Girls of Summer is a work of fiction in the romance, family drama, and Christian fiction sub-genres, and was penned by author C.E. Hilbert. The work is intended for the general adult reading audience and contains elements of mystery and thriller woven into the central romantic storyline. Our protagonist is Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Dixon, a big city girl whose dreams come crashing down when her art galley goes under due to her own mother. Gutted by this betrayal, Charlotte is suddenly called to a small town in SC, where a challenge awaits: run her late father’s baseball team and family business for a year, and inherit a fortune. But once the handsome Mac Taylor enters the scene, things get even more complicated.

Author C. E. Hilbert has crafted an endearing work of family drama fiction with plenty of interwoven romance and twists to offer its readers. In terms of its presentation of character, I found that the use of close narration created a deeper emotional resonance, and I felt that we were always closely connected to Charlie through every high and low. This makes for a real page-turner as she discovers the many intricacies of life in a rural town, and of rediscovering a sister in Georgie. The dialogue was also very effective, serving to display the unique traits of South Carolina and the Dixon clan, whilst moving the plot forward in a natural way. Overall, I would highly recommend Girls of Summer to fans of Christian contemporary romance, small-town mysteries, and for readers of modern Southern fiction everywhere.

Girls of Summer by C.E. Hilbert is much more than a contemporary romance. Charlotte Dixon’s glamorous life in Manhattan diminishes after Stassi, her unmerciful, controlling Russian mother takes charge of her art gallery. Her misery deepens when forced to move to a small town in South Carolina to manage her late father’s business with her sister, Georgia, and Mac, their attorney. When FBI agents suspect her of being a mafia boss, Charlotte knows her mother is to blame but craves her love and refuses to cooperate with the agents. Stassi believes blood is thicker than water and isn’t pleased that her golden goose has abandoned the nest. Punishment always brings the results she wants, as her daughter knows so painfully well.

My thoughts when reading Girls of Summer were mixed because Charlotte was so emotionally scarred by a self-centred mother. She craved a mother’s love and attention but knew what Stassi was capable of and behaved uncaringly and sharp-tongued to others. Yet there were times when I was very annoyed because Charlotte didn’t seem to make an extra effort to do anything relevant to break the abusive cycle and dominant hold that the horrendous Stassi had on her, even when the relevant help was offered. Apart from that, I liked reading Girls of Summer and think the characters are strongly developed. Georgia, Mac and Savvy are my favourites in this charming southern setting. C.E. Hilbert’s writing style is deep, impactful, and will draw out a reader’s emotions, like mine. You’ll get an even amount of romance, crime, mild Christian undertones and social issues in this wonderfully written novel to keep your attention.

For fans of contemporary romance, Girls of Summer by C.E. Hilbert will be a delightful story. Charlotte Dixon would never have left Manhattan for any reason whatsoever. But after discovering that her mother has skimmed money from her art gallery and left her in heavy debt, she has no choice but to move to a small town in South Carolina after the death of her father. She is forced to partner with her half-sister to run his baseball team and family business. Half of the multi-million dollar fortune will be hers only if she can make it through an entire year. Everything becomes complicated when she meets with Mac Taylor, the lead counsel for Watershed International, the man her father had entrusted with his business, his baseball team, and his daughters’ lives. For better or worse, he is her warden, her keeper, and her oligarch for the next eleven months. Although she would rather hate this handsome guy, he continues to prove himself in ways she never expected, drawing her irresistibly into his orbit — you’ll love him at the hospital scene. When he proposes, does she have the courage to say no?

Girls of Summer is a heartwarming and utterly entertaining story that had me reading through an entire night. The romance is not rushed and I loved how the author builds it with situations that allow the key characters to get to know each other deeply. It is filled with surprising twists that I never saw coming and the connection between Charlie and Mac, as well as Charlotte’s relationship with members of her family, offer scenes that are real. C.E. Hilbert writes characters that are unforgettable, crafts dialogues that are exciting, and a plot that makes for a page-turning story. It is an irresistible read for fans of contemporary romance — a fully drawn plot and characters that are not just believable but incredibly fleshed out.

Deceit, theft, murder, ties with the Russian mafia, and even more, C. E. Hilbert includes everything that makes for a story full of suspense, mystery, and thrills in Girls of Summer. Charlotte Dixon and her half-sister Georgie inherit everything from their wealthy dad, but there is a catch. They must live together and run his business for a year before they get anything. Will they even get along because they hardly know each other? Besides, Charlotte owns an art gallery in New York she can't leave before finding out if her mother is stealing money from the gallery.

I thoroughly enjoyed Girls of Summer by C.E. Hilbert. After Charlotte moves in with her sister, she gets a visit from and is questioned by the FBI about her art gallery and crimes being committed. This seems to bring out all of the bad guys, blowing up things, setting fires - just what is going on, and why are they targeting Charlotte? This is when the story gets intriguing and the nail-biting starts, and I was beginning to wonder if everyone was a bad guy, even wondering if there are dirty cops and the FBI. I grew to love these characters and the way they develop as they tell their story. The development of the characters is spot-on, each creating its own twist to the story. There are many twists and turns throughout the plot that kept me guessing and surprised at what happened next. Hilbert weaves it all together and comes up with a compelling ending that will make everyone happy. If you love a good clean suspense thriller, you will love Girls of Summer.