Reviewed for NetGalley:

Clara lives for her work, avoiding the loss of her last romantic relationship and her life long friends.

When she is forced into a week vacation, she takes a trip to her childhood camp to rekindle friendships as well as her teenage crush, Mack.

Incredibly enjoyable novel highlighting the importance of relationships and bonds over a burnt out career. Can easily see this being made into a movie that I would love to see.

A lot of critique that I saw for this book when I looked up the reviews was that the friend group in this seemed to be more like people in their mid-20s than mid-30s and I have to agree with that. This made the reading experience a little tedious for me because I went in expecting characters way more mature than they were on page. It certainly hampered my reading experience, but it was still an overall enjoyable read. I loved the focus on friendship throughout the story and how all of Clara's friends were three-dimensional characters as well. The romance was cute as well and I enjoyed reading about Clara and Mack. I love the trope and I feel the author did pretty well with bringing it to life with the main couple.

When main character Clara was given a micro-sabbatical by her boss, she quickly realized her life was a dumpster fire. Not only was she resoundingly single but she was also a workaholic and had no time for anything else which caused her to push some of her closest friends away without even realizing it. When Clara’s best friend invited her to a camp reunion, she knew she had to take the opportunity to go and reconnect with old friends (and lovers) at Pine Lake Camp — the place that once made her so happy and content.

When Clara got to Pine Lake she quickly noticed the “for sale” sign out front. Per usual, Clara got to work at planning the best last summer her friend group would have before a glamping company took over and they all went their separate ways.

This book was so touching and a great story about friendship and rediscovery. Clara’s friends welcomed her back to camp like she’d never been gone and they relived their old camp days through nostalgic traditions. Being a camper myself, the author nailed every single detail! I felt such a deep connection with the traditions, the friendships and the adoration for the place where it all happened.

There was a movie I remember watching when I was younger (I checked it out from the library, thank you very much!) called Indian Summer. It involved a group of adults who went to summer camp together being reunited at the camp they went as kids. I don't remember specifics about it, but I just feel like this book is in the same vein. Adults coming back to a place where they felt happy and safe and finally being honest with themselves and each other. I felt so many of those vibes in this story.

The book has romance, but it isn't the primary story. I also liked how we got to know all the characters in the friend group and their backgrounds and situations. The characters did feel more like late 20s than mid-30s. Clara specifically felt a bit more immature with her inability to see how bad of a friend she's been.

While I do have those critiques, I still very much enjoyed the book. It was the perfect amount of nostalgia for the past and looking toward what's one wants in their future.

Thanks to Forever for the ARC!

Clara Millen likes things nice and tidy and organized and predictable. Relatable, amirite? She's forced to take some time off of work on a mini sabbatical week and heads to her friend group's annual summer camp reunion. Rekindling the flame with her childhood crush and seeing what she's missing out on prioritizing work over her friends has her questioning if she's really living the right way.

ONE LAST SUMMER was a cute, nostalgic read. I really enjoyed the friend group and how close-knit they were after so many years. The second-chance romance trope made a lot of sense here, but I was also struggling to really feel the connection between Clara and Mack. In general, I think the group just felt a little immature and not quite 35 -- a friend and I were chatting and agree it seems like they were more 25ish. I did love the call-out for how much people experience burnout in corporate jobs and how important it is to prioritize people over work and to take breaks. I think this one is for you if you're in that position, or if you ever attended summer camp as a teenager!

If I could sum this one up I would say that it’s the perfect fix of Carley Fortune’s ‘Meet Me At The Lake’, Kristy Woodson Harvey’s ‘Summer of Songbirds’ and Sophie Kinsella ‘The Burnout’.

If you liked those books, you’ll enjoy this summer nostalgia read about the first love and the camp that brings them back together. Think camp friends and opposites attract. Plus some letters from their 15 yr old selves that rejig memories of where they wanted to “be” by the time they were 35.

Workaholic Clara is forced to take a leave from work which she fights against. Losing herself in her work is ‘her thing’. But when she’s given a micro sabbatical from her boss, she heads back to the camp and the friendships that helped shape her. Even if it means trying to fight the 🔥 between her and Mack.

An easy read. More of a book cleanser. Not normally the emotional romances I pick up but still cute and fun.

This was such a nostalgic book full of summer camp.

I love second chance romance. It was super relatable and fun.

I loved Kate Spencer's debut, In a New York Minute, so I was eagerly anticipating reading One Last Summer. It didn't disappoint! This book will make perfect vacation reading this summer.

Clara is a burned-out marketer forced to take company-mandated vacation time. Recovering from a breakup that happened a year ago, she's thrown herself into work at the expense of everything else in her life. She's not happy about having to step away — she has a huge pitch presentation with a looming deadline — but her hands are tied. For the past five summers, she's missed her friend group's annual reunion at the summer camp they attended as teenagers. She begins to see the bright side of taking time off when she realizes she can join them... although it takes some effort for her to step away from her email.

She reconnects with Mack, a guy she kissed at fifteen who now works at the camp, which has recently been sold. Sparks flew between them, but everything else in the story felt like it moved a little slowly. The characters also felt younger than 35 to me, and more like they were in their late twenties. These are minor complaints, though, and overall I enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Protagonist Clara's experiences feel familiar and relatable in Kate Spencer's One Last Summer. Spencer illuminates the issues of burnout and the need for taking a break without diminishing Clara's work ethic and life choices. Come for the romance and stay for the friendships in this nostalgic romance.

Really enjoyed this book. I love any summer book set at a camp, lake or beach. This one had two of the three. I enjoyed reading about this group of friends as they relived their younger times at camp. The friendships were lovely and the romance terrific.

What do you do when the life you've planned isn't what you've dreamed?

One of my FAVORITE genres is summer books set by the water, where adults get to take a deep breath, shake off all the stresses of the "real world" and be kids again for a minute. This book absolutely hit the spot. Summer romance, old friends reunited, summer camp reunion. This was everything. The perfect summer read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Clara never takes time off work but she has agreed to a reunion with her friends at the summer camp they attended every summer as kids. Her life is not going anything like what she planned. Clara's reunion rekindles old friendships and an old flame. When Clara's boss offers her the promotion she thinks she wants she will have to choose between that and the life that would make her happy. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I highly recommend it.

It took me two tries to finish In A New York Minute. I had really high hopes of this second book, but it just isn't for me. I don't think it's the setting because other camp books have worked. I am just struggling to connect with Clara and with Mack and don't feel invested in them at all. I really wanted to. But this one just isn't for me.

Clara Millen is a work-aholic who is forced to take a week-long vacation by her boss. The timing coincides with the annual return trip to the summer camp she grew up attending with her childhood friends, whom she hasn’t seen for 5 years. When she arrives at camp, she discovers that her life hasn’t turned out exactly as she envisioned, leaving her to reevaluate her decisions and her relationships. Sparks fly with her old flame Mack, and everything changes.

The descriptive settings in One Last Summer totally transported me to summer camp, and I loved reading how integral camp experiences were to each of the characters’ lives. I wanted to be at the lake with them!

I am a romance girly, and while I was excited to watch Mack and Clara finally admit their feelings for one another, I didn’t feel like their chemistry was completely genuine. Additionally, the romance part of this book didn’t seem like the main focus; I think this book is almost more women’s fiction. I loved watching Clara come to terms with what her life had become and make the changes necessary to move forward to better things.

Some aspects of the book felt unrealistic to me personally. I am in my mid-thirties and felt that the characters acted much younger than they actually were. I also felt like the pacing was slow and dragged on here and there. I realize that the entire book happens in just about one week, so of course it moves slower.

The spice is very minimal! And we do get a happy ending!

Overall I enjoyed this book and am grateful to have received this ARC. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley!

I sort of wish I had read this book at a different time, because I know if life was less hectic, I would have absolutely devoured his book. It has so many things going for it, and feels like a true perfect summer time nostalgia read.

Clara has just been forced into a micro-sabbatical by her boss after being accused of burnout. While Clara passionately disagrees, the week off means that she can finally join her old friends for a camp reunion. And after receiving a letter from her teenage self, Clara realizes that her life is not even close to what her sixteen-year-old version of herself had hoped for. Being a Type A personality, Clara decides to make a to-do list for the week, so she can finally accomplish her younger self’s checklist. However, she soon realizes that she has lost touch with her friends, everyone’s lives have changed, and Mack… well he’s changed too. While she thought of him, and their perfect one-time kiss, he seems gentler now, and has turned into someone she wants to know better. And this might be her last chance to do so.

As a former camper, who met my husband at a camp reunion, I feel like this book was meant for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for giving me a sneak peek, and a major craving for summer days.

Man this was a great read! I absolutely adored every single character and could totally picture myself being part of this friend group and at summer camp. I couldn't put this one down even through home renovations and devoured it in 2 days in any stolen moments I could get. Mack and Clara are so perfect and everyone needs a friend like Sam. The character development of everyone was great, especially in the epilogue and I hope there might be more books from others in this friend group on the horizon!

This was so so fun! I wasn’t huge into camp as a kid but I did go once or twice and they are some of the best memories from my teen years!

Loved the MC personal development and the fostering of old female friendships. These are important tropes that i don’t think are highlighted enough these days.

5 stars from me!

Rating: I really liked it!
Pub Date: 6/11/2024

I loved the setting of this book, and how it’s so different from her last. Instead of running around NYC, we’re tucked away in New Hampshire for summer camp at Pine Lake. I loved this friend group, though they all felt so different to me, but I think that’s typically the case with friends you have known since you were kids. I liked that the thing they had most in common is their love for each other and for the camp.

I wish I liked Clara a bit more, but to be honest I found her kind of meh. I get being a workaholic and all that jazz, but I just feel like the epiphany she was having about being a better friend should have happened earlier for her, and even as it happened, I don’t think she was being as good to Mack as he deserved. I think he was always kind to her and she was a bit late in the game. I loved Sam, she felt silly, fun and caring.

Thank you @readforeverpub for an e-arc of this book!

P screams summer like a book about camp. One Last Summer by Kate Spencer provided the nostalgia of summer camp in a cute and fun read.

Workaholic Clara is forced to take a work sabbatical and she finally joins her friends at the summer camp they grew up attending. Upon arrival at camp they realize the camp has been sold and it will be there final summer at the camp they all love.

I love Kate Spencer’s writing style. Her books are easy to read and make for a joyful escape. I love everything Kate writes. If you went to summer camp or if you are longing for an experience you never had, I recommend One Last Summer. I look forward to reading whatever Kate writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was immediately interested in this book because of the cover and description. Though I did find the book difficult to finish and unfortunately I ended up DNFing. I think this book would appeal to a younger reader (twenties) - I may not have been the right audience for it. Overall, the tone of the book was cute and funny. I did find there was a lot of dialogue in the book and at times this had me skimming the pages.