by Misty Wilson
First published 2026
Ellis watches her senior year plans crumble when her parents separate and she moves from Manhattan to Bramble Falls, Connecticut. The small town feels like prison until she discovers her aunt runs the month-long Falling Leaves Festival that brings tourists every autumn. Ellis wants nothing to do with the celebration or its endless planning. Worse, Cooper Barnett works at the local coffee shop. He was her childhood best friend and first kiss, but now he acts like she doesn't exist. Ellis tries to stay away from him, but every festival event forces them together. She keeps telling herself she'll return to Manhattan soon. Days turn into weeks. Bramble Falls starts to feel less like exile and more like home. Cooper's icy treatment begins to melt. Ellis faces a choice between her old life in the city and this unexpected connection to a place and people she thought she had outgrown. The decision will reshape not just where she lives but who she becomes.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: bittersweet, emotional, heartwarming, introspective, nostalgic
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers, second-chance-romance
Setting: Bramble Falls, Connecticut, Manhattan
Period: Senior Year
352 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster