Brief

Summer Stoltz has had a thing for her step-brother since before their parents got married. She follows him to university, where she meets Caden Banks, Kevin’s fraternity brother. Summer falls for Caden and gets wrapped up in the college's small world of drama.

What We Liked

- This already has a built-in fanbase--the author is immensely popular with the YA crowd.
- The romance is easy to follow and includes steamy sex scenes.
- Good girl/Bad boy dynamics;
- Contained environment;
- It would make a fast, fun romance film.

Synopsis

Summer Stoltz , like every girl in her school, had a huge crush on the most popular boy, Kevin Matthews, and that crush only worsened once he became her stepbrother. Summer becomes determined to win Kevin as her boyfriend and enrolls in his college. Once she gets there, however, she walks in on Kevin in his frat with another girl, Maggie. Summer is soon forced to cover for her stepbrother when Maggie's boyfriend, Marcus, tries to find her. Summer is heartbroken and scared, and annoyed by one of Kevin's frat brothers, Caden. Caden is beautiful, but he's biological brothers with Marcus and is initially rude to Summer.

Summer quickly becomes friends with the bubbly, popular Avery. At a party, Avery gets drunk and accidentally leaves Summer, who finds a ride home with Caden. Caden teases Summer and is still rude, but Summer realizes how gorgeous he is. Summer tries to reconnect with Kevin, but despite flirting with her, he states that he's in love with Maggie. Summer gets closer to Caden, and the two become fast friends. Caden opens up to Summer in ways he never has, and she soon realizes that she's getting over Kevin and falling for Caden. She thinks that Caden is so different than Kevin that she calls him ""the anti-stepbrother."" Kevin, however, reveals that he has feelings for Summer. Summer is furious but makes it clear that she's over Kevin. Kevin apologizes and starts taking lessons from Summer and her friends on how to be a nice guy. Everyone goes on a road trip to visit one of Summer's high school friends, and Caden and Summer hook up for the first time. The two quickly become an item.

One day, Caden gets a call from the hospital about his other brother, Colton, and takes Summer to see him. Caden won't tell Summer what's going on, but Summer sees Marcus waiting in the hospital lobby. Marcus tells Summer that Colton got a traumatic brain injury in high school that led to him trying to kill himself and this was Colton's third attempt. The story switches to Caden's point of view and Caden confronts Marcus, telling him to not blame himself anymore for his brother's injury. Summer goes to check on Kevin; he confesses his love for her and brings up her dead mother. Summer freezes up at the mention of her mother and starts bringing back all of these repressed feelings about her death--she sees Kevin as her mother and hugs him, picturing him as her deceased mom. Caden walks in on them hugging and Kevin convinces Caden that Summer is sobbing and holding him because Kevin just revealed his feelings for Summer. Later, Caden and Summer talk and she tells him what was happening, and he breaks up with her, saying that she needs to deal with the grief over her mother and can't do that if she's with him. Summer is devastated and stops eating. One day, as a result of this, she faints. Caden is by her side in the hospital and the two get back together.

About The Author

Tijan is a WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES, and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn't be without and an English Cocker she adores.