That One Summer by Karen Erickson

Chloe Dawson is one of the nice women in town she is loved by everyone. She is a teacher and her students love her too. Cameron McKenzie has that bad boy vibe but really he is not. He is just not willing to settle down and commit to anything. He also is dealing with trauma from being a war time camera man. He just needs a break in comes Chloe who is best friends with Jane since childhood who is Cameron's sister. Chloe has had a crush on Cameron since she was a kid. Chloe and Cameron kiss at his sister Jane's wedding. Chloe wants more from Cameron which he is not ready for that. Chloe and Cameron strike a deal after they had a fight which caused Chloe to have a bad car accident.

Can Chloe push past Cameron shell as see that is he worthy of Chloe? What will happen after the summer? You need to read this beautiful story about how hard it is for Cameron to recover from his traumatic past to believe in himself again that he deserves good things and a good women.

This was a quick read and it made me swoon for a summer romance. This was four star read for me and I recommend this if you like reading books that revolve around summer love. Also this is sort of a redemption story for Cameron as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Social Butterfly PR for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It was kind of very sugary sweet.
But a bit too much, too fast for my liking.
The characters felt very insta-lovey and i want to live with you forever - very fast.
But it was cute, ok. but cute.

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read

That One Summer is the second book in the Lone Pine Lake series, but I don’t feel like I truly missed anything by not reading the first book. This was an unknown author to me, so I was pleasantly surprised while reading this book. It was fast-paced, beautifully written, it flowed smoothly through the scenes, and the plot and characters were realistic. I love small-town romances and this one fell right in that category. The characters were wonderful and it was nice to see their understanding of each other and their slow-burn romance.
Chloe Dawson was raised in Lone Pine Lake and is now a second-grade teacher in the same school she went to. She longs for adventure, but she loves her hometown and friends. She’s always had a crush on her best friend’s brother. Cameron “Cam” McKenzie was raised in Lone Pine Lake and left town as soon as he could to become a professional photographer and rarely returned. His younger sister, Jane was getting married, so he had to return home. He had been injured on his last assignment and now that he had recovered, he had no plans but to spend the summer with his family. At the wedding, Cam found himself attracted to Chloe, his pesty younger sister’s friend. He knew he was not a “sticking” person and he needed to keep his distance, but that’s easier said then done. Can a summer fling turn into forever?

Cute summer read. This is the first book I read in this series, so it can stand alone. It was a fast read. A good escape, which was welcome.

Chloe and Cameron’s story was a fun one. It was a sweet, easy read. It reminded me a little of the book The Kissing Booth which was another fun story!

3.5 stars
A light and easy summer read about a girl who finally gets a chance with her longtime crush. Chloe has been in love with her best friend's brother since they were kids. At her friend's wedding, she decided to take a chance and offer him a summer fling. Cameron hasn't been home in forever. He stays away from his family and relationships. He is deemed himself toxic.e has a strong pull towards Chloe,, but thinks it is best for them to stay away from each other.

After an accident involving Chloe, he has a change of heart. But will it last?

I really enjoyed reading this. Though I couldn’t help but think of “The Kissing Booth” whilst reading. If you like the latter then this book is definitely up your street!
We follow desperate romantic Chloe, and ladies man Cam on a summer adventure to both find themselves, with a few secrets being shared along the way.

i loved this book. i want to live summer and i can't. no one can. so it's a tragic time in all of our lives and we need these books to help us get through and remember that other things exist in this world.

i really enjoyed Chloe and Cameron's story. It brought be back into all my feelings for my younger years! I am a huge fan of banter and loved it throughout this book. I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series so i will need to go back and read the first book soon.

This story is true "Karen Erickson" style. A great story, witty dialogue, fabulous characters, all the feels, romance and was so well written. This author is a one-click for me and she totally lived up to the expectation on this book. Had me reading till the very end without a break - just couldn't put it down! Happy reading everyone.

First off, I did not realize that this was the second book in a series-- so watch out for that. I will not review it based on my mistake, and I'll review it fairly.

I think my biggest downfall with the book was that the characters did not really grab me in a sense that I would have liked. I did like that the book jumped right out of the gate, and really did not waste time into getting into the story, which to be fair, was most likely because it is the second book. But, even from that reviewing standpoint, I still understood the characters right out of the gate.

It was one of those books that really describes the guy as being the guy that the girl thinks is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and to be honest, it just feels too good to be true half of the time. It just doesn't feel genuine enough for me. Obviously, it's a story, but at the end of the day, I wasn't entranced by it enough to really invest myself in Chloe and Cameron's relationship.

I would want to read the first book to really understand, but I have a feeling that I would feel the same about this book than I did before. It was okay, and a fast read, so I would recommend to someone if they were looking for this kind of story.

To be fair...I probably shouldn’t have requested the ARC for That One Summer. But I’ve read - and enjoyed - Karen Erickson before (although...it was a long time ago and I know my reading tastes have evolved since my last one) so I thought I’d give it a chance.

Cameron is a war photographer who is home for his sister’s wedding. When maid of honor Chloe catches his eye, he’s forced to deny his growing attraction to her (but in the story he calls it “feelings”...yeah yeah, she was a young teenager when you left years ago and you don’t know her as an adult - but whatever) because he’s the town “bad boy” (though I saw zero evidence of that) and she’s the town sweetheart. Chloe, who has always had a crush on her best friend’s older brother is tired of her boring life and wants some excitement, is willing to take what she can get even if Cam isn’t planning to stay around.

So right off the bat, we have two tropes I am NOT a fan of: the best friend’s older brother/little sister’s best friend, and the relationship with an end date. I’m not going to go into the cacophony of reasons why I don’t like those tropes, but this book provided ample examples that furthered my dislike.

Anyway, it’s hard to say much more about the story because one, I don’t want to give spoilers, two, not much happened for over half the book, and three, I tapped out at 55%.

I started this book ten days ago. Then everything in the world went really sideways with the COVID-19 situation and I needed to read something fun and lighthearted, something that was engaging. This book was NOT that. So I went back to a favorite series, spent a week savoring those three fantastic books, and came back to That One Summer. When I picked it up the second time, I initially couldn’t remember a single thing about the story. Now, I read a lot, so it can be hard to remember books I've read in the past. But I don't forget things THAT quickly.

I read a couple more chapters, and still didn’t care about the characters, didn’t care for the story, and didn’t like the writing. The biggest problem was continual repeated internal monologues, lamenting the same "issues." That's how we got to 55% with very little happening. And every time I read a heroine is “hopelessly, irrevocably in love” with the hero, it reminds me of Twilight and I can’t contain a snicker or keep from rolling my eyes. That line was the final nail in the coffin. I just couldn’t keep reading. I was done.

And so is this review.

* thank you to NetGalley and Social Butterfly PR for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

_The e-arc of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review on my request._

The girl next door never looked so good…

Cameron McKenzie knows he's damaged goods. It's the reason he's stayed away from Lone Pine Lake--from just about everyone but his sister Jane. By default, that often meant her pesky, crushing best friend Chloe Dawson, too.

But when he sees Chloe at Jane's wedding, he sees something new in her. Something unexpected.

Chloe has always thought Cam hung the moon. She's even let herself dream of a future with the brooding bad boy in her heart of hearts. After one explosive kiss, it's time to make her move. The guy who always leaves might be tempted to stay by a no-strings offer of a summer romance.

No strings is exactly what Cameron needs to explore these confusing feelings about the beautiful girl next door. He knows he's not worthy of their hometown's resident good girl. But this good girl's ready for an adventure…one that just might end up lasting a lifetime.


This book was mediocre. I didn't really like Chloe and Cameron's relationship. This book was kinda boring and I almost tapped out.

When reading this, I didn't know it was from a 2013 series. You definitely wouldn't know since it can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed it. It had great characters and the author pulled you in right away. I'll definitely be reading more.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cameron McKenzie is that guy, the successful one who left his hometown rarely to return. In fact he doesn't want to be there now for his sister's wedding but he doesn't have anywhere else to be and no one knows. He takes his privacy to a while new level and is as close off to letting people in, even his family.
Chloe Dawson is the quintessential small town girl. She's an elementary school teacher and the same school she went to growing up. And she certainly no match for Cameron even though she has crushed after him for as long as she can remember. But he finally sees her and he's fighting the draw until circumstances open the door. A no strings summer fling seems like a good idea, what could possibly go wrong?

This was a very enjoyable book for me to read. The story was easy to follow and I loved it. The characters were great! Very fast paced read. I would recommend this :)

I’m giving this book a 4/5 stars. It was such a good book. It hooked you in from the beginning. It was a quick read with a lot that happened. The writing is so good that it kept you hooked through out the whole book. The setting reminded me of my hometown and the smallness of it. Chloe and Cameron were interesting characters. Their connections were different but meshed together,

So loved this amazing book!!

The story was very sweet, and had enough zest to keep me going. I absolutely adored and loved everything about it!

I will definitely read more titles by this author!!

This was a very enjoyable read, it has a nice, fast pace, a story you can easily follow and while I sometimes got a bit mad at the characters I liked them well enough and was rooting for them. It's sexy, sweet and emotional, I sure like this kind of stories so I'd totally recommend "That One Summer".