The Summer We Ran is a gripping, emotionally resonant romance thriller.
The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram weaves a nostalgic, dual-timeline romance with high-stakes politics and buried secrets. It’s titled as an Indie Next, LibraryReads, Book‑of‑the‑Month pick, and a Town & Country Best New Romance.
Her novel addresses the theme behind the question, “Does your past define your destiny?”
Rich in emotion, “The Summer We Ran”, weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decisions that two people must make in order to fulfill the futures that they each desire.
It is narrated through multiple narratives and immersive dual timelines
In the Summer of 1996 – Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide. They were to keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken daughter. Tess was falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander. Their intense romance blossoms but ends under tragic and mysterious circumstances. The teenagers are pained by betrayal with little hope to repair the damage that’s been done.
Now, two decades after their epic teenage romance abruptly ended in heartbreak, Tess and Grant are both running for Governor of Virginia, Tess as a Democrat, Grant as a Republican. Secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, futures, and the love they once shared.
It is the best must-read summer novel for fans of dual-timeline romantic dramas, those drawn to political settings exploring personal stakes and moral ambiguity.
The book is highly recommended to all those who loves a blend of nostalgia, family secrets, and rich regional atmosphere.
About The Author:
Audrey Ingram is an American novelist and former lawyer, originally from Alabama and now based in Virginia. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law in Washington, DC for about 15 years before transitioning to writing. Gardening and hiking are her favorite to-dos apart from writing. She lives in Virginia
She found time between family life to work on fiction during the pandemic and this promoted her in her career.
“The River Runs South” was her debut novel. Her other works include “The Group Trip” and “The West Wing”.
“The Summer We Ran” is her latest novel.
She is a versatile writer bridging Southern charm, legal insight, and emotional storytelling. Her novels delve into themes of loss, friendship, political life, and personal growth, all enriched by her own life experiences. Character-focused fiction, set in richly drawn locales, is her work’s highlight.
Book Reviews:
1. J. Weiss
a summer of romance and its consequences
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2025
Audrey Ingram pens an interesting story of privilege versus those struggling to make a living and putting food on the table in The Summer We Ran.
Grant and Tess shared a summer of romance, and its consequences left them wanting more. They both did the right thing and went their separate ways, or did they?
The story is told from either Tess’s or Grant’s perspective from both the summer of 1996 and the year 2021. Alternating between the two time periods, concentrating first on Tess’s views, then Grant’s, then Tess’s again. We get to know each character a little at a time —how they lived their lives, their families and dynamics, and ultimately how it shaped both them and their future, their circumstances, and some of their dreams.
Unfortunately, Grant was a poor little rich boy who his parents ignored, sent to boarding school, and was constantly berated and belittled by his overbearing father. He couldn’t do anything right in his father’s eyes, and his dad always worried about appearances. His parents had an unhappy marriage, but they stayed together for the benefits it bestowed upon them.
Grant’s pompous dad was a monster and wouldn’t be crossed when he determines Grant’s fling with the poor gardening help has run its course. He doesn’t want to hear anything different and wants his son to make the right connections and mingle with the rich and powerful. He makes sure to get his way, but things don’t always happen the way he thought they did.
When Grant and Tess’s paths unexpectedly cross 25 years later, neither is ready for it, especially since they’re both running for governor of Virginia. Memories come alive, and not all are good ones. They tried to distance themselves from their past, especially since they both have spouses and in Grant’s case, he has two young sons.
We get to know their history a little at a time, and there were some revelations, along with darkness, tears, and even some hate mixed in with their summer love. The story had numerous twists and turns, along with surprises, unexpected secrets revealed, and even the loss of love.
Ultimately, there was closure with one of them winning the governor’s race, but some things remain unresolved in their relationship if you can call it that. Although they stay in contact after the election, the story ends with some unresolved issues but also the chance, if not for a future, at least a chance of friendship.
Drama-filled and depictions of different types of love, The Summer We Ran runs the gambit of emotions. Twists and turns kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2025
This dual time line novels tells a story of secrets between two people who went from love to shocking rivalry with each other. What was once love became a fierce battle between two people who wanted to be elected the governor of Virginia while they tried to keep their past hidden from not only the voters but also their spouses that they had never been honest with.
In the summer of 1996 Tess and her mother moved to the house of a very affluent family where the mom had gotten a job as the cook for the summer. Her daughter had always been very outspoken and at 17 years old, often got in trouble with her mom for our outspoken views. Her mom gave her two rules for that summer — keep quiet and stay out of trouble. When Tess is offered a job to work in the gardens at a neighboring mansion, her mother sees this is a great way to keep her busy and out of trouble. Grant is 18 years old and home from boarding school for the summer.
When they first meet, Tess is aware of how different their lives are but as she begins to see him every day while she is working in the gardens, they become interested in each other. They fall in love and spend the summer enjoying their time with each other. When it’s time for Grant to go back to school, things begin to change for their relationship plus there is a lot of disapproval from Grant’s father which makes their relationship destined for failure. The summer ended with secrets and betrayals.
In 2021, Tess and Grant are both running political campaigns to become the governor of Virginia. They are both married and neither their spouses nor the public knows about their relationship years before. In fact, they haven’t even talked to each other since the end of their summer romance. But there is a secret and a person threatening to expose their relationship to the public. Will their romance be exposed and if it is, how will their spouses react and what effect will it have on their political futures? More importantly, when Tess and Grant begin to talk to each other will they understand what happened back in 1996 and will it create a new friendship or more for them?
The Summer we Ran was a well written coming of age story for Tess and Grant. It showed how past secrets can affect the future and the importance of honesty in relationships. The story is told in two time lines and from the POV of Tess and Grant. It’s a real page turner and keeps the reader well involved in the story. Audrey Ingram is a new author for me and I plan to check out her earlier books.
3. Laurie
Love, loss and forgiveness set amidst political background and former teenage loves
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2025
Seventeen year-old Tess Murphy has always known hardship living with her single mom, who finds employment wherever she can as a cook. When her mom lands a job for the summer cooking for wealthy socialite Madeline Milton at her DC summer house, Tess tags along. She’s given two rules- stay quiet and stay out of trouble.
Everything changes when Tess meets a neighbor of Madeline’s, Kay Alexander. They share a love of gardening, and Tess begins working with Kay in her backyard garden, and also begins a relationship with her son Grant. Two teenagers – one wealthy and privileged and the other knowing how to fight for whatever she wants – and the summer relationship has its challenges. Add to the mix Grant’s controlling father, and the scene is set for an eventual showdown.
Twenty-five years later, both Tess and Grant are running for the position of Governor of Virginia. Will they be able to keep their summer romance and all that involved secret, or will they come to realize that secrets never remain hidden? Told from dual timelines in that golden summer of 1997, and the months leading up to the election in 2021, this is a book of hope, forgiveness, given and found family. And the title – got to love a title that has multiple meanings. Absolutely loved this book – one of my favorites of 2025!
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