Published by Simon & Schuster on May 5, 2026
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a romantic coming-of-age novel about an unassuming girl who learns to stand on her own while falling in love during a life-changing summer.
Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.
Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins, and to meet the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.
Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away—and why she’s brought Finley here now.
And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself.
Finley had all her ducks in a row, after her yearly vacation with her mom, she had the beach for the rest of the summer and college with her boyfriend in the fall. But her mother has things to take care of, and they ended up at The Woods and NOT in New York. Once there, Finley is thrown a few more curve balls that took her by surprise, but in the end, she ended up a lot stronger and wiser than she was before.
I was jumping for joy when I heard Dessen was back, and she did not disappoint. This was the story of a young woman who had a complicated relationship with her complicated mother. Finley's mom had left her family when she was just four. She only spent short amounts of time since thereafter with her corporate mother. This trip back to her mother's childhood home was very revealing. Finley learned a lot about her mother which brought them closer, but she also had the opportunity to meet and embrace the Woods side of the family which was a combination of blood and found family.
The time outside of her regular environment was also very eye-opening. Finley had a lot of opportunities to reflect on her relationship and the way her life was shaped by her boyfriend. She recognized that she sacrificed a lot of herself in that relationship and was determined to stay true to herself.
As always, Dessen struck a great balance and hit all the right emotional notes with this tale. I adored meeting all the characters and enjoyed their story arcs. Because I like everything tied up in a bow, I was a bit frustrated with the ending. I know what I would like to happen but was left with some loose ends. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed being part of Finley's personal journey where she embraced change and changed quite a bit herself.
Published by Delacorte Romance on May 5, 2026
Age/Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp—from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!
Questing for love . . .
Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.
Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned . . .
Senior year was a big one for Hazel. She was color guard captain and determined to take top honors at the marching band awards just as her mother had. But things were not going as planned, and one thing throwing her off her game was the return of her former friend - Max who was not showing any warmth for her though their mothers keep pushing them together. Hopefully Max won't derail all her plans for the year.
Rolls and Rivalry was another great installment in Gaming and Romance. This time around, we have friends reuniting under strained circumstances. I definitely wanted them to rebuild that friendship while they worked through their personal issues. Max was dealing with his parents divorce and relocating to a new school senior year while Hazel was trying to live up to her mother's expectations. It was great they were able to find support in each other and their D&D community.
Speaking of D&D, there was quite a bit of game play as Hazel tackled her own campaign as DM. Her struggles there were a great parallel for similar challenges she was experiencing as a new captain. I loved how she was able to leverage the experience and grown in both roles. The standout elements of friendship and family I loved in the other books were here as well, and it was also fun to get cameos from the other Gaming and Romance characters.
Overall: I had a great time watching Hazel grow into her leadership roles as I cheered for both the band and the campaign.
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