A review by mackenzierm
One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris

5.0

Sara left her home in Savannah eight years ago, following a sexual assault that left deep emotional wounds and with a daughter, Alana. Sara's father has fallen ill and she is forced to return home and confront the ghosts of her past. While Sara is back in Savannah, caring for her father and running his bookstore, she is desperate to protect her curious and outgoing daughter from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. While Sara's attacker is in prison, his identical twin brother, Jacob has just returned to town and he's begun to piece together the fragments of his once-great family. When their two worlds collide, Sara and Jacob are drawn together in unexpected ways. 

ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH is such a bittersweet, thought-provoking, and beautifully written debut novel. As with every novel, trigger warnings should definitely be reviewed before picking this up though! 

This is somewhat of a heavy story with central themes of loss, the power and importance of family, and forgiveness. Sara's character is so strong, resilient, and brave. I felt that the author deals with the trauma Sara has experienced in such a genuine and relatable way. Each character is so well written and well developed. I loved (almost) every one of them, and even the ones I didn't love, I could understand and empathize with. 

The ending of this story is heart-wrenching but so very well done. I'll be looking forward to more from this author in the future!