May I Recommend: One Last Summer by Kate Spencer
If you love a good summer camp setting...
Welcome to May I Recommend. A new series where I recommend a book I love in a really fun and relatable way. Think: mood boards, favorite quotes, playlists, and similar TV/movie/book vibes. Consider it a heartfelt recommendation from me to you.
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This past weekend, I had minimal plans. It was stormy weather all weekend, and Dean needed time to write, so I decided to have an indoorsy weekend. After a few busy weeks, this was very welcome. I deleted social media from my phone, picked out a book, and spent most of the weekend reading.
Even though the weather was rainy outside, I was transported to one of my favorite summer book settings: summer camp (see also this book set at a camp that I love). I was not a camp person growing up. I attended a performing arts high school and went to a sleepaway arts camp at Wesleyan, which largely involved spending most of the day inside practicing piano and taking music theory classes. There were no beautiful lakes, campfires, and friendship bracelet-making for me at summer camp.
But I love reading about it! So, if you, too, love a good summer camp setting, then may I recommend One Last Summer by Kate Spencer. Her debut novel, In A New York Minute, is one of my favorite rom-coms, so I eagerly anticipated this release. It's different from her debut but packed full of summer goodness.
The gist
After eight years, Clara is single again, living in the world's most lifeless apartment and burnt out at her job at a high-end marketing agency in Boston. When her boss requires her to take a vacation (in fact, she announces it in front of her whole office), she knows just what she'll do: join her friends for their annual reunion at their beloved summer camp. She's missed the last five years and is long overdue for a visit.
But when they arrive, they find out the camp owners are retiring and selling the property. So, this will be their final summer. They spend the week reliving all their favorite camp traditions, and Clara creates a to-do list to get her life back on track and rekindle her spark.
As the week goes on, she catches up with her old friends and reignites things with her childhood crush, Mack. She begins questioning whether she wants to return to the life she thinks she "should" be living.
The thoughts
I enjoyed it! Of course, I loved the New England setting of Boston and New Hampshire. Spencer did a great job capturing the feeling of escaping into the woods in the heat of summer.
I also really enjoyed the nostalgia factor. Clara and her friends met at this summer camp when they were 13, and they are now 35, so their reflections on how their friendships have changed over the years are relatable to anyone with lifelong friends. Plus, their group dynamic was sweet and funny.
Clara and Mack were so zesty! I don't usually enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it worked here. They are friends, but they are both competitive, so there was always a low-key rivalry between them, which created the perfect blend of tension and friendliness.
Overall, this was a sweet, nostalgic, fun, and quick read full of all the summer vibes.
The vibe
The friend group from Emily Henry’s Happy Place. That kickball episode of Happy Endings. The smell of sunscreen on your skin and campfire smoke in your hair. Cool lake swims early in the morning with the scent of pine in the air. Friendships that you easily fall back into. Leaning into the “wants” instead of the “shoulds” in life.
The visuals
Who doesn’t love a good book mood board?
Quotes I loved
I really want you to be happy, Clara. Like, truly happy. Not just what you think happy should look like.
Sometimes it feels like getting older is just letting go of what it is that you really want to do with your life.
I wished more than anything that I could bottle this feeling, tuck it into a tote bag, and carry it with me when it came time to leave Pine Lake. I couldn’t take my friends back home with, but I could take this: real joy.
Are you going to read this one? I’d love to know! And I’d love to know what you think if you do.
‘Til next time,
PS: If you enjoyed this post, here are a few others you might love as well.
I just picked up my hold on this from the library, so I'm hoping to get to it soon! It sounds a lot like the July release I just read ~ Until Next Summer by Ali Brady ~ so I may need to wait a little bit so there's not too much sameness to be able to truly enjoy this one for what it is?
I have such fond memories of my summer camp, so can't wait for this one! In a New York Minute was super charming too-- it's one of my go-to recs for readers dipping a toe into romance.