. Throughout the summer, the half-sisters bond is strengthened as they discover that life is full of humor, heartache, and unexpected second chance at love. As you follow the sisters' journey of figuring out the mystery behind their sisterhood, and dealing with their individual private issues, each of them will rediscover themselves, and you will feel the full gamut of emotions along with them.

The reader will be kept engaged as this heartwarming story unfolds. With a cast of interesting characters, One Perfect Summer is a compelling story about love, friendship, family, and second chances in life.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via NetGalley. I have also purchased a copy of the book from Harlequin Romance & Suspense Combo monthly book subscription.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/07/one-perfect-summer-by-brenda-... ( )

One Perfect Fictionalized Story Of Real World Concerns. I picked this book up the instant I read the description because it seemed like it would be working through in novel form many of the same issues Libby Copeland raised in her nonfiction book The Lost Family, which released about a month before this one will. (Yes, this is yet another book I'm reading as an ARC, and my reviews are my own honest thoughts no matter how I acquire a book or when I read it in relation to its official publication date.) I was not disappointed in that regard at all, and if anything this book actually did a better job of truly exploring these complexities than the nonfiction book did, if only because in novel form it is much easier to express just how messy these situations can be from so many angles. Yes, you may get answers - but those answers in these cases... well, many of them were buried for very good reasons. And then there are the people who just do these DNA kits on a lark to "find out where they're from" or some such - which is actually how one of our lead protagonists arrives in this situation, highlighting the stark realities of how serious even taking one of these tests can be. Truly an excellent work grounded in real world research and even real world situations, as the nonfiction book shows. Very much recommended. ( )