Grown-Up Summer

by Lacie Shea Brown

Justin is as gorgeous and athletic as he is kind and sensitive. No wonder Lexi’s had a crush on him for ages. There’s just one problem.

Their families are old friends. They spend every summer as next door neighbors in their lakeside cabins and Lexi worries that Justin can’t see her as more than a friend. Every year, Lexi looks forward to the trip—not just for the outdoor adventures and time with loved ones but for the chance to be with Justin.

At fourteen and about to become a freshman, Lexi’s not a little girl anymore. She’s ready for her first kiss, and she really wants it to be with her first crush. But, with Justin entering his senior year, college decisions around the corner and his new girlfriend, Natalie, tagging along this summer, his thoughts are far from Lexi and their days on the dock.

But Angela, Lexi’s best friend on the lake, thinks Lexi and Justin were meant to be. She’s been friends with both of them for years, and she’s sure there’s something more. Lexi hopes she’s right—and she hopes their summer gives her and Justin a chance to find out.

123 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2018

About the author

Born and raised an only child in Southern California, Lacie spent her childhood filling journals with entries of birthday lists, friends and her annoyances with boys.

Her writing matured as she did and by high school, her journal entries held paragraphs detailing her desperate desire for a first kiss, an infatuation with an older boy and the inevitable teen vs. parent drama.

After writing almost daily for 10 years, a career in the field seemed an obvious choice, so she selected journalism as a major and began a deep dive into news reporting. Needless to say, it didn't take long for her to realize newspaper reporting is nothing like journaling. And in fact, if she continued to chase news stories, she'd most likely end up unemployed, exhausted and emotionally drained.

Needing a job, sleep and emotional stability, Lacie took her skill set and switched to marketing where she spent the next six years promoting national companies on a local level.

And while her passion for news came and went, as did her career in marketing, she's never lost her love of writing. It just happens, she's happier writing poetry and fiction than reporting the facts.

You can follow her and her writing on Instagram @writerlacieshea

Reviews

[Kristy Noryko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I Be 15 Again, Please?

I loved every part of the book. The plot had me blushing, thinking back to my teens, and hoping with all my might that they'd get together. The peripheral descriptions of the lake and the culture surrounding it make me want to find this special place. Give me more!

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written! I fell in love with the characters and cannot wait for more. My connection was immediate and heartfelt. Great story !!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself wanting to read more and more until I finally had to stop to go to bed. I feel like a lot of teenage girls and boys could relate to this book. Not only can it teach someone that being confident is sometimes a hard thing to do but it also teaches people that confidence can make the situation even better. Some strengths the author had was connecting what was happening to past memories, throughout the book. This made it more easy to follow along and understand how important someone meant to her. A weakness the author had was skipping around large amounts of time/days. The author would explain three days in one or two pages. This made it a bit hard to follow along what happened between then. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I wish there could be another book to follow up on, what happened to the two characters at the end. I would also recommend this book for someone because this book is relatable and interesting.
This book is a good book to read for 10 year olds and up.