Rapid City Summer by Connie Richardson follows fifteen-year-old Natalie Ryba as a reluctant move to South Dakota—and an unexpected passion for fly fishing—lead her on a transformative journey of self-discovery, family reconnection, and resilience in the face of life-altering news. Below is an excerpt from the novel:

Chapter 1

Early June

“What’s so great about South Dakota besides a mountain with some old guys’ heads on it?” I asked.

“You’ll find out soon,” Dad replied.

“How soon? We’ve been in the car for over twelve hours already!”

Dad and I left our home for the past fifteen years, the Chicago suburbs, at 5 a.m. to get to our new home in Rapid City, South Dakota, before sunset. While all my friends were sleeping in and planning pool days to kick off their summer vacations, I was stuck in a car with my dad, staring at cornfields. I thought the burbs were boring, but nothing could prepare me for southern Minnesota. So when I saw the wooden “Welcome to Rapid City” sign, I felt a mix of dread (because we were officially in our new hometown–no turning back now) and joy (because I survived twelve hours of dad jokes and counting hundreds of Wall Drug billboards with my father).

Ping! I heard simultaneous notifications from my dad’s phone and my own, which meant one thing: Mom texted the family group chat. I looked at her message—seven new pictures. She was standing in front of the new house, smiling with her arms in the air. She looked peppier than the cheerleaders at my old school.

Arrived at the new house! So did all our things! Can’t wait for you both to get here. Natalie, you’ll love the backyard!

She started her new job at Black Hills State University a few days ago, so she left the burbs before we did to attend orientation and get the keys to our new home.

We exited I-90 and drove into my new hometown. My first impression was that Rapid City reminded me of the Chicago suburbs because of all the stores and restaurants. I felt a sense of relief when I saw a Culvers AND Crumbl Cookies. Yet this familiar-looking place was unfamiliar in every other way. I noticed a creek that cut through part of town–it looked straight out of a Hallmark movie.

After several minutes of driving through town, Dad turned into our new subdivision. Soon I recognized a house I had only seen in pictures from online listings: on the corner lot was our new, blue house with the big yard. A large U-Haul truck filled the driveway, and Mom and a man I didn’t recognize were unloading boxes.

“Looks like your mother made some new friends already,” Dad said, suspicious of the strange man helping Mom. She smiled and waved at us, acting like she hadn’t seen us in years.

“You made it!” she exclaimed as we exited Dad’s car. “Isn’t it so pretty here?” Mom wrapped me in a big, sweaty hug, and I quickly wrapped one arm around her before pulling away. I knew she was happy about getting this new job, but the rose-colored glasses wouldn’t work on me. She clearly forgot how pissed I was about uprooting my life, or she was too busy with her new job to care.

I just finished my freshman year of high school, where I was a top distance runner on the cross country and track teams. All of my best friends were on the team with me, and we planned to run 5Ks this summer and train for the upcoming cross country season. Our goal was to qualify for the state meet as a team.

Now, my friends and my dreams were almost 900 miles away. My heart ached, realizing how lonely I already felt and all the things I will miss out on.

“How was the drive?” Mom asked while the strange man continued to bring boxes into our garage.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

“Great!” Dad said. “We stopped at Wall Drug and counted over 100 Wall Drug billboards on the highway. They have five-cent coffee and free ice water!” Dad was a sucker for a good deal. “We also got to see some of the Black Hills. It’s even more stunning in person compared to the pictures.”

“Why are they called the Black Hills?” I asked.

“There are so many pine trees covering the hills that from a distance, it looks black,” Dad explained. “You can start to see them here in Rapid City. We’ll have to drive further west soon to see them even better.”

I remembered seeing an abundance of pine trees scattering the hilly landscape as we approached Rapid City, but I didn’t know what was so special about them. I still didn’t get the appeal, but no majestic landscape, or even being reunited with my mom, would make me feel better right now.

The still-unnamed man walked up to us. “I wanted to give you all a moment before I introduced myself. I’m Mato.” He reached out to shake Dad’s hand, and then mine. “I’m your next-door neighbor.”

“Mato introduced himself as soon as I pulled up with the U-Haul and offered to help unload until you got here. None of our neighbors back home were that friendly!” Mom said.

“And I’m happy to help in any way I can. My son should be out soon; he’s finishing up some other chores in the house.”

I looked around, taking in the sights of our new neighborhood. Mom was right (I hated admitting that): this neighborhood seemed way more inviting than our old neighborhood in Illinois. I never saw my old neighbors. I knew who they were, but had very few interactions with them. Within five minutes of being in our new neighborhood in South Dakota, I saw a group of six boys ride their bikes down the street, and a family of three walking their two golden retriever puppies. Everyone waved and smiled at us. Then I saw an older woman walking up our driveway, grinning from ear-to-ear and holding a casserole dish.

“You must be our new neighbors!” The lady gushed. “I’m Joanne, I live kitty-corner from y’all.”

“I’m Jack,” my dad introduced himself. “This is my wife Trish, and my daughter Natalie.”

“What a beautiful family!” Joanne exclaimed. Was she always this cheerful? “Where y’all from?”

“Chicago,” Mom answered. The actual answer was Arlington Heights, but it was easier just to say Chicago.

“That’s such a big city! I used to live in Texas but moved to South Dakota ten years ago to be closer to family. I’ll never leave.”

Mom replied, “We didn’t really want to leave, but I got a job at Black Hills State that was too good to pass up. And I also have family in the area. My mom lives ten minutes away.”

“How wonderful! You must be so excited to be so close now.”

We all looked at each other, collectively unsure how to respond. That was the reason we almost didn’t move here.

“Anywho,” Joanne drawled, “When I saw the moving truck pull up earlier, I thought I would whip you up a little something to eat. Just some chislic and potatoes.”

“What’s that?” I snapped, immediately regretting how rude I sounded.

“Seasoned lamb cut into bite-sized pieces. It’s a South Dakota staple.”

“Thank you,” Dad said, smiling and taking the casserole dish from Joanne. “We should get back to unpacking.”

“Of course. Holler if you need anything! Nice to meet you all!” Joanne gave each of us a hug before walking back to her house.

“Well, isn’t she sweet!” Mom said. “I think I’m going to love it here.”

Well, that would make one of us.

“Nat, can you help Mato unload the last boxes out of the truck?” Mom asked before she went inside with Dad. Left with no choice, I was stuck outside with this stranger.

“I’ll come help in a second,” I called to Mato as I pulled out my phone. I opened my text thread with my best friend, Syd.

Just got here. Miss you already I sent with a crying emoji.

Immediately, three dancing dots appeared, followed by Syd’s message: Dude come back!! Who am I gonna watch The Office with? Followed by three crying emojis.

As I was typing, a deep voice startled my concentration. “Nat, I hear you like to run?” I looked up and saw Mato carrying a big box out of the moving truck. Feeling guilty for not helping, I shoved my phone in my pocket and hurried to help him.

“Yeah,” I answered. “I ran cross country and track back home. Our team was pretty good.”

“What’s your favorite event?” Mato asked.

“The mile,” I said, thinking about how close I was to qualifying for the state meet at sectionals only a few short weeks ago. It was devastating to fall short of my goal, but I was proud of running my personal best of the season at that meet.

“The cross country and track teams here are pretty good. I wish my son, Adam, would run.”

As if on cue, a tan boy with dark hair and a royal blue t-shirt walked toward us. He looked around my age. He smiled and waved at me.

Maybe South Dakota wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Visit our Reading Essentials section to discover the best bookshelves, reading chairs, book lights for reading at night, and more!

Receive top book recommendations directly in your inbox.