She's not Katie Sommers any more and she, like her dad and her three sisters, is still really hurting from the loss of her mom three years ago. Her mother's death (never really explained and I think that would have helped the plot a lot), meant a disruption in their annual pilgrimage from New Jersey to their Cape Cod cottage. Older sister Eliza is getting married at the end of the summer and convinced everyone that doing so on the beach by their cottage would be a good thing.
When Kate, Eliza and their two younger sisters arrive, they realize just how hard coming back is, so much so that they have a very difficult time getting through the door. Kate hopes that things will be different in one really good and important way. She's had a crush on next door neighbor Ryan Landry for years, despite the fact that he and Eliza were a summer item every time the Sommers family came to the cape. With Eliza getting married, Kate hopes that she can spark something between her and Ryan.
The moment they see each other, she feels the electricity. It seems that Ryan has as well. Unfortunately, Kate's still intimidated by the ghost of Eliza's annual thing with Ryan and she lets it get to her so badly that she acts like an idiot, not once, but several times. Frankly, her behavior was at times borderline annoying as a result.
However, as the wedding approaches and Kate starts realizing that Ryan is a lot more than a summer fling, you begin to see all the ways that each family member has gotten stuck in the grieving process. Kate's too self-absorbed, Eliza too controlling and Dad is too lost and detached. They're a hurting unit that is out of touch with the intensity of pain caused by Mom's death.
It takes a blow-up between Kate and Eliza as well as some serious soul searching on everyone's part for that elusive light to appear at the end of the tunnel.
While not a perfect read, this was enjoyable and will offer something to teens who are struggling with loss or who are at the beginning of figuring out their first real relationship. There are several sex scenes in the book, but they shouldn't be a deal breaker in terms of adding this to a school or public library. ( )