One Last Summer

Plain Daisy Ranch #0.5

by Piper Rayne, C.J. Bloom (Narrator), Robert Hatchet (Narrator)

He's my first love. My high school sweetheart. And he's leaving tomorrow for a bigger and better life.

I've loved Ben almost my entire life, and we have one night left before he heads miles away to college on a football scholarship. I'm bound and determined to make sure this day goes perfectly so he remembers me as the girl he loves. But I cant help worrying that Ill end up as the girl he loved.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Audiobook, Small Town Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Sports

1 pages, Audible Audio

First published April 25, 2024

About the author

Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling author duo. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2h5oycP
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2w1WDQe
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2wJhFnG
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2BJj7ZB
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2g95QRB
Website: www.piperrayne.com

Join our newsletter and get 5 FREE BOOKS!
http://bit.ly/2tsNcpP



Our Books: We do things in 3’s. Three best friends. Three hot heroes. Three HEA’s.

Modern Love:


Single Dads Club:


Dirty Truth:


Bedroom Games:

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the arc of the first book in the series and was about to start it, but saw that there was also a prequel novella so I decided to give it a read. I prefer to read the prequels first, but there's a review saying it's better to read book one and then this, so we'll see how I feel when I do.

Anyway, it was cute and even shorter than I thought because it ends somewhere around 74% and the rest is the preview for The One I Left Behind. It introduces the characters we'll follow, not only in book one, but the rest of the series too.

Also, I saw someone saying how this was connected to Piper Rayne's other books, so if someone knows how I'd love to know, since this is my first time reading them.

[Alya ( 20 comments restriction ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that I needed to start another series but, here we are - actually I wanted to use up my Spotify audio hours so this one came in handy😂 and was a cute start to my September reads! This was the intro to the first book,I loved the plot so much and the concept of high school sweethearts. I have a feeling I'm gonna love this universe!

[Jennifer Galang · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Last Summer by Piper Rayne
Rating: 4/5⭐️

Synopsis:
He’s my first love. My high school sweetheart. And he’s leaving tomorrow for a bigger and better life. I’ve loved Ben almost my entire life, and we have one night left before he heads miles away to college on a football scholarship. I’m bound and determined to make sure this day goes perfectly so he remembers me as the girl he loves. But I can’t help worrying that I’ll end up as the girl he loved.

My Overall Thoughts:
This was such the cutest novella to set up the whole series by Piper Rayne. I wanted to get back into the summer reads again so I can feel the warmth of summer air while reading this short novella. I’m already enjoying this series by Piper Rayne. I love the relationship between Ben and Gillian so much as they are high school sweethearts.

[Madison Rusnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty cute. I honestly wanted to give it a 2 star rating because I'm not a big fan of spice in books about teenagers, but I'm giving three because besides that, it's really cute. I will say I expected a bit more in the novella about how they break up not just their relationship before he leaves for school. I read this because I received an ARC of The One I Left Behind and wanted the whole picture before I started and I'm glad I did!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love novellas like this. It gives you enough to get invested into what you can expect in the next book/series. This is a good glimpse into Ben and Gillian's life as teenagers before Ben leaves for college. I'm curious to see where this all goes with them.

[Chloe Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO GOOD! I love Piper Rayne and this was the perfect novella to set up The Plain Daisy Ranch series. I highly recommend this book. Perfect small-town, summer, high school love vibes. I can tell the story will resume about ten years later and turn into a second chance romance type of situation.

[Raquel (BookishRaquel) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Heat Rating: 2/5 🌶️
Audiobook: 5/5 🎧

One Last Summer is a quick and cute prequel that introduces Ben and Gillian's story. I enjoyed it and really love Ben and Gillian's relationship. They are high school sweethearts who are determined to enjoy their last day together before Ben leaves for college to play football. This story is short, but it gives us a look into how connected Ben and Gillian truly are. I am invested in the Plain Daisy Ranch series and can't wait to read more.

NARRATION:
CJ Bloom and Robert Hatchet did a wonderful job with this duet-style narration. The narrators portrayed the characters well and brought them to life.

[BOOKLOVER_81 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to these two... narration was great.

Ben and Gillian are high school sweethearts getting ready to be separated by college and distance. Ben is off to Clemson to play football, while Gillian has to stay home to look after her siblings, and she's going to the local community college to be a court stenographer.

**Football player
**Small town
**Good girl
**Prequal


CL listen 🎶

[Krystal - nerdy_book_lover_1987 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick little prequel that introduces Ben and his brothers and sets us up for the first book in the series. I can't wait to read more about all of the brothers and more about this small little town!!

[Book.ishJulie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Last Summer is a quick introduction to Piper Rayne's Plain Daisy Ranch series.

As the end of summer looms, impending change instantly creates desire and longing between high-school sweethearts Gillian and Ben. I loved the level of yearning Rayne created between these two in only six short chapters!

This was a sweet and spicy read, full of nostalgia!

Most importantly, this novella had me itching to read more!

[Hayley Gallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Such a great prequel novella!

It does exactly what it's intended to do. Ties you into the series, gets you super connected to the characters, and prepares you for the heartbreak that you know is going to take place in book one. 😅

I loved it and I can't wait to start book one to find out what happens to these characters!

You get:
• Dual POV
• Spicy
• Contemporary Romance
• Novella
• Small Town
• Prequel
• Leaving For School

Available on ebook, hardcover, paperback, and audiobook.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Last Summer is the prequel to the first story in the Plain Daisy Ranch series. It's the story of Ben and Gillian, high school sweethearts that are about to be separated by distance because of college. This is the story of their final day together before Ben has to take off to college, leaving his first love behind in his hometown. These two make the most of it.

Ben and Gillian are two sweet characters and you could feel the emotions they were both going through. While this is a short story and could easily be read or listened to in less than an hour, I'm glad I got a little taste of these characters before diving into their full length novel. I do find it difficult to give a real rating as it felt sort of incomplete since it was just a nibble of who these characters were. But it was helpful to see where these characters came from before being separated for many years.
The duet narration on the audio was perfect for this story. I really like when we are given duet narration because it feels like it's a little play for the ears. CJ Bloom was the standout for me, but Robert Hatchet did a great job with all the male characters he had to perform.

I can't wait to follow this one up with their complete story to see what's in store for Ben and Gillian.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick listen!

And now I'm sad for them to grow up.

4 stars
2 on the spice scale

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

TMW you realize the continuation of this prequel isn't out yet 🥲🫠🫠🫠

[Melissa (honeybee.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little prequel novella to the series. I thought it was great to meet the characters, to get a feel into Ben and Gillian's relationship. I can't see where it goes from here, I already love them so much.

[Heather Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this intro to The One I Left Behind!

This is a very quick read! Gives an intro to Gillian and Ben's first love right when high school is ending. Before Ben leaves for Clemson on a football scholarship! Sweet and spicy! I can't wait to read more of them in The One I Left Behind!

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se lo pueden saltar sin ningún problema.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio-CJ Bloom & Robert Hatchet great little novella to set up for the new series by Piper Rayne. Now a continuation of Ben & Jillian’s story over a decade later in The One I Left Behind.

[Vanessa (bookfairy.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piper Rayne's writing feels like coming home, especially with a small town setting like this. 🥰
I'm looking forward to jumping into the actual series now. 🩷

[Lola Kilgus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait to see where this one goes!

[momaddictedtobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to The One I Left Behind. I had to go back and read it so I could get more of Ben and Gillian. This series is going to be good! I can’t wait for more!

[Noëmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful prequel for this new series. We have a glimpse of severals characters ans it seems like this series is gonna be awesome. Now I’m so eager to read the first book.

[Emily Johnston (Booked.Up.With.Emily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great prequel that gives us insight to Gillian and Ben’s high school love. I loved seeing them happy go lucky before the future they would spend apart.

Can’t wait to dive into The One I Left Behind.

[Rachel McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things is getting more backstory from characters that we meet in books. Especially when they’re moments that are mentioned, but not in much detail, that become pivotal moments in the story. So to be able to go back to those moments, knowing what they mean, and get the full story. Is the best. This prequel to The One I Left Behind delves into one of the biggest moments in Ben and Gil’s story. Knowing what is coming for these characters makes these moments that much more gut wrenching. I’ve really come to love these characters. I would definitely suggest reading The One I Left Behind before reading this so you can really appreciate these moments.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 23 of 2026

Novellas are usually a tough sell because you don’t have time to really develop the characters. This one, though, serves as a prequel to book 1. We get one final day between Ben and Jillian before he leaves for college. There’s no rush to tell their full story, because we know we’re getting it in the first full book of the series. You know they’re going to face some intense heartbreak in the years to come, but this was the perfect way to set up their HS sweetheart love as a foundation for a second chance love trope in book 1.

Format: audiobook (hoopla)
*Robert Hatchet & CJ Bloom - duet

[Mrs Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prequel to the series, Plain Daisy Ranch. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it before the first book (The One I Left Behind), but I read it after. The main characters are the same in the two books. This was a quick read.

I will recommend this book to those who enjoy Piper Rayne and who are interested in starting the Plain Daisy Ranch series.

[Danie Y. | BohoBookMama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy quick read! A great prequel to get you hooked and invested in this couple so that the second chance aspect of their book really tugs at your heartstrings! I felt like I was reading a book about my past… it was very easy to connect to and familiar. So much packed into such a short book! Well done!

[Ruth_Reads1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely start to the Plain Daisy Ranch series. Ben and Gillian’s story gave me all the nostalgic feels, young love, summer goodbyes, and that bittersweet mix of hope and heartache. It’s short but packed with emotion, and now I’m genuinely excited to see where the rest of the series takes us. Can’t wait to dive into the first book.

[zsyree · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick and short novella introducing the characters of the Plain Daisy Ranch series. It tells the story of Ben's last day at the ranch before he flies to Clemson for college and football. I thought the story would show why Ben and Gillian broke up but it was nice peak to the lives of the characters before reading the first book in the series.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute glimpse into the upcoming series!

This is a cute glimpse into Ben and Gillian’s teenage story. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out for them in the second chance. I’m also excited to see how the brothers turned out!