Savanna Davis thought that night in August six years ago—and Dalton Hayes—were nothing more than memories that haunted her dreams. He was her childhood crush, her brother’s best friend, and the one man who walked away without warning, leaving her to raise their secret alone.

Now, years later, Savanna’s blast from her painful past is back in town visiting from the military—moody, guarded, and dare she say looking incredibly delicious? Tempted by the one guy she never stopped thinking about, Savanna must make a choice: keep her distance and her secret away from him? Or reveal the truth while reaping the benefits? Because now that she’s older, she knows better than to get attached—it’s all just temporary, anyway. 

Dalton Hayes has never stopped thinking about Savanna Davis—or that one passion-filled night they spent together on the beach the night before he left for the military. Now, six years later, he’s reluctantly back home in his hometown—the one place he’s avoided like the plague.

But when Dalton comes face-to-face with the smoking hot blonde he’s tried so desperately to steer clear of—it’s obvious the feelings he’s tried to suppress come roaring back. When Dalton realizes Savanna is a single mom—to a spunky, familiar, blue-eyed little girl—and isn’t happily settled like he originally believed, the narrative of the last few years gets completely flipped upside down.

Now with a second chance, what Dalton wants with Savanna is permanent.

The only thing he has to do is convince her he’ll stay.

My Review

We begin this story with Savanna six years ago. She is enjoying the last sunset of summer on the beach with friends and family, including her brother’s best friend, Dalton. We get a taste of a beachy night, some harmless flirting, and the beginning of a story that clearly isn’t finished yet.

Six years later, Dalton is back in his hometown for a few weeks. He’s a Marine who has spent a lot of time putting distance between himself and his childhood. Coming home brings back memories, old friendships, and challenges he thought he had left behind. Dalton has changed, both figuratively and literally, and returning home forces him to face pieces of his past he has kept tucked away.

I love that we get dual POV in this story. Savannah’s life has changed a lot over the last six years. She is now a single mom, a bartender, and still very close with her family. But she has secrets of her own, and this small town isn’t exactly known for keeping anything private. Everyone knows everyone’s business, and the gossip definitely plays a role in the story.

When old wounds reopen, there is some expected harshness between Savannah and Dalton. I understood why Savannah struggled with her feelings and why she tried to keep herself guarded, but of course, I’m always here for a good second-chance romance. Their interactions are full of tension, and every encounter reveals a little more about what happened between them and what they’re still trying to figure out.

Dalton may be grumpy, but he isn’t an emotional mess. He’s more of the quiet one standing in the corner, the guy you know is going to make an absolutely fantastic book boyfriend. 😍

As Dalton’s time on the island starts running short, he has to figure out what he wants and where he belongs. Meanwhile, I’m over here waiting for the other shoe to drop and completely convinced something is going to come along and wreck me. 😂

I loved the end-of-summer feeling throughout this story. The last days of summer, fishing, beach walks, bonfires, and outings with friends gave it such a cozy atmosphere. I could easily picture myself there.

This book is very well written, and I was enjoying it immensely. Of course, there is some miscommunication because apparently a complicated romance cannot exist without it. 😂 And then there was a moment that completely caught me off guard.

There is plenty of push and pull as Dalton tries to balance his dreams with his reality, while Savannah is carrying truths that could change everything. Watching those pieces come together kept me invested in their story.

The story really is a roller coaster. I especially enjoyed how mature the characters were, both in their communication and their relationship. Dalton and Savannah’s love story is swoony, heartfelt, dramatic, and incredibly sweet.

The entire cast of characters was interesting, but the main characters really stood out to me. I especially adored Drew and the very large role she plays throughout the story.

And that HEA? Heartfelt and absolutely had me smiling. ❤️

This was an amazing cozy summer read and would be perfect for those last little bits of summer. The beachy theme, island life, bonfires, fishing, and overall setting were exactly what I wanted from an August read.

I hope you pick this one up, check out a new indie author, and add Shelby Rae to your TBR because her writing is fantastic. I’m definitely excited to see what storylines come next from her!

Thank you Love Notes PR and Shelby Rae for this arc. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

If you would like to read Endless August by Shelby Rae, you can find this book Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn on qualifying purchases. This book releases 8/28/2026.

If you enjoyed this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Brothers Best Friend, Military and Second Chance Romance.