The Summer I Found You

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY DEC 23, 2013

Perry, co-author of Out of Play (Entangled, 2013) and the creator of several self-published romances, presents a story told through alternating perspectives about moving through loss and finding unexpected sources of support. While Kate has plans to attend college next year with her best friend Jen, Kate's senior year is off to a rocky start. Her boyfriend dumps her for a junior, she was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and her overprotective parents are overwhelming her. When Jen introduces Kate to her 19-year-old cousin Aidan, who returned from Afghanistan missing an arm and feeling displaced within his own family, there's an immediate and believable attraction and connection; they both know what it feels like to be weakened and pitied. Kate and Aidan's relationship provides them with the opportunity to be honest with each other and themselves about their respective challenges, as well as an antidote to their emotional pain. Perry candidly describes their conflicted feelings, the loneliness of having a perceived disability, and the power of mutual encouragement. Ages 13 up.