The Summer We Ran: A Novel
A National Bestseller
An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for June
A June 2025 Book of the Month Selection
A Town & Country Best New Romance Novel
"The Summer We Ran is a perfectly nostalgic story of love, loss, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. It's exactly what I hope for in a summertime read."
--Annabel Monaghan, author of Same Time Next Summer
Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive dual timelines, The Summer We Ran weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decision two people must make in order to fulfill the futures they each desire.
In the summer of 1996, Tess Murphy's mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn't want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken teenage daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.
Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant's love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes.
Now, more than two decades after their epic teenage romance, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, and secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, their political futures, and the memory of the first love that shaped their lives.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
* I wish I could have given this a 3 1/2 star review!
What’s it about?
Daphne is an artist living with her surgeon husband and their two children, as well as her stepson, in an affluent part of Miami. When Luna, a category six hurricane, hits, the family is separated, and all of Daphne’s resources are inaccessible. The world as they knew it has changed in a few hours.
What did it make me think about?
Climate change
Should I read it?
What took me so long to read this one? This was a really clever story about how climate change could affect anyone. The story is unsettling, but it has great characters and a fast-moving story—lots to think about here. I suppose that if you read this book, you will be pondering it for quite some time.
Quote-
“It does unsettle me, all the attention DECO is getting from a certain set. People are starting to come out here on yachts for canapés and cocktails at sunset, you know, Kip and Bunny sailing down the coast from Vero Beach to gawk at what we’ve been doing with the remains.”
***I had to laugh at this quote…
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.