Eight years ago, Cooper was dating the hottest and most desired girl in Ash Falls and on his way to take over his father's hotel empire. The thing was, it wasn't the life he wanted. The only way he could escape the life his parents had planned for him, was to give up the money and power that came with being a Chamberlin. And, that's exactly what he planned to do. At the end of the summer, he was going to leave it all behind, start a new life, on his own terms and without his parents' influence.
That was before he met Emma.
Following her parents' divorce, Emma Thompson is the rock for her alcoholic mother and her younger sister. She appears resilient, and tenacious, but inside she's falling apart. She's seen what love could do to someone's hopes and dreams. Love was venomous. And, she didn't want to be its victim.
Until she meets Cooper.
They both had dreams of her own. Dreams that didn't include falling in love. No one even knew they were friends. Yet, for one Summer, Emma became Cooper's entire world. And he, a reminder that love doesn't have to come with warning signs.
Emma Cooper is perfect; she has the quintessential boyfriend, sits at the popular table, and has a packed social calendar. Oh, and she hates every minute of it. She eagerly awaits graduation and the opportunity to burst from her suburban tedium until Danny Stevens inserts himself into her life. Danny defines himself by disaffection and drug use. He is not looking forward to much and aspires to even less. But Emma Cooper is not like the other girls he's met. Before long, they are in way over their heads as they both try to navigate the consequences of love, friends, and themselves.