One Last Summer

by Kate Spencer

Overview

From the cohost of the award-winning Forever35 podcast comes a dreamy, laugh-out-loud summer romance that asks: What do you do when the life you've planned isn't what you've dreamed? 

Clara Millen’s life is spiraling out of control: her dream job is a nightmare, she’s resoundingly single, and it’s been years since she’s taken some time off. Thankfully, the last problem she can fix—this year she’ll join her friends on their annual summer vacation to their beloved childhood sleepover camp for a much-needed escape.

But when Clara arrives at Pine Lake Camp, she faces yet another unwelcome change: the owners are retiring and selling the property. The news turns her plans for revelry into a night of reminiscing . . . and prompts a surprise heart-to-heart between Clara and Mack, her old camp nemesis and constant competitor, who's still just as annoying (and annoyingly handsome). 

Soon the campfires aren't all that's throwing off sparks. And when one wildly passionate night turns into two (then too many to count!), Clara begins to wonder if she and Mack could have a future together. But when Clara's boss finally offers her everything she's worked so hard for, Clara will need to decide if the life she's always wanted is the life that makes her feel truly alive. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538737668
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	30,667
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.40(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35 and author of In a New York Minute and The Dead Moms Club. Her written work has been published by The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Esquire, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, and numerous other places. Previously, she worked as a senior editor and producer at VH1. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2024

With this breezy contemporary, Spencer (In a New York Minute) takes readers on a nostalgic summer getaway. After burned-out Boston ad exec Clara Millen’s boss insists she take a weeklong “micro-sabbatical,” Clara agrees to attend a summer camp reunion in New Hampshire—made extra memorable by letters the campers wrote as teenagers, designed to be read 20 years later. Pine Lake Camp was where teenage Clara spent many happy summers with friends—including Mack Sullivan, her longtime nemesis (and crush). Now the camp has been sold, meaning this is the last chance for the group to reconvene in its cabins, and giving Clara the extra incentive she needs to be present in the moment, not tied to her work phone. As Clara reconnects with her friends, considers the things she wanted to do by 35 when she was a teen, and finally acts on her long-simmering sexual tension with Mack, she realizes just how thoroughly her job has taken over her life. But when she’s offered the promotion of a lifetime, she must decide what she wants her future to look like. Spencer’s driven heroine and competitive hero will delight readers, as will the fine supporting cast, including Clara’s pregnant bestie, Sam, and a bickering couple, Nick and Trey. This is second-chance romance done right. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Emotional, steamy, and utterly romantic.”
 —Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

“Sparkles with humor, sweetness, and fun.”
 —Elissa Sussman, bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask

"Spencer’s driven heroine and competitive hero will delight readers, as will the fine supporting cast... This is second-chance romance done right."—Publishers Weekly

"Kate Spencer is a master of writing fun rom-coms with oodles of heart. One Last Summer delivers steamy tension, summer camp magic, and a plot that will have you turning pages well past bedtime... This is a must for the beach read season!"—Erin La Rosa, author of Plot Twist

"A tender, When Harry Met Sally–worthy romance . . . the romantic tension and words unspoken will leave you visibly swooning page after page."—Kirkus, Starred Review, on In a New York Minute

"Spencer's bubbly, opposites-attract debut romance doubles as a love letter to New York CIty . . . this is a joy."—Publishers Weekly on In a New York Minute

"This slow-burn romance makes for a delightful, sweet debut."—Booklist on In a New York Minute

“Sincere, tender, and charming as hell. Kate Spencer's debut novel is a love story to friendship, discovering what—and who—makes you feel truly yourself, and New York City. I flew through this book and enjoyed every moment!”—Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author, on In a New York Minute

“A Nora Ephron romp for the modern age, IN A NEW YORK MINUTE serves up a subway meet cute that goes viral before it goes very wrong—and then delivers an absorbing, heart-achingly good HEA. With characters so boisterous and loyal you’ll want to send them cards on their birthdays (and bagels, lots of bagels), and a stoic, fumbling, romantic dream of a hero, Kate Spencer’s novel is a sparkling delight about found and chosen family, being brave even in the tiny moments, and the rewards we can reap when we put our authentic selves out there. What a sweet, hilarious treat.”—Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author, on In a New York Minute

“A frolicky, playful rom-com about finding Mr. Right when everything else goes wrong.”—Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author, on In a New York Minute

“Spins a catastrophic meet-cute into a richly realized romance that's surrounded by even more love stories—between friends, between families, and between New Yorkers and their city. You'll devour it.”—Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, USA Today bestselling authors, on In a New York Minute

“A perfect New York romance, as sweet, steamy, and surprising as the city itself.”—Abbi Waxman, USA Today bestselling author, on In a New York Minute

“If you’re looking for the perfect ‘meet cute,’ look no further.  Adorable banter and countless laugh-out-loud moments makes this charming romance a true delight.”—Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author, on In a New York Minute

From the Publisher