2 sisters that endured extreme trauma growing up navigate their lives 15 years later after one sister publishes a book about that trauma.

Based on the cover, you would think this is a beachy read, but I did not get that vibe at all. It is a lot of drama and overcoming trauma. I had trouble feeling the chemistry between both main couples. And it was a very slow burn.

The BEST part about this book is that one of the sisters runs an animal rescue and there is lots of talk about the animals and puppies. I could have read those parts all day. It was more the love story that didn’t connect for me.

I also enjoyed the passages before each chapter that were from the book about their childhood trauma.

Overall, I would say this is good but lacks a “wow” factor.

Wow, RaeAnne Thayne has written an incredible book with "15 Summers Later." This novel is a must-read that will tug at your heartstrings. The story centers around two sisters, Ava and Madison, who have survived a terrible past. Ava left town as soon as she could, while Madi tried to rebuild her life in her grandmother's small town. However, 15 years later, Ava writes a memoir that brings back all the past secrets, which ultimately brings new public (and personal) awareness to everything they had been through!

This novel is a beautiful combination of several genres and I couldn't put it down. I have enjoyed all of RaeAnne Thayne's books, but "15 Summers Later" is my favorite so far. It is a 5++ star novel that I highly recommend to everyone!

This was a fantastic read. I loved all the depth to the characters and the story. The is one of those books that you won't want to put down once you pick it up. I highly recommend this read.
You will fall in love with the characters and will love how it ends.

thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

This was my first book by RaeAnne Thayne & I am undoubtedly a fan! Estranged sisters in the midst of a beautifully written story. This one did make me shed a tear or two. This is a very distinctive story and not like one you read everyday- I appreciated that. While this book is a little heavier than your typical summer read, I would still definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, & Canary Street Press for the ARC copy of this book.

Welcome to a book within a book. Yes there are two storylines that are presented in tandem. One is Ghost Lake written by Ava Howell Brooks. Ava and her sister Madi are survivors of a cult. You know one of those that situated themselves deep into forests and preyed on innocent people, most unfortunately children. When their mother died Ava and Madi were being taken care of by their father. Let’s be kind and say that the father fell into the wrong company. But the lives of his two daughters would be forever altered by the twisted reality of that cult.

Thought provoking. Each chapter starts with a quote from Ava’s book. Some pearls of wisdom that were created out of fear, anger, sadness, and unbelievable feelings of hope. It was that hope that nourished these two sisters.

Ava wrote her feelings in the thesis she was working on. Then it became a blockbuster hit. Not because of the horrific time the two sisters had endured living with these deranged cultists. But with their ability to survive and unbelievably flourish.

This is just another example of how talented RaeAnne Thayne is. The book Ghost Lake had left quite a bit of damage in its wake. It enlightened its readers on how cruel people can be. She related it to an awful reality that thrived on cruelty and power.

The sisters had no power. No one was looking for them. Their father wasn’t any help to his daughters since he was frightened of the situation he had brought them into. It was sheer audacity and courage that led these girls out of horror into safety. Not without quite a bit of damage. They sometimes call that collateral damage. But the folks in this small town rallied around the sisters. And after fifteen years it is amazing to see how well they have adapted and started a new.

We learn the story piece by piece, chapter by chapter, and quote by quote. All these parts bring this impressive story to life. RaeAnne Thayne outdid herself with the characters that make each page come alive. That was the purpose. Somehow lives bloomed through a nightmarish situation. Well done and bravo RaeAnne Thayne.

15 Summers Later
by RaeAnn Thayne
Pub Date: June 18, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the aRC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I have read many of Thayne's books and have really enjoyed them. This one was no exception.

Ava Howell seemed to have it all. She moved away from Emerald Creek, Idaho, married the love of her life and published a bestselling memoir. But she never expected that her husband would feel so betrayed by a secret from her past—the truth of what happened to her and her sister all those years ago—that he’d walk away. Now Ava is back home and trying to move on with the only person who can truly understand…
I highly recommend this book for people who like sweet romance. The mystery is good and kept me guessing.
This is a book you won't want to miss. ]

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc, in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute and quick read and I enjoyed reading about the sisters and thought that they were well written but overall this fell a little flat for me.

In 15 Summers Later, Raeanne Thayne tells the story of two stories who escaped from a survivalist camp in their youth. Fifteen years later, the older sister, Ava, has published a memoir of that summer. Younger sister Madi would rather forget the past and move on with her dreams of opening a no kill animal sanctuary. Summer finds Ava, with her own life in shambles, visiting their grandmother. During this summer, love is found, relationships are repaired, and life moves forward.
Thayne does a beautiful job of telling this story. Excerpts from the novel Ava wrote appear at the beginning of each chapter, making the reader want to read it.

15 Summers Later is about two sisters Madi and Ava. Madi became a Vet Tech and stayed in town after her traumatic childhood. Her sister Ava eventually leaves town. She writes a book about their childhood trauma. It becomes a bestseller. Maid is very upset with her sister for sharing their story. This is a wonderful story about forgiveness, sister love and romance . Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley. This is my own opinion.

This book sucked me in from the beginning, and didn’t let me go until the end. Madi and Ava are sisters who are a bit estranged, and when they were younger, they endured something terrible. Both sisters are still dealing (or not dealing) with the aftermath, and Ava writes a memoir about it, it becomes a bestseller, and Madi just wants it to go away.

The thing that I loved the most about this story is the love between the 2 sisters - it is present, even when they have distance between them. Seeing their healing journeys unfold was very touching. I was moved by this story in ways that don’t happen very often. I really enjoyed it, and hope you will too.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

This is such a beautiful poignant story. It’s been 15 years since the two sisters experienced a horrific time in their teenage years. This book is about love and family. It had a couple cry worthy scenes. The writing is wonderful. I really loved this book.

It was a good story ,, defiantly different from anything I have read before.don't know if it was just the eARC, but there were formatting issues and many spelling / grammatical errors in the document.

A story about two sisters, Ava and Madi who had a difficult childhood. One sister, Ava write a memoir about there past and growing up while other sister Madi has moved on. Madi is not happy to find out that her sister has written the book as she's trying to forget and doesn't want to relive what happened. Ava's husband feels betrayed by the book not knowing all the facts of Ava's childhood, Ava ends up going back to their hometown where Madi still lives in hopes of making amends with her sister who is not happy about the book being published. In all I found this book a little boring I felt like something was missing which made it hard for me to finish, but I did. Think many people might enjoy this book but it wasn't one for me.

15 Summers Later by RaeAnne Thayne delves into the lives of Madi and her sister, Ava, who endured a traumatic event in their youth. Ava, seeking solace, writes a memoir about their experience, prompting Madi's feelings of betrayal. Despite Madi's initial resistance, the sisters embark on a journey of healing over a summer, learning to confront their past and forge new paths forward. Thayne's narrative delicately intertwines sweetness with emotional depth, capturing the complexities of familial bonds and personal growth amidst distressing events. Through the sisters' struggles and triumphs, 15 Summers Later offers a poignant exploration of resilience and the enduring power of love and forgiveness.

15 Summers Later by RaeAnne Thayne. There was love, romance, kindness and mystery in this story. The descriptions such as the one about the bluebird was amazing.

15 Summers Later by RaeAnne Thayne does a fine job of exploring how abuse during childhood continues to affect the adults these children become. She examines the complexities of their relationships, both with the people they are close to and with the world in general. She shows us the survivors insecurities and their resilience. This story centers around two sisters whose mother dies during their adolescence and whose father then moves with them into an isolated survivalist cult compound. They endure abuse that comes to a climax when the oldest girl is forced to marry a much older, repulsive, cult leader. The two girls escape into the surrounding mountains and forest and begin their desperate journey to try and reach their maternal grandmother. Many years later the older daughter writes an autobiography about this time that the younger sister resents. This is a very well constructed story and the characters are complex. This was a great read, strongly recommended.

Thank you for the ARC of this book.
Overall, this book is exactly what I expected: a small-town romance with a nicely tied ending, self-discovery, and healing between two sisters. I think many people will enjoy this book, but personally, it was fine. I felt like there were no big surprises or events that really made me think too much. The biggest surprise was the fact that these two girls were kidnapped in a cult, and even that information was given relatively early in the book and glossed over as a side issue. I feel like this is the type of book that people would really enjoy if they were women in their 40s-60s who also enjoyed Hallmark movies. Not a bad book, but not a good book for my reading tastes.

Also, I don't know if it was just the eARC, but there were formatting issues and many spelling / grammatical errors in the document.

I loved this book! A solid 4.5 stars! RaeAnne Thayne writes such good books and although this is a bit different than some of her others, I really liked the story, characters, and style. The excerpts at the beginning added quite a bit to the story - some emotion, sentiment, and intrigue. The layers of the story peel away as more and more of the complexities are revealed which added a depth to the characters and their histories. I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review and I am thankful to the Author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity. I can't wait for RaeAnne Thayne's next book!

RaeAnne Thayne’s, 15 Summers Later is a story about sisters, Madi and Ava who remain at odds with one another after a shared and horrific series of events forever altered their lives fifteen years before the setting of the story. With a cast of entertaining, believable characters and two sister romances happening simultaneously, RaeAnne Thayne gives us a feel-good, cozy beach read that will have you up half the night reading to finish it. Add in an animal lover and a writer, and I was hooked from the get-go. The family dynamics are not only believable but well-written bringing to the forefront the need for understanding, compassion, and forgiveness between sisters. I enjoyed the book from the very first chapter as RaeAnne writes the chapter headings from the heart of the sisters’ shared horrors fifteen years before the story takes place, and then proceeds in current time to offer readers a glimpse into the intricacies of sibling drama and family loyalty and love. You will not be able to put this story down. Five stars all around. Thank you to Harlequin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. This review is my opinion and mine alone. I will post to all acceptable retail outlets when authorized.

What a heartwarming book! I truly enjoyed diving into Ava and Madi’s world - a story in a story, one that will thaw any frozen heart. Thayne writes her characters with such force and knowledge that it is easy to forget they are not real people. The sisterly feud Ava and Madi go through is like any other sister I know, and so touching. Tears were shed as the book came to a close, and I was just so pleased to read a romance that didn’t get all sexual. Just know, you could recommend this to your grandma and sh’ed be proud that you’re reading! If you’ve got a 50 shades granny, this book is not for her! Hah!