*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes. As always, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The summer has been a busy one and to prove it, it literally took me all summer to read one book. One thing was certain, whenever I picked up this book I had a hard time putting it down and I’m really happy that if there was one book that I read, it was this one.

Winner of the North Texas Book Festival Book Award 2013.

Official Synopsis

It is 1990, the stock market is soaring and Lee Addison is on a fast track to success in Silicon Valley. Just out of law school with a job lined up at one of the best firms in the Bay Area, he is positioned to join the ranks of young elites who will shape the 21st century.

But standing between him and his shining future is a promise to spend the summer back home in Riverton, Arkansas.

He is unprepared for the siren pull his hometown still holds on his heart, as he grapples with his sister’s troubled adolescence, ethical questions relating to the drowning death of a black youth and the weight of his ancestral legacy.

To make matters worse, the allure of a rekindled relationship with Annie Rayburn threatens to disrupt his carefully planned future.

It is a tale of crisis and survival and the universal struggle to tap into values that will hold fast against the uncertainties of time.

As I read this book, I could see it being played out on screen. A tale of growing up and making life decisions, family connections and a love story all intertwined in the summer heat of the South. It’s a front porch, drinking sweet tea kind of read that captures your attention, warms your heart and allows you to become lost in the South.

The main character – Lee Addison is visiting his small town, deep Southern roots home for the summer to reconnect his younger sister and take a temporary position with the local law firm. What entails is a battle of Southern tradition and history with the reinvention and big dreams derived from the west coast lifestyle. He becomes torn between two loves, new and old friendships and a tragic, life changing event involving his sister. We are left grasping until the very last page wondering how their lives were to pan out.

Although, this was set as a “Summer Read”, I would encourage anyone to pick this one up. Readers are left feeling completely connected to all of the characters and entangled with their lives. I really enjoyed ‘One Summer in Arkansas’.