That Last Carolina Summer, by Karen White, is a story of dysfunctional family drama set in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Phoebe Manigault is now a teacher in Bend, Oregon, about as far as she could get from her family. Her sister Addie, older by two years, was the beautiful beauty pageant queen, whereas Phoebe was the outdoors girl. While their mother Elizabeth spent her time and energy on Addie, their paternal aunt Sassy was Phoebe’s guide to growing up until her cancer death. When Phoebe was 9 her outdoor ways nearly cost her life when a sudden storm led to her being struck by lightning only to be saved by local boy Liam Fitch.

Addie’s pageant activity led to a very active social life, wild parties, and post college pregnancy that brought her back home with her daughter Ophelia. Now she is working minimum wage jobs and still making bad decisions, especially with who she is dating. Phoebe’s nature experiences led her to teach science and snap up a cross country teaching opportunity. But this particular summer Addie calls Phoebe begging her to come home to help with their mother as dementia takes hold. What Phoebe found was worse than expected on so many levels. The best part of being home is being able to forge a closer relationship with her niece.

The other highlight for Phoebe was meeting elderly lady Celeste Fitch who befriends her family and brings in her expertise from working with the elderly to help with Elizabeth. What isn’t brought to light immediately is that Celeste’s grandson, now the neurologist her mother will see, is the same person who saved Phoebe’s life.

This is quite a convoluted tale of family dynamics, buried secrets, bad decisions, self sabotage, and Karen White has never woven a tale better. With dynamic characters, a well described low country setting, and several unexpected plot twists, it is a book that’s hard to put down. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I love a good family drama and this book is full of drama. The drama in this book surrounds Phoebe’s return to her hometown to figure out what is happening with her mother. She returns to her sister not taking care of her daughter or her mom, the neurologist being more than her mother’s doctor, and the same doctor’s mother stepping in to help take care of her mother. There is a lot happening in Phoebe’s family and life.

The romance of this book is great. The attraction happens from the beginning but there is more happening than meets the eye. Karen White wrote wonderful twists and turns into the story. The biggest twist is one that I saw coming but enjoyed the build up to it.

Karen White has done it again! That Last Carolina Summer made me yearn for another summer on the coast. Karen beautifully wove together a generational mystery that has gripped two families for decades. You'll find yourself wanting to birdwatch, swim, and late night thunderstorms after this book. TW: The main characters are dealing with a mom with Alzheimer's and that will hit home for many adult children who are navigating roles as caregivers.

3.5 stars
Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable read with an interesting story about Phoebe who is returning home to South Carolina after leaving many years ago. She is coming back to help take care of her ailing mother, but old family secrets and tension make her stay even harder than expected. The story was intriguing, but the alternating points of view by chapter interrupted the flow of the story for me. All in all, this was a good read.

really loved this book. This emotional story really pulled me in and wouldn't let me go.Karen White is an auto read author for me and this book did not disappoint!
Her new novel is a blend of family drama, slow burn romance, and subtle suspense set in the sultry Low Country of South Carolina.
Phoebe Manigault has spent years running from her past, her childhood lightning strike leaving her with unsettling premonitions. When she returns home to care for her ailing mother, she’s forced to confront her broken relationship with her sister Addie and the unresolved tension with Liam, the man tied to her oldest wounds.
The slow-burn romance simmers beneath layers of family secrets, while subtle suspense builds toward revelations that change everything.

Great story!

When Phoebe was nine years old, she was bird watching when a thunder storm hit. Her little legs didn't get her inside the house fast enough and she was struck by lightning. That moment forever changed her life. After she was hit, Phoebe got the unwelcome gift of premonition. At first she enjoyed the attention because she wasn't ignored by her older sister, Addie, but then she began to hate it. Suffering night after night with dreams that she never understood. Growing up in her household, she was always invisible. Her mother favored Addie and they both spent all their time together doing beauty pageants, while Phoebe spent all her time with her Aunt Sassy, who loved birds.

As soon as she was able to go off to college, Phoebe made sure to go as far away from South Carolina as possible, she ended up being a science teacher in Oregon. Ever since she left, her gift disappeared. No more dreams or visions. And Phoebe convinced herself that she was happy living with the cold weather.

With her father gone, Addie has been living at the family home with their Mother and her nine year old daughter, Ophelia, But their mom is forgetting things and Addie's too immature to take her to the doctor to find out what's wrong. So Phoebe is spending her summer vacation in South Carolina to straighten out the mess Addie's created. But she gets more than she bargained for. That's where she meets their neighbor, Celeste, whose granddaughter, Julie, went missing years ago. Celeste still holds out hope that she's alive somewhere. She was hoping that Phoebe still had her gift and could help find Julie. But the relationship they form is one Phoebe never had before, almost a maternal one; someone she could rely on. Meanwhile, Liam, Celeste's adult grandson and neurologist to Phoebe's mom, stirs feelings in Phoebe that she's never had before.

Phoebe's dreams started the night before she flew back South and the visions soon followed. But she's had this one dream before, years ago. Each night she falls asleep, she is closer to figuring out who the people are in the dream. When she does, it will change everyone's lives forever.

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a very compelling read. I loved the layers within the story: mother/daughter relationship, navigating an aging/sick parent, sibling relationship, grief, internal fears, finding love. It was very real and relatable, and I loved the various perspectives. I especially loved how the author kept the reader's interest throughout the story, and wrapped everything up well in the end. Would definitely recommend!

This is a wonderful compelling story of Phoebe, a woman who has to go back home to help care for her mother who has Alzheimer's. She's returning to a house in which her seemingly irresponsible sister and her sister's young daughter also reside with her mother. All is in chaos. As if that isn't overwhelming enough, there are stories from the past that must be reconciled, including the disappearance years ago of a young woman. The cherry on top...Phoebe has dreams that are usually premonitions of something bad happening. There's a lot going on, but all in a good way.

This emotional story really pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I really did love this one!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own

Haunted by premonitions since childhood, Phoebe returns to her South Carolina home to care for her ailing mother, rekindling old family tensions and a complicated romance. As her nightmares intensify, she uncovers a shocking truth that will change everything. It’s a dark and angsty story of complicated family relationships.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Cute, easy, summery read! Family dynamics play a big part, and some mysteries are solved along the way. Overall I was entertained and got threw it really quickly, but doesn't go on the favorites shelf. I think things were pretty surface level and could have been fleshed out a bit more. And the ending was abrupt. I wanted more detail! But overall still recommend.

This book was such a perfect summer read!! I know I have been saying that about so many books; that is the type of books I love but also this book just has so many layers to the story that you can’t help but be pulled in with each turn of the page and for me that was such an enjoyable aspect of this story.

The setting of this book takes place in the Low Country of South Carolina— the atmospheric description really set the stage for the book and almost made this like another character with the vivid descriptions of marshlands, ocean breezes, salty air and all the feels of summer. Each chapter there is a small little fact about birds that was fascinating little detail and added a layer to the story.

The story starts with Phoebe as a child and a traumatic event that happened in her life that has changed her. We then flash to present day and she must return home to help her sister care for her ill mother dealing with dementia. This story has a little bit of mystery, family drama, secrets and even a bit of romance come together to bring this story to life. Perfect to read at the beach or by the pool.

As a child, Phoebe Manigault was struck by lightning, and ever since has experienced dreams with a sense of premonition. After learning that her mother is developing dementia, Phoebe returns home to South Carolina to the home of her mother, sister, and niece only to learn that her sister has failed to pay the bills or take her mother to see a doctor. As Phoebe tries to pick up the pieces of her family, she meets a Celeste, a woman with connections to her past, stirring up memories of their families’ history.

This atmospheric novel transports you to the South Carolina Lowcountry through its descriptive writing and nature references, allowing the setting to shine as its own character in the book. I enjoyed all the facts about birds and the way the author connected the mannerisms of birds to the story. The characters in this book are incredibly well-developed, and my heart absolutely broke for Phoebe given her family predicament. Having to care for her mother with worsened dementia was difficult enough, but on top of that to have to deal with the incompetence of her sister, Addie, and step in to care for Addie’s daughter, Ophelia, was more than anyone could possibly handle. Addie and her actions were infuriating to read about, but that’s just a testament to how well the author wrote this flawed yet realistic character. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a summer family drama.

Thank you to UpLit Reads, Park Row Books, Karen White, and NetGalley for my gifted physical + digital copies!

That Last Carolina Summer is the perfect family drama set in the South Carolina Low Country. I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful writing, memorable characters, and the decades-long mystery that was threaded through the storyline. This book contains themes of family dysfunction, dementia, and second chances.

Synopsis:
As a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creeks near her Charleston home. Plagued throughout her life by mysterious dreams, and always living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Addie, Phoebe eventually moves to the West Coast, as far from her family as possible. Now, years later, she is summoned back to South Carolina, to help Addie care for their ailing mother.

As Phoebe’s return lures her back into deep-rooted tensions and conflicts, she is drawn toward Celeste, whose granddaughter went missing years ago. Their connection, woven through shared losses and hope, brings comfort to Phoebe, while Celeste’s adult grandson Liam resurrects complicated emotions tied to Phoebe’s past.

But the longer Phoebe spends in her childhood home, the more her recurring nightmares intensify—bringing her closer to the shocking truth that will irrevocably change everything. Unfolding against the lush backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry, That Last Carolina Summer is an unforgettable family drama and mystery about the unbreakable bonds of family and the gift of second chances.

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for the advanced digital copy of the book. The publishing date is July 22, 2025.

This book was everything I love in a Southern family drama—lush with emotion, layered with secrets, and narrated in a voice so clear I could hear it in my head, like the opening scene of a movie where the main character sets the tone with a voiceover. Karen White nailed that atmospheric storytelling that feels like you’re stepping into a memory, wrapped in humidity and long-held heartache.

I especially appreciated the alternating chapters between Phoebe and Celeste. Phoebe—reluctantly returning home to help care for her mother with dementia—had this raw honesty about her. You could feel her guilt, her resistance, her love… all tangled up in the complexity of being the daughter who left. And Celeste, the quiet mystery at the edge of town, brought a whole other kind of emotional weight with her long-buried grief and the sharpness of her wisdom. Their stories echoed and collided in the best kind of way.

The portrayal of dementia was beautifully done—respectful, nuanced, and painfully real. It wasn’t just about one woman losing pieces of herself, but about how every member of the family has to navigate the shifting tide of roles, memories, and responsibilities. That kind of truth is hard to write well, and Karen White did it with grace.

And let’s not forget the storm—literal and emotional—that first tied Phoebe and Liam together. That lightning strike moment (yes, it actually happens) felt like such a powerful metaphor for everything this story unpacks: the shock of return, the scars that remain, and the unexpected connections that change everything.

I absolutely loved this one. It’s tender and reflective, with a bit of mystery, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of heart. If you like stories where the past and present swirl together like sweet tea and summer heat, That Last Carolina Summer is a must-read.

Thank you @parkrowbooks for my early finished copy of Karen White’s new novel, THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER, out July 22nd.

The novel starts off a bit slow, with a traumatic lightning strike moment for Phoebe as a child and then the novel hops to the present with multiple POVs as she’s called home to deal with an ailing mother.

As the novel moved farther along and I became more accustomed to the characters, I began to really enjoy the mystery behind Celeste’s missing granddaughter, Phoebe’s mysterious dream premonitions, the sweet children Ophelia and Will, and Liam’s history. For most of the novel, Phoebe’s sister annoyed me, as I suspect she was designed to do.

As for the premonitions and mystery, none of it really held shocking turns- I guessed all of the clues along the way, but it still makes a fun, light beach read to throw in your bag, especially if you are headed to South Carolina.

If you enjoy character driven novels, South Carolina low country, mystery, and relate to dementia care, then you will most likely enjoy this novel!

I enjoyed this story of two sisters reuniting to care for their mom who is battling dementia. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of so many bird facts and what we as humans can learn from them and be inspired by.
There is a mystery woven through the story that was rather predictable and it ran about 70 pages too long for me but it was a slow, southern story that is perfect for a summer afternoon with a glass of sweet tea and a chair beside the water!
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I'm a fan of Karen White & enjoy her style of writing.
Good story and I give it 4.75 stars. Why the odd amount? The book left me wanting less and more at the same time. We have two families intertwined after a lightening struck a little girl. Now grown, Phoebe returns home to help with her mother who has developed Alzheimers. A woman who cared about looks and behavior is losing herself quickly and Phoebe's sister has watched it happen up close. The elder daughter who never took responsibility is dependent on her mother and reached out to her sister for help. Phoebe developed dream premonitions after she was struck by lightning. She had left home to get away from her family and happily away from the dreaming. She returned for the summer and walks back into her childhood home to a mother she doesn't recognize, a sister she longs to be close to and taking on the role of an auntie and caregiver to all in the house. Enter Celeste & her family. Phoebe finds her presence comforting & familiar, but not sure how the families are connected. All of this and a general theme of birds that connects the past and present and gives quick educational bites at the beginning of each chapter. It also allows us to see how Phoebe progressed through the story.

So much to unravel with Phoebe's family. History. Secrets. Celeste's family connections & her mystery that needs solved. Something could have been left out and the story would still have impact. And yet, I wanted more from Celeste. And more of story beyond the ending we got. I will call it a mostly satisfying ending. Because the "more" part is more of a personal preference. And excellent read that kept me up late to see how it would all come together. A wonderful summer read.

Thank you #netgalley & #parkrow publishing for the eArc of this book.

This book had wonderful characters and storyline.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

The Last Carolina Summer is about a woman named Phoebe returning to her hometown to help her hot mess express sister care for their quickly deteriorating mother (dementia).

Phoebe was struck by lightning as a child, and since then she's had some weird dreams, premonitions if you will. This was the only part of the book that didn't make complete sense to me. It didn't seem as if it was meant to be magic realism, sci-fi, or even faith based visions (although I questioned a couple of times if this was a faith based fiction). Anyway, when she was struck by lightening, a boy saved her life.

What unfolds is a story of trauma, loss, love, unlikely friendship, hope, familial bonds, perseverance, and strength. We meet the neighbors who weave themselves into the lives of Phoebe's family without their understanding of past connections. Then we watch Phoebe try and hold her family together - and if you've ever had to care for a deteriorating elder family member, or have an extremely irresponsible sibling, you can imagine how difficult it is. This book mirrored true.

I really did enjoy the bird comparisons to humans and how interesting that must be in a marsh environment. Overall, I enjoyed the family drama in this book. It was engaging even if the topic was hard.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER – Karen White
Park Row
ISBN: 978-0778310693
July 22, 2025
Contemporary Fiction

South Carolina – Present Day

When she was a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creek near her home. This left her feeling like an outcast as her family and others mocked her for her ability to predict the future. One particularly gruesome dream never left her, though it diminished after she moved to Oregon. In the dream, someone is drowning as the car sinks into the water. One day her sister, Addie, contacts Phoebe, begging her to come home as their mother is suffering from dementia and Addie is at her wits’ end. Despite her misgivings, Phoebe returns to South Carolina, where she finds her mother in a bad way and her sister in a state of denial as she refuses to take action to help their mother. Addie has a young daughter, Ophelia, who is also basically ignored by her. While Phoebe only hoped to be here for a couple of weeks, she is roped into spending the summer. She soon meets an older woman who walks her dog and helps take care of her great-grandson, Will. Celeste had lost her granddaughter, Julie, years ago, with her whereabouts unknown. Her other grandchild, Liam, is Will’s father. Liam happens to also be the doctor assigned to Phoebe’s mother’s care. Phoebe recognizes Liam as the young man who rescued her after she was hit by lightning. A coincidence…or fate?

THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER is a complicated yet compelling tale that will pull the reader in as they grow to care for Phoebe and her family’s plight. Her relationship with her mother and sister has always been fraught. Addie was the beautiful and talented one, while Phoebe was seen as studious and strange, especially with her premonitions. Of course, the return to South Carolina unleashes the bad dream she thought she could finally put behind her. More and more of the nightmare is becoming not only more visible, but more frightening. Meanwhile, Phoebe’s mother is at times lucid, but other times she is out of it and agitated. Her daughters battle each other. Addie doesn’t want to do anything to help their mother because that would be admitting that she would lose the anchor in her life. Phoebe just wants to make sure her mother is taken care of so she can return to Oregon.

Liam and Celeste turn out to be helpful to the family. There are many situations in THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER where it’s a good thing the sisters have the help. Their mother seems to be trying to make amends for something…but what? Addie appears to be on the path of destruction. She drinks too much and leaves her daughter alone at night with a dementia patient as her caregiver. Phoebe can’t let Ophelia suffer. It’s a struggle to try and right the family ship. Meanwhile, the nightmares are becoming stronger and more real. In this tale, the answers might end up crashing down on all of them. The author does an excellent job of placing little red herrings until the full story is revealed.

While there is a little romance between Phoebe and Liam in THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER, the focus of the tale is the family drama that swirls around them. It turns out that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down. See what I mean by grabbing a copy of this gripping tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today