First published 2025
Joni stands at her family's summer home, watching her former best friend Ren across the beach. They used to be inseparable, meeting every wedding season as each other's plus-ones no matter where life took them. That tradition ended when their friendship shattered after crossing a line they can't uncross. Now Joni has moved across the country for work, but she's back for one week to celebrate her sister's wedding. She plans to make everything perfect, even if that means pretending to be friends with Ren and hiding the real reason their bond broke. Faking friendship with someone who once knew her better than anyone proves harder than expected. Beach days blend into starry evenings, and Joni starts questioning what her life looks like without Ren in it. When the wedding day arrives, old pain resurfaces. Joni must choose whether loving Ren means walking away forever or fighting for a relationship worth saving.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, adult, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: bittersweet, emotional, intimate, introspective, nostalgic, romantic
Tropes: forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers, pining, second-chance-romance
Setting: summer home, beach
352 pages · Paperback · Canary Street Press