by Sarah Dessen
First published 2019
Emma Saylor has lived quietly with her father since her mother died when she was ten. Her strongest memories are the tales her mom shared about an endless lake surrounded by mossy trees and filled with crystal clear water. When Emma unexpectedly gets sent to spend summer with her maternal grandmother and cousins, she discovers North Lake harbors two distinct worlds. Her mother came from working class North Lake, while her father summered in the affluent Lake North resort area. Emma finds herself split between identities too. Her father calls her Emma, but her newfound family knows her as Saylor, her mother's pet name for her. At the lake, she reconnects with Roo, her childhood best friend who understands her family's complicated past. As Roo helps Emma piece together her history, she gets swept up in North Lake's enchantment and finds herself drawn to him. This new world awakens parts of herself she never knew existed. But summer must end, and Emma faces a choice about which version of herself she wants to be.
Genres: romance, family-life, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: North Lake, Lake North
Period: Summer
440 pages · Hardcover · Balzer + Bray