THE SUMMER OF SECOND CHANCES

A recent high school graduate from New Jersey who’s deferred college to be with her grandmother who has dementia gets whisked away to Martha’s Vineyard.

At her retirement community, Olivia Lupo’s grandmother Annie cycles between lucidity and confusion. Annie has been Olivia’s bedrock, particularly since Olivia’s mother died when she was 7; postponing Northwestern to work at a bookstore and be there for Annie was an easy decision. But Olivia’s lifestyle influencer stepmother, Erica, expects her to attend a three-week family reunion on Martha’s Vineyard. This feels like a betrayal when Annie can forget Olivia’s face from one visit to the next. Before leaving Haddonfield, Olivia uncovers old watercolors and Polaroids in her grandmother’s possessions that point to locations on Martha’s Vineyard. Once on the island, Olivia enjoys hours on the beach and meets a cute, flirty boy named Connor McCallister, with whom she has easy banter. She also investigates clues from Annie’s paintings and photos, revealing a gentle mystery. Olivia enlists the help of her 10-year-old sister, Maisie, in a playful and bittersweet hunt for answers, and her romance with Connor builds with a satisfying slow-burn friction. The book’s strongest moments are emotionally honest, exploring the ways dementia complicates love and responsibility. The sprawling cast revolves around a clean emotional throughline about learning to claim a life beyond caretaking. Most characters read white.

A breezy beach read with emotional ballast, anchored by a compassionate depiction of family.