When your best friend since elementary school is Michael Becker—charming, sentimental, and everything good about small-town life—falling for him feels inevitable, even if it's completely forbidden. So when he announces he's moving to New York to escape heartbreak and start fresh, you see your shot: one last summer together with a bucket list of adventures designed to remind him why home is worth staying for. Of course, those adventures are really just an excuse to finally tell him you're in love with him, but you're banking on the possibility that maybe—just maybe—he's been waiting for you to say it all along. This is a swoon-worthy journey through all the ways a promise between best friends can become something so much more.

Reading soundtrack

Listen while you read

Spotify

yearningnostalgictenderbittersweethopeful

Nostalgic indie-pop and folk-tinged acoustic songs about unspoken love, summer nostalgia, and the bittersweet ache of choosing between home and dreams. Think early Taylor Swift, Bon Iver, and Dashboard Confessional—yearning, tender, and deeply honest.