The Last Carolina Summer was my first book by Karen White. The preface of going back home and facing the past intrigued me. The relationship between Phoebe, Addie, and their mom was difficult to read at times (trigger warning: aging parent/Alzheimer's) Celeste was wonderful - she may have been my favorite character - could she be the one who holds the key to unlocking the past? Could the connection between Liam and Phoebe be more than just a lightning strike?

I really enjoyed the descriptive writing and detailed storytelling. Family bonds, family secrets, small town charm, and second chances.
I originally gave this book 3.5 stars because of the slow pacing in some spots, but rounded up to 4 because of the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley, Karen White, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for honest thoughts.

4.25/5 stars

This is my first book by the author, and I’m very happy to say that I really enjoyed it! I loved the South Carolina lowcountry setting, it’s become a real favorite of mine. 

Phoebe Manigault returns to her childhood home to help her sister Addie care for their ailing mother. She becomes friends with an elderly woman, Celeste, whose granddaughter Julie mysteriously disappeared decades earlier. She is also drawn to Celeste’s grandson, Liam, who brings back memories from her past. 

Highlights | 
•Complicated sister/family relationships 
•Mild family drama
•Secrets
•Dementia
•Coming home
•Mysterious dreams
•Interesting facts about birds

I really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions in this book. It was at times gentle and tender, and full of tension and high emotions in others. The ending builds to a particularly dramatic climax. I’d recommend this one!

[Thanks to the publisher, Park Row and NetGalley, for the advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

3.75 stars

"Beloved New York Times bestselling author Karen White returns with a brand-new contemporary stand-alone novel about sisterhood, secrets, and one woman’s reckoning with the past."

When Phoebe Manigault gets a call from her sister Addie that she needs her help with their mother, she reluctantly leaves the Pacific Northwest to return home to the stunning Lowcountry of South Carolina. Her return brings back unwanted memories of being the outcast daughter who only felt loved by Aunt Sassy. It also brings back her nightmares, which began when she was nine years old and struck by lightning.

Early in her visit, she meets Celeste Finch, whose son Liam saved her life when she was struck by lightning. Their families have a history that links them for decades. She also discovers that the situation with her mother is much worse than she thought. Her sister Addie seems unable to cope with basic daily responsibilities, including the supervision of her nine-year-old daughter Ophelia.

This is a beautiful family drama and mystery with atmospheric writing that transported me to the Lowcountry. There are many thought-provoking parallels to birds, which are seamlessly threaded throughout the novel and added depth as well as the lush natural world of the region. The realities of dementia and caring for aging parents is handled with sensitivity. Themes of sisterhood, guilt, loss, and second chances make this a worthwhile read and especially great to read in the summertime.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing (HTP) - Park Row Books, and Karen White for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I love a good southern charm read. This had family secrets and family struggles that had me from the very first page. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc.

THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER is a coming home tale that includes long concealed family secrets and a parent experiencing dementia. Author Karen White has developed interesting characters that really come alive as the plot progresses. While the secrets are not difficult to guess ahead of time, the book weaves multiple tales that are poignant and heartwarming. This is a very good book that I really enjoyed. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I loved this. I finished it in one sitting, and bonus points for finishing it in a storm. It was emotional, and the characters are typical Karen White: fully fleshed out and real.

I’d love a follow up to see how/where everyone and everything ends up in a few years!

That Last Carolina Summer is an atmospheric return to the Lowcountry, filled with evocative descriptions of marshlands, salty breezes, and Southern summer heat. The setting is without a doubt the book’s strongest asset—I could practically hear the birds and feel the humidity rising from the pages.

The story follows Phoebe, coming home to care for her ailing mother alongside her sister, reopening old family wounds in the process. Her gift of premonition adds an intriguing layer, especially when an old mystery involving a missing girl resurfaces. These threads promised a lot of tension and depth, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite land for me.

I guessed the twist fairly early on, which made the middle section feel drawn out. While the themes of forgiveness and family healing are heartfelt, the resolution felt too neat, especially given the emotional weight of Phoebe’s strained relationships. Some characters read as a bit forced, as if they were designed to fit familiar Southern drama archetypes rather than evolve naturally.

Still, fans of Karen White or anyone looking for a breezy summer read with a strong sense of place will likely enjoy this one. For me, it was a pleasant but predictable read that left me wishing for a bit more depth and surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe must return to South Carolina one summer in order to take care of her ailing mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's. This is complicated by her sister's behavior and events from the past that are slowly coming to light.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the characters and how their stories interconnected. Phoebe's relationship with her sister and mother are so complicated and how she deals with each is both frustrating and heartwarming. This has a little of everything - mystery, paranormal, romance, but it all works so well in how the story unfolds and I thought this all came together brilliantly and loved this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the ARC for this book!

I thought this was a really good book! It’s full of family drama and untold secrets. I thought the little snippets about different birds at the beginning of each chapter was interesting too. It’s an emotional journey that will keep you turning the pages. I couldn’t put it down! Loved it!

I first read Karen White when I found her Tradd Street series and have enjoyed her writing. This book might be my favorite yet! Any book that keeps me reading way past bedtime, as well as making me laugh and cry is a winner for me.
As always, this book takes place in the South Carolina low country. Phoebe is returning home to SC, after moving to Oregon to teach school. She is returning after receiving a phone call from her sister, who has been living with their mother , Elizabeth. When Phoebe arrives home, she discovers her mother is suffering with dementia and it is impacting everyone in her world. A thread that weaves through the whole book is that Phoebe was struck by lightning as a child. Because of that she has recurring dreams and nightmares that has impacted Phoebe’s life. Such a beautiful story of family, loss, secrets, hope and resiliency.
You won’t be able to put this book down!
Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for this digital advanced copy. This review is my own.

Karen White has such a gift of using southern charm and imagery to create worlds you don’t want to leave. You can put yourself easily in her books and you feel like the characters are your family, neighbors and friends.
This story is about relationships between mother/daughter, sisters, and the complications that can muddle up the confidence of who we believe we are.. I highly recommend this book.

That Last Carolina Summer
I loved the premise of this story - the lightning strike, the promotions, the setting…but I found the sisters very difficult to tolerate for so many reasons. I skipped pages wanting this book to be over just so I knew what happened.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
That Last Carolina Summer is yet another beautifully written, emotionally rich story from Karen White—and once again, she did not disappoint. A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital ARC.

From the very first chapter, I was pulled into the lush, humid world of the Carolina coast—a setting that comes alive in White’s signature way. The story unfolds like a slow-burning Lifetime movie (in the very best way): deeply personal, quietly intense, and full of characters you want to hug, shake, or both.

At its core, this book is about finding one’s way—through grief, through complicated family history, and through the unspoken expectations that often weigh heaviest between generations. The protagonist’s journey is raw and real, full of moments where the past and present collide in both painful and healing ways. I especially loved how the story touched on old secrets that never really disappear, and how family dynamics can either tether us or free us—sometimes both at once.

The writing is immersive and emotionally charged, with dialogue and details that feel lived-in and true. Karen White has a gift for creating stories that are atmospheric and deeply relatable without ever feeling melodramatic.

The only reason I’m giving this 4.5 instead of a full 5 is because a few pacing lulls slowed me down briefly—but honestly, I didn’t want the story to end. This is Southern fiction at its finest: layered, emotional, and ultimately hopeful.

Highly recommend for fans of meaningful family drama, second chances, and the bittersweet beauty of summers that change everything.

This book is quintessential Karen White- full of heart, strong characters, southern charm ,family drama, paranormal elements and a gripping mystery. Oh, plus a sweet romance. I couldn't put it down.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of The Last Carolina Summer.

A moving read with solid storytelling that helps you to start putting the pieces together. Phoebe’s point of view was more engaging for the most part although it was interesting to see things from Celeste’s point of view as well. It just felt that Celeste’s POV wasn’t quite as developed as Phoebe’s.

I did want more interaction between the two sisters, Phoebe and Addie, and it might have been a more intriguing story if Addie’s POV was highlighted rather than Celeste’s.

It’s relatively easy to figure out what happened in the past that is now a recurring nightmare for Phoebe, but it takes a while for her to finally “see” the full picture. When that does happen, everything seems to wrap up nicely without a lot of work from either of the families affected. Of course, this all happens in the last couple of chapters, so there wasn’t a lot of time to truly work through everything. And I would have liked more information about what happened the night Julie went missing.

An emotional journey through the the past and present with old secrets. Phoebe was struck by lightening as a nine year old and her life changed because she began having premonitions. As an adult moved across the country but now she's back because her mom is ill and her sister Addie is just not the best. She tells her story but then so does Celeste the grandmother of the boy who saved Phoebe's life whose granddaughter went missing. She hopes that Phoebe can tell her what happened. This moves between the two and back and forth in time. Phoebe discovers more about herself, helps her little niece Ophelia, and, of course, does the best she can for Celeste. No spoilers from me. White is a good storyteller and she brings good atmospherics. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

Emotional. Immersive. Atmospheric. I couldn't put it down.

Karen White brings the Lowcountry of South Carolina to vivid life in this complex family drama with a mystery at its core. It's clear the author well knows both this geographic region as well as the dynamics of the people who inhabit it. It all comes through clearly as secrets are uncovered, relationships evolve, romance is in the air, and families are forever changed. Special recognition to the depiction of a character's devastating health diagnosis, handled with both raw authenticity and care.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased opinion

The Last Carolina Summer had a beautiful setting and a nostalgic tone that I enjoyed, but the story didn’t quite live up to its potential. While some moments were touching and the writing style was nice, the pacing felt uneven and the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t fully pulled in either. It was an okay read, pleasant in parts, but not especially memorable.

If you enjoy reading books set in the Carolina's, and those set in Charleston in particular, this is definitely a story that you need to check out. Author Karen White is at her best with her newest stand-alone-novel.

Phoebe Manigault has a difficult relationship with her South Carolina family. When her mother begins to experience memory issues, Phoebe returns home to help her sister. Caring for her mother forces Phoebe to confront complicated emotions and long-buried family secrets.

Full disclosure: I love Karen White novels, and this one is a classic, life-affirming story in true Karen White fashion. Jumbled relationships are tenderly unraveled, offering new beginnings for everyone involved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row - It was a privilege to read this novel in exchange for a fair review. I loved this book and highly recommend it. Five Stars.