The Right Kind of Light

by Stephanie Logue

Ginny Merchant just graduated from high school. Her best friend refuses to talk to her. And her writer’s block? It’s still going strong, unless she’s writing to the one person who won’t listen.

Since her best friend left, Ginny hasn’t written a word worth keeping. When Ginny is invited to work at Storybook Land, an amusement park with a castle, a carousel, and familiar childhood characters, she takes the chance, optimistic that surrounding herself with children’s stories might help her write again.

But working at Storybook Land isn’t the fairytale Ginny hoped for. She’s still anxious about leaving home in the fall and how chasing her dreams might affect her family. Even after meeting Summer, who sees the world through her camera and lives for adventure, Ginny worries about making the wrong decision.

Then there’s Milo, who works on the park’s maintenance staff and brings Ginny strawberry slushies every day. Milo has his own past that connects with Ginny’s from before this summer. Leaving home is never as simple as it seems, especially when you grow up in a town with its own yellow brick road...

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Stephanie Logue writes contemporary fiction and creative nonfiction for girls and women who feel like they never quite fit in. She is the author of the YA contemporary novel The Right Kind of Light, published in 2026. Stephanie's previous books include Not Without You (2024), a new adult novel about mental health and coping with loss and love in college, and her novella, Yes. Every Single Day. (2023) which considers what letting go of that first-love-future feels like. Her next work, SUMMER GIRL, is an adult literary offering on what happens after the perfect relationship ends. It's due out fall 2027.

​Stephanie also writes the popular weekly Substack The Eldest Daughter Says, primarily featuring free creative nonfiction essays in the same themes you'll find in her books: accessible love, recovering from loss, and true girlhood. Stephanie loves teen dramas with love triangles, pens with ultra-fine tips, and yellow brick roads. She lives in South Dakota with her family, and you can follow her on Instagram @stephaniel_writes.

Reviews

[Mickey The Goose]

I’m writing this a bit late at night, so bear with me. I have work in the morning, where I will be working at the kiddy rides, though not the carousel as I’m not yet trained for it.

I do not know what Logue’s experience with theme parks is, but I have a feeling she hasn’t actually worked at one. The book is actually pretty accurate to my experience as far as how rides operates and switching jobs throughout the day/week, and I truly appreciated those little details. She actually did a great job fleshing out the theme parks… and I’m one hundred percent bias since I love Oz. However, I felt like she didn’t allow there to be enough rules in the park or regulations for it to really feel real. The employees essentially stole from the park (and it was depicted as being okay, since slushies aren’t worth much), broke dress code, and a myriad of other things that would be a fireable offense at any real place. One of the biggest red flags was that safety was not a top priority when working the rides and characters would take their eyes off of a operating ride to talk to people… I’m a very strict rule follower, so while I know some people at my work may take their eyes away from the ride for a couple moments, it still bothers me immensely. They also broke into the park after hours…

Every time the book mentioned something that felt unrealistic or inappropriate for the theme parks setting, I was yanked out of the story. It really kept me from being invested in it. However, this will likely only be a problem if you’re a theme park employee.

Beyond that, the writing was pretty good. The sentences were occasionally clunky, especially toward the beginning of the book and one can tell that it may not have a full team of experienced editors behind it; though most traditionally published books these days don’t either. It’s mostly an issue in the very beginning of the book, so once you get past the opening chapters it’s a lot easier of a read and the prose is actually pretty good.

As far as the story goes, I wouldn’t describe it as memorable. There were definitely things I liked and I was engaged while reading, but it’s not necessarily a story I can see myself revisiting time and time again. This may be in part because I’m slowly aging out of Young Adult books, and I can still see this as being some other teenagers favorite book that they will reread over and over again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alyssa]

Thank for you to Stephanie for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

The Right Kind of Light is absolutely beautiful. The vivid imagery, the careful protagonist Ginny who has to be brave enough to walk her own path, and her family and friends, who are the bigger cheerleaders.

I was hooked from the very start, intrigued by the friendship fallout with Lou and then the budding friendship Summer. The girls who both served a different role in Ginny’s life but understand what she needed before she did.

I especially enjoyed Milo. The storyline of falling in love and having a safe, supportive partner, but the bumps that go along with it, because nothing is ever easy. Although strawberry slushies do make it sweeter.

There were some side quests I wish I had learned more about, like Lou’s mom and Shmiditty, but you never really know anyone else's story, and there's a beauty in that as well.

I recommend In The Right Kind of Light and I'll be picking up more books from this author and listening to the soundtrack in the back!

[By penny reads]

The "The Right Kind of Light" was such a comforting read for me. It also had summer vibes that I loved.
I really enjoyed the fact that despite being a romance book it also contained the struggles some friendships have and how the loss of them can impact you. I loved Summer's and Gin's friendship and how she helped her change the way she saw herself. Milo and Gin were such a cute couple, as well as Van and Summer who I would love to read a book about.
Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a book to start their summer that has a good love story along with some relatable topics.🌅

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nora Reed]

The vision the author had for this story is CRYSTAL clear, and it's rendered so beautifully on the page ♥ I love a story that reminds me of a time in my life when possibilities stretched out in front of me, just waiting for me to make choices, and this one absolutely does that. It is deep without trying at all; no overwrought prose and no forced themes here! It's the kind of writing that helps you view the past in a way that makes you feel hopeful about the future. 1000% would recommend this story.

[Cheryl Smith]

I really appreciated how this explored the complexity of female friendship alongside the romance. The writing was soft and atmospheric, and the summer setting felt incredibly vivid. Plus, the letters Ginny writes Lou killed me. It's a perfect bookend (literally) to Lou's story in Not Without You, also by Stephanie, where Lou's hearing Ginny's voice the whole time. It's soulmate level stuff. I really enjoyed this. Perfect for a beautiful sunny weekend.

[Nicole Chasing Chapters]

I was eagerly anticipating this read, and it did not disappoint! The book beautifully captures every scene and moment, weaving a heartfelt love story. It explores themes of friendship—both lost and gained—and the courage to embrace new love. The ending is absolutely charming, reminiscent of fairy tales, and offers a touching message about conquering your fears and pursuing your dreams. A must-read!

[Cecelia Wood]

This is the kind of hazy, nostalgic, coming of age story that is hard to put down. Ginny spends the summer between college and high school grappling with the sudden ending of a childhood friendship, fears about the future, and whether she has what it takes to pursue her ambitions of becoming a writer.

Through a new friendship, an unexpected romance and a summer job that reminds her that fairytales can happen to anyone, Ginny finds that this summer is just the start to her own story.

[Reader]

I don’t normally leave reviews. But this book (which I picked up at a festival at Storybook Land) is one of the best I have read in a long time. It perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to begin a new chapter in life while longing to relive the old one. I can’t begin to put into words how relatable this book has been to me or what it meant to feel like my hometown and the people/places in it have been seen and that someone feels the way I do. That it will always be home. Highly recommend!

[Reader]

The women's friendship is the whole thing here, and it’s handled in a way that doesn’t make either person the villain. It’s just two people changing at the same time. There’s no clean reason for it, which is probably the most accurate part. It didn't try to be an after school lesson. It just kind of leaves you with it, but it was still a happy ending. I'd read more from this author.

[Ellie Anne]

Such a sweet, fun summer read!! The characters are lovable, realistic, and so well written. The story feels tangible, like it really truly could have happened, and in many ways, I think it does, all the time. So glad I found this one!! Ginny & Lou hit a little too close to home, but seeing Ginny find Summer makes me so happy for her. ☀️💕

[Bekah]

A wonderful summer read for any fan of YA stories. The Right Kind of Light is a story that encompasses being a teen, the good and hard parts. Stephanie Logue writes her characters and narrative in a way any reader will find themselves identifying with parts of. All while you'll be yearning to be a part of this charming theme park.

[Stephanie Logue]

I'm the author of this work, so there's not much more I love more than Ginny and her story.

Yes, it's true that I worked at an amusement park dedicated to our childhood fairytales when I was 18, and then I set this book at that park. But what inspired this book and Ginny's story, right down at its core is this. What hurts the most about growing up, in my experience (from the other side of 40) is that there’s a way the light looks when you’re a kid that fades after you leave home. It used look like magic, now you see right through it. That loss of innocence is what I wanted to capture within the pages of The Right Kind of Light.

But don't kid yourself: there's a cute boy, best friends, yearning, angst, summertime shenanigans and one case of light breaking and entering too. I hope you pick this up, and I hope you enjoy it.

☆ Tropes THE RIGHT KIND OF LIGHT ☆

- girls finding their voices on their terms
- last summer before college
- the trauma of a friendship breakup
- Older YA with big feelings
- sleep over in a dreamy carousel
- the girlhood we deserve
- summer jobs and strawberry slushies and kisses under fireworks in the baseball diamond
- first big love
- nail polish and slushies and sunflowers
- MC writes notes to her ex-bff
- when artists have too much time on their hands