4.5 rounded up to 5.

This is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness. I saw where it was going but that didn't take away.

Karen White is always a must-read for me.

The audio was fantastic.

Books like this make me glad I only have brothers. 😂

Phoebe gets sucked into returning to her hometown to help her sister take care of their mom who is suffering from dementia. These two sisters are different in every way. And one of the sisters is their mother's favorite and she's never been afraid to say so!

Celeste is a grandmother and long time town resident. Her now Dr son helped Phoebe after a freak lightening accident when she was only nine. This accident lead to Pheobe getting premonition dreams. Not long after Celeste's granddaughter goes missing.

When Celeste finds herself in twined with the family she resents so much after the lawsuit. Things start to unfold and answers arise as to what happened.

I recommend this book however it is a very very slow build up for a mystery thriller. It dragged on pointless storyline without many clues until the very end. Would've liked more of a non plateau.

The Last Carolina Summer is an atmospheric read filled with generational trauma and deep rooted secrets. Phoebe has returned home to help her sister care for their mother, and it’s tough going for poor Phoebe. It’s easy to understand why she left and never came back until now. There’s some magical realism and mystery woven into the story. As a paranormal lover, I really enjoyed that Phoebe has premonition dreams. The story is told in dual POV, alternating between Phoebe and Celeste. Celeste’s granddaughter, Julie, went missing when she was eighteen, and the story follows Celeste’s hopes and dreams for the day they might be reunited. I really enjoyed the tidbits about birds. The mother’s illness was brutal and well portrayed.

The narrators, Jorjeana Marie and Kimberly Farr, delivered an exceptional narration. They truly embodied the characters in the story, with tones and inflections that were spot on. You could feel the hatred in the mother’s voice at times, along with Celeste’s compassion. They breathed life into the characters. Very well done.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric summer read with mystery, a family saga, and birds woven throughout, this one’s for you.

A very special thanks to TLC Book Tours + Park Row for the gifted copy and for including me on this tour. A huge thank you to Harlequin Audio for the gifted audiobook.

This one definitely pulled on my heartstrings. The way it handled dementia and complicated family dynamics felt really emotional and real. It was an enjoyable listen overall, and I thought the bird element was such an interesting and unique touch. I do wish we got more from Addie though, I felt like everyone was a little too hard on her and I wanted to see her side more. I actually figured out the mystery pretty early on, but that didn’t really ruin anything for me. It was still a touching, layered story.

This tugged at my heart.
Dementia is such a ruthless and nasty disease. It strips away so much from a family.
Karen White did an excellent job writing about the intricacies of family dynamics.
Phoebe has never felt good enough. As the younger sister, her older sister has always been the beauty. When the opportunity arises, she leaves home and goes to live in Oregon and teach. Phoebe is happy in her new life, where she isn't constantly reminded that she feels less than her family.
Addie, her sister, calls Phoebe and tells her she needs to come home to find how her Mother's dementia diagnosis has wreaked havoc on Addie and thereby her niece whom her sister is neglecting. The dementia is much worse than Addie let on, and worse than what Phoebe thought she was walking into.
Back home, Phoebe is forced to reconcile the past. The secrets in her hometown. The family dynamics. And last but not least, love.
The characters are well written and so layered!
The plot was well structured and paced.
This is a great beach read for your TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading

3.5 stars

This book follows Phoebe who is returning home to South Carolina to help her sister care for their mother as her health has taken a turn. She has a complicated relationship with both her mother and her sister that makes coming home difficult.

When Phoebe was younger she was struck by lightning and developed the gift of premonition. Once she is home she begins to have a recurring nightmare again that is still vague and that she is struggling to make sense of.

Phoebe has also befriended an older woman, Celeste, who is the grandmother of the boy who saved her life as a child. Celeste’s granddaughter went missing back then also and she is hopeful that Phoebe could have a vision to help find out what happened to her.

I think I would have rated this one a bit higher, however I guessed the ending pretty early on and it just felt a little slow after that.

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

Karen White is one of my go to authors when I'm in need of a great story. What I enjoyed most about THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER is that it felt real. It was about family, friendship, mystery, and a touch of romance. Phoebe was my favorite character, she loved birds and in each chapter she references them. She helped everyone, like her mother and her sister Addie. She was also a great aunt. I thought it was neat that their last name was Manigault. If you ever get a chance to visit Charleston, one of my favorite places to visit, you will learn about the real Manigualt family and can even do a house tour. I can't recommend this book enough!


Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for my gifted ALC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account @coffee.break.book.reviews.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

This book was just ok in my opinion. I appreciated the dementia storyline, but found myself having a hard time connecting with the main characters. I did enjoy the audiobook narrators.