by Alicia Upano
First published 2026
Jane returns to her Hawaiian island town for one last summer before her senior year of college. She plans to work, save money, and leave forever to become an architect on the mainland. Then she meets Kenji, a local Hilo boy with a square jaw and dimpled cheek. What starts as a summer fling becomes something deeper. Jane sketches in her high school art books while Kenji makes her forget her carefully laid plans. Their romance feels perfect and carefree until disaster strikes. A massive tsunami sweeps through their families and community, killing loved ones and destroying their world. The tragedy breaks Jane and Kenji apart. Grief pulls them in different directions. Kenji stays in Hawaii to help rebuild their devastated hometown. Jane, shattered by loss, follows her best friend to California. Seven years pass with an ocean between them. Then Jane and Kenji meet again on another coast, carrying the weight of their shared past and the question of whether love can survive such devastating loss.
Genres: romance, young-adult, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: California, Hawaii, Hilo
Period: college, senior-year, seven-years
320 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: death